Tips for saving money on tea from the ThriftyFun community. Post your ideas!
Travel Mug For Bigger Tea
If I go out in the evening, I often take chamomile tea in my travel mug rather than coffee. I know my travel mug holds two cups of coffee yet the herbal tea tasted great even with the extra water. It got me thinking. Now when I have chamomile tea at home, I either use my travel mug or another large mug and enjoy more tea without using a second bag. BTW, you can also refill your regular size mug at home, although this definitely tastes weaker than using a larger mug.
By Katie in NY
Use Large Teapot And Reheat As Needed
I find that buying a good quality tea is worth the cost. From one tea bag, you can get a full pot of tea. I use an old coffee carafe (melita), then I just reheat it during the day, much easier than boiling the kettle every time.
I buy all my tea at Big Lots, they have almost every flavor from peppermint to lemon to earl gray organic tea for $1.50 for 25 bags, then I always use each bag twice. You can also get great teas at the dollar store too.
By bambi2003
Order Directly From Manufacturer
I enjoy a specific type of tea that Bigelow tea produces. I have found that I can order it from them directly for less dollars than it costs to purchase at the local grocery.
By Jess
Use Small Teapot Instead of Mug
While visiting my daughter, I found a tea shop that sold teapots that only hold about 2-2 1/2 cups. I've found that I only need one teabag and still have a flavorful cup of tea, and I have a second cupful to drink now or to heat up in the microwave later!
By Mary in Indiana
Grow Your Own Herbal Teas
About 10 years ago I planted some starts of tarragon in a small herb bed, along with some lemon balm and sage. About 20 years ago, I planted Italian flat leaf parsley in a flower bed. They re-seed themselves every year and I chop and dry the leaves to make tea. A little tea ball simplifies the task, but loose herbs in the tea just make it prettier, I think. So my tea costs are zero per year. In fact, I enter some of them in the fair, so they make me about $8 a year. I don't sweeten my tea, but you may wish to. I have collected odd teacups and saucers from the thrift store to have tea. Now if only I could grow some of those pretty little sandwiches...
By Coreen
Use A Coffee Maker Instead
For about 10 years we have made tea in our Mr. Coffee pot with one tea bag (Lipton) for 8 cups of tea. I never use this same pot for coffee but the tea is brewed with the very hot water steeping through the one tea bag and is perfect. Getting 8 cups from one tea bag stretches the caffeine also.
By Jeannie in Pa
Buy Bulk Teas
Buy loose teas instead of teabags. Most Co-ops and Natural Foods sections carry teas and spices in bulk for a fraction of the price of the packaged variety. Sometimes, they are even brand name teas. For example, I found The Republic Of Tea's Mango Celyon in bulk for over 50% off what I would pay for the pretty tin.
Jess in Portland
Use a Tea Bag Twice
I like to drink green tea, especially Zen Green Tea which can be purchased at Starbucks. It's fairly expensive, costing about $5 to $6 per box. Sometimes you can find it on sale for $4. I usually drink 3 or 4 cups a day and what I have found is that I can get two strong cups of tea using the same tea bag. That cuts the cost of tea in half. The key is removing the tea bag from your tea and not leaving it in the cup as you drink. It only takes a few minutes for the tea to be infused into the water. Then set the tea bag aside and use it for you next cup.
My fav is Tazo Passion teas - somewhat spendy but very strong. When I see tea on sale, I buy it -- I am still drinking a Celestial Christmas tea and it's mid-summer here. During the dreary winter days, hot tea hits the spot & I live one ice tea in summer..I like to cold steep my ice tea. I also use Starbucks orange syrup (6.00 for huge bottle) w/ Passion iced tea - much better & much cheaper than their Passion w/ lemonade cj in camas, wa
If you put a pinch of baking soda in your pot with the tea bags, you can easily get a gallon of tea out of four bags and it won't get cloudy in the refrigerator.
My old West Bend iced tea maker calls for two family sized tea bags per pitcher of tea. To save money and stretch the tea a bit further, I brew 1 pitcher of Lipton tea as per manufacturer's instructions and then do 2 things: 1. I pour out approx. 20 ounces of iced tea into another container. 2. Then refill the machine's water reservoir and brew again using the original tea bags. No one notices a difference in flavor.
I checked the price with Bigelow vs the price I pay at my grocery store and found the price the same.Also I would have to pay shipping on the tea from Bigelow so it is less expensive for me to buy the tea from my grocery store.
I prefer to drink hot tea rather than coffee. I bought a wide mouth thermos.I put 2 tea bags in it in the morning with hot water from my hotshot... It steeps I add water towards the end of the day. It still tastes good so for 2 tea bags. I drink tea all day. Not too bad for 2 tea bags.
I don't know how helpful this is on your specific question, but I remembered a time when tea really paid off for me. It was about 8 years ago. Smith's had a sale on Lipton teas, including herbal. They also had a manufacturer coupon and a store coupon. When all was said and done, the tea cost .38 per box. Lipton was running a promotion where you could get premiums for upc symbols. I only had $12.00, but I blew it all on tea. Then I sent in my upc's. I received several beach towels, 2 travel alarms, 5 tee-shirts for the grandkids, 2 really nice insulated lunchboxes with steel thermoses, and a few other goodies. I figured it was all worth at least $300 for my $12.00 investment! It made Christmas really easy that year.
I checked out buying Bigelow tea from there web page vs buying from my local super market and the price is the same per bag.No savings buying direct from Bigelow.
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