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Saving Money on Milk

October 10, 2008

Saving Money on MilkTips for saving money on milk as suggested by the ThriftyFun community.

Organic Lasts Longer

If you don't use much milk, try paying extra for organic. The shelf life is incredibly long!
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By Chris

Buy From The Source

For me here, we just go to the farm, and pull a five gallon pail out of the bulk tank. We pay the farmer once a year and just keep record of what we take.

It is MUCH better than any store milk. And if the dairy is clean, there is little or no danger of getting sick. Much less danger than getting powdered, watered down and tainted with Melamine.

By Damian

Buy Milk On Sale And Freeze

This money saving tip saves me so much money. My family doesn't like drinking powdered milk. So to save money. I have a big freezer and when milk is on sale. I buy a LOT. I pour a little off each gallon into the milk bottle in the fridge and then I freeze the rest. when the milk in the fridge is getting low I just go to the freezer and pull out what I need. It takes about 24 hours for it to thaw. I just set the bottles in the sink and when they are almost completely thawed I put them in the fridge. I am never out of milk this way. Try it, you'll save lots of money on milk.
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By Suzanne

Freeze Portions In Freezer Bags

We rarely use milk, it usually goes sour so now I freeze 2 cups in freezer bags, so I have it when needed. The milk is fine, not watery at all and I buy the 2% in the least expensive brand.

By Annette

More About Freezing In Jugs

I was raised on frozen milk. The plastic jug expands. You do not have to open it and pour any out. Just freeze it, set it in the sink until it starts to thaw. Be sure to shake well and don't drink until completely thawed. ENJOY!

By Pinkribbonfloris

Freeze Other Milk Products Too

I do the same with Fat Free Half and Half. I buy about 10 at a time from Target, who has it the cheapest, and freeze. It takes 48 hours to defrost in the fridge and then you have to shake it up but it is fine.

By Dorothy

Use Little Milk On Cereal

When you eat cereal, put less little milk in it! To make it wet, stir the cereal around to get it wet!

By Lydia

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Buy Bulk Powdered Milk for Baking

I use dry non-fat powdered milk in my baking and cooking and save the expensive stuff for the family. I really have saved a lot since I have been able to buy the dry in bulk now.

By Christine Biernat

Use Instant Milk For Cooking

Use instant milk for such things as scrambled eggs, casseroles, scalloped potatoes, white gravy, mashed potatoes and anything else which you need milk. Mix it up with a little water, stir and add it as you would store bought. It actually tastes better to us here because it can be made as strong or thick as you want or need it.

By melody_yesterday

Make Soy Milk

You could try making soy milk. The machines are about $100.00, and sacks of soybeans are not too expensive. The machine does most of the work. You are left with fibrous stuff you can throw into your compost.
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By Janet

Powdered

When my children were small, I always froze the milk, and it was never watery later. I always cook with powdered milk and also pour a little hot water onto weetbix or breakfast cereal to soften it before adding milk. That way, I do not use as much milk. Over a year, that saves a surprising amount!

By Sohuru

Buy Bargain Milk

My picky husband won't drink milk once it's been frozen and rarely will drink powdered. We just tend to shop at places like Save-a-Lot and Wal-mart where milk is cheaper. He drinks so much anyway, it never spoils!

By Lelia Jo Cordell

Mix Whole Milk With Water

If you take one half gallon of whole milk and mix it with one half gallon of water, it will save money and taste like 2 percent milk. The difference is not recognizable.
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By Lucyaaa

Do you have any more tips to share? Feel free to post them below.

Read More Comments

Questions

Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.

December 4, 2004

Ideas for saving money on milk. Post your ideas!

Answers

May 3, 20040 found this helpful

This can be misleading. In our area, a box of store brand powdered milk was nearly $2 more than simply buying the equivelant in regular milk. After all, it is still milk, it is just another step that a company has to make to produce a product.

 

Diamond Feedback Medal for All Time! 1,023 Feedbacks
May 27, 20040 found this helpful

Published on: 2004-04-30

Have you heard that the price of milk and other dairy products is going "sky high"? Unlike the high price of gas, we consumers can do something about the price of milk. Just don't buy it! Serve water at more meals.

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The other way to save money on milk is to gradually wean your family off of regular milk and get them used to the taste, very gradually, of powdered milk. Start by mixing 1/2 gallon of milk with 1/2 gallon of reconstituted powdered milk and gradually increase the amount of powdered milk until it is 100%. You will have better luck if you do not tell your family what you are doing. Let the powdered milk/regular milk mixture sit overnight for the flavors to blend. Even your pickiest eaters will never know the difference!

By Betty

 

Diamond Feedback Medal for All Time! 1,023 Feedbacks
May 27, 20040 found this helpful

Save money on both milk and gas by adjusting to using powdered milk. We were out of milk, and I happened to have some dry milk that had recently been given to me. I mixed up a couple quarts, and to my surprise, my husband and son actually prefer it to the milk I've been buying.

So we won't be making any special trips to a store to buy milk for a while. I have 40 pounds of the milk powder :-)

Kate in NC

 
May 27, 20040 found this helpful

I like my milk really, really cold, so I pour it over ice. It does tend to maximize the gallons!

 
By DONNA (Guest Post)
May 27, 20040 found this helpful

Can also add a few drops of vanilla. It takes away the powdery taste.""

 

Diamond Feedback Medal for All Time! 1,023 Feedbacks
May 28, 20040 found this helpful

I buy the large size container of milk and when I get home from the store, I pour part of into an empty smaller container that milk had come in but is now empty and saved for this purpose. The milk does not sour as fast as if you are just using one large container and constantly opening and closing it.

By Judy

 
June 12, 20040 found this helpful

We add water to ours. We buy a gallon then dilute it half and half. It tastes cooler than regular milk and half my family likes skin so it went over really well.

 

Diamond Feedback Medal for All Time! 1,023 Feedbacks
August 20, 20040 found this helpful

Nonfat dry milk is the least expensive way to buy milk. When using it as a beverage, mix it several hours ahead and refrigerate so it can get cold before drinking.

Buy fresh milk in large containers (gallon or 1/2 gallon). These generally cost less than quarts.

Buy fat-free or lowfat milk to cut the amount of fat in your family's meals. Note that children under 2 years of age should be given only whole milk.

 
By Linda (Guest Post)
August 21, 20040 found this helpful

Diluting whole milk with 50% water also cuts the nutrition in half. If your family gets enough calcium and Vita D anyway by drinking absolutely glasses and glasses of milk that might be OK, but milk contains important nutrients and diluting it may not be smart. Also, it isn't necessary for kids to have milk at every meal. If they have already consumed an ideal amount of milk daily, there is nothing wrong with drinking water!

 
By (Guest Post)
August 22, 20040 found this helpful

here's another way to save $ I make my own evaporated milk and condensed sweetened milk from powdered it's much cheaper then buying the canned stuff.

Evaporated Milk

1/3 cup instant nonfat dry milk powder
6 tablespoons water
1. Mix well.
2. Equivalent of 1/3 cup canned, evaporated milk.

*************
Sweetened Condensed Milk
Ingredients:
1 C. nonfat dry milk
2/3 C. sugar (granulated)
1/3 C. boiling water
3 Tbsp. softened butter

Preparation Instructions:
Combine dry milk, sugar, water and butter in blender until smooth. Refrigerate until chilled and slightly thick.
*I use my hand blender for this recipe it's much easier.

 
August 22, 20040 found this helpful

If you have any friends or know of any in the military our families get special deals as part of a package for sending our husbands to war and paying us less than the outside world. What this means is we get fantastic deals on food at military run grocery stores called Comissary's. If you know of anyone who has a military ID and can access base priveldges you stand to save a HUGE amount of money. I'm talking filet mignon, which I bought today for my husband's coming home after 6 months, for $3.50 for 3 pounds. My milk cost me $1.75 for a gallon. See if you know anyone. Pay them a small commission if necessary, it's well worth it. We don't pay taxes on base.

 
August 23, 20040 found this helpful

If you are diluting your milk, you don't have to worry about Vitamin D deficiency if you get five minutes of sun every day. The body synthesizes Vitamin D from this method. Five minutes isn't enough to worry about skin cancer and it is very healthy. If you don't get ANY sun, then you definitely need to supplement your diet with Vitamin D through milk or pills.

 

Bronze Post Medal for All Time! 228 Posts
October 6, 20040 found this helpful

I just got 2 1/2 gallons of milk the other day at the commissary for only 50C each ! When I do that - my mind races to the next few meals of bread & white gravy- cold cereal -- I made a big pot of potatoe soup yesterday ! Yum !
When you make instant mashed potatoes use powdered milk ! You can't hardly even tell - to make it a little more rich add some coffee creamer !
When the milks sold the day before the expiration date for 50c a 1/2 or 99c a gal - take advantage of that !
Milk shake time !
Hot cocoa !
WoW !

 

Diamond Feedback Medal for All Time! 1,023 Feedbacks
December 4, 20040 found this helpful

To make milk go further, buy 1 gallon of whole milk and split the milk up into 2 jugs, add 1/4 of a gallon of water to each jug and you have 1-1/2 gallons of 2% milk.

By Kim

 
By (Guest Post)
December 4, 20040 found this helpful

Please do not dilute milk with water that is served to children. As someone already mentioned, you're diluting vital nutrients as well. Whole milk and 2% both have the same amount of protein, vitamins, etc. Whole milk diluted by 50% will only have half the nutrients, regardless if it tastes like 2%. (the percentage refers only to the amount of fat). Also, in northern climents, it takes more than 5 minutes of sunlight daily for the body to synthesize vitamin D (I asked my doctor - he said at least thirty minutes with the sun hitting a larger area than your face. In other words, you would have to wear short sleaves). I'm not belittling anyone for their ideas - I have a genuine concern for the welfare of children. It is better to skimp elsewhere than on nutrition.

 
December 4, 20040 found this helpful

Believe it or not, you may want to check out your local gas station! We buy our milk in half gallon bags that came with a free special pitcher to put the bags in and they are cheaper then even Wal-mart milk. A lot of people around here buy their milk that way.

Otherwise, our Wal-mart has a good price for milk, and this a regular Wal-mart, not one with a grocery store.

When money is tight, I mix 1/3 regular 2% milk and 2/3 powdered milk. I always mix it at bedtime, so it can get good and cold overnight. I find you don't need the vanilla this way. But it does end up more "watery" than 2%. More like skim. So next time we buy a new bag (and we get 2%), it always seems thick and indulgent!

Heather

 
By Amy (Guest Post)
July 7, 20050 found this helpful

Definitely check the prices per gallon before overstocking the dry milk.(it is good to have some no matter the price for emergencies). I had to search and I did end up finding dry milk at Sams is about .50 less per gallon than the commissary. Just shop around.

 
By sue (Guest Post)
February 22, 20080 found this helpful

We pay 7.00 a gallon for milk in Nova Scotia. You have to think of ways to economize.

 
By Melissa in Texas (Guest Post)
April 24, 20080 found this helpful

Before the price increase on gas and food, I did not really pay attention to the amount of food wasted on a daily basis in my household. Many families encourage their children to drink milk at dinner even when they do not like it. Simply do not serve the milk if it is not wanted, serve water or juice instead. Also, make the servings of milk smaller. I have used this method an no longer do I have half full glasses of milk on the table when dinner is over.

 

Silver Post Medal for All Time! 267 Posts
May 27, 20080 found this helpful

(submitted via email)
I am curious what brand of powdered milk you are using and how much your cost per gallon is hitting at.

Thanks,

Jenny R. (Houston,Tx.)

 
Answer this Question

February 2, 2017

This is a page about stretching fresh milk. Sometimes, you have less milk left than you need for a specific recipe or purpose.

A bottle of fresh milk.

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