I’ve always been pretty picky when it comes to drinking water, even more so since I’ve lived in my current place. I have a Brita, but it doesn’t really help the taste of my water even with a new filter. I’m able to keep myself hydrated by using propel packets, but now that I’m about to graduate med school and start paying off my student loans I can’t afford to pay nearly $5 for 10 little propel packets. Does anybody have any recommendations for cheap packets that aren’t full of sugar and still taste good?
Best cheap water flavorings? I love propel but can’t afford to pay almost $5 for ten little packets.
byu/FrogsEatingSoup inFrugal
Posted by FrogsEatingSoup
13 Comments
if you live near a dollar tree, they have a ton of these. $1.25 and it’s usually 5 or 10 packets.
Wal-mart’s Great Value brand flavorings. They also have caffeinated or electrolyte versions for the cheapest price I’ve seen.
Crystallized lemon packets.
“True lemon” on Amazon, 100 packets for 7 bucks.
It’s just lemon. Tastes great.
Have you tried store brand..?
Do you have an Ollie’s near you? They have entire large things of mio for like $2. It is my grail lol.
I like the big jar of Gatorade powder. Electrolytes and I can control how much I add. but I prefer plain water and don’t really use those anymore.
In my experience when it comes to flavored packets, you get what you pay for. The generic replacements are. $.50 a serving is about the cheapest beverage you can get that’s not plain water. Maybe start making some homemade weak lemonade?
I prefer tea. A box is a few dollars. You can do it hot or iced. A bunch of different flavors to choose from that range from strong and tannic to earthy, herbal, or fruity, and you can choose how/if to sweeten. You can do lattes, lemonades, add fruit, cucumber, herbs, or just plain bag plus water. You can even scale it easily, one serving or a whole pitcher in the fridge is about the same effort.
Tea. Many varieties and prices.
If you don’t mind drinking one or two flavors for a while, the best option is probably buying tubs of gatorade powder (or a store bought version) and dosing it out yourself.
Cold brew tea. Just toss one packet of your choosing into cold water and sip until
The water lose flavour.
Our village water in Nebraska is excellent taste and except for nitrates from farm run off very clean. Cold brewed tea is my choice for chugging. Ten tea bags from DollarTree in a 2 quart jug costs 12.5¢.
If you have an Aldi, they have a ton of options. If not, look for Mio or off brand Mio little liquid pods. They’re super portable and easier to ration out if you want lighter flavor or just want to stretch it a little further. Walmart and Target and most major grocery stores have them. And Dollar Tree mentioned in another comment also has a lot of options.