Friday, August 15, 2008

Just stay away from that dryer lint frugal franny!

I have a confession to make...
I'm a penny pincher.
I rip my dryer sheets in half & wash & sometimes reuse plastic bags.
It's a sickness really - shhh, don't tell anyone!
But some of my frugal-franny ways are useful & we can all use an extra buck so I'ma let you in on a secret every now & then.

I love coffee.
Specifically I love expensive coffee - Starbucks coffee frappacino with vanilla, and make that a venti if you please. Ohhh, heaven in a cup!

Not good when you are a family of 5 living on one blue collar income.

My sister turned me onto this frappe freeze stuff she found at Costco, which I loved & drank heartily until I realized I was spending way too much on the stuff & decided I could make it cheaper.

Thus was born my frugal frappe - fancy coffee for gals on a budget.

Into a blender place desired amount of hot chocolate mix.
Add desired amount of instant coffee.
Add desired amount of water.
Add a few ice cubes & blend - adding cubes until drink is desired consistency.

Yum-o & the fact that I'm saving money makes it taste even better!

I like a big coffee so I make a lot - my version makes enough for a venti and then some. I almost cover the blades in my blender with HC, put in 1 small spoon of coffee (I'm sensitive to caffeine so you might want more), add water to the 2 cup mark & blend with ice until very thick. I prefer store brand HC but use Swiss Miss instead, it's what Costco carries & cheaper per ounce. It would taste even better if powdered creamer was added...but of course it would add to the cost.

2 comments:

Mari said...

I don't like coffee, but I do like some of the iced drinks with a hint of it. I will have to try a version of this. Thanks!

Kate said...

That sounds really good! I love all those iced drinks, especially the coffee-free ones like vanilla bean. It's a milkshake. I know it, okay? =) Your replacement sounds really good!

Growing up we washed plastic bags and stuff, so I just try not to use too many so I can just throw them away once I've used them once like some kind of princess. I really try not to be wasteful. I really do. I also have a need to have a full pantry/fridge. I get antsy if it's empty like we might not be able to buy more food. I think I need to learn to just enjoy what we have now, right?

 
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