Milk is high in calcium and other things that keep our bones strong and healthy; it’s also a favorite drink of sorts for many – Milo, anyone? A milkshake, perhaps?
For all its popularity, milk has been getting steadily more expensive over the past few months and that got me thinking, how can we save money on milk?
Well, as it turns out there are many different ways to save money on milk and that’s what we’re looking at today.
Sit back, relax, and join me as we look at 28 ways to save money on milk!
1. Taking a Cheaper Option
The easiest way to save money on milk is to just go for a cheaper option. You could, for example, buy a half gallon (or two) instead of a full gallon and spend less money without sacrificing the amount of milk you’re getting.
2. Using Powdered Milk
Powdered milk isn’t for everyone, but it is much cheaper than normal, liquid milk. Even if you don’t drink powdered milk, you can still use it for cooking/baking.
3. Portion Control
The phrase: “waste not, want not” applies to pretty much everything in life but when it comes to saving money on milk. You control how much milk you put into your cereal, and make foods that use less milk – oatmeal, toast, etc. This extends to how much milk you consume in the course of a day.
4. Water > Milk – Use Specific Baking/Recipe Mixes
There are certain baking mixes that use water instead of milk. If you use these types of mixes, you won’t have to buy so much milk for baking.
You can keep your milk for other things, and you have access to an abundance of water (come on, it comes from the tap or from a well/pump – if you have one) so there’s no need to panic about spending an extortionate amount on water.
5. Sales
Having worked in retail for a year, I can tell you from experience that specials happen fairly often and, if you keep your eyes peeled, you can score a really good deal on milk.
6. Grab the Furthest Expiry Date
Grabbing a milk carton with the farthest expiry date is good because you don’t have to rush out to buy more milk every few days.
It may not seem like much but if you have to buy fresh milk every few days those dollars are going to start adding up.
7. Freezing
Yes, you can in fact freeze milk. We did this many times when I was a kid; we’d buy fresh, full-cream milk – that’s the good stuff – and freeze it for a rainy day.
This saved us from having to buy milk every month because we had a small stockpile of the stuff in the freezer. If you need to save money on milk every month, this is a good way to do it.
8. Purchase Different Types of Milk
There are many types of milk on the market, low-fat, full-fat, soy, and many others. Each of these will have a different price bracket.
For instance, full-fat might be more expensive than low-fat milk in which case it makes sense to purchase low-fat milk instead of full-fat milk.
9. Don’t Stick to One Brand
I get it, brand loyalty is a thing, but it can also make your poor wallet weep. Much like how different types of milk have different prices; different brands have different prices.
To avoid making your wallet cry, you can buy generic, no-name brand milk which typically has a much lower price point.
10. Use Different Retailers
Different retailers (Walmart, 7/11, gas stations, etc.) will all have different prices on milk. Going to these different places gives you a good chance of snagging a great discount.
11. Rewards Clubs
It seems like almost every retailer nowadays has a rewards club of some sort. The basic idea is that you usually have a card that is swiped/scanned every time you shop.
Each swipe/scan puts points on the card and when reaching a certain number of points you get a discount of some kind on your purchase(s).
12. Coupons
Much like the previous entry on this list, coupons can be used to get a nifty little discount on your milk purchase. They can be earned usually through either rewards programs or through purchasing certain items.
Of course, you may need your receipts to prove your purchases every now and then so don’t lose those!
13. Substitutes
I will admit, I’m not the biggest fan of milk substitutes but they are cheaper than actual milk and can sometimes last much longer than the usual milk that you’d get at the store. Cheap and long-lasting? Sign me up, I’ll get used to it!
14. Don’t Pour it Down the Drain!
This is just an irritating one, I cringe when I see people do this. Pouring milk down the drain is a waste of milk and of money! You don’t pour it down the drain and you won’t have to replace it so often.
15. Make Yogurt
Who doesn’t like a good bowl of yogurt every now and then? I’m not really a breakfast person but if there’s yogurt in the fridge, I’ll have that quite happily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and pretty much anything else – especially if there are pieces of fruit in it.
You can save money on milk by making yogurt out of milk that’s about to go bad instead of throwing that milk out.
16. Dilute with Water
Diluting your milk with water… is a strange but effective method of saving money on milk.
Adding a bit of water to your milk simply increases the amount of milk you’re getting for the same price as the regular amount and, if done carefully, you’ll hardly notice the difference.
17. Go to the Source
Buying directly from the cow – so to speak – is another great way to save money. You’re supporting your local farming community and often getting higher quality milk at the same time; killing two birds with one stone.
18. Buy Organic
Organic milk or ultra-pasteurized milk has a longer shelf life meaning you won’t be buying milk as often as you used to.
19. Raise Dairy Cows/Animals
If you’re looking to save on milk every month, why not milk your own cows and/or goats? Now, make no mistake about it; these are high-maintenance animals.
You’ll likely spend a fortune on food and general care, but you get your own milk supply, so I guess that evens the score a bit…sort of.
20. Use Instant Milk
I know this probably sounds a bit weird but using instant milk is cheaper than actual milk.
You just mix the powder with a bit of water and voila! You have milk! You can make it to your desired strength and thickness too which is a bonus if you like a strong flavor.
21. Make your own Soy Milk
I will admit that I’m not a huge fan of soy anything, but soy milk is pretty easy to make. The machine you need isn’t horribly expensive, and the beans are also fairly cheap – meaning you can get a big bag of them for practically nothing.
22. Don’t Buy Milk at All
No, I’m not trolling you. I’m being serious, if you need to save money on your milk bill or even just save money in general a good way to do it is to simply cut milk out entirely – or at least almost entirely.
23. Stockpile Your Milk
I mentioned freezing earlier, and that method does help but do you know what helps the freezing method save you money? Buying and freezing your milk in bulk. You can fit several containers of milk in your freezer; why not use that space?
24. Monitor your Consumption
I think I mentioned this earlier but controlling how much milk you drink/use in a day is crucial to saving money. If you’re using a ridiculous amount of milk and need to buy 2 – 3 times a week that’s going to add up significantly.
25. Freeze Portions
Freezing milk is great but it’s an even better idea to freeze your milk in portions so that you can take out exactly how much you need when you need it.
26. Try Non-Dairy Milk
Okay, ‘non-dairy’ and milk might sound a bit out of place but non-dairy refers to milk that isn’t from the cow. Soy milk, for example, comes from soybeans.
If you don’t like soy milk you can try almond milk and there are other options available if you want something else.
27. Use your Senses before Throwing your Milk Out
Humans have five senses: taste, touch, smell, hearing, and sight. In this case, we can focus on your sense(s) of taste and smell.
If it tastes and smells fine, then it may be fine to drink – though it might not taste as nice. This prevents the waste of milk.
28. Store your Milk Properly
Your refrigerator should be kept at a specific temperature so that the milk and anything else that might go into it stays cool and fresh. If your milk isn’t stored correctly, it’ll spoil faster.
Greg spent most of his childhood in camping grounds and on hiking trails. While he lives in the suburbs nowadays, Greg was raised on a small farm with chickens. He’s a decent shot with a bow, and a huge knife enthusiast. Find out more about Greg.