Cut me and I’m likely to bleed sweet tea. My wife can testify that we almost always have a gallon pitcher of sweet tea in our refrigerator. Earlier in our marriage, she would have said this was completely my fault. But she says I have her hooked now – at least to my version of sweet tea. She doesn’t like the manufactured brands anymore. I can’t blame her. Lipton brewed tea is just about the only manufactured tea I can tolerate – and then only just.
You see, I’ve never been one who likes water. I know it’s cheap and I know it’s healthy, but I’ve just never liked it. You could say I’m a “water snob”, though you’ll never catch me drinking Fiji bottled water. I just like my water to be cold and non-chlorinated with no funny tastes or smells. Our tap water doesn’t make the grade (plus it’s full of nitrates), so I tend to live on sweet tea. (This could have repercussions for my health though – diabetes, anyone?)
But in terms of cost, sweet tea is much cheaper than soft drinks. It’s much healthier, too. Even with my version (which is fairly sweet), you’ll still be getting less sugar than you would in a soft drink. Before you tout diet soft drinks (which are still expensive), remember you can use artificial sweeteners in your sweet tea. I’d never use artificial sweetener in my sweet tea since I hate the taste, but it is an option. Some people forgo the sweetener altogether (artificial or not), but I’m not sure how they do that. Bleh…
A gallon of sweet tea costs me just under $1.00 to make. That’s 50-70% cheaper than most soft drinks if you’re buying a 2 liter bottle. It’d be even cheaper if you’re comparing cans or 20 ounce bottles. Twenty ounces of sweet tea costs $0.16 and twelve will cost you just over $0.09. It’s quick and easy, too. It only takes me about 3 minutes of hands-on time to make a gallon. Here’s how I do it.
Paul’s Not-So-Top-Secret Sweet Tea Recipe
Fill up a gallon pitcher nearly to the top (you want to leave some room for the sugar later). I use hot water from our tap because it duplicates the taste of sun tea but is faster. If you’re going to make sun tea, you can use cold water.
Add 4 family size tea bags (I always use Lipton…my preference). Let it sit for a couple hours (longer if you’re making sun tea). It’s done when it looks like tea. Darker is stronger but that can mean bitter. However, it’s difficult to make your tea too bitter with this method. The water just doesn’t get hot enough for that to happen.
Remove the tea bags. Add 1 1/3 to 1 1/2 cups of sugar. Stir until dissolved. Refrigerate until cold or pour over ice if you want to enjoy it immediately. No lemon, please. Serve in a Mason jar for added effect.
I Need to Drink More Water
Despite my fondness for sweet tea, I know I need to drink more water. It may not be bad on my wallet, but it’s not good for my health. I probably have a good risk of diabetes based on family history alone, and my sweet tea habit isn’t helping. Anyone else struggle with drinking water? Have any tips on how to start drinking more? Let me know in the comments!
Paul Williams is a fee-only financial planner in Lancaster County, PA. He has a passion for teaching others about personal finance - especially from a Christian perspective. If you'd like to learn about his financial planning and tax preparation services, click here. If you enjoyed this article, you might also be interested in:
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18 Responses to “Sweet Tea: A Cheap Alternative to Soft Drinks but Tastier than Water”
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June 21st, 2010 at 8:28 AM
Being pregnant I’ve had to up my water intake and cut back on drinks with caffeine. I’ve been drinking more water lately by adding just a splash of 100% grape or apple juice. I only add enough to give it a taste because plain water gets really boring and juice has too much sugar to drink all the time.
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Paul Williams
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June 21st, 2010 at 11:37 AM
Thanks for the suggestion, Kaitlin! I’ll try it out soon.
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Paul Williams
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June 21st, 2010 at 2:51 PM
I tried Kaitlin’s suggestion (#1) and it’s working pretty good so far. I’ll have to take some measurements to see how the costs work out on this one.
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June 21st, 2010 at 10:09 AM
I am guessing you do not like lemon. But, if you do, put some lemon juice in your water for an added flavor.
I’d definitely advise doing your best to wean off that much sugar and drink more unsweetened tea or just plain water.
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Paul Williams
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June 21st, 2010 at 11:41 AM
Yeah, I’ve never been a big fan of some lemon in water. I’ll do it at restaurants if I’m trying to save money and don’t like the taste of their water.
It’ll be hard to stop drinking so much tea, but I do need to do it. Thanks for taking the time to comment, Jonathan!
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June 21st, 2010 at 11:52 AM
I feel your pain, Paul. I recently decided to drink as much water as I need. My biggest problem was not remembering to take a drink. If you struggle with that, maybe this could help: Set an alarm for every hour on the hour. Then every hour, make yourself drink 8 oz. I personally use an old measuring cup. The alarm is very effective for me.
As far as flavors, I imagine you could try plopping any kind of fruit you like in it (since you don’t care for lemon). I’ve heard a sliced cucumber is good, but haven’t tried it yet. Maybe today…
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June 21st, 2010 at 11:54 AM
And thank you for the sweet tea recipe! I’m really looking forward to making a gallon.
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Paul Williams
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June 21st, 2010 at 11:57 AM
Thanks for the ideas, K. Kellogg! I’ll have to try the alarm. We’ll have plenty of cucumbers from our garden soon, so maybe I’ll try adding some to the water.
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June 21st, 2010 at 1:27 PM
If you want to kick the sweet tea habit, take 1.5 cups of sugar, place it in a glass, fill the remainder of the glass up with warm water and attempt to drink it all at once. Set the remainder of the glass somewhere nearby where you can look at it every time you have an urge for sweet tea. The involuntary gag reflex that is triggered every time you think of sweet tea should be enough to kick the habit. In 10 days or less you should be cured
Steven and Debra´s last blog ..Some Say, “God is in Control”: We Ask, “In Control of What?"
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Paul Williams
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June 21st, 2010 at 1:43 PM
I think I’ll pass on that one, Steven and Debra!
Makes me sick just to think of it.
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June 21st, 2010 at 2:15 PM
Fortunately, I’m a water drinker and have been from my earliest recollection. But iced tea is a close second–which is almost a default choice since I live in the South. (Sweet tea is everywhere in the South and it’s delicious in the worst restaurants!)
I like my iced tea moderately sweet so I blend sweet and unsweet in equal measures when it’s available at a fountain. As far as artificial sweeteners, none seem to cut it, except Crystal Light, but that’s a bit heavy on the budget.
BTW, any iced coffee drinkers out there? I save our left over coffee, refrigerate it, then mix with milk and an artificial sweetener and it’s superb! It’s also been recently reported to be an effective appetite suppressant–that never hurts.
Kevin@OutOfYourRut´s last blog ..Manage Your Distractions to Take Control of Your Time
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Paul Williams
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June 21st, 2010 at 2:50 PM
Thanks for your comment, Kevin! I don’t think I mentioned it in the post, but I grew up in the South. That’s how I got started on sweet tea.
I’m always disappointed here in PA because iced tea almost always means unsweetened. “You can add sugar if you like.” Don’t these Northerners know it doesn’t work that way?! 
Good tip on leftover coffee, too. We rarely drink coffee, but I know plenty of people do. Maybe they’ll try out your suggestion.
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June 21st, 2010 at 3:03 PM
Paul,
Ever since we moved to PNG I’ve started drinking cold tea. The local folks just can’t stand the idea of drinking tea cold and always have an adverse reaction when the first try it, but eventually it grows on them.
Perhaps I’ll need to try your recipe.
Craig Ford´s last blog ..Help Wanted: Struggling to Budget? Recent Church Building Campaign?
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Paul Williams
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June 21st, 2010 at 3:11 PM
Hey, Craig! I didn’t think about how some people might not even consider drinking tea cold. I like it both ways.
Hope you like my version of it. I recommend it, but I’m biased. You could save on energy there in PNG by using the sun method. I’m not sure what it’s like for you there in the way of energy/hot water, but there’s really no need to heat the water. I actually prefer sun tea when it’s warm enough.
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June 21st, 2010 at 6:23 PM
I cant’ drink plain water, too boring. I add the propel flavored packets… lemon and grape are the best.
I like tea also at times…
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Paul Williams
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June 21st, 2010 at 9:42 PM
I’ve used the flavor packets before, Financial Bondage. They’re better than just plain water, but you still have that artificial sweetener taste. Plus, they can get expensive if you’re using a lot of them.
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