Frugal Recipe: Hot Chocolate

Well, considering the high price of Ghirardelli prepackaged hot chocolate, you could get pretty darn fancy with your homemade hot chocolate and still come in more “frugal” than purchasing theirs. While certain packaged hot chocolate can be really really yummy and inexpensive, they can also be full of fillers and things you really don’t need in your cocoa, and low in good nutrients. Plus making hot chocolate at home can be a very simple but lovely family holiday tradition. It’s one we are starting up ourselves!

The first recipe I’d like to share is the most basic and inexpensive recipe I have found, straight from my favorite frugal book “The Complete Tightwad Gazette”. It’s a mix, so you can mix up a large batch at the beginning of the season to last you to spring, if you’d like. Just be sure to use an airtight container for storage. Some areas are paying high prices for dry milk, however, so you may find it more “frugal” to use evaporated milk in your area.

“Tightwad Hot Cocoa Mix”

1/3 cup dry milk

1 tsp cocoa

1 tsp sugar

1 cup hot water

Combine dry ingredients then stir in hot water! Simple as can be.

Let’s compare today’s price for Swiss Miss hot cocoa with this mixture.

Swiss Miss: Average price is $2 per 10 count package, or $.20c per serving. Also, according to their nutrition facts, this mix has 4% of your “Daily Value”  (DV) of calcium.

Tightwad Hot Cocoa Mix: ~.27c per serving. But, if you check out your calcium amounts, you’re getting 30% of your daily calcium needs met by the dry milk.

Comparing the two concerning calcium amounts, you’re paying less than a penny per 1% DV of calcium with the homemade mix. Using Swiss Miss, you’re paying about .05c per 1% DV of calcium. This is where true frugality comes in- Getting the most nutrition for the best cost. I don’t care if you can get “non foods” for absolutely free. That does you no good! I’d rather you pay more, and actually feed your body the nutrients you need. And look how cheaply you can do it! I understand this is just hot cocoa, but don’t tell me its “too expensive” to eat healthy.

Now how about a “Couponer’s Hot Chocolate” recipe? This is definitely my favorite Oh, and my very own recipe. Tehehe.

1 Hershey’s chocolate bar (FREE with a coupon during a couponing event)

(1) 5oz can Carnation evaporated milk (FREE with coupons during couponing event)

2 tsp sugar (5lbs for .99c, because you stocked up during a loss leader sale) ~.003c

About 1/2 cup water

Heat milk and water on medium heat in a small saucepan. Add chocolate (grated or chopped) and sugar. Stir on low-medium heat until all melted together. Serve with FREE whipping cream you got during a couponing event. ENJOY! Price for the Couponer’s Hot Chocolate? I’m going to have to say about $.03 per serving- We do pay some tax . Oh and calcium? The Carnation evaporated milk is alone 32% of your DV of calcium, plus however much is in the Hershey bar and optional whipping cream. Not to0 shabby

Hope you guys enjoy your calcium rich hot chocolates!

Here’s to living- Happier, healthier, more FRUGAL lives!

~Frugalmegan~