Milk may do a body good (if you believe those old commercials), but it does a wallet bad these days. Organic milk it especially high in price. We just paid $7 for a gallon of Horizon Organic skim milk in the store. Regular store brand milk was priced at $4. Since we go through about 2 and a half gallons of milk here per week, that equals $70 worth of organic milk in a month, or $40 for non organic milk. I remember the days when I could get a whole month’s worth of groceries for less than that. Whew!
So how can we save money on milk? I have to tell you that it is getting harder, but here is an idea.
Check with a local diary farmer about purchasing milk directly. I used to stay away from local farmers because the milk they offered was always so much more expensive than what I could find in the store, including organic milk. But now with oil and gas prices having increased so much, and the price of feed for cows has done the same, store-bought milk has gone way up. Grain prices have stabilized a bit, but the feed still has to be transported in most cases.
The local farmer on the other hand doesn’t have the transportation cost of shipping his milk to you, and he may grow his own grain. Local milk here goes for between $4.50 and $5 a gallon, and it is all organic.
Depending on the size of the farm and the equipment that is available, the milk may be organic, non-organic, hormone-free or raw. Make sure that you know exactly what type of milk is being offered.
Don’t be afraid to negotiate for your milk price, but realize that the farmer has to make some profit from the sale. One way to get a good price is to ask about buying in bulk. Milk can be frozen for later use.
How do you save on milk?
Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. Starting June 1st, don’t miss her articles in the Baby Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.
Related Articles:
Make Your Own Sweetened Condensed Milk
A Quick Guide to Using Powdered Milk
What Did You Pay for Milk in April?