I don't particularly like soda; I do like drinking that German malt stuff, but for me, drinking soda is horrible. It's just sugar water. I prefer tea. On one of the boards talking about saving money, this guy said that he switched his entire family over to something called "Kombucha", which I had never heard of. But reading about it online, I went on a hunt, and finally found someone who had it in Taiwan. Fast forward two years, I'm drinking some kombucha as I write this entry. I prefer it in the winter over the summer, when it is hot, it ferments too quickly and gets sour a bit too quickly. In the winter, that doesn't happen all that fast, and so you get a lot of fizzy bubbles and it takes like slightly more astringent coke. It tastes great!
Health benefits aside, I just think that it's a much cheaper (and healthier) alternative to soda.
Breakdown of costs:
1 Large back of loose tea ~ $1.50.
1 Large bag of sugar ~ $3.00
Total cost, $4.50. Number of cups, probably 200.
The cost of a cup is probably close to 4 cents. Use the cheapest tea possible because the tea is just for flavoring, all the kombucha cares about is the sugar water. Try different teas and different flavors. Enjoy the money savings.
