Frozen Concentrate vs. Bottled Juice

The other day I suddenly had a memory of making orange juice in my mom's kitchen when I was growing up. I remember getting the concentrate out of the freezer and setting it in the kitchen sink to thaw, then mixing it with water in our Tupperware pitcher. It made me start thinking about comparing the prices of frozen concentrate vs. ready-made juice. I usually buy the Wal-Mart Good Value apple juice for $2.50 (one gallon size). It is 100% apple juice from concentrate with no added sweeteners.

I wandered to the freezer section to check out the frozen concentrates and I found Good Value apple juice concentrate for $0.86 to make 1/2 gallon. It is also 100% juice with no added sweeteners.

We go through a lot of juice in our household, so I can save $0.78 per gallon by mixing it with water myself. That's about $1.56 per week/$6.24 per month/$74.88 per year in savings. Frozen orange juice concentrates offer even more savings compared to the fresh-squeezed variety in the dairy section. The Good Value frozen o.j. is $1.26 to make 1/2 gallon. Using o.j. concentrate will save me $1.71 per week/$6.84 per month/$82.08 per year. The frozen o.j. doesn't taste quite as good, but I usually pay $2.97 per 1/2 gallon, so the savings are worth it.

Hey, every bit helps.