I like those peppermint mochas from Starbucks, but they don’t really fit in with my holday (or any) budget. I mean, come on. $5 for flavored water? Ouch.

Check this out, I’ve been making my own, and it’s just as good. What’s more, I think I could make over a gallon of it for about the same price as a trip or two to Starbucks. Not that I would want to make/drink that much at one sitting…!

Take 2 cups of hot chocolate mix (from costco or wherever), mix with 2 cups sugar. Keep this mix by the coffee grounds. Then go get some peppermint-flavored cream for your homemade coffee. It’s by the milk in the grocery store.

Put enough cream in to cover the bottom of your mug, and add 2 tablespoons of sugar/chocolate mix before filling the rest with coffee, and you’ve got yourself a grande peppermint mocha for the winter months, and a sizable amount of extra cash per month (# of trips saved to startbucks per month times about $5)

For me, this is adding up to about $20 per month, but I’m a light starbucks patron. $20 per month added to my savings of a programmable thermostat and my compact fluoresent bulbs. Overall, that’s about $120 per month saved, and I still have adequate light, heat and coffee! Try some of these cost-cutting ideas, and have a happy holiday!

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