Flavored drinks are one of the best things on this earth. If I were one of those rich and famous people who spent money on stupid frivolity every day, I would totally spend my money on theater tickets and flavored coffees, teas and sparkling whatevers. I am a sucker for anything with fruit in it, even though it usually costs anywhere from $1.50 to $4, which is ridiculous.
Lately I have been trying to make my own flavored manna from Heaven at home, and so far, so good. Flavored tea is super easy; just make your regular iced tea—whether you like it sweet or unsweetened and flavored with fruit, stevia, whatever you like—and then add a syrup of your choice. Vanilla, cherry, and raspberry are really easy to get a hold of from the grocery store for about $3 (the price of one of these drinks, only you can make 5-10, depending on how much you like!); if you like other flavors (blackberry is my favorite), you might have to buy them from a tea shop, international foods store, or online. This one looks pretty promising.To save money on flavored coffee, you can brew coffee a day ahead, put it in the fridge, and then treat it with whatever flavorings you like the next day (or while hot). You’ll have to do a lot of experimenting before you find what works best for you. You can also buy iced coffee in half-gallon form now from International Delight; we can get a carton for around four bucks (I bought one on sale for three over the weekend) and, again, it’s like buying one drink from Starbucks and getting several. It’s a huge savings and so far, they taste awesome. I have tried the vanilla and regular coffee flavors; both are sweet and creamy as promised. I would compare them to being between Culver’s custardy iced coffee and BK’s iced mocha. There is a mocha flavor, as well; I just haven’t tried that one yet.
Finally, if you enjoy a lot of sparkling beverages or sodas, a soda stream might be a good investment for you. We got one free (a starter kit runs about eighty bucks, including a couple of flavors) and you can make carbonated water to flavor with whatever you want. Some syrup and fruit would definitely save you much more money than spending a few bucks every day on different sparkling beverages.