DIY Life

Rehydrate this summer without emptying your wallet. If you or your kids go through lots of Gatorade or Powerade-type sports drinks, the price really does add up ... even if you buy in bulk. Consider making your own rehydration drinks to save a few much-needed dollars!

The cheapest option has to be the OJ-based recipe tested out at the blog, Cheap Eats. This version uses orange juice, sugar, salt and water. That's it. The result? Um, not so great -- the blogger dubs it "Orange Flavored Ocean." On the other hand, it costs just 18 cents for two liters!

A recent blog post in The New York Times provides another very basic sports drink recipe. This one is courtesy of Nancy Clark, a dietician, sports nutritionist and author. It's just sugar, salt, orange juice, a dash of lemon juice, and water. Maybe the fresh lemon juice would make this one a little more drinkable?

The Gastrokid blog gets a tad more creative, using fresh lemon and lime juice and, in the place of fructose or even plain old sugar, uses agave nectar to sweeten the brew. A dash of natural food coloring is recommended to enhance the kid-appeal factor.

Personally? I prefer old-fashioned water. However, if you or your family do rely on sports drinks and want to save a buck -- and if you are OK that they aren't going to taste exactly like the big name brands -- these recipes are real cash-friendly thirst quenchers!