Cranberry Juice vs Cranberry Juice Cocktail

Cranberry Juice Cocktail Drink- Is This What I Want?

Today I really wanted some cranberry juice.  I went to the grocery store to get some and found some Ocean Spray cranberry juice cocktail for sale in 15.2 oz. bottles.  This was near the cold bottles of soda and other 16 to 20 oz bottles of juice, bottled water, and sports drinks for sale.  The price for 15.2 oz of cranberry drink was $1.49.  Since I really wanted some cranberry juice, I was willing to pay that much.

I did notice the word "drink" on the bottle, so I realized that it would not be 100% cranberry juice.  I was willing to accept a blend of perhaps cranberry and grape juice to sweeten it up a bit.  That would still be pretty good.  Upon further inspection of the bottle, I found the words: "Contains 15% fruit juice".  This no longer seemed like a good deal- $1.49 for tap water plus high fructose corn syrup plus a little bit of fruit juice.  I bet the 15% fruit juice in the juice cocktail was mostly apple juice anyway!  Why is "juice drink" so expensive?

This Cranberry Drink Cocktail is only 15% juice and costs $1.49 for 15.2 oz!  There must be a better deal...
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

Can I Get 100% Juice Instead of 15% Juice Cocktail?

This Cranberry Juice Blend is 100% Juice with No Added Sugar
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

I went to the aisle where the larger containers of fruit juice were sold.  I found a 60 oz container of Ocean Spray 100% juice with no sugar added for $4.50.  This is a blend of four juices including cranberry juice, apple juice, and pear juice.  My first reaction was that $4.50 was more than I wanted to spend to get some cranberry juice.  But I quickly realized that the 100% juice was actually less expensive than the 15% juice cocktail if you look at the price per ounce.

I decided to get the larger container of 100% juice with cranberry juice listed as the first ingredient.  It was great stuff!  Sometimes it pays to read the label closely and understand what you are getting for your money.  You can find 100% juice, but you may need to buy a larger container than the convenient 15.2 oz bottles.

Getting More Juice For Your Money

The smaller bottle of juice cocktail would have been more convenient and less expensive, but the larger bottle was much higher quality and the price per ounce was the same as the cheap sugar water drink.  I am sure the drink makers like to produce bottles of juice cocktail that cost almost nothing to make and sell them for $1.49.  This must be almost pure profit!

Bottles of "juice" may only contain 15% fruit juice- check the label before buying!
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

I think 100% juice is a great deal- you can get it for the same price per ounce as the watered down juice cocktail that contains only 15% juice.  You may want to pour it into smaller containers yourself to send for lunches and to conveniently take with you.  Nothing tastes quite like cranberry juice, and it tastes better knowing it is 100% juice with no added sugar.

Penny Pinching Tips:

• Check the label on your "juice" to see how much juice you are actually getting
• Buy larger containers of 100% juice and pour it into smaller containers yourself to save money

Penny Pincher Journal

Copyright © 2014 by Dr. Penny Pincher.  All Rights Reserved.  Privacy Policy