Do you enjoy a steaming cup of herbal tea? It's one of the simple pleasures that I most enjoy. I like the entire ritual of it. Putting the water on to boil. Placing sweet local honey in a beautiful mug. Loading up my infuser with fragrant herbs. The sound my spoon makes when it rings against the mug, and I stir everything together.

I noticed the last time I was at the store that the price had gone up on herbal tea bags. (Of course, the price has gone up on just about everything.) Not that this is enough to make or break you, but tea bags ranged from 20 cents apiece to 40 cents apiece, depending upon the brand. What's more, there have been recent reports about heavy metals and pesticides in teas, even organic ones, and the NIH has warned about microplastics risk caused by the bags.

There's a far better and cheaper way to make herbal tea, my friends. Make your own! For a small investment up front, you can buy organic herbs by the pound on Amazon or at many different online retailers. I dehydrate the herbs I grow, as well as random citrus peels and other elements of herbal tea, for even thriftier ingredients. There are a few things I often grab in tincture format, especially if I don't use them every day.