Hi Philip. As usual, a very thorough post. All I know is, I can still whip up the powdered stuff for a tad more than two dollars a gallon. I stopped even shopping for regular milk when the price went over three dollars a gallon a while back. Now, I definitely agree with you that the price of powdered milk has risen. Quite a bit, in fact. So it's not quite as much cheaper as it used to be. However, I'm still saving money on the per gallon cost when it comes to baking. However, there are other issues that I think make it a valuable frugal alternative as well, including the use of the product to make a variety of baking ingredients as well as a concentrated soup substitute. Not to mention the fact that I don't need to run back and forth to the store on a regular basis to restock my dairy supply (gas costs), and it's much lighter to transport. Now, I realize not everyone lives out in the boondocks like I do, but the back and forth running was a huge issue for me when I lived closer to civilization too. Guess we disagree a bit on this one, huh? I hope this makes for a lively discussion, either way. Have a great week.