Good morning! (well, it's morning for me in Hawaii) I know most of y'all look for cheaper alternatives to the HNS and have found some on dietdirect.com but sometimes the shipping cost is a lot. I did a little sleuthing myself and ended up at GNC. I found a whey protien product that is practically identical to the HNS shakes only it's virtually tasteless, so you can make it taste like or add it to whatever you want! It's by Optimun Nurtition and called "100% Any Whey Protein". I've used it a couple times now and I add a little Crystal Light to it to make my own HNS. Now it says it's "virtually tasteless" but I've noticed a bit of a vanilla-y taste and smell, but it wasn't overwhelming. So anyway, this is an alternative. I got a 21.6 oz tub (30 svgs) for $25. But I bought mine at our Navy Exchange (on military base) so things tend to be cheaper there than out in the civilian world. But I found it on Amazon for cheaper and with free shipping. I like it as an alternative, but I'm not making any promises that you will! As a military wife I know the value of a dollar and thought we could all help each other save a little moolah! I don't have enough posts to be able to post links yet, but if you google "Any whey protein" the manufacturers website (optimumnutrition dot com) and the stuff I found on Amazon will come up. Hope this helps!
Quick look: (per scoop/serving)
70 calories
0 fat
0 Cholesterol
30 mg sodium
1 g Carb
17 g protein (i think thats 2 more than the HNS)
8% DV of Calcium