There's nothing like a cold drink on a summer's day. An ice-cold beer or chilled soda is the perfect accompaniment to a and when cooking and outdoors. However, drink coolers can be surprisingly expensive.

Big brand names like Yeti and Igloo often sell coolers for around $100, and that's money that can be saved. I've uncovered three foolproof methods to keep drinks cool without a cooler, including one I use every summer. This is easily my favorite method.

People avoid it because they worry the ice will melt too fast, but it's surprisingly effective with a couple of small tips and tricks I have used over the years. While there are lots of beautiful buckets out there that look great on your tablescape, these aren't always effective. In fact, my advice from personal experience is to get as big and as cheap a bucket as you can.

I recommend using a plastic or rubber bucket because a metal bucket conducts heat more effectively, meaning ice melts faster. It's not pretty, but a is perfect. My family's cookouts tend to be pretty small, so I use a .

In a pinch, you could even do this in a bathtub, but if you're hosting a cookout you may not want your guests trekking in and out of your home for a drink. To keep your drinks cool for hours, fill the bucket with ice water. It's important you add water because otherwise, it won't work.

A bucket of ice is hard to push drinks into, and a mistake most people make is to place their bottles and cans directly on top of the ice. This chills the bot.