I love juicing, but it's hard to beat a great smoothie, especially on a hot summer day, and while a juicer is helpful even in smoothie making, it's not essential. The good news is a blender or smoothie maker will do the job and the cost for these appliances is generally lower. I've found that even mid-range blenders or smoothie makers will get the job done and have a decent life expectancy. There are also plenty of health benefits to drinking smoothies just as there are in juicing. Be sure to check out my awesome smoothie recipe on the recipes page.