Do you pay for water

[crosses]

I get torn with this issue. On the one hand, I pay for the water coming to my house, so I don't think that I should be paying for bottled water to drink. But the water that comes to our house has a strange after taste to it so I don't like to drink it (I don't think that it is unhealthy...it just has a strange taste). So I end up paying for bottled water at the store.

Does anyone else have this problem or does anyone have an alternative suggestion to purchasing bottled water?

[terry1156]

If the water tastes bad, you should find out what is causing it. Is it an old piping system or something else. If you are forced to buy a lot of bottled water, maybe a water purifier would be cheaper. I really don't know much about this area, but those thoughts came to my mind.

[DivaJen]

We have terrible city water here (yes, we pay for our water), so we have water delivered each month. It isn't nearly as cheap as tap water, but it smells and tastes a whole lot better, and if it means we all stay well-hydrated here then it's worth every penny.

[Tree0164]

We pay for our water. I have a Brita water filter that makes the water taste better.

[byusteeler]

I have a water and ice dispenser on my fridge. I also have a filter attached to the fridge. The cost of the filter is about $25 and I replace it once a year. I do buy bottles of water when they are on sale. I use them for outings and store some for emergencies. A 24 pack of .5 litre bottles of the brand I like goes on sale for $2.99. (about 12.5 cents each)

[mahanda]

i pay for water, we are lucky the water in seattle tastes pretty good. do use a brita filter for some other family members though, that i keep in fridge.

[2moretrees]

Do you have a water dispenser at work? I don't know how appropriate it would be, but I full up my drinking bottle there each day. I do it twice. Once in the morning when I arrive for the day and then again before I leave which I drink at home. I bring the empty bottle the next day and start all over again..

[Savaquid]

Here, in UK, a scientific study was conducted into water quality, last year or the year before. It found that the best (purest) water in Britain came from Thames Water, the supplier for the whole of the capital, yet millions of Londoners continue to buy (under the influence of advertisers) bottled water at ridiculous prices - water which is less pure than that available at around £10 ($16) a year!

My advice is to drink the water from your supplier - he wouldn't dare sell sell it if it were unsafe. In 2 or 3 weeks you'll be complaining about the 'strange taste' in bottled water.

We did the same thing when, many years ago, we switched from butter to margarine. Now, butter tastes 'odd'.

[momma4]

I pay for the water that comes out of the tap. The only time I buy bottle water is during hurricane season and from time to time when I am out walking and I am trying to be good and not buy a soda. I reuse the bottles and fill with tap and put into the freezer for a few hrs and it doesn't taste any different to me. I am paying an average of $40 a month.

[mjrube94]

We use bottled water, but only for drinking water. We use tap water for cooking, making iced tea, coffee etc. My dear hubby, who is a bit particular, swears he can taste the difference in the Poland Spring clear gallon bottles (which go for $1.39-$1.59/gal) vs. other bottled water (that I could get for as little as $.67/gal). Some suggestions for you: Our water company send out a list of what "stuff" is in the water. It makes absolutely no sense to me, but at least you could see what's in there. Also, if you (or a friend ) are a member of a warehouse club (we used BJs), try them. I found 6 Poland Spring gallons (alas, not in the clear container) for $.79/gal instead of $1.39. Huge savings...

[momma4]

http://eacquisitions.nestle-watersna.com/brand.aspx just found this get zephryhills spring water delivered to your door and you get 48 bottles for free I am thinking it is for new members only though but wanted to share.

[PrincessPerky]

We use a brita filter, not to much more expensive than straight tap, and we keep it in the fridge. (cold helps) DH takes a cup of milk to work then rinses it out and drinks water (plus one non water thing he brought from home)

Oh and everyone drinks juice when we are out, no bottled water can prevent that plasticy taste when a cup sits in the car .

[BillsGirl]

Hvae you ever tried getting a filtraion system like brita or pur?? I have pur and I love it I have had it 9 months and replaced the filter about 1 month ago!! Our water here is just so horrible I would never drink it before I got the filter but now I love I drink it all day long!

[zakity]

We have an osmosis filter. It makes our water taste really good. It is decent without the osmosis filter, but i prefer it with it. We do buy water, but it is more for emergencies and replacing "damaged" bottles. We reuse the bottles. I partially fill them and throw them in the freezer to use as ice for the cooler and to top off and use as water so we don't buy it when we are out.

Also, I have a child who can't have corn syrup or dye so if we have the water when we are out, we don't have whining about wanting a soda pop. One good "side effect" is that when they spill in the car, it doesn't matter because it is water and it will just dry.

To mark water bottles, use finger nail polish. It works better than permanent markers. We use a dot system but I know of a family that uses a color coded system and another that uses initials.

Edited to say: We have a high iron content in our water and that is supposed to be bad for boys (like really really high), that is part of the reason for the osmosis filter.

[cicy33]

We pay for city water about $20 a month and we also pay for bottled water. I have a machine and buy about 4 bottles a month. they are 5 gal a piece. About 10 years ago I started getting lip sores and couldn't figure out why and finally found out the area we were living in then had a high chlorine level in their water and I am apparently sensitive to it. So I started then on bottled water and now I can't stand tap water. I personally prefer Dasani but can drink others. Don't like Sams water though. tastes funny. So with city and bottled I spend about $45 a month. though for coffee and stuff we use tap. I have drank our tap here when I ran out but it tastes weird. The one thing that does concern me though is that there is no added flouride in the bottled water that is in tap.

[contrary1]

I just moved to a new to us house, & it has a well. My first time with a well...........so we aren't paying for water. I have a hunch the first time I need to pay for a pump repair/replacement it will equal a monthly water bill .............or more!!
We're lucky our water tastes great.......

[Ima saver]

I had a well most of my life and loved it, but when we moved here, we had to get on the system and I don't like the water. I drink tons of water, so I bought a water distiller and use it about 4 times a week. I keep about 12 gallons of water made up constantly. We pay $20 a month for water, it was $16 but went up.

[MrSwapper]

I'm in the same situation, though I think the water is fine... My fiance won't drink it often. So, I go to Smart & Final (small warehouse store) and buy water by the case when they have them on sale for a buy two get one free at $5something a case

[shelbylovesmelby]

I have well water also. I'm not fond of either well or tap I prefer bottled for drinking water. But since I too think it's a waste to buy bottled water I just dilute other things like soda, juice or kool-aid to hide the well water taste.

[Ima saver]

The water that I occassionly buy is only 69 cents for a one gallon jug. It takes about 6 hours to distill one container of water. I wonder if it is costing me more to make it than to buy it?