Bottled water vs tap

[sparkysgirl]

what do you use and why? Does price affect your decision?

[sweeps]

Bottled water: The Ultimate Scam

[tinapbeana]

i grew up drinking spring water from an actual spring on our property. YUM!!! i've yet to have any water, bottled or tap, that tastes as good. therefore, it's tapwater for me, since i see no need to spend money on something i know i'll be dissapointed with.

[threebeansalad]

Tap water through a PUR filter. Water straight from the tap in my municipality is murky and cloudy. I also give my cat filtered water. Not sure if it's true, but someone told me the unfiltered water can increase the cat's risk of urinary crystals. I figured the filtered water is cheaper than the vet!

[vsjhoc]

I've been drinking Evian for 20 years, starting long before the bottled water craze. It tastes noticeably better to me than the tap water of the various cities I've lived in.

My ex-husband didn't think I could tell the difference, so I agreed to do a blind taste test. We never got around to it. One night he got home early and set the table. I took one sip of the water and said right away "that's not Evian!" Sure enough, he had filled my glass with tap water, so I truly passed the test.

I know it's expensive, so I guess it's my splurge. But it's so important to drink lots of water, and nothing tastes the same for me.

[Ima saver]

I make my own filtered water and never use tap water. I drink a lot, so the $100 I spent to buy the machine 10 years ago and paid for itself.

[PRICEPLUS]

Good ole tap water is good enough for me!

[JanH]

Our tap water is also murky and tastes awful. I, too, grew up on drinking ice cold water from a delicious well. When I couldn't get my kids to drink water at all, I had to go the delivery route since bottled water wasn't really in stores yet. I buy spring water from the culligan people. Have taste tested others and not liked them as much. My kids loved it. Now they drink the bottled kind in their own homes. Figured out that delivery does cost more per 16 ounces than bottled from the store, but you have a bunch on hand and reduces store runs. I guess the delivery now costs me about $16 a month. But Hubby buys the bottled water from the store--about $20 worth per month. But we drink a lot of water and consider it money well spent for our health.

[pearlieq]

I don't mind Chicago tap water. It tastes fine to me and that's mostly what I drink.

However, I will sometimes buy bottled water as a convenience (either for on the go or for a party). From that perspective I think of it as akin to soda.

There are taste differences. I can't stand Dasani, don't really care for Aquafina, but I really enjoy Ice Mountain and Evian.

[vsjhoc]

I'm waiting for someone to respond "yeah, but because all the kids are drinking bottled water, they're not getting fluoride and their teeth are rotting." Any research about this?

[JBinKC]

Originally Posted by Ima saver

I make my own filtered water and never use tap water. I drink a lot, so the $100 I spent to buy the machine 10 years ago and paid for itself.

I am interested what you use that it is a one time cost of $100 for pure H2O. I currently use culligan bottled water because the tap water is very chlorinated and hard. Carbon filters are very expensive and need to be replaced often and reverse osmosis systems are expensive.

[pearlieq]

Originally Posted by vsjhoc

I'm waiting for someone to respond "yeah, but because all the kids are drinking bottled water, they're not getting fluoride and their teeth are rotting." Any research about this?

Well, some bottled waters have flouride. Also, kids get the flouride treatments at the dentist. Plus there's the tiny matter of regular brushing.

If folks don't brush and make regular dentist visits, I don't think all the flouridated water in the world is going to make a difference!

[Hez]

I use a Brita filter jug for drinking water at home, but I occasionally buy bottles of water when I'm at school or at work. Bottled water is something I always feel slightly guilty for spending money on, but I hate not having water on hand in case I get thirsty or have a cough.

[MonkeyMama]

Tap water is fine with me.

I like it cold so we mostly drink it out of the fridge through the attached filter. More convenience and preference for cold water than anything else. I spend most of my time at work drinking from the water jug though so I rarely drink unfiltered tap water. But I would not mind it in the least.

I am more worried about what is added to the tap water (like flouride which I have seen downsides of too much - have been a little overzealous I think). More worried about that than what else is in there... IT would depend where I live though - some places don't have safe tap water.

You can get fluoride outside of tap water. Fluoride is good, I am just wary of too much. But it is a consideration if your kids never drink tap water - they may not get enough.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by Sweepsplayer

Bottled water: The Ultimate Scam

Couldn't agree more. This is by far the biggest scam every perpetrated on the public by marketers. The amount of money people spend on bottled water, many brands of which are simply filtered tap water, is insane.

We drink bottled water at home, in restaurants, on vacation, etc. I think paying for something that is readily available for free is ridiculous.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by pearlieq

If folks don't brush and make regular dentist visits, I don't think all the flouridated water in the world is going to make a difference!

I disagree. Many of my patients have bad teeth, despite brushing their teeth and seeing a dentist. The town where I work doesn't fluoridate the water and bad teeth are extremely prevalent around here. Go one town over where the water is fluoridated and everyone has much better teeth.

[JanH]

Many people may not like the cost of bottled water when they get water for free. In my growing up years, our town had awesome water fed by springs. Where I live now, we can often sit a glass of water down and watch particles float around until they settle. It's murky and upsets my stomach. Sometimes turns whites dingy in the wash. Occasionally is brown from tannins. I am grateful for my city water, but I can't drink it.

[Gruntina]

City regulation is much tougher on tap water than bottled. Bottled water regulation is by the company.

Although, there are bad drinking water areas. My area is fine.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by Gruntina

City regulation is much tougher on tap water than bottled.

Exactly, and that's why babies and young children should never use bottled water. You shouldn't mix baby formula with bottled water, etc. There can be contaminants in bottled water than the very young (and very old) don't have the immune capacity to fight off.

[vsjhoc]

Originally Posted by disneysteve

There can be contaminants in bottled water than the very young (and very old) don't have the immune capacity to fight off.

Good thing I'm very-in-the-middle. Who knows what my 20-year habit may have done to me, LOL