At this time of year, many of us begin to think about bad habits we have that we want to break. While some of these bad habits are obvious like smoking, others are less so like watching TV. Drinking soda seems to fall in the middle for most people (it’s not a good habit, but it’s not that bad), but it really should lean more towards the “bad” in my opinion. This is especially true if you are drinking more than one can a day. Having one or more glasses a day can be seriously detrimental to not only your health, but to your finances as well. If you’re thinking about quitting, here are a few ways that doing so will help you save money.
Monetary Savings
Let’s say that you buy the 12 pack of soda cans from the store for $3.99 a package. While four dollars may not seem like a lot of money, that’s about $16 a month you could be saving. That number could be doubled or tripled depending on how much money you drink. If you don’t buy liters or packs of soda from the store and instead get a soda from the vending machine at work or the corner store, you could be paying anywhere from $1.00 to $2.00, which could amount to $7.00 to $14.00 a week or $28.00 or $56.00 a month. Over the course of the year, that could add up to $700 or even more than $1000. Just imagine what you could do with that money instead of spending it on soda!
Dental Expenses
Most of us know that drinking a lot of caffeine can lead to serious dental issues such as tooth decay. Including soda in your daily diet could lead to some expensive dental procedures that you’d be better off avoiding entirely. Cutting out that daily can or bottle of soda could mean paying less on your next trip to the dentist. It’d be better for your overall heath as well.
Caffeine Dependence
Caffeine dependence is an issue that many adults deal with, whether from drinking too much coffee or drinking too much soda. No one likes going through caffeine withdrawal and if you’ve ever experienced it, you know how eager you can be to buy the closest form of caffeine. Additionally, sometimes your body craves more caffeine, prompting you to spend more money than you usually would. Caffeine dependence can be detrimental to your finances.
Soda Tax
While it hasn’t happened yet, there’s an increasing push for a soda tax in many states across the country. If such a tax goes into effect, you’ll end up paying more for your soda, and though the tax may not seem like a lot, all that extra money will add up over the course of the month or year.
If you live in a state where they collect a deposit for each can or bottle you purchase, you may be paying a stealth tax when you don’t return them to get your deposit back. Many people simply place them into the recycling container and let their garbage company collect that five or ten cents, essentially meaning you pay an extra “tax” for each soda you purchase.
Health Expenses
There have been many articles about the health risks associated with soda, especially concerning people who frequently consume it. Some issues include bone decay, kidney or liver problems, or increased weight gain. While soda can be a nice treat every once in a while, it’s not worth harming your health by drinking it every single day. While these health expenses might not be an apparent cost over a short time period, they will eventually make themselves known which could end up being expensive medical treatment over the long haul.
Weight Problems
You’ve probably heard by now that drinking a can of soda each day is one of the leading components of childhood and adult obesity. Regular soda contains a lot of empty calories that add up quickly. An occasional soda won’t harm you in the long run, but if you’re worried about gaining weight and the associated costs or issues that go along with it, you should think about cutting your daily soda from your diet.
Cheaper Alternatives
If you’re worried that you won’t be able to give up soda, why not try a cheaper alternative. It’s recommended that anyone trying to give up soda drinks water whenever they’re craving something sweet, carbonated, or caffeinated. If you want something with a bit more taste, try putting fruit slices in water or using a drink mix.
No More High Sugar Cravings
Have you ever noticed that sometimes you get hungry after drinking a soda? Or that you want something sweet to snack on? One of the downsides of having a caffeine addiction is that it often makes you crave other high sugar foods. Foods containing a large amount of sugar are often more expensive and will be as equally detrimental to your finances.
Increased Diabetes Risk
Another downside to daily soda consumption is that it means you have an increased risk of getting diabetes. While it’s not proven that soda causes diabetes, consuming that much sugar on a daily basis could make you a candidate in the future. This is something you should definitely look out for if diabetes runs in your family or your doctor tells you that you run the risk of being borderline diabetic.
(Photo courtesy of Nicholas Liby)
So, does the sugar or caffeine cause dental problems? Which one, or both?
I drink lots of coffee, but I don’t add any sugar or sweetener to it, and I almost never drink soda.
It appears to be mainly the sugar. While there is some preliminary evidence that coffee doesn’t cause structural damage to teeth (like sugar can), coffee can cause teeth staining and discoloration over time.
I had a Coke Cola addiction for years and I stopped cold turkey. I craved it for months, but I do feel much better now and am saving at least $50 a month and I lost 20 pounds.
There are a number of inaccurate claims in this article that are, frankly, misleading. First, soft drink consumption does not uniquely cause obesity or weight gain. As science tells us, and has confirmed time and again, achieving a healthy weight comes down to balancing overall calorie intake from all sources with calories expended through physical activity. This is a balance is within our control, whereas many other risk factors for obesity are not (i.e., genetics, age, etc.). In other words, singling out soft drink consumption as the culprit driving obesity and weight gain is overly simplistic and not at all rooted in science.
Second, just as our overall health is influenced by many factors, so too is our dental health. Oral hygiene habits, frequency of dental visits, overall diet, lifestyle, behavior and more come into play. It’s factually incorrect to suggest beverages are singularly to blame for tooth decay and erosion. Same goes for the other complex health conditions cited here, ranging from bone decay to kidney health which are not directly linked to soft drink intake. And as this article admits, “it’s not proven that soda causes diabetes.” Exactly. Such claims, once again, fail to look at the big picture, which makes clear diabetes is a multi-faceted problem.
And third, about soda taxes, such policies won’t help health. We know this because states like Arkansas and West Virginia have passed excise taxes on soft drinks. Did this policy reduce obesity? No. In fact, these states continue to rank among the top 10 most obese states in the nation. With respect to bottle deposits, it’s true that such charges are tantamount to a tax on hard-working consumers wallets. This is an area where lawmakers can embrace more cost-effective and convenient programs, such as curbside recycling.
The big takeaway here is that sweeping generalizations that attempt to pin the blame for a litany of things on soft drinks is unproductive. Beverages can be part of an active, balanced life and consumers are completely capable of making these personal choices for themselves.
I’m happy to see that the soda public relation overlords have graced us with their presence and hit all of their talking points.
How do they find these posts, some sixth sense they have when something might affect their wallets?
They’re good though, aren’t they? They have all the blurb and it is right except that it doesn’t take into account human nature and behaviour as it is.
hahaha…what a major soda industry pr fail. It strikes me funny that you go on about how soda taxes won’t help health when the article never said anything of the sort. It said soda taxes, if implemented, will cost the buyer more because the article is about the financial reasons to quit this bad habit. Total Fail. And this sentence made me laugh out loud “Beverages can be part of an active, balanced life and consumers are completely capable of making these personal choices for themselves.” The soda industry might want to get a better pr firm as not to be so obvious. hahaha
This is from the Wisconsin Dental Association and it reflects what is advised here in the UK (our teeth are not awful as often said, that was a long time ago when we were also said to keep coal in the bath which some Australians still believe)
Sugar in soda combines with bacteria in your mouth to form acid, which attacks the teeth. Diet or “sugar-free” soda contains its own acid, which also can damage teeth. Each attack lasts about 20 minutes and starts over with every sip of soda you take.
Fruit juice is also very bad for teeth if overdone. Trendy mothers here gave their children fruit juices instead of squash (drinks diluted with water), finding to their horror that their children’s teeth rotted very quickly. My dentist said it was almost impossible to stop them doing this as they were so sure of themselves. Can you guess that I know someone who did this?
I live in a state that taxes soda and has for many years although we don’t have to recycle. I used to drink a can maybe once a day over every other day when working. I had switched to caffeine free and then I wasn’t going to work anymore and no more vending machines (for either pop or chocolate–HORRORS!). I learned to drink bottled water as we are on a well and with my illness not a good idea to drink well water. Other than a very occasional pop when I go out to eat, other than hot chocolate in the winter I only drink water and it is a good thing as I go through about 1-/2 – 3/4 gallon a day! Pop doesn’t really quench my thirst but water can and so I drink it and it is good for me. I don’t drink that much because of trying to drink a set amount of water a day, it is because my meds make me thirsty constantly. If I was drinking Pop instead, I’m sure by now all my teeth would have fallen out.
It is an expensive habit. Now if I could only give up chocolate 😉