Are you still buying bottled water?

[disneysteve]

Are you still buying bottled water?

I've never bought bottled water. We drink tap water. When we are traveling, we use a refillable bottle. We just got back from 2 weeks in Florida and we drank gallons of water while there, all from our refillable bottle. We would freeze it overnight about 1/3 full to have a solid block of ice on the bottom then stuff it with ice cubes in the morning and add as much water as would fit (it is a 32oz bottle). As the day went on, the ice would melt. We would add water and ice as needed (get free ice from restaurants when we had lunch and dinner). It baffles my mind that so many people happily plop down $2.50 for a 20oz bottle and do so several times each day for each family member. They must spend a small fortune just on water while we spend absolutely nothing.

At home, we have a 5-gallon water cooler but we refill the bottle with tap water. We don't buy bottled water for it.

I believe selling bottled water is the biggest marketing rip off ever.

[Ricky008]

Yeah same to me.

[LizfromtheBronx]

I prefer the taste of bottle water, and actually have preferred brands as well. Some say there's no difference, but I taste one. Plus, if I drink bottled water, I will actually drink it and keep track of how much I have drank per day. With a refillable bottle or glass, etc...I wouldn't drink it. No clue why...I just forget to. But with the bottle, I can see that there is some left and something clicks in my brain that I am supposed to drink "this much".

Luckily my company provides us free bottled water, and my night job buys me a bottle every time I work as well. Between the 2, I do buy my own, but not as much as I drink by any means.

I do try to keep a few empty bottles around my apartment, and will fill those with tap water and have no problem with it - it all comes down to that bottle, I guess.

I recycle at home and work, so no landfills for me either.

[DebbieL]

I buy them occasionally. What's the big deal? I don't see anyone up in arms about people who buy bottles of pop (which is horrible for you). If I'm in a situation where I've forgotten to bring water and I'm thirsty, I'll buy a water every time. It's better than drinking pop or anything else other than water. I do reuse the bottles and keep filling them up from my Brita (I can't stand tap water, yuck). The bottles are returnable just like pop bottles, why isn't everyone up in arms about the amount of Coke people buy?

[disneysteve]

why isn't everyone up in arms about the amount of Coke people buy?

Coke isn't available for free at every sink in the country. Remember, this site is called SavingAdvice. Paying for something that you can easily and safely get for free qualifies as a topic for SavingAdvice.

Another aspect, which also applies to soda bottles, iced tea bottles, juice bottles, is that plastic bottles are petroleum products. Using more and more and more plastic bottles increases our need for more and more oil to make those bottles. And when people insist on buying brands like Fiji that are transported halfway around the world, there are issues with all of the resources being consumed in that process. And even though you and I may recycle, most people don't. Billions of plastic water bottles end up in the trash and landfills every year.

[alphadore]

Thanks for the post. I wish I lived in an area where the tap water is drinkable. Unfortunately, here the tap water is very salty.

[photo]

Is anyone else old enough to remember when you used to buy soda in glass bottles? You always returned the bottles, and cans were rarely seen on the shelves. Those bottles weren't recycled, they were sanitized and actually reused.

[disneysteve]

Thanks for the post. I wish I lived in an area where the tap water is drinkable. Unfortunately, here the tap water is very salty.

The tap water is drinkable. You may just choose not to.

Is anyone else old enough to remember when you used to buy soda in glass bottles? You always returned the bottles, and cans were rarely seen on the shelves. Those bottles weren't recycled, they were sanitized and actually reused.

Yep. We used to go to the local beer distributor and buy Coke in glass bottles that came in wooden crates. They were return bottles and you'd get a credit when you brought them back and got another case.

[snafu]

For a long time we have been told not to re-use disposable plastic water bottles as there are chemicals in the plastics which breakdown. For those who dislike the taste of their tap water, a Brita type filter can be fitted to your tap or jug type for the fridge. There are a great many sport type, safe bottles.

[DebbieL]

Coke isn't available for free at every sink in the country. Remember, this site is called SavingAdvice. Paying for something that you can easily and safely get for free qualifies as a topic for SavingAdvice.

Another aspect, which also applies to soda bottles, iced tea bottles, juice bottles, is that plastic bottles are petroleum products. Using more and more and more plastic bottles increases our need for more and more oil to make those bottles. And when people insist on buying brands like Fiji that are transported halfway around the world, there are issues with all of the resources being consumed in that process. And even though you and I may recycle, most people don't. Billions of plastic water bottles end up in the trash and landfills every year.

So you'd be happier if I bought a pop (yuck), just because it isn't available for free anywhere? I'd rather pay for something that doesn't destroy my health (water) than something that does (Coke). I see no reason for others to be up in arms about the bottle, considering it's the same type bottle all the other drinks are sold in. They are charged a deposit on them, and can be returned just like a pop bottle can be (at least that's true where I live). Why everyone makes such an issue about bottled water bottles, but not the exact same bottles that all the other drinks are sold in really irks me.

PS - I can't stand the taste of tap water (it has a kind of algae taste here). I have to filter it. I'll buy a bottled water if I'm thirsty and I've forgotten to bring my own water with me. Every time I will choose that over putting pop into my system. I'd rather see someone drinking a bottled water than a bottled pop or gatorade type drink any day.

[disneysteve]

So you'd be happier if I bought a pop

They are charged a deposit on them, and can be returned just like a pop bottle can be (at least that's true where I live). Why everyone makes such an issue about bottled water bottles, but not the exact same bottles that all the other drinks are sold in really irks me.

No, folks certainly shouldn't be drinking more soda (pop depending on where you're from). That isn't the point at all. My point is that water is readily available for free. Paying for it just doesn't make sense to me. I hear a lot of people say the tap water isn't to their liking, but bottled water has really only been a phenomenon for maybe 10 years. Before that, you hardly ever saw anyone paying for water. What was everyone drinking before that? Tap water. And it tasted exactly the same then as it does now. The whole "I don't like the taste" is a learned behavior. I've traveled all around the country and tap water definitely does not taste the same everywhere you go but I've never been anywhere (domestically) where the water wasn't perfectly fine to drink. And if you really dislike it, there are all kinds of filters available that are much more economical and environmentally friendly than buying single serve bottles of water.

The other reason bottled water gets more attention is volume. The average person might drink one soda in a day while they might drink 4 or 6 bottles of water, so the bottled water is a much bigger problem. And again, this is a savings board. If folks are posting looking for budget help, among other questions, cutting out bottled water could be one place to trim the spending. If you drink 4 bottles/day at $1/bottle, that's $1,500/year, and most places charge more than $1. Of course, if you buy a case of 24 for $3.99, it is cheaper but most people only do that at home. At work and out, they buy it retail.

We just got back from Disney World. A bottle of water is $2.50. If the 3 of us each had a bottle for lunch and a bottle for dinner, in 7 days we would have spent over $100 just on water. Instead, we spent $0 on water even though we drank a ton of it during our two-week stay.

Just my personal opinion but I think selling bottled water is one of the biggest marketing scams ever pulled off with the American public. The industry has done a phenomenal job of making bottled water a necessity in many people's minds.

By the way, only a handful of states have deposits on bottles and cans. PA and NJ do not, nor do most other places. We do recycle, of course, but no credit for returning empties.

[Scanner]

I generally agree with DS about 95% of what he said, but gosh darn it, I do like to buy a bottle of Evian once awhile, especially when I am fasting. I would swear to God it tastes better.

[snafu]

The most popular bottled waters listed: Aquafina from Pepsi, from municipal water
Dasani from Coke, from municipal water, Evian from N France, snow melt, Pure Life from Nestle, from municipal water

[Marto]

I rarely by bottled water. I'll buy a gallon of distilled water every couple of months and just drink tap water the rest of the time. Buying a single 12 ounce bottle of water for 1-2 dollars is a waste.

[photo]

A bottle of water is $2.50. If the 3 of us each had a bottle for lunch and a bottle for dinner, in 7 days we would have spent over $100 just on water.

This is what a lot of people who have spending problems don't realize. Sure, spending $2.50 or so just a couple of times in several months won't break the bank. But when you spend that amount frequently -- 2 dollars here, 5 dollars there -- it adds up very quickly. This is probably what happens when people with huge credit card debt say have no idea where the money was spent. It wasn't spent on extravagant items; it was thoughtlessly and frequently spent on items that all added up.