Kicking the bottled water habit
Stuff I don't hate August 5th, 2007Dave and I finally kicked a bad habit. I’ve been trying for months to scale back the amount of bottled water we bring into the house (or at least pay less for it by buying jugs), but Dave was still buying six-pack bottles. I just couldn’t get him to let go. But just last week he announced “That’s it. We’re done with the bottled water!” It’s not because my ranting and raving had any effect. It’s because he heard a report that Pepsi admitted its popular Aquafina brand comes from tap water. Apparently this was the deal-breaker for him.
His motivation to stop was the principle of the thing. Mine was a little more complicated:
1. The money we wasted was staggering. We estimate at three bottles per day each, we were spending between $75 – 105 per month. We at least tried to buy it only when it was on sale. But still the price was through the roof.
2. I became increasingly bothered about how much plastic we were adding to landfills. By the end of the week, the recycling bin was filled to the brim with mostly water bottles.
3. I got so tired of lugging it around. You have to cart it at the store, lift it on the scanner, throw it in the car, take it out of the car, then refrigerate it. Then we’d take bottles back to the car to take to work every day. My arms and back were getting tired.
The only reason we ever bought bottled water was for the taste, so we invested 25 bucks in a Brita 10-cup Deluxe Water Filter Pitcher, which we’re very pleased with. It’s easy to fill, fits perfectly in the fridge and the water tastes every bit as good as Aquafina. Even with the cost of filters (about $20 for an eight month supply), we’re coming out ahead. We broke the chains of bottled water, and man, does it feel great.
Stumble it!
October 24th, 2007 at 2:43 am
I believe the infatuation with bottled water is convenience. It’s just so nice to have little soda-sized bottles to carry around while you’re out and about.
If only we were smart enough to simply keep refilling one and putting it in the fridge. Wouldn’t that be the same thing?
October 24th, 2007 at 8:50 am
Jeff — You’re right. Convenience is king. What I do is periodically buy one six-pack of bottles, then use them repeatedly until I think they need to get thrown out. A friend of mine who’s “in the know” says I really ought to get a stainless steel water bottle (he uses Klean Kanteen). Then I can completely rid myself of plastic bottles.
January 15th, 2008 at 11:33 am
I do the “rinse and refill” thing a lot. I do have nice canteens with my camping gear but I don’t like carrying it around with me to work, etc.
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January 15th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Frank C — A colleague of mine uses the “Klean Kanteen” stainless steel water bottles. I’m still on a little bit of plastic (rinse and refill), only because they’re lighter than those metal bottles. I’m not into lugging something heavy-ish around either.
July 30th, 2008 at 12:19 am
That’s awesome! I’m tempted to follow suit and go old school, drinking water from cups. It sounds like it could be worth it. You could be on to something! Comment 1 & 2 are fine tuning it.. I’m reading more.. I LIKE THIS IDEA and I’m excited about it!
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July 30th, 2008 at 4:59 am
Sugee — I’m currently using a closed plastic bottle (Rubbermaid, I think). I’m afraid to drink out of cups because I’m a klutz and don’t want to spill it on my desk, etc. So glad I’m off the plastic bottles. It’s liberating!