Save Money by Giving Up Bottled Water

Here's a quick business lesson: Slap a sticker of some snow-covered peaks on a possibly carcinogenic plastic bottle, call it something "Springs" - a word with an accent is ideal for highest returns - and you have liquid gold. Or maybe "Blue" gold is more fitting...

No consumer good represents our nation's throwaway culture moreso than bottled water. Fueled by ignorance or misguided preference, the empty water bottle has become a staple in every trash-bin throughout the country - a shocking fact considering the enormous economical gains to be had by switching over to reusable containers. The savings for the average consumer could easily stretch into the hundreds.

Consider this: the average case of 24 water bottles (.5L) costs around $4.00. For brands like Fiji, Evian, and Glacéau, expect to pay more than double that. A cost of $4.00 per 12 liters of water translates to $0.33/liter. According to a Sierra Club fact sheet, the average cost per liter of tap water is $0.000396 - less than 1/25th of a cent. The price difference is startling. More startling, however, is the fact that the majority of consumers are content with this. The chance to save money is either overlooked or doubted as viable.

If the average consumer goes through a single 24 pack per week, over the course of a year they can be expected to spend $208.00. This estimate is on the low end of things, failing to take into account water purchased by the individual bottle, which can range from $1.00 to a hardy $10.00 depending on brand and retailer. The same amount of tap water costs only $0.25.

More often than not, the springs of which your "Montagne Glace Spring" water emanate from are the same that you bathe in and cook with. According to Chris Baskind of Lighter Footstep, tap water, in most cases, is better regulated than bottled water. If not crossing state lines (which about 70% of bottled water never does), bottled water is exempt from FDA oversight. Curious about how healthy your tap water is? Environmental Working Group's National Tap Water Quality database can tell you. Not up to par? Get a filter. Good Housekeeping's Research Institute has suggestions.

Even after the price of a filter, you have still saved money by switching to tap water. If you're taken most by bottled water's convenience, there exist many other solutions. Rather than reusable plastic bottles, metal alternatives have been surging in popularity recently, most notably models produced by Switzerland's Sigg and USA's own Klean Kanteen. While more expensive, they are BPA free and thus widely perceived to be healthier than their plastic counterparts, not to mention more durable and tasteless/odorless.

By severing the reliance on bottled water, the consumer is likely to save hundreds per year, not to mention protesting the commoditization of a fundamental human need.

Sources:
Baskind, Chris. "Five Reasons Not to Drink Bottled Water." Lighterfootstep.com.
"Corporate Water Privitization." Sierraclub.org.