Try to keep tabs on the cost of your monthly drinking water consumption. Without a grocery hack, it will rack up quite an amount of money. You would think for a liquid abundant in nature, drinking water should be very cheap. However, it is not cheap. At least, not cheap in some regions of the world.
For example,
In the State of Texas, a bottled water in a gas station goes for $1.50 to $3.50. It depends on the bottled water brand and its volume. For someone who buys from these stores two times a day, that is spending $93 to $108.5 on bottled water monthly. I believe the amount is higher for construction workers or delivery drivers who choose to buy retail bottled water at work, since their consumption rates are high.
It is outrageous, isn’t it?
I agree too. There is no reason ones drinking water expenses should rank up there with their weekly food expenses. Hence, the reason why I am going to tell you how I have managed to spend $10.30 monthly on drinking bottled water.
What’s the Best Way To Save On Water?
For these tips to actually work, you have to stick with it. When you make your monthly budget and allocate money for drinking water, use these cheap and practical alternatives to ensure you do not spend more than the allocated money.
1. Use Purified Water Dispenser Stations To Save Money
This is one of the best ways I save money on drinking water. This is because you can get the same water quality as your bottled water at a great discounted rate. Let me explain.
Purified water stations are water stations that let you fill up your drinking water containers. It costs significantly less than what you would have bought the same bottled water. They are huge automatic water dispensers, whose water quality and components are monitored remotely. You put in money like an ATM in the machine. And, it will dispense purified water to you.
It is amazing, good reader. Do you know the best part?
The best part of the purified water dispenser stations is that they cost next to nothing. Also, the quality of the water is the same as your bottled water. This is perfect for people with home electric water dispenser at home. By home electric water dispenser, I mean the small refrigerated kind that comes with 5-gallon blue bottles.
Are Water Dispensers Cheaper than Bottled Water?
The picture above shows a local HEB purified water dispenser, where I go to fill up my 5-gallon water bottles. As you can see from the picture, I always pay $1.50 to refill my 5-gallon water bottle. Usually, I go with four of these 5-gallon water bottles. The drinking water lasts for three weeks, since my girl and me are the only ones consuming it.
Guess what I pay to refill the bottles every month? $6.00 freaking dollars for four 5-gallon water bottles!
Now, some stores in San Antonio sell the same 5-gallon bottled water for $11.85. At least, HEB store sells the Primo brand for that amount right now. Also, Walmart sells the same brand for $13.44. Every month, I save me $23.4 and $29.76 respectively because I do not buy from either store.
Annually, this is saving me $280.8 and $357.12. That is the power of using a purified water dispenser station. It leaves extra money in your purse. Give it a try, will you?
2. Buy Your Bottled Water In Bulk To Save Money
Have you observed how a single 20oz bottled water can cost up to $1.50 or more, but a pack of 15 bottled water (16.9oz volume) costs $2.46?
I am not lying to you. You can go to your local grocery stores right now, to confirm for yourself. The same stores that sell you a pack of 15 bottled water for $2.46, will sell you a single bottle from their refrigerator for $1.50 or more. The price varies based on the volume of the bottle though. However, my point reminds the same.
Think of it. Why would you spend $1.50 to $3.50 buying a single bottled water, when the same amount can buy you a pack of 15 bottled water?
Either they expect you not to pay attention to this rip-off, or you do not care about saving on drinking water. Since you are here, I want you to know that you can save a lot of money being mindful about this bad habit. If not, it will continue to disrupt your monthly budget. This is because it adds to your net monthly expenses.
Is Bottled Water Worth the Extra Money?
It is worth the extra money, when you buy in bulk. Here is a great example.
A 16.9oz bottled water is a medium-sized bottle. To stay hydrated in a day, you need about five to seven of it depending on your weight, gender and weather. This is according to the Mayo Clinic Organization. Say you pay $1.00 for a bottle, that is $5.00 daily on a five bottled water daily consumption. Your monthly net will be $155. This amounts to $1,860 annually.
On the other hand, you can avert this by buying a pack of 32 bottled water for $3.20 to $3.50. HEB and Walmart stores are notorious for giving a pack of 32 to 40 bottled water for $3.46. I say this, because I shop there for bottled water I use for work or exercise. These are great, because you can put some in the refrigerator and take them with you.
On paying $3.46 for a pack of 32 bottled water, that saves you a lot of money. Compared to the $155 monthly net expense of buying five bottles a day, a pack of 32 bottled water for about $3.46 will get you through eight days. At most, you will spend about $10.38 for twenty-four days bottled water supply. Therefore, $157.86 annually.
3. Invest On Reusable Water Bottle
A lot of stores carry reusable water bottles of different volumes. A reusable water bottle saves a lot of money monthly on drinking water. If you want to eliminate buying bottled water totally, this is the best way to save money on drinking water.
A reusable water bottle saves you money in two ways.
Firstly, it makes sure you do not spend money on bottled water whenever you are outside your home. This is because you get to carry the water bottle wherever you go, since it is portable. Moreover, you can carry the exact volume that you always drink, since there are different volumes of water bottles.
As for keeping the water cold, some water bottles come insulated. Meaning- they do not conduct heat away easily. When you put the water bottles in the refrigerator to be used later, the water will still be cold after you have taken it out. I have one that last for hours. Usually, I carry it as a backup for hiking trails.
Secondly, you do not spend a lot to refill these bottles outside your home. Some purified water dispenser station will charge you $0.30 for a gallon water refill. In a day, you can hydrate yourself sufficiently with the amount. Annually, this amounts to $109.50 in daily use.
How Much Is Saved By Using Reusable Water Bottle?
From the second way of saving money on drinking water, we saw that buying bottled water in bulk can cost you about $157.86 annually for a single person household. If we consider using reusable water bottle and refilling using purified water dispenser, we will save $48.36 annually. When you consider buying single bottled water from retail stores, a reusable water bottle can further save $1811.64 since buying from retail stores, costs $1860 annually for a five bottled water daily consumption at $1.00 per bottle rate.
It is the beauty of using reusable water bottles. Not bad at all, eh?
Is It Safe To Keep Refilling A Water Bottle Without Washing It?
No, it is not safe. Make sure to keep those bottles clean. Since you always drink out of it, wash it daily with a dish soap. This is to prevent germs from colonizing the bottle. Besides this, investing in reusable water bottles is one of the best ways to save money on drinking water.
What Is the Best Way To Store Water For Drinking?
When you start using reusable bottle water to store water, the best way to store water for drinking is refrigeration. This is to slow bacterial growth. Not that there will be any in your water, but it is safe this way. I recommend you refrigerating your water, as long as you sip directly from the bottle.
4. Use Coupons During Water Purchase
Since you have learnt how to buy bottled water in bulk, now use a coupon each time. Coupons get you great deals. Local stores like Walmart and HEB have a lot of coupons on bottled water shelves. Besides these two, there are other stores out there too. You just have to google, go in and search for them.
A word of advice when buying bottled water in bulk.
If you are not a millionaire, you have no reason drinking a fancy bottled water that costs more than $1.00. Some fancy bottled water cost way too much. You would not be surprised some businesses have the audacity to ask for $7.48 on a pack of six bottled water. The designs on such bottled water are so beautiful, that it makes you want to buy them and hang them as arts in your living room.
Before you do that, listen.
Do not be deceived, my dear reader. All bottled water does the same thing: hydration. Use $3.46 out of the $7.48 to buy a pack of 32 bottled water with a coupon from Walmart or other grocery conglomerates. Then, donate the remaining $4.02 to welfare organizations that cater to hungry children and poor seniors in your location. Trust me, it is money well-spent.
When you do that, tag WeeklyBagel on twitter with how much you donate. I am going to do a special shout-out for you. Not because you listen to me, but because you are courageous. That is all it takes to save money on drinking water. And, I respect courage.
5. Use Water Fine-Filtration Machine
A fine water filter can get rid of sediments. These include some micro-organisms to macro. This is used, when you cannot afford bottled water or purified water dispenser station. Use a water filtration system with your tap water supply then.
In today’s market, there are some water filtration system. Some use reverse-osmosis for filtration. Others use equivalent effective filtration systems. Get one to use at home. This is for making the tap water from your city supply drinkable.
Is Tap Water Good For Your teeth?
Firstly, I am assuming that you are in a country whose city tap water supply is purified. By purified, I mean the water does not have harmful micro-organisms in it. My city tap water supply does not have micro-organisms in it. When I took Microbiology in college, my professor actually gave me a series of unknown water sources to culture for microorganism. The only ones that did not show colonies were my city tap water, and bottled water. This was after she revealed the sources.
Now, I am not saying that some cities supply good tap water. You and I have seen news of unethical decisions by some cities’ officials to supply contaminated water to their residents. That is why I want you to inquire about your home’s water supply, before you embark on this. If your city water supply contains harmful microorganism, then they are not good for your teeth. Besides, you will need more than a simple water filter to filter your tap water for drinking.
Secondly, I am assuming the water supply to your home is not done with lead pipes. Your tap water supply should not have lead in it. Even if it is an insignificant amount, lead accumulates in the body after awhile. According to United States Environmental Protection Agency, lead is harmful. When used as pipes for water supply, they can seep into water due to corrosion. When you drink it, it will not be good for you. In fact, you can get lead poisoned.
Hopefully, these are not the cases in your city.
If this is not your case, then go to your local store and buy water filters. Some are so good that they can filter 99% E. Coli or other harmful microorganisms. You have to get one that is effective and affordable. Even if it is expensive, it will save you money every year until the amount saved is equivalent to the cost of the water filter.
Does A Water Filter Save Money?
A great and effective filter is a good way of saving money on drinking water. It pays its cost with time. Since the filtered tap water is way cheaper than bottled water or water from purified water dispensers, a water filter can save you a lot of money annually.
Well, it seems I have exhausted my secret to saving money on drinking water. To conclude this week’s post, it is important to keep your drinking water expense low. Bulk bottled water and its alternatives are cheap. My fellow adults, we just need to make the right decisions to save us money!
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