Cost Analysis of Bottled Water Versus Filtered at Home
Main stream media occasionally drives me nuts. So many times on the Today Show, they go on and on about a certain topic, and then right at the very end, they call in an expert who very succinctly, and sometimes, even intelligently explains how the previous 15 minutes of terrible gloom and doom are actually wild fabrications from the truth and that there is really nothing to worry about. This happened this morning with water bottles and this post is not really about the wild provisions for plastic chemicals being unsafe, but about the frugality of buying bottled water compared to filtering it at home and reusing your own bottle, or other safe receptacle (like glass if you are really worried).
Cost of Bottled Water
First off, lets get a baseline for how much a bottle of water costs. We can see these in the store anywhere from 99 cents to $1.50. Annually, this country spends approximately $11 billion on bottled water, which amounts to about 70 million bottles a day. That’s quite a bit. Especially when you consider what you are paying for. Bottled water is something like 1,000% more expensive than tap water. Bottled water is also not anything special…it is simply filtered water thats been put into a plastic bottle. I wonder if I could get away with saying “bottle” one more time. Bottle. Ha! There I did it. But I digress…
So how much do you spend on bottled water each day? Some buy one per day which amounts to $300+ a year. Seems like a lot for just 12 or 20 ounces of water. how much is your water bill for your household? Including the bathroom activities, cooking and laundry I spend maybe $20-25 dollars a month. Keep in mind that that is for the whole residence!! We are definitely getting gouged on water from the bottling companies. What can we do offset these incredibly costs? What about filtering it at home? That is essentially what we are buying at home anyway…
Filter at Home
No one really wants to drink tap water, at least not on a regular basis. The first filtration company that comes to mind is Brita. You can either get the faucet filter or the pitcher filter. Right off the bat, the value is made apparent:
Faucet Filter - $34.95 and the cost per gallon is 25¢ per gallon.
Pitcher Filter - $24.95 and the cost per gallon is 20¢ per gallon.
(There are 128 fluid ounces in 1 gallon)
So if we are consuming what might be close to 3-4 bottles a week (a conservative average), we can crunch these numbers and see that paying by the gallon is a far more economical alternative compared to buying bottled water.
Alternatives
So are we suggesting that you strap a drum of water to your back and lug it around all day? Of course not. But if you can bring your own (safe?) bottle to work and take advantage of your employer’s obligatory water cooler, by all means do that. If you are in a place that does not have one, then maybe it might be time to pitch in with some co-workers and get a faucet or pitcher filter. Then again, maybe just drink tap water any way…the difference is technically negligible. Being a aquarium enthusiast and a chem minor, I can tell you that reverse osmosis is really the only way to get really pure water, outside of a chemistry lab.
Here are some alternatives to bottles as well:
Kleen Kanteen stainless steel water bottle w/ cap, 27 fluid ounces ($17.95;
www.kleankanteen.com)
MLS Stainless Steel Thermos Bottle, 1 liter ($22.16; www.mls-group.com)
Nissan Thermos FBB500 Briefcase Bottle, 1pt ($35;
www.coffee-makers-espresso-machines.com)
Sigg resin coated aluminum sport bottle, 25 ounces ($19.99; www.mysigg.com)
Platypus #5 polypropylene 2+collapsible water bottle, 2.4 liters ($9.95; www.rei.com)
Nalgene HDPE Loop-Top Bottle, 16 ounces ($4.53; www.nalgene-outdoor.com)
Consider these however as a one time fee and never waste your money on a plastic bottle that may, or may not make it back to a recycling plant.
Also, just so we are clear on the whole bottle safety issue: check the bottom of the plastic bottle in question and if it has a 3, 6 or 7 inside the recycle arrows, don’t use it. Normal soda and water bottles have a 1 there so they are ok. Supposedly. Some will tell you its bad, others will say, not so much, that the levels to be harmful are thousands of times lower than anything we could ever come in contact with. Do your own due diligence, and let us know what you think? $
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Thanks for providing this breakdown - it is something I’ve always been interested in, but never taken the time to fully break it down myself. We recently installed a purifying filter on our faucet at work, and I refill my water bottles in the afternoon and store them in the fridge for the next day.