There are certain things in life that we need to survive. Bottled water is not one of them. It’s costly to both the environment and to your wallet. Besides, why would you want to waste your money on that, when there are so many other more important needs that are way cheaper? For example:
Alcohol
Several recent news reports have revealed that booze is cheaper than bottled water in New Zealand, which is bad news for this binge drinking population… (or is it?) Regardless, it could be really bad news for bottled water companies. I know we say it all the time, but when it just makes more sense to spend the money on beer or wine, why would anyone pay for a plastic bottle of something they can get for free from a tap? Think about it…
Gasoline
As expensive as a gallon of gasoline is these days, believe it or not, it can be cheaper than a bottle of water, depending on what kind of water you drink. If you’re the kind who prefers Fiji over Evian (which we think is still pretty naive), you’re looking at spending more than $3 for a liter bottle. A gallon of gas is only $2-something in some parts of the U.S. You do the math…
Iced Tea
Water tastes even better with tea flavor in it, right? (I’m sure @toddx can back me up here.) Why would you want to buy bottled water when you can drink iced tea instead? A box of 100 Lipton tea bags is about the same price as 2-3 bottles of water from a vending machine, and you can choose to drink it sweetened, unsweetened, caffeinated, or decaffeinated, flavored with peach or lemon, or just plain – the possibilities are endless! Not only that; the production process for bottled water depletes so many of our earth’s resources – including water! And, as @toddx so kindly pointed out to us on Blog Action Day, “Without water, there can be no iced tea.” You don’t want that, do you?
Ramen Noodles
If you or your kids have ever attended college, you know what I mean when I say Ramen Noodles is an essential good. It’s practically how all of us survived through those regrettable years, right? (That, and alcohol, which, as you know now, is also cheaper than bottled water.) Depending on where you shop, you can get as many as 5 or 10 packs of Ramen Noodles for only $1. That’s over a week’s worth of food! Compare that to the price of a bottle of water… I think you see where I’m going with this.
Filtered Water
You may think we sound like a broken record, but we can’t emphasize it enough. Not only does drinking filtered water save our planet from the detrimental effects of plastic bottled water waste… it saves you money! And, these days, I can’t think of one person who’s not looking to save a buck or two. Okay, so maybe the previous four goods are not really that “essential” when it comes down to it, but, in our humble opinion, filtered tap water is. With regular tap water you run the risk of ingesting cancer-causing contaminants, and with bottled water… well, I don’t need to repeat myself do I? Drinking filtered water will help ensure the health of you and your loved ones.
Please do yourself and the rest of the world a favor by visiting Filters Fast online to purchase your water filter today. We have a huge selection of refrigerator water filters, faucet water filters, undersink filters, pitcher filters and countertop filters to suit your needs.
Selwa says
Tom: You might want to work on developing your sense of humor a bit more, as much of what was said in that post was not meant to be taken so seriously. But, since you insist on a response, I’ll be happy to defend my statements.
1. I link to the article that talks about the price of alcohol being cheaper than bottled water in New Zealand, so you’re free to take a look at it yourself, if you’d like. I never said anything about U.S. brands of alcohol. But I have to again stress the point that the post was meant to be humorous. Of course, right now, neither of us could name any U.S. brand of alcohol that is cheaper than bottled water, but our blog is just as accessible to New Zealanders as it is to Americans, so perhaps they will appreciate the joke. Much more than they’d appreciate you insulting their wine, I’m sure…
2. Not all bottled water is $1.26 per gallon. I used to drink Fiji (before I realized how ridiculous it is to pay that much for a bottle of water), and the last time I bought a liter bottle at a gas station here in North Carolina, I remember the price being higher than the price of a gallon of gas. Granted you’d have to enjoy higher-priced bottles of water like Fiji, in order to pay more for them. You’d also have to live in a town where gas is a little cheaper, but I did acknowledge both of these qualifications, so I don’t see how I’m in the wrong there…
3. Okay, you’re right – tap water is not free. I guess what I should have said was, “why would anyone pay EXTRA for a plastic bottle of something they already get from their tap (and ALREADY have to pay for on a monthly basis with each water bill?)” Again, I didn’t choose to get that technical, because the post was meant to be humorous. Perhaps I’m the one who needs to work on her sense of humor? Because evidently I don’t convey it very well…
4. The filtered water industry does not “resort to untruths, exaggerations and easily debunked claims to sell their products,” as you defensively assert. We claim that buying plastic bottles which only add to the endless pile of plastic waste that’s helping to destroy our planet (even if it is a small addition when compared to other plastic containers – it still adds to it) is not as smart a decision as filtering the water that comes out of your tap, since the latter is both easier on our planet and easier on the consumer’s wallet. You say there’s plenty of room for bottled water in our economy, but last I checked, our economy wasn’t doing so well, and most people these days are trying to save as much money as they can. Our market offers them a way to save money, while still allowing them to enjoy the refreshing taste of filtered water. And it appears that, unlike the bottled water industry, we like to have a little fun and enjoy a few laughs while doing so.
Cheers,
Selwa
Tom Lauria -- IBWA says
Selwa: The Beverage Marketing Corporation (BMC) determined in 2009 that bottled water averages $1.26 per gallon. We can’t identify any brand of gasoline or any brand of alcoholic beverage that is priced at $1.26 per gallon. We at IBWA do not think that cheap wine (due to a New Zealand grape glut)to be a reasonable substitute for clean, safe, healthy bottled water.
Also, you write: “That, and alcohol, which, as you know now, is also cheaper than bottled water.” First you repeat a falsehood (at least in the U.S. market) and then you actually start believing your own smokescreen and hope to spread a falsehood even though you and everyone reading this knows it’s untrue! OK, let’s play along: do us all a favor by naming the U.S. brands of alcohol (any type) that cost less that $1.26 per gallon. While you’re at it, defend the statement: “Why would anyone pay for a plastic bottle of something they can get for free from a tap?” Since when is tap water free? All these water bills that every home-owner receives indicate otherwise.
There is plenty of room in our economy for both water filters and bottled water. Why is the filtered-water segment resorting to untruths, exaggerations and easily debunked claims to sell their products?