Drink Water

 

Flashback to 5 years ago, this was part of my morning routine:  as I drove to work, I’d detour into a convenience store or a fast food chain drive-thru and purchase one of their super-duper-sized fountain drinks.  I’d nurse that baby all day long at work and then once home, pop open another can of soda and drink 2 or 3 more until bedtime.  Do you have a similar routine?  If so, I have a novel, cost-saving idea for you – drink water!

But, you whine:

• “I need the caffeine!”
• “I like the taste!”
• “It’s my one treat!”
• “It keeps me going throughout the day!”
• “I don’t like water!”
• “It’s a good bargain!”

I, too, used all of these excuses to keep up with my expensive addiction habit.  But, five years ago, I decided to quit.  My reasons for quitting are unimportant.  If you decide to choose this path, your reasons must be your own.  So, let’s analyze each excuse to help you move forward.  All calculations, for comparison, are based on a 12-ounce serving, which is the size of my coffee cup and a can of soda.

“I need the caffeine!”

Switch to coffee or tea.  A cup of homemade black coffee costs approximately $0.03 (costs vary depending on amount used to arrive at satisfactory strength plus cost of coffee).  Add 1 tablespoon of sugar from a 5-pound bag and you’ve added $0.01 to the cost.  A black tea bag purchased from a grocery store in a 100-bag pack costs $0.04.  The cost of adding sugar remains the same as above.  A packet of artificial sweetener purchased at the grocery store in 115-packets per box costs $0.04 for the blue name brand and $0.02 for the store-brand equivalent.  Two quarts of ice tea can be made by placing 2 tea bags in a 2-quart pitcher and placing it in a sunny window or outside on a table for several hours.  This equates to more than 5 12-ounce servings and equals less than $0.02 for each of the 5 servings.

So, if you are drinking a six-pack worth of soda a day, switching to 12 cups of coffee (twelve 6-ounce mugs = six 12 ounce cans of sofa) equals $.036 (plus pennies for additional ingredients) while a six-pack of soda costs $3.50.  I’m not advocating that you drink 12 cups of coffee a day, but I think you get the point.

And, as mentioned above, if you make 2 quarts of sun tea a day, it equals more than 5 12-ounce servings at a cost $0.08 for the entire two quarts!  If you pour 6 ounces into a coffee mug and reheat it in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, the additional cost (energy) is minimal.

So, let’s review:

• A six-pack of soda = $3.50
• 12 cups of homemade coffee (black) = $0.36
• Six 12 ounce glasses of sun ice tea = $0.03
• 12 tea bags = $0.48
• Switching to 2 cups of homemade coffee in the morning, then drinking free water the rest of the day = $0.06
• Switching to 3 cups of tea in the morning, then drinking free water the rest of the day = $0.12
• Switching to 32 ounces of sun ice tea made from 2 tea bags (half of the 2-quart pitcher) = $0.04

SAVINGS POTENTIAL:

COST	COFFEE (2 CUPS)	HOT TEA (3 CUPS)	ICE TEA (32 OZ)	SODA (72 OZ = 6 PK)
DAILY	$0.06	$0.08	$0.04	$3.50
ANNUALLY	$21.90	$29.20	$14.60	$1,277.50

 

Even if you are getting your caffeine fix purchasing your super-duper-sized drink for $0.99 at a major fast food chain or convenience store chain, you are still spending a minimum of $365.00 annually.

“I like the taste!”

Well, that’s tougher.  Individual’s taste is an acquired thing.  But, even if you reduce your daily soda by half and drink free water the rest of the day, your savings potential is increased by half annually.  So, start by cutting your consumption in half.

“It’s my one treat!”

Well, then, make it a “treat”.  Drinking more than 12 ounces a day isn’t a “treat”; it’s a habit.  Habits can be broken or modified.  Reducing your “habit” over time will make your soda a true “treat”, one savored instead of consumed.

“It keeps me going throughout the day!”

Analyze your “low ebb”.  Do you feel a slump around 3 p.m.?  Does hot coffee seem like it just won’t fill the bill at 3 p.m.?  Consider saving your morning coffee leftovers, freeze them in ice cubes trays and make yourself a frozen coffee treat.  Pop a couple of “free” coffee cubes in a blender, add your choice of sweetener and some milk (dairy is good for you {grin}).  Blend until frothy.  Yum!  The cost is only the additional cost of sweetener (analyzed above) plus the cost of the milk.

“I don’t like water!”

It is true that parts of our country don’t have the best tasting water.  The bottled water industry is a multi-billion dollar industry.  So, stating the obvious, we are all guilty of purchasing a commodity that we can get free!  Do you live in an area where the water isn’t that great?  Purchase a water-filtering system.  While the cost of the initial investment seems to outweigh your daily soda habit, the environmental impact of water bottles far outweighs the conversion cost.

“It’s a good bargain!”

Not purchasing soda is a better bargain.  Review calculations in “I need the caffeine!”

So, I rest my case.  Drink water.  Your body will thank you and so will your pocketbook.

Tootles,

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