Bottled water-- why buy it in small containers?

Discussion in Food & Drink started by artifactsofmars • Jul 13, 2012.

  1. artifactsofmars

    artifactsofmarsMember

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    Here is something that I don't get. People buy all these expensive bottled waters and they are a total ripoff. It is a fact for instance that Evian spelled backwards is naive.
    I just have never understood this. You are not buying spring water. In most cases it is just filtered tap water. Why buy it by the small bottle when you can buy it in gallon jugs for much less? Taste wise there likely is no difference.
    I bought at a local thrift shop an old army canteen and fill it up sometimes with the bottled gallon jug water. It costs about 70 cents per gallon, plus tax of course.
     
  2. Farrah

    FarrahActive Member

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    I imagine its just for the convenience to carry it around. I know I am going to get grief about it, but I reuse my water bottles. Thats right, I buy the cheap gallon jug water into water bottles that I have drank out of before if I need water to go. There..... the jig is up.
     
  3. classicnyer

    classicnyerActive Member

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    From whom would you get grief about it? I reuse my water bottles, too. And I don't even bother buying gallon jug water because the tap water in NYC is drinkable. (The mayor is very proud of this fact.) When I was in San Diego they advised me against drinking the tap water, but I found a vending machine that sold a gallon of water for a quarter provided you supply your own container. Seriously, what's so bad about that?
     
  4. Adeal4u

    Adeal4uActive Member

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    You reuse your water bottles that's a huge no no. Call the board of health :D, no I'm just joking. I've done it plenty of times before. It's a waste to keep buying new bottles when you have a perfectly good bottle that goes to waste. I reuse water bottles when I go to the park or on a hiking trip. It's a convenient way to carry water without spending anymore money.
     
  5. Esperahol

    EsperaholActive Member

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    Don't ask me, I have no problem with the tap water in my town. Of course, all you have to do is get a Brita filter and just buy some water bottles - same difference.
     
  6. mnicole

    mnicoleMember

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    Just people getting into all the hype of it all. Instead of getting educated on what things are they just go what is influenced around them
     
  7. Jessi

    Jessi<a href="http://www.quirkycookery.com">QuirkyCooke

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    I'm sure it's mostly convenience and not even thinking about it. You can just grab a water bottle and go instead of having to refill a bottle or wash a container, etc. Sure, it's lazy, and yep, it definitely costs more money, but if they don't care, what can ya do?
     
  8. katharinemae

    katharinemaeActive Member

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    I bought a really nice and sleek water container that can store 500ml of water. I fill it up and bring it with me before leaving the house. Now I can take a refresher anywhere anytime i want without spending money on bottled waters. I can save money and save the environment as well.
     
  9. ohiotom76

    ohiotom76Well-Known Member

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    You should see the movie "Tapped" sometime. It's a documentary on the bottled water industry, will make you think twice about buying it at all. Really pretty shocking.
     
  10. beckyv1265

    beckyv1265Active Member

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    If I buy bottled water at all I get it from Aldi's . Its about $ 2.50 cents for a 24 pack of bottles. We figured it out and its cheaper than buying by the gallon at the dollar store. At home we have a filter on the fridge for our drinking water. I bought those stainless steel bottles from the dollar store for the kids so they can carry fridge water. We only buy the bottles when we go on vacation or camping. When we don't have the fridge with us. lol
     
  11. Mystique

    MystiqueActive Member

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    I can't remember the last time I bought a bottled water. I normally drink from tap water and even when I'm at the restaurants, I'll ask for tap water, as it drinkable. I used to buy Evian all the time (when I was younger and it was all about the brand :p), but it didn't cost much where I came from.
     
  12. sandees

    sandeesMember

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    I stopped buying the regular, 250-300 ml bottle of water because it's harmful to the environment. For every one person who actually recycles the plastic bottle; there will be another person who throws it at the park or in the lake. Small animals looking for food could get their heads stuck in the opening of the plastic bottle. It's not worth it! Everyone should walk around in a re-usable water bottle; and there should be fresh watering stations available. My mom HATES carrying a big water bottle around and still prefers the plastic bottle. Trying to change the minds of a few people to recycle is a daunting, if not impossible, task. Sigh.
     
  13. Linky

    LinkyExpert

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    The sad fact is that those bottles that the water comes bottled in will be around, floating in our rivers and dumps long after we are gone...as it takes hundreds of years for it to decompose. Too much waste. Also, people are brainwashed into buying it. I just hope that more sustainable and thoughtful processes come to the fore soon.
     
  14. Parker

    ParkerWell-Known Member

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    I have really stopped buying a lot of bottled water. The idea that those plastic bottles will be around long after humans just makes me cringe. I have a steel bottle that I can around with me. I bought 5 gallon jugs to purchase filtered water.

    I have considered getting a Brita filter, but is it really effective.?
     
  15. classicnyer

    classicnyerActive Member

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    I think sometimes people assume that if you spend "good money" on it, it must be somehow better than if you got it for almost-free out of your tap. And, of course, the people making "good money" off of those people aim to keep it that way.
     
  16. Mrs. Pirz

    Mrs. PirzExpert

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    I don't buy bottles of water unless I am out in the street and am really thirsty - then I'll get one from a vending machine just to quench my thirst since Miami heat really isn't fun when youre not hydrated but I think people just figure the price tag tells all which is not true at all in the case of bottled water. Personally I think it makes it easier mentally for a person to drink a bottle of water than to have a glass of water. Just like those little 8oz servings of water that Zephyrhills sells now - most people find it easier to drink 8 of those a day than to just drink 4 regular glasses of water (which are usually 16 oz.)
     
  17. andrew320

    andrew320Active Member

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    I have a BPA-free container that I use for my water. However, if I'm desperate enough I will buy a 500ml bottle of water for 75 cents at Shopper's Drug Mart or PharmaPlus. I hate carrying the two-litre bottles due to the heaviness of them.
     
  18. Sandra Piddock

    Sandra PiddockExpert

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    Absolutely. I've been using one for years. The water here is drinkable, but it doesn't taste very nice. When it's filtered and chilled, it's much more pleasant. I always use the filter for longer than the recommended times as well. You can taste when you need to change the filter. Obviously Brita want you to buy more, but I rely on my own judgement, and my filters generally are fine for two or three weeks after the recommended change time.
     
  19. classicnyer

    classicnyerActive Member

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    That's happened to me before (though I don't live in Miami). It made me mad, too, because it was like "if I had the good sense to bring a bottle of water with me I could have saved this dollar," haha! In New York, though, almost every restaruant, coffee shop, and fast food place will give you a free glass of water in the summertime even if you don't buy anything else. So even if you do get caught in the heat with no water, you can usually get it for free from somewhere.