How to Calculate the Cost of Bottled Water
Bottled water's main benefit is its convenience. Although the quality of tap water varies by location throughout the United States, state and federal regulations ensure its safety, and most bottled water is essentially tap water. What you're paying for when you hand over $1.50 for a bottle of water is the plastic container — not recommended for reuse — and a label. The annualized cost of routinely consuming bottled water represents an enormous unnecessary expense.
- Difficulty:
- Easy
Instructions
-
-
1
Determine how much bottled water you drink. Count the number of bottles — and the number of ounces in each — that you drink each day. If you drink from larger jugs, write the date on one when you open it, subtract the date you started from the date you finish, and divide by the days in a month. If a jug lasts three days, you drink about 10 a month.
-
2
Multiply the amount you drink by the cost. For example, 20 oz. bottles, bought individually, cost up to $1.50 per bottle. If you drink two a day, you spend about $3 a day. If you buy bottles by the 24-bottle flat, you will spend less. They cost $4 to $5 per flat, so the water costs around 20 cents per bottle.
-
3
Multiply by 30.5 to determine how much you spend per month. Two bottles a day would cost $91.50 per month. To calculate the money you spend per year, multiply by 365. Two bottles a day would come to $1,095 per year. For bottles by the flat: 40 cents times 30.5 = $12 a month, or 40 cents times 365 = $145.00 a year.
-
4
If you buy 2 gallon jugs — the kind with a spigot — you might spend about $2.20 per jug, or $1.10 per gallon. If you drink five a month, you'll spend about $11 a month, or $132 a year.
-
5
A popular home delivery water — the water-cooler type — starts at $30 every four weeks for 20 gallons. That would come to about $390 a year for the budget plan.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Bottled water's main benefit is its convenience. You might occasionally opt for bottled water when you are traveling, but if you want to save money, try to make it the exception, not the rule. Prepare water ahead (cooled in the refrigerator) to take on trips. Keep a cooler in your trunk or back seat.
The quality and flavor of tap water varies from area to area. If you live in an area where the water tastes bad, some people have said that a water filter does help.
The cost of water filters varies greatly: http://www.waterfiltercomparisons.com/water_filter_comparison.php
Bottled water lasts longer for long-term storage, such as disaster kits, because it's sealed.
If you have special health care needs or if you are pregnant, see (www.epa.gov/safewater/healthcare/special.html)
A new study (Published online March 10, 2009) suggests that estrogen mimicking chemicals leach into the water from PET and PETE bottles (the bottles that water is commonly sold in.)
As always, check with a doctor if you have health concerns.
Related Searches
References
- Photo Credit Carrie Mooney
Comments
-
VERY VERY GOOD THIS IS ALL SO TRUE I KNOW HOW MUCH IT COST TO BUY BOTTLED WATER AND SO DOES MY SISTERS AND NEICES.
-
Sheryl Maiorano
Apr 18, 2009
here in Riverside, Ca our water tastes AWFUL even the filtered from my fridge still has a funny taste, but we refill gallon jugs at the machines for 20 cents each. My father lives with us and occasionally will fill one of our jugs from the fridge to see if we notice the difference... he busts up laughing when we catch him every time.
