There’s something eating into your daily, weekly or monthly budget and you may not even realize it. The marketing spent on one particular set of products in order to convince you to consume it everyday is staggering. I’m not talking about burgers and fries or even pizza, I’m referring to soft drinks or anything other than water.
I’m not going to venture into the land of healthy living when discussing the benefits of water. If you’re interested in eating better and living a healthier lifestyle, be sure to check out our weekly “In Health” column with Dr. Brian. I’m here to discuss the amount of money you’re wasting buying non-water drinks for you and your family to consume. This would include when you’re at a restaurant or at home.
Water is free (for the most part). Yes, we all have a water bill that must be paid, but water is essentially free to consume, especially outside the home. Most restaurants don’t even bother charging for it. The ones that do will hit you with a $0.10 convenience charge for the disposable cup they provide. 
We take water for granted here in America. It’s plentiful, clean and usually without any hint of foreign odors, tastes or dyes. For whatever reason, many of us still choose to spend our money on soft drinks, like Coke or Mountain Dew. Why? A 12 pack of Coke at the Harris Teeter costs $9. At $0.75 a can that doesn’t sound too bad, but if you have a family of four and each of them drinks a Coke a day, you’d need 2+ cases a week to satisfy everyone’s thirst. You’re basically throwing away $20 a week for what will most likely amount to a pile of half empty cans strewn throughout your basement.
How about when you’re dining at a restaurant? Let’s say you go out to eat twice a week and order a soft drink each time. Depending on the restaurant, you’re paying anywhere from $2 to $3 each time. Not a big deal right? Except when you add your family of four into the mix. Now we’re looking at anywhere from $8 to $12 added to the bill, just for drinks! Coupled with the fairly new phenomena of “a la carte” sides (meaning, they’re no longer included with a meal), your bill can be almost double what you might have paid just a few years ago.
Can’t stomach the idea of not having a drink while you’re at a restaurant? I’ve got the perfect solution. Order a water and ask the waiter for a side of lemons and some Splenda (both of which will be free). Squeeze the lemons into the water, add a packet of Splenda and voila, free lemonade. I can hear you snickering, it’s free lemonade, why not try it?
Don’t like the taste of water? No problem, you can do what my family does. Buy a juice of some sort (we buy varieties of cranberry juice) and make yourself a “Juice Water” or as we call it “CranAgua.” This would consist of two thirds or more water and one third or less juice. You’re still getting the taste of the juice and the benefits of water without having to go all in on having just water. Plus, you’re using much less juice per glass, a great way to be less wasteful and make it last.
You see all these commercials on TV talking about saving hundreds on car insurance if you switch to this or that company or how you can save on your cable bill if you cut the chord. I don’t disagree there’s savings to be had here as well, but a switch to water could save you and your family thousands of dollars a year. Plus, you can still have a CranAqua every now and then if you’re wanting some variety.
It’s at this point of the article I’d like to point out that I didn’t include beer in my recommendations on what to remove from your budget.
I’m only here to provide opinions and advice, I’m not a miracle worker.
