What kind of drinking water do you get?
I know there are people who drink water from their tap, and I love living places where I can do that.
I had great water in Seattle, for example. In San Diego, tap water is virtually undrinkable. I have used Brita pitchers in the past, but at this point I live somewhere that the water is so mineralized that the Brita can’t handle it. I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on gallons of bottled water (which also makes a lot of waste and isn’t eco-friendly), so Dan and I got 10 containers of a gallon each to fill with reverse osmosis water for 25 cents. We are pretty happy with this solution.
As a bonus, the water is so tasty we drink lots more of it than normally. Water is very very good for you. 
One solution I have done in the past, which is my favorite, is to find a spring in the national forests to fill my water jugs for free. I don’t have one nearby right now, but I remember really enjoying doing that.
What do other people do? Do you drink tap water, visit springs, refill containers from machines, buy bottled water, use a Brita-like pitcher, or what? What would be your favorite solution? Do you care about the ecological impact of buying tons of water bottles?
Filed under Frugal Living, green living |6 Responses to “What kind of drinking water do you get?”
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Boy do I care! This year we purchased a water purifier & a soda stream a few days a go ’cause we like carbonated water here, too. Tastes great.
I could no longer justify having plastic bottles of mineral and soda water lined up waiting to be consumed when I know how damaging plastic is to the environment and my body.
We also have tank water for laundry, toilet flushing & garden. I’d still want it to go through the purifier for drinking purposes.
Our tap water actually tastes fine, but I know it isn’t.
Christine
That is so cool, Christine, that you have your own soda stream maker. I love carbonated water too. Not soda with sugar, just the water. I need to look into costs to get my own.
I would love that and could stop buying Perrier.
What is tank water? Is that like a gray water system? I dream about having a system like that some day.
We collect fresh rain water in a tank from our spouting and use it instead of the mains water for the things I mentioned. It’s connected to the house.
If we had an extra tank we could use it for everything and switch over to the mains if the tank gets low. It was a government initiative, so we got a decent rebate.
Stupid thing is, we still have to pay for the pipes running past our place, which is the major part of our bill
so the only gratification is that we know we’re not draining the main water supply as much as some people and we’re exempt from water restrictions with watering the garden if using the tank.
On Jan 7th, we are having solar panels popped onto our roof. Another government initiative. We’ll be a bit out of pocket, but it’ll be worth it and we may have zero energy bills once we start giving back to the grid.
I highly recommend the soda stream. Perrier is expensive!
Christine
Good questions. I am fortunate enough to have a brand new model that comes with a water filter. But I still do the spring thing when remaining in a place for a long time that has one. If traveling far, don’t want the weight of a million 5-gallon containers in the kitchen with spring water, though.
In the past I have used Brita-pitcher filters, but have not come across difficult water that it would not help with. The plastic waste is frustrating, but we have to drink good water, and so do our pets. Recycling helps with some of the guilt, but I dont’ do it as much as I should.
@Christine Holroyd - I like your government better than mine. I want initiatives for solar panels and rainwater cisterns. I have to do it on my own dime here totally.
My first change would be setting up a grey water system from the shower/tub drain, and maybe another one from the kitchen sink. I’d have to have a garden by then, and I would set the water lines to run out into my garden.
I do save water from boiling things, like pasta, and bring it out to dump under my trees. That is my very low-tech solution.
@Sixpaws - yeah, having tasty water when RVing is crucial. I never fill my water storage tanks. When traveling I use the brita filter, unless the park has good tap water (and some places do). Sometimes I buy the distilled water gallon jugs - they are so delicious. But I totally avoid buying those small bottled waters - I can’t in good conscience be a part of that much waste creation.