Cool, refreshing, thirst-quenching water!
I love drinking water! I’ve been a runner for about five years now, and ever since I’ve gotten serious about running, I’ve also gotten serious about staying well-hydrated.
I also love saving money. I’ve been a dad for over 17 years now, and ever since I became a parent, I’ve been interested in saving money. Some of you know exactly what I mean. 
I often observe in great wonderment what people will spend big money on. I’m guessing that it’s mostly lack of awareness.
I thought it would be a useful exercise to calculate how much money I’m saving in a year by choosing to drink tap water (from faucet, filtered if needed, out of clean water fountains, free from restaurants, etc.) over other liquid refreshment options. The calculations are based on our family of six, and include projected savings on health and dental expenses based on my state of health before I started running and consuming enough water.
| Item | $aved |
| 2 2-liter bottles of soda per week, $1 each (family of 6) | $104 |
| 12 fast-food restaurant sodas per week, avg $1.25 each (family of 6) | $780 |
| 6 sodas at a nice restaurant per week, $2.50 each (family of 6) | $780 |
| 5 sodas out of a vending machine per week, avg $1 each | $260 |
| 3 good coffees / smoothies per week, avg $3.50 each | $546 |
| 1 box of antihistamines per month, $6.50 each | $78 |
| 2 treatments for sinus infections per year, $30 copay, $25 antibiotics | $110 |
| 4 dental fillings per year due to sugar consumption, $75 each (family of 6) | $300 |
| 1 six-pack of beer per week, avg $6 | $312 |
| 2 social drinks per week at restaurant or bar, $5 each | $520 |
| Total: | $3880 |
Wow! That’s a chunk of change! And remember, that’s after-tax dollars, folks. How many hours are you currently having to work to pay for your beverages?
One personal note about the health-related savings. I grew up with asthma and allergies, and was on medications for both almost the whole time I was growing up. I was often in the hospital, and it seemed like there were whole years during which my nose would not stop running. Since I’ve been running and drinking lots of water over these past five years, I very seldom have problems with my asthma or allergies, I only take antihistamines when I have to mow the lawn (our kids are old enough to do it now), and I don’t have to keep Kleenex everywhere around the house and office. When I start getting a stuffy nose, it’s almost always when I’ve been busy and have forgotten to stay well-hydrated.
Obviously, everyone’s personal situation is different, so your mileage may vary. I realize that some people may need to filter their tap water, which could cost $100 a year or more: in Baton Rouge we’re blessed to have very clean tap water. My hope is that this little exercise is eye-opening regarding how much you may be spending on beverages in a year, and how much you may be able to save by simply choosing to drink my favorite drink in the world, the most refreshing, thirst-quenching, and healthy drink you can consume, which just happens to be virtually free!
How much do you save, or might you be saving, in a year by drinking water?
I also have asthma & allergies. Simply staying hydrated helps combat your symptoms?! I’ve noticed that my allergies flare up the day after I consume a few too many beers. Interesting to read how somebody else is affected. Oh, and the money stuff here was cool too! My question though: does your entire family actually stick to this for the entire year? Or is this hypothetical?
Are you sure you’re not allergic to beer?
Yes, without question, drinking enough water really does help my nose a lot. It’s weird that it’s more prone to be runny when I have less water in my body: what’s up with that? I haven’t tested the beer thing, as I don’t drink alcohol, though I imagine it still basically would accomplish the hydration, though I really would look into whether you’re allergic to anything in your beer. For most of my life, I thought everyone got a runny nose from drinking too much milk. When I finally asked around and discovered it’s not a universal experience, I realized that I must be mildly allergic! Doesn’t stop me from eating cold cereal, but I try to keep it moderate, and I know not to drink a glass of the stuff.
Does the whole family stick to it? Yes and no. It’s hard to say exactly what they would do without me here or if I didn’t apply constraints (i.e. we’re only ordering water, kids. AWW DAD!!!) Most of it’s real based on my own personal habits and what I control. If my wife would consistently keep the McDonald’s trips to once a week, we’d be saving a good bit more!
I believe that every little step in a positive direction is worthwhile, especially steps that are applied consistently and form habits. My water habit that I’ve developed over time has resulted in a lot of savings and a greater feeling of well-being.
So what do you think, Matt? Do you think you might start drinking more water?
Thanks for the note!
Sorry that these comments are drifting away from the main subject of the article, but the allergy thing is just too interesting to me. NO – I am not allergic to beer. Drinking alcohol actual dehydrates the body, which now makes perfect sense to me when I combine that with your theory of hydration combating allergies. I did some research a while back and found that drinking alcohol can cause allergy flare-ups because of how it weakens the immune system. I was going with that theory. But now I can combine that theory with your hydration theory, and it all seems to make sense. Maybe next time I have too many beers, I should try to drink just as much water and see what happens… I will let you know!
Wow, I learned something new today! Thanks Matt!
If you decide to drink the same amount of water as beer, you’ll also feel more full, so you’ll drink less beer and save more money!
Thanks again for the note. Please remember to let me know how your allergy experiment goes. Have a great weekend!
I love the breakdown. This is fantastic. I don’t tend to drink much pop, but I know I don’t drink enough water, either. I’m working on staying hydrated, but find it tough sometimes. I do add lemon concentrate to my water, though, to keep me motivated to drink it
In the end, it adds up to about $1.50/month, which I think I can manage 
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Liz! Great solution if you’re not crazy about drinking your water “straight”
BTW, I really like what you’re writing on your website. I’m going to forward the link to my wife. We need all the organizing help we can get!
Have a great weekend!
Glenn