Frugal February #11: Kick The Soda Habit

Soda.  Pop.  Coke.  Cola.  Soft drinks.

Whatever you call it, if you drink it (most Americans do), you can save a lot of money by quitting.  Not to mention what you can do for your health by stopping drinking the things.

What then, should you drink?  Well, water.  Water is zero calories.  Water is nutritious, containing minerals.  Water has no sugar or artificial sweeteners.  Water has no preservatives.  Water doesn't create cravings.  And, even if you choose to buy it prebottled (versus pouring some from your home faucet), water is definitely cheaper than soda.

Prices for a twelve-pack of 12 oz cans of pop locally are about $4.  That's $4 for 144 ounces of drink.  For $3.50 you can buy a 24 pack of 16.9 oz bottles of water.  That's $3.50 for 405.6 ounces of drink.  See the difference?

But I don't like water, you say.  It doesn't have any taste, it's flat, it's boring.  Get over it!!  Once you get through the chemical and sugar withdrawals from not drinking pop, water won't seem so unappealing.  And, if you must, you can even flavor it.

If you have a source of mint or lemon balm leaves, a handful or two of freshly picked leaves in a pitcher of water will give you a nice hint of flavor.  Similarly, you can float a few slices of lemon in a glass of water and have flavor (this is what I do on the rare occasion we go out to eat--order water, then use the lemon wedges intended for iced tea to flavor my water).  There are many other things you can use to flavor water, but I don't recommend those packaged flavorings sold at the store, mainly because: 1. they add expense, and 2. they have more chemicals and sweeteners than other things you could use.  Instead, do some research on natural things you can use to give your water a more appealing taste.  I'm sure there are lots of ideas on the internet.

You can also drink juice--always get real juice, not something that says "cocktail" or "juice drink" as those have added sweeteners--but you need to do so in moderation.  Fruit juice has a lot of natural sugars and you shouldn't drink more than about 6 ounces at a time, and not more than 2 servings in a day.  Besides, water is cheaper than juice.  So stay within a reasonable 2 glasses of juice, then drink water for the rest of the day.

You can drink milk, but again, that shouldn't be done to excess.  Too much of a good thing is not a good thing.  Those calories add up, when mostly what you need from a liquid is hydration.  And water does that quite nicely.

Coffee, tea, are not for me.  I don't care for the taste and I'm not about to add a bunch of stuff to them to make them palatable.  If you want to drink them, go ahead.  But not all day long.  A little is okay.  Pots and pots of the stuff is not.

Water, nice clean water, is good for you.  It's cheap.  And it's pretty much impossible to consume more than you should in one day.