The bottled water industry is not regulated and thus you don't really know what is in the water from the different companies on the market. Try using a water filter attached to the kitchen faucet. If you are not satisfied with the quality, then purchase bottled water in large containers/quantity. The cost will mount up when purchasing the small 8 - 12 ounce containers. Transfer the contents of the larger containers to a smaller container that suits your needs. Refer to the web page http://www.nrdc.org/water/drinking/nbw.asp for more information about bottled water.

     An idea for hiding/altering the taste of tap water is to mix with lemon juice or powdered juice mix, such as Kool-Aid® or Crystal Light®. Both products can be found on sale occasionally along with available coupons. The Crystal Light® mix offers a better deal allowing you to mix a greater amount of water. It also has greatly reduced calories (5 calories per serving as compared to 90 calories for Kool-Aid®) and no sugar added without any lose in taste. The cost of the drink mix will be significantly cheaper than purchasing bottled water.

     Reuse the drink containers as opposed to purchasing specialty Rubbermaid® or similar plastic drink containers. The reused containers are not as durable as the specialty bottles, but the reuse will save you a lot of money.


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