A Year Without Bottled Water?

I have an addiction and I'm not afraid to admit it. I'm addicted to bottled water. Water is pretty much the only beverage that I drink, save for milk in my cereal or a weekly cup of hot chocolate or the occasional can of root beer or Stewart's Cherries and Cream soda (that stuff is goooood). As shocking as it may sound, I don't drink alcohol, coffee or tea. Seriously.

Lately I've been thinking about my place in the world, my cash flow, recycling, the environment, and how these are all related. I've decided to try a year without bottled water because:

• It will save me $$. I'm currently spending ~$8-10 a week on Poland Spring or Deer Park.
• It will save me from lugging water around the supermarket to my home.
• It will save me from dragging a ton of empty bottles from my cluttered kitchen to the recycle hut.
• It will help the earth. I've read a few articles about bottled water and really, in a lot of ways bottled water is a big scam that we're all buying in to.

One of the colleagues who works on my floor mentioned some of the evils of bottled water at my desk one day in December, after I allowed 4 half-empty water bottles to start a family on my desk. I told her I knew I had to end my bottled water addiction. And from that, this idea was born. Following the tradition of such books as "Not Buying It" or "A Year Without "Made in China"" or "The Year of Living Biblically," I'm going to try A Year Without Bottled Water.

I need to set a few ground rules for myself:

• I will not purchase bottled water to drink at home, at work, or at the gym.
• I will not drink bottled water that is freely available, such as at a party.
  
• If someone tries to give me bottled water, I will ask for tap water instead.
• I will bring my own water if necessary.
• Only if there is no other desirable alternative, will I purchase bottled water? I foresee air travel as one of those times. I could bring an empty bottle with me through security, but do I really want to fill it with Newark Airport tap water?
  

Last Friday we were allowed to leave work early, so I stopped by Target and bought a big Brita pitcher, a bunch of washable sports bottles for transporting water to the gym, and some reusable cups. I also bought some sparkle-y cups at CVS today, 75% off. They are adorable, with either red or silver sparkles. I don't know if the sparkle cups are dishwasher safe or not, but they are just adorable enough that I will hand wash them.

Initial investment:

• $25 for the pitcher (filter was included)
  
• $25 for some sports bottles
• $15 for a whole bunch of cups.

This initial investment will pay for itself in the next two months. Thereafter, Brita replacement filters will be my only cost.

Who knows what will happen? Can I succeed? Will I miss bottled water? Will I go through withdrawal? More importantly, can I turn this concept into a profitable book and a movie? Please join me on my adventure!

Number of bottles bought or consumed since last post: 0
Year to date total: 0

Your homework, dear reader:
Recommended reading on the evils of bottled water, a 3 part series:
http://www.wisebread.com/bottled-water-bottled-hype-part-1

http://www.wisebread.com/bottled-water-bottled-hype-part-2
http://www.wisebread.com/bottled-water-bottled-hype-part-3