Saving green
Save money: Avoid plastic bottles, make your own drinks
One way to save money is reduce your consumption of store bought beverages, which usually come in plastic bottles. — © 2009 Gallup Independent / Brian Leddy

Copyright © 2009
Gallup Independent
By Gaye Brown de Alvarez
Staff writer

GALLUP — With the economy floundering, people are looking for a variety ways to save money.

One way to save $400 to $500 a year is to eliminate purchasing bottled water, soda, juices and other drinks. But wait! You get thirsty! You’re driving around, and it’s so dry here; you’ve got to get something to drink.

You pull into a convenience store and get a 16-ounce Vitaminwater Your lips are chapped, you need liquid.

So, pull into an Allsup’s, 7-2-11 or Giant and buy a bottle of water for $1.39 or a 16-ounce Vitaminwater, or even a 24-ounce Gatorade. It will quench your thirst and get you ready to tackle the next daily project.

But wait a minute! What if you did that once a day? That’s almost $500 a year. What if you have thirsty kids also? That could amount to $1,000 a year.

That’s nothing compared to the plastic bottles going into landfills. Plastic bottles made in China will last for a lifetime, they harm animals and take up room in landfills for more 1,000 years.

There are ways to get around that. Quench your thirst and save your money:

Buy 5-gallon bottles of filtered water at The Water Store, Walmart, Culligan and other business that specialize in water. Keep the containers in your house. Buy glass containers, such as jars with lids, or Voss Norwegian Water.

Clean them well, fill them with water and put them in the refrigerator. Jars with tight lids work just as well as anything else, and they are available with the olives, relish, and other condiments from the grocery store. Voss Norwegian Water comes in a stylish, large glass bottle that ice cubes can be squeezed into with an incredibly strong lid , it fits in a vehicle cup holder, and can be purchased at the World Market on Menaul in Albuquerque. They are $4 a bottle, but they last forever. Can’t find a glass container? Buy an aluminum drink holder at any store that sells camping gear or purchase stainless steel water bottles online at: www.solutions.com.

Like tea instead of water? Make a huge jug of iced tea at night (remember hot water and tea bags?) and fill your new glass, aluminum or stainless steel bottles and put them in the refrigerator at night for the next day.

Now, getting started on cheap hydration takes some money, but once you’re set, you can spend the money you save at convenience stores on school clothes for the kids, books, a trip to the zoo in Window Rock, a new watch or pair of cowboy boots, or a camping trip in McGaffey.

Increasing evidence of adverse health effects tied to bisphenol A, or BPA, a widely used chemical in the manufacturing of plastic polycarbonate bottles, including baby bottles, water bottles and food/beverage containers.

Like all plastic, these bottles will be with us forever since plastic does not biodegrade; rather, it breaks down into smaller and smaller toxic bits that contaminate our soil and waterways.

Along with plastic bags, plastic bottles are one of the most prevalent sources of pollution found on our beaches.

Many studies show that the quality of bottled water may be no better than tap water.

And remember, you’re doing your part to save our environment.