FiveCentNickel recently discussed his biggest financial vice (eating out), and encouraged other bloggers to examine their own spending habits.
By far, our biggest vice is beverages. While we prepare meals in our own kitchen most nights, we’re both rather hooked on flavored beverages – soda, juice, iced tea, milk, coffee, you name it. We probably spend nearly $10 per week, or $500 per year, on beverages alone. The ocassional bottle of wine doesn’t help much, either.
But that’s not too horrible, you might add. It’s only $10 per week – that’s less than the cost of a night out. Consider this: Our food budget is only $45 per week. We spend 22% of our budget on drinks. Yikes!
I really wish we could drink tap water, but we have a sulfur problem and filters don’t completely remove the smell. We can cover the smell with drink mixes, yes, but I just can’t take any icy glass of water and chug it. Shudder… it’s like drinking raw eggs.
I have been making some progress. We’re focusing on sales, and try to drink what’s on sale for the week. The Husband loves Mountain Dew, but will drink the generic brand of soda on occasion. We also stock up on drink mixes, and try to focus on “healthier” mixes that don’t have sugar as their main ingredient.
Finally, I’m experimenting with new water filters. We haven’t hit one yet that works completely, but I’m highly motivated. Aside from financial concerns, I’d love to brush my teeth in sulfur-free water.
Just getting started 