Comments on: Bottled water is stupid

By: Abby

Abby — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 13:18:04 +0000

Ben’s suggestion of purifying your own water is possibly the best one here. Bottled water is expensive, creates unnecessary waste, and is potentially not as good for you as the companies make it out to be. Most of the water in those bottles is really just tap water with a nice label, and a lot of the bottles themselves leach chemicals into the water. Even the plastic water bottles many eco-conscious people (myself included) carry around and re-fill may not be all that great. I recently bought a stainless steel water bottle, which, combined with a filtering system in my kitchen, is the safest, cheapest, and least wasteful way of having clean water wherever I am.

By: Starla

Starla — Sat, 10 May 2008 03:58:53 +0000

If a pet requires bottled water and a pet owner wants to buy it for them it is THEIR business. Frankly I am sick and tired of all the AFRICA hype. I am sorry for their plight and have given to charity. But Charity begins at home. The good old USA for me.

By: Lelouche

Lelouche — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 09:48:46 +0000

If you live on the pacific north west you can drink from your tap ^^ we have the best water supply in the country. Taste just like bottled water vs like New York where you can taste the crap in the tap. But regardless i still buy bottled water just because it saves me some time and its more convenient. And brands like aquafina do taste even more pure. And seriously people who detest bottled water need to open their mind more. It taste good (and your regularly drink different kinds of water you can differentiate water, convenient and pure) who cares even if they are ripping us off, people must have their reasons for buying. I have mine and dont care to spend some extra money.

By: Julie

Julie — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 15:56:29 +0000

The health benefits of pet ownership are well documented by the NIH, CDC, and AVMA. Pet ownership can decrease blood pressure, triglyceride levels, and feelings of loneliness. I go to the park and/or walk outdoors at least a mile a day with my dog, providing me with additional health benefits.

Yes, some people go overboard and “waste” money on extravagances for their pets, but a maintaining a healthy lifestyle every day (and pets help people do this) will save a lot of money in medical bills later on. If Fido or Fluffy needs bottled water to stay healthy, it’s well worth the few dollars a week in extra cost. What’s the alternative, euthanasia?

Comparing pet ownership to “people dying in Africa” is like comparing apples to oranges. Pet owners can do their part to prevent poverty; the two are not mutually exclusive.

By: Greg

Greg — Sun, 17 Sep 2006 13:31:18 +0000

While tap water is certainly bacteria free, despite what anyone tries to say, it is still not as healthy as bottled. Tap water goes through many miles of old pipes and is treated with chlorine and flouride. A lot of places have a hard water as well, which contributes to your kidney stones. People claiming tap water is just fine and people drinking bottled water are stupid are just trying to sound smart. If you don’t want to spend your money on bottled water then don’t. But don’t tell me what to drink or not to drink.

By: Vicki

Vicki — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 20:38:56 +0000

A few years ago, me, my then-fiance, my cat, and my guinea pig all got kidney stones around the same time. We all switched to bottled water. No more problems.

So, I am definitely a proponent of bottled water.

By: Kay

Kay — Tue, 31 Jan 2006 19:03:05 +0000

Ramit, I always carry a bottle of water, that I filtered at home. And I will never hesitate to buy a bottle of water from a store when I’m out of my home and my bottle of water has run out.

Unfiltered water might have many impurities in it and I think by using a filter, you are saving plenty of money because you wont fall sick because of impure water.

I’ve read/heard many horror stones of kidney stones that were produced by drinking tap water, unfiltered.

By: dan

dan — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 21:39:14 +0000

I drink bottled water about half the time. This is usually becasue 1) I percieve the tap or location to be ‘unclean,’ which in turn makes me feel like the water is dirty 2) I’m buying a drink and I don’t like soda and so my only alternative is water.

By: klauss

klauss — Wed, 07 Sep 2005 23:25:46 +0000

Well said Ben. I would not rely to much on filtered/bottled water. The only way to get pure water the way nature intended is by getting a water distiller. The initial purchase is well worth it in the long run.

By: Ben

Ben — Fri, 26 Aug 2005 19:00:36 +0000

Some people enjoy spending time with their pets, it’s a hobby and it costs money. There’s no point in criticizing someone for what they enjoy doing if it’s not *directly* harming other people. Otherwise you may as well point the finger back at yourself.

Some might say that having a computer and paying for electricity and internet access is a waste of money. After all, there are people living on less than a dollar a day. You could feed, clothe and shelter someone in a 3rd world country for what most people spend on internet access. And then there’s the time – why not go do charity work instead of wasting time reading blogs all day?

If there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s not to knock what anyone spends their time or money on — what’s wasteful to you is essential to someone else — and vice versa.