Water bottles. We have heard about plastic being bad for you but will the cost of a fancy bottle really make you use it more?

There are  major players like US Canteen, Kleen Kanteen and Sigg all offering a variety of sizes.

There is form and style. But what about the cost?

If you only use a bottle once or twice a week, it would take a few months to recoup your costs. For people who use the bottles more than once or twice a week, buying a bottle that you can refill with water or the beverage of your choice is a cost effective method to save money.

I’m searching for a metal water bottle, and not one that will break the bank, but preferably stainless steel. The stainless steel ones that are insulated hold less but are the same size as larger models. The non-insulated bottles will sweat and all of the metal containers are much heavier than the lightweight plastic.

Then there are fancy carriers for the bottles. US Canteen even offers a leather carrier for $100 for their canteen. Leather? For $130 you can get a canteen and carrier? I could buy a purse for that price. Plus, this doesn’t even hold a liter of liquid.

For someone who only uses bottled water sporadically, buying the water on sale would be more cost effective than buying an overpriced container that looks stylish.

Thoughts?

Really, truly. Manufacturers and other businesses have been decreasing the size of grocery items while keeping the prices steady. Remember when ice cream was in a half gallon container? There are still a few manufacturers that sell half gallons, but most are smaller containers. I saw a half gallon container of ice cream at Trader Joe’s and was surprised at how  much larger the container seemed compared to what is being sold now. Instead of the 1.75 or 1.5 quart containers of ice cream, this was a full half gallon. When the package size decreases and the price stays the same, this is increasing the price per ounce. In the case of ice cream, this is over a ten percent price increase.

Even when an item is on sale, this doesn’t mean that the price is a good deal. Remember when notebook paper came in 200 sheet packages? The packages have decreased to 150 sheets. A dozen pencils, not anymore, more like 10 in a package.

To thwart this, wait until items are on sale or check the price or a larger or smaller sized package. Figure out the cost per piece or ounce. Even when items are on sale, the sale price may not be as great a deal as the regular price of a smaller or larger sized item. Think this isn’t true… next time you go to a fast food restaurant, check the price of a small medium and large soda. The price difference is generally negligible but the largest one is generally the best deal.

Are there times when you still want to save some money but want to do it in style? Check out these banks at Oddee.com. Though according to Wallet Pop the piggy bank is a worthless piece of junk. Obviously, they haven’t found the right one yet and don’t realize that the concept of savings has to be taught as well.

Could you eat well for $50 a week?

The challenge posed by some bloggers is to spend $50 a week per adult on good food. Is it possible? Coffee is included as part of the beverages but not alcoholic beverages.

Just considering the cost of food, my first response to eating well for $50 a week means that you must know how to cook and be creative. Otherwise the $50 will go rather quickly. Having a variety of foods to eat and shopping on sale is possible. Maybe because I know how to cook and like buying inexpensive wine to drink with dinner (less than $10 but higher than two-buck Chuck).

Many people will say that $50 is a lot. Actually $50 allows people to spend money on treats and not have all of the meals only cost $5 for a family of 4. Even ordering out could fit into this schema. For people who love food, foodies, spending $50 a week is a stretch and is probably a lot less than they would usually spend without a budget.

Everyone has a cheap meal that is filling that they like to make. This isn’t necessarily great food that you would eat all of the time. Unfortunately, some people are forced to feed a family on $100 a week for several people but may miss out on seasonal fruits and vegetables because they are too costly.

The premise of the experiment is to eat well. Not just eat. Detractors who say that the threshold is too high don’t really understand that quality food costs more. There is eating, and eating well. If you are looking for a filling meal you can often get that cheap. The question is what is the long term cost?

This will be something to revisit. Bypass the Time review of the concept, and just go to the site itself.

You probably can afford lobster, really.  Since there is less demand for seafood and especially lobster, the prices have decreased. For people living on the East coast lobster prices have decreased more than 25%. For consumers this is great. For fishermen, not so much.

Lobster prices aren’t the only ones that are affected by the recession. The weather also affects businesses. This summer there is a bike stand in the park where people can rent bikes, I have seen the place open maybe a half dozen times because the weather has been too cool or too rainy to rent many bikes.

Renting a bike is a good, renting furniture not as much. One area that has really taken off in this economy are rental stores that offer rent to own household items. The costs associated with rent to own are much higher than if someone just bought the item outright. The fees are much higher and the majority of the people who rent the products do not buy them. This is similar to check cashing places – the fees associated with the service are not in line with the service offered. If you are renting an item for a day or two, that is fine, if you are renting something for a longer period of time, the deal isn’t as great.

The economy twists and turns in different ways. The people who can least afford to weather the storm of the recession are being forced to make money decisions that they never thought they would have to make. While some businesses struggle to stay afloat, others seize the opportunity to make money. Some fishermen are trying to sell lobsters directly to the public and get more money that way. If you are in the position to need to rent furniture or another item, see if you can find it on sale or used. There are many things that are in good condition that are for sale. Though the ones most likely to need items that have higher fees associated with them, are those who can least afford to pay the fees.