seventeen cent increase in a week

I am the primary shopper in my home for all things food/home related. I do most of my shopping at three stores plus the local meat market. Since our tap water adds a strange flavor to my sweet tea*, I have been purchasing many many gallons of bottled water in one gallon jugs from a big box store less than fifteen miles from our home.

Yesterday I noticed that the price had gone up from the week before and not by just a few pennies mind you but by SEVENTEEN! What was once just $0.62 a gallon is now $0.78 a gallon and that was the exact moment that I really got interested in the whole water filtration idea.

I admit that I've been looking to trim the $0.62 / gallon water habit from our budget for several weeks prior to the price increase but more in the "I'm thinking about it but not really ready to do anything major about it yet" phase.** Well, those extra seventeen pennies made me start thinking about making immediate changes.

I didn't immediately purchase a water filtration pitcher at the same big box store because I didn't have my coupon with me. The prices of these items also baffle me. A 5cup pitcher for $9.97 and a 6cup pitcher for $19.97 is crazy to me. I can get two of the smaller for the same price as one of the larger and one cup difference is worth $10????

We're not ready to get the water filtration system that attaches to the faucet because I cook with the tap water without issue and washing dishes doesn't require filtered water though our precious sweet tea does.

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* I'm not the only one who noticed the difference. My boyfriend also commented that the tea tasted strange and that we shouldn't waste our sweet tea with yucky tasting water.

** A week ago...