After months of buying bottled water, our family finally bought a Brita pitcher.

There are many reports and news articles about bottled water vs. tap water and the results may be misleading. Which is better? Our family bought a 24-case of bottled water every week for about $4 from Sam’s Club or for about $5 from Walmart. Sometimes, we’d open a bottle of water and then waste it by not finishing the whole bottle.

With a Brita pitcher, we have to buy a $5 filter once a month. We bought the Brita filter for $20 initially, which included one filter. One month’s worth of bottled water is about $16, a difference of $4. Then, after the inital purchase, we’re only spending $5 a month as opposed to $16 a month, a difference of $11 a month and a total yearly savings of more than $132.

A 2010 report from the Environmental Working Group graded brands of bottled water. Do you know what you are drinking? View the grades and report: EWG Bottled Water Grades I decided to look up one of the brands that I drink on a regular basis.

Deer Park (sold by Nestle Water) – Grade D – for scoring 4.0 out of 10.0 in water purification methods, water source, testing conducted and using basic treatment.

Try saving more then $500 a year if you bought a bottle of water every day from the gas station for about $1.50?