Save Money On the Go-As I mentioned last week, my summer has really “heated up” with 3 of my children in two separate day camps, my oldest receiving driving lessons, two of my teens volunteering for a night time VBS and our normal weekly events still going on.
I am normally not this busy and I have noticed that when I am, it’s really easy to spend lots of money. To help avoid the money drain, each day this week I will be sharing ways to save money on the go.
Today’s tip is to DRINK WELL.
Avoid Dehydration
One of the challenges of a busy lifestyle is staying hydrated, especially in the hot summer months. You have probably heard that you should drink 8 glasses of water a day, but I recently read that you need as much as half your weight in ounces.
Every process in your body requires water and you actually lose water just by breathing. If you don’t replenish what is lost, you can cause health problems from memory loss and cramps to more serious issues like kidney and blood pressure problems.
Avoid Soda
You might think that any liquid will do, but while soda and other caffeinated drinks can help you to stay hydrated, according to doctors at the Mayo Clinic they can have other not-so-pleasant side effects such as:
- Insomnia
- Nervousness
- Restlessness
- Irritability
- Stomach upset
- Fast heartbeat
- Muscle tremors
Not only is water healthier, it’s cheaper too. If you carry water with you, you can save a minimum of one dollar each time you choose water over a drink from a gas station or fast food restaurant. It may not seem like much, but if you have a family you could save $25-$50 a month just by choosing water over soda.
Make It Easy
To save the most money, take water with you when you go out. The more convenient you make carrying water, the more likely you are to actually do it.
You can purchase water bottles at most stores during this time of year. If you fill the bottle half full of water and freeze it upright, you can add water in the morning and keep the bottle cold through much of the day. Insulated covers also help.
While plastic water bottles are plentiful, you may want to choose a stainless steel water bottle to avoid the problem of BPA (a chemical in some plastics that may cause health problems). I have heard that some dollar stores carry them or you can order them here on Amazon.com (affiliate link).
How do you stay hydrated when you’re on the go? Share in the comments. 🙂
[Click here for Save Money On The Go Tip #5!]
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I love filling my Contigo water bottles and keeping them in the refridgerator ready to go. It is a BPA free water bottle and has a great drink opening that closes when you are not using the bottle. I highly recommend it and taking lots of water with you when ever you go out of the house.
I bought a brita water bottle that has a filter you can replace. One filter is $9 and replaces over 100 store-bought bottled water. It can be filled anywhere.
I keep water containers everywhere! Home, in the car, and at work! 🙂 If I know I’m going to be out of the house for a while, I’ll run out and refill my car water bottle. I’m not big on the water being cold or hot, as long as it’s available! Then again, I’m a tea drinker so warm water tastes good to me!
We also carry water with us in our water bottles every where we go now. If we are going to be gone from home for a few hours, we take our cooler with us and have water inside. This way, we will never have to stop and buy any. In addition, when the single Crystal Light packages go on sale, we will get some and use them as an extra treat.
I almost always have a stainless refillable water bottle with me and take 2-3 for a shift at work, especially since I’m pregnant right now. We usually keep several on the counter filled to make it easy to grab and go. We also generally keep some disposable waters around for those times when keeping up with a reusable is prohibitive. And I like to keep a gatorade or two in the fridge so that it’s cold and ready for when we might just need that little extra.