Brita pitcher vs bottled water: the actual math
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Buying bottled water is one of the most common small leaks in a household budget. A filter pitcher costs a one-time purchase plus replacement filters, and the per-gallon cost is a fraction of bottled.
The cost per gallon
Brita's longer-life Elite filters are rated for about 120 gallons each (roughly six months for a typical household), according to the manufacturer. Filter prices change, so check the current one. If a filter costs around $20, that's under 17¢ per gallon. Bottled water in multipack cases commonly runs somewhere around a dollar or more per gallon, depending on the store and size.
An example year (change the numbers)
- Usage: 4 gallons a week, so 208 gallons a year.
- Bottled at $1.30 per gallon: about $270.
- Filtered at 17¢ per gallon (two filters): about $35, plus the pitcher one time.
- Savings in year one after a $30 pitcher: roughly $200.
If you drink less, the savings shrink in proportion; if you're a household of four, they grow.
What a pitcher does and doesn't do
- Improves taste and reduces chlorine and some contaminants, depending on the filter's certification. Check the filter's listed claims against what you care about.
- Isn't a purifier for unsafe water. If your water has a known contamination problem, use what your health authority advises.
- Needs on-time filter swaps. An old filter stops doing its job.
Our take
If you buy bottled water weekly, a pitcher pays for itself in weeks. If you already drink tap and like it, there's nothing to save. Pick a pitcher whose replacement filters are easy to find and priced reasonably, since that's the ongoing cost.
- Large savings versus bottled
- Less plastic waste
- No installation
- Recurring filter cost
- Takes fridge space
- Slow to fill compared with taps
More everyday savings: grocery habits that save money.
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