Saving money, San Pellegrino vs SodaStream
We made the switch, and now our SodaStream is saving us money, the Earth, and our waistlines! Who knew one little gadget could be the superhero we never knew we needed? Check out the epic showdown: San Pellegrino vs. SodaStream. Spoiler alert: SodaStream’s wearing the cape.
San Pellegrino vs SodaStream, one saves money and the environment
Several years ago, we traveled to Spain to join friends on the final leg of their honeymoon in Ibiza. It was a fantastic trip that left us with countless memories—and a newfound obsession with sparkling water.
Fast forward a few years, and Millennials worldwide jumped on the sparkling water bandwagon. We were ahead of the curve!
San Pellegrino Italian mineral water is the sparkling drink of choice in Spain. It was refreshing that we started drinking more sparkling water with our cocktails and wine, effectively becoming our hangover prevention plan. (And let’s be honest, that’s a lifesaver as we age.)
Eventually, we switched to Whole Foods’ bulk packs of sparkling Italian mineral water and six one-liter plastic bottles for just under $8. This was unconscious consumption at its finest.
Then, we had an epiphany and bought two-liter bottles of Safeway-brand soda water for $1. Sure, it wasn’t fancy Italian mineral water, but it did the trick.
We were guzzling a liter a day during the week and two liters a day on weekends. At $9 a week, that added up to $468 a year. That’s the difference between San Pellegrino and SodaStream!
Plus, the mountain of plastic trash was starting to make us feel like the eco-villains in a superhero movie.
Gifting a SodaStream for Christmas for double savings
David then played smart Santa and bought me a SodaStream Genesis Soda Maker for $99.99, but with his online discount, it was only $79.99. Santa knows how to save.
With free shipping on purchases over $50, it arrived cheaper than expected. If you downloaded the app, you will get 2.5% cashback on your purchase. It was like Christmas came twice.
For the SodaStream, we got 14.5-ounce CO2 cartridges from Bed, Bath & Beyond for $15. Oddly, their website and Amazon charged $29.99 for the same thing. Amazon does throw in a 10% off coupon if convenience is your thing.
Using our 20% Bed, Bath & Beyond coupons, we paid just $12 for 60 liters of sparkling water. That brought our cost to a mere $0.20 per liter—$1.38 cheaper than Whole Foods’ Italian sparkling water and $0.30 less than Safeway’s store brand. We were saving $654.84 and $140.40 annually, respectively.
Bed Bath & Beyond may not be the retail oasis it once was, but at least it’s still more recognizable than whatever cosmic transformation Red Lobster’s cooking up. Seriously, I half-expect them to start serving lobster-flavored cotton candy next.
Now, onto the important stuff: scoring the best fizzy water fix. Bed Bath & Beyond’s online store offers a steal at $114.99 for four bottles by a brand called Drinkmate. But wait, there’s more! We decided to hitch our wagon to Soda Sense. Why? Because joining up and ordering your first two bottles earns you a free CO2 refill box. It’s like magic: we toss our empty canisters in there, waltz over to the Post Office down the street, and voilà—within days, two fresh CO2 canisters materialize at our doorstep, complete with a shiny new return label. It’s so easy; it’s practically a magic trick.
Sure, it’s a tad pricier at $45 for two bottles or $22.50 per bottle, totaling $28.75. You’d think Amazon, the master of convenience, would have a solution, right? Wrong! They offer Soda Sense but without the return feature. Now, that just doesn’t add up—like ordering a pizza without cheese. It’s a no from me, Amazon.
The basic differences with San Pellegrino vs SodaStream
SodaStream soda water
Like most soda water, SodaStream soda water is simply water infused with carbon dioxide gas under the pressure of SodaStream CO2 cartridges. This magical gas infusion gives it that delightful effervescence, known by many names: sparkling water, club soda, seltzer water, or fizzy water. In our household, we affectionately call it “fuzzy water”—because who doesn’t love a drink that sounds like it’s giving you a tiny, bubbly hug?
San Pellegrino
San Pellegrino is sparkling mineral water bottled in San Pellegrino Terme, Italy, and it’s the fancy cousin of Perrier. While some mineral waters boast natural carbonation, San Pellegrino’s spring doesn’t bubble. The company claims they add the carbonation naturally during processing, whatever that means, and whatever we care.
When we dine at fancier restaurants—those places that conveniently don’t serve soda water just to nudge us into buying San Pellegrino or Perrier—it still helps with hangovers, just like our fuzzy water at home. And yes, San Pellegrino is a bit acidic, but it makes us feel sophisticated while nursing last night’s regrets.
Mineral water
Mineral water is like regular water but with a mineral makeover—think of it as water’s fancy, vitamin-enriched cousin. It’s packed with minerals like salts and sulfur compounds, giving it that extra oomph. Unlike its bland counterpart, spring water, mineral water boasts a mineral medley that can make your taste buds do a happy dance.
And hey, it’s not just about quenching your thirst. Mineral water comes with a whole package of health benefits. It’s like a one-stop shop for wellness! Need to lower your blood pressure? Increase blood circulation? Strengthen those bones? Mineral water’s got your back. Plus, it’s a treasure trove of magnesium, the superhero of minerals. It fights off diabetes, PMS, and migraines and reduces anxiety—heck, it might even help you win at bingo. Okay, maybe not that last one, but you get the idea. So, drink up and let the minerals work their magic.
Perrier
Let’s tackle the sparkling water showdown: Perrier vs. San Pellegrino. Strap in for a bubbly adventure.
Perrier, like its Italian counterpart, is a sparkling mineral water. But here’s the twist: it’s the diva of the sparkling water world, hailing from Vergèze, France. Picture this: naturally carbonated water, bottled straight from the source. Sounds straightforward, right? Wrong! Perrier likes to keep us on our toes. They collect the water and carbonation separately—because, you know, Mother Nature’s mood swings can mess with carbonation levels—and then they do a little dance during production to reunite the two. It’s like a high-stakes reunion but for bubbles.
So, is Perrier different from San Pellegrino? They both sparkle and have minerals, but Perrier’s got that French flair. It’s like comparing a Vespa to a vintage Ferrari—both get you where you need to go, but one does it with a little more style and a beret. Cheers to the sparkling water world’s drama queens.
Tonic water
Ah, the age-old question: are soda water and tonic water interchangeable? Short answer: heck no! Just try swapping them in your gin & tonic recipe and see how fast your taste buds stage a revolt.
Here’s the lowdown: while both get their fizzy magic from artificial carbonation, tonic water takes a wild detour into Bitterville thanks to a little something called quinine. Picture this: a secret blend of quinine, sodium salts, and potassium salts—basically, it’s like the Avengers of flavor enhancers—gets mixed into tonic water during production. The result? It’s a beverage that’s as bitter as a breakup text but infinitely more interesting.
Now, let’s talk quinine. This stuff’s the real MVP, sourced straight from the bark of the cinchona tree, which sounds like something straight out of a Dr. Seuss book. Native to all the coolest spots—Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Western Africa—quinine isn’t just a party trick for your taste buds. It’s also a secret weapon against malaria and a folk hero for leg cramps and restless leg syndrome (RLS). Who knew your G&T could double as a health elixir?
The taste difference with San Pellegrino vs SodaStream
History’s great taste test showdown: San Pellegrino vs. SodaStream vs. the fanciest water money can buy. It’s like the Olympics but with bubbles!
In a groundbreaking study down under, Aussie researchers discovered a truth that rocked the sparkling water world: when it comes to taste, the difference between San Pellegrino, SodaStream, and water sourced from the pinnacle of fancy—Voss—is about as noticeable as a penguin in a snowstorm.
Picture this: the Rolls Royce of sparkling water, Voss, struts onto the scene at a staggering $6.38 per liter. But hold onto your hats, folks, because it only scored a mediocre 5.8 out of 10 in the taste test. Meanwhile, the underdog duo of SodaStream and good ol’ tap water—coming in at a whopping 1,600% cheaper than Voss—pulled off a near-identical score of 5.7.
So, what’s the moral of the story? Sometimes, you don’t need to splash out on the fanciest water to quench your thirst. And hey, if you can’t tell the difference between luxury and tap, why not save your pennies for something truly important—like a lifetime supply of bubble wrap?
Can you make your mineral water?
Can you DIY to mineral water greatness and save a few bucks? Technically, yes. Will it turn your kitchen into a top-secret lab and raise some eyebrows at the Department of Homeland Security? Quite possibly.
Here’s the scoop: some of the poshest sparkling water brands out there—think Perrier, Badoît, Vichy, and Voss—actually spill the beans on their recipes. So, if you’re feeling like a water wizard, you can hit up your local water company for a report on your tap water’s composition, order some minerals off Amazon, and mix up your very own concoction to match your favorite brand’s mineral water magic.
Once you’ve perfected your potion, give it a good ol’ zerbert with your SodaStream, and presto! You’ve bootlegged your sparkling mineral water. But let’s not sugarcoat it—it’s a labor of love, and those minerals aren’t exactly coming cheap. Plus, you might end up on some watchlist for excessive mineral hoarding.
So, maybe skip the DIY route and stick to the simple joys of using your SodaStream with good ol’ tap water (or filtered, if you’re feeling fancy). After all, saving money shouldn’t feel like a chemistry experiment gone wrong. Cheers to keeping it simple and saving a few bucks along the way.
SodaStream’s reducing our waste and waistlines
The triple threat of savings: money, the planet, and waistlines. We’re like the superhero trio of frugality and sustainability!
Returning our used cartridges to Bed, Bath & Beyond for recycling isn’t just about being eco-conscious—it’s also a subtle flex on our recycling game. SodaStream claims this move saves a whopping 2,000 bottles and cans a year, and apparently, it’s turning us into hydration champs, with a 42% increase in daily water consumption. Talk about drinking to success!
But wait, there’s more! SodaStream’s not content with just conquering the fizz game; they’ve set their sights on the Coke and Pepsi overlords. Forget David vs. Goliath—this is more like SodaStream vs. the Soda Titans. And they’ve got some serious bragging rights: lower environmental impact and a mere fraction of the calorie count. I mean, one liter of Coca-Cola packs a hefty 406 calories—enough to make your scale scream in terror.
By swapping out that liquid sugar bomb for a refreshing liter of SodaStream soda water, you’re basically signing up for a calorie-burning party. Crunch the numbers and you’ll find yourself saving a cool 21,112 calories a year, which translates to shedding 6 pounds of fat. Who needs a gym membership when you’ve got a SodaStream?
Now, let’s talk flavor. We’re not just sipping our soda water straight—oh no, we’re mixing it up like mad scientists. Lemon wedges? Check. Cucumber slices? You betcha. Basil? Bring it on. And don’t even get us started on our lemon soda with a hint of agave nectar or our turbocharged ginger ale. It’s like a flavor explosion in every sip.
So, if you’re on a mission to shrink your waistline or your spending, consider this our official endorsement: Get yourself a SodaStream, stat. Because when it comes to the difference between San Pellegrino and SodaStream, we’re talking about more than just sparkling water—we’re talking about a lifestyle upgrade.
Salute to savings, sustainability, and sipping in style!
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