shopping
The Lansing State Journal has put together
a list of 5 marked-up retail categories to be aware of when you're making purchasing decisions, most of which you hopefully already know. If you can't find wholesale sources or DIY replacements, then at least make sure you do a lot of comparison shopping to get the best deal.
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saving
Want an extra $1,000? The Wall Street Journal has a list of seven things that you can easily stop buying without making drastic changes to your lifestyle.
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freebies
Best Western knows that hotel customers hate trumped up fees for minor perks, which is why they kindly offer this complimentary bottle of Poland Spring for only $3.
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No more free water
Free cups of water at McDonald's are the next victim of the recession it seems. Reader Michael sent us this photo of a sign at McDonald's that proclaims the end to the free cup of water era. He says the cashier told him it was a "business decision."
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health
A new study challenging the idea that bottled
water is "purer" than tap water found a laundry list of nasty substances in major brand name water, and named two brands that exceeded California's health standards.
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bottled water
Yesterday, we received a letter from
Primo's Vice President of Marketing and PR. He wanted to chime in on Primo's unique bottle qualities and dispel any assumptions that a heated Primo bottle could somehow release toxic chemicals. His letter, inside...
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labels
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is considering
a bill that would require bottled water to bear a label clearly stating the source of the water, contact information for the bottler, and the location of recent water quality reports. SB 220 sailed through the California Legislature earlier this month, and would remind bottled water guzzlers that they are shelling out big bucks for a free, public resource.
The confusion has put some companies in hot water. PepsiCo Inc.'s Aquafina brand and Coca-Cola Co.'s Dasani were slammed by consumer and environmental groups for failing to clearly note that their products came from water systems.
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conspicuous consumption
We were thirsty the other day and wandered into a cute organic foods store on Atlantic Ave. in Brooklyn. As we went to pick out something to drink, we saw that only Fiji brand water was chilled. We decided to buy some tea, but for a moment we considered buying water from Fiji. After all, we were thirsty.
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frugality
While cruising the New York City 2006 Drinking Water Supply and Quality Report our eyes lit up on the following item from the FAQ:
Should I buy bottled water?
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Consumerist
bottled water
Gothamist says that there's a company (in NYC) selling purified New York City tap water in bottles. We can vouch for the goodness of NYC tap water, but really, all you need is a cup, or as Consumerist readers recommend to me, a stainless steel canteen. [Gothamist] (Thanks, Avi!)
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food
