3 Reasons to Stop Buying Drinks at the Grocery Store

When we make our usual shopping trip to Aldi, it’s not uncommon to see other shopping carts containing several bottles of juice, 2 liter bottles of soda, and cases of water. I see people carting home gallons and gallons of liquid! I’m so busy piling the produce into my cart that there’s absolutely no room left over for drinks. We just don’t buy them. Here’s why.

Here are 3 reasons to stop buying drinks at the grocery store:

1. Money. Those bottles and cases add up awfully quickly! When you stop buying drinks, this has a direct effect on your grocery bill. Plus, drinks are mostly water! Why pay the store good money for something that is 99% water and that you can get at home almost for free? I promise you won’t be any hungrier for cutting back in this area; in fact, you might be healthier.

2. Convenience. Those bottles weigh a ton! Your aching back will be happy you skipped that case of soda. When you get your drinks mainly from the faucet or fridge water dispenser, it saves so much hassle in carting drinks around. Your shopping list just got shorter! Plus, you’ll never run out.

3. Calories. I don’t like to drink my calories. If you’re watching your weight like me, avoiding sweetened drinks is one easy way to keep your daily calorie count under control. I would much rather have an apple (80 calories) with all all its fiber and crunchiness than down a glass of apple juice (107 calories) and be hungry for something else in 15 minutes. Drinks like soda and juice are completely empty calories. You don’t need them!

Let’s talk about juice.

Kids love juice. My kids beg for it every time they run into it. We stopped buying juice several years ago and none of the kids have suffered 🙂 Yep – I am the meanest mother in the world – my kids don’t get to guzzle juice. Sure it tastes good, but so does a piece of fruit or some raw veggies and those things are a lot heathier for them (and you!).

Cutting back on juice can be painful.

If you are cutting back on juice for the kids, you could try reducing the number of bottles you buy at the store. When the juice is gone, everyone just has to drink something else until the next shopping trip. You can also cut it 50/50 with water, although some kids will balk at this. They will eventually get used to the new normal and stop complaining. Plus, if they’re disappointed at missing out on something, I remind them of the other treats we have purchased, maybe some fresh berries or some chocolate.

Maybe all your kids drink is juice (or soda or milk).

Perhaps this is the case, but you have to remember, you are the parent. If you make a decision to change what you buy at the store, your kids can adapt. They won’t refuse to drink forever, even though they may pitch a fit. And they really don’t need all that sugar or those chemicals.

You might be pleasantly surprised by behavioral improvements if you remove soda or colored drinks from their diets. That stuff isn’t food and it has no place going into growing bodies.

So if you don’t buy juice, soda, bottled water, etc. then what’s there to drink?

1. Filtered water. When we’re out and about and have brought drinks, it’s almost always filtered water in stainless steel water bottles. Even unfiltered, our tap water tastes fine and I see no reason to lug home cases of water when the same stuff is available right in the kitchen.
2. Dress up your water – add a splash of lemon juice or a splash of apple cider vinegar. Yum!
3. Milk. But we don’t drink much of this.
4. Herbal tea. This is our family’s favorite drink. Everyone from the toddler up to my husband loves herbal tea. We drink it warm in the winter and iced in the summer.
5. Smoothies. More of a food than a drink, but delicious none-the-less.
6. Coffee. Still haven’t kicked this habit 🙂

If you’re looking to save a few bucks on groceries (or a lot) consider cutting back on drinks. Your back, your waistline, and your wallet will thank you, even if your kids don’t.

Do you buy drinks at the grocery store? Am I being unreasonable?

This post was shared at Thrifty Thursday

Photos by stevendepolo, TerryJohnston, MZScarlett, dno1976b