Frugal Friday: Water Source

“A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, and the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.” (Proverbs 13:22)

Having to buy in water can get pretty costly, and it’s certainly not sustainable long-term. A gallon jug of water averages around $1.50 – $2.00 here in Connecticut. I’ve shared how Mom and I have had intermittent water service here at home due to either a faulty well-pump (it’s lasted over 20 years so I guess we’re due to replace soon…), or a chewed wire somewhere. In addition to providing drinking water for Mom and I, we have goats, chickens, ducks, cats, and a feisty old Cockatiel named Smoky Bones for which to provide. We also have to bathe and, well, yes, without a functioning water source, flushing becomes an issue, too.

I may have shared this before but, it bears repeating if I did. With inflation, the threat of both nuclear war, and at least a recession, on the horizon, knowing what to do when the most basic systems go down is pretty important. Of course, if systems go down, this particular source will not be there either but, for lesser disasters, such as the one Mom and I are currently experiencing, it works…at least for the short-term.

Walmart has a refill service.

They have one-, two- and five-gallon jugs that can be refilled in store. I normally take 15 jugs in to refill every couple of days. It’s still an expense I’d rather avoid but, until I can replace/repair everything, it’s considerably less than buying new gallons every few days. You can either purchase a few refillable jugs from the company that provides the reverse osmosis machine, or Walmart will also allow customers to refill their “Great Value” jugs for the same inexpensive price of .39 cents (at least the local Walmart allows this; hopefully, yours does, too). The same 15 gallons costs me less than $6.00…instead of almost $17.00 for new.

Incidentally, many of the cashiers have expressed appreciation for writing “REFILL” on the jugs when you bring them back for refilling; it helps with ringing them up. Otherwise, you might get charged for new ones. I use a regular Sharpie. It shows up big and bold.

I do not wish this existence on anyone but, it’s always good to know where to go, and what to do, when these things do happen.

May God bless you & keep you!