Daily RAW: 6/25/13 & SodaStream - A better option?

Greetings RAW Warriors,

Here's today's FitRanX BW Workout of the Day from FitRanX HQ...plus a surprising rant on SodaStream devices. It may be better to drink your soda this way.

Level 0-3

30 min TABATA - 20 sec Doing Exercise, 10 sec Rest - Do this 8 times, then switch to the next exercise.

1. Body Weight Squat x8
2. Penguin Crunch x8
3. X-Body Mountain Climber x8
4. Reverse Lunge x4 on each side
5. Bicycle Crunches x8
6. Skater Hops x8

Level 4-6

30 min TABATA - 20 sec Doing Exercise, 10 sec Rest - Do this 8 times, then switch to the next exercise.

1. Alternating Reverse Lunges x8
2. Plank w/ Alternating Foot lift x8
3. Frog Leap and Squat Thrust x8
4. Close Grip Push-Up x8
5. Bicycle Crunches x8
6. Side to Side Jump x8
Check Out The Video Library Here:
http://www.youtube.com/myfitranx
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Today's little rant is on a little discovery I made over the past weekend, and it pertains to Pop, or Soda, depending on where you live. (In Ohio, it was called Soda, up here in ND & MN, its mostly called Pop). 

I've seen this new SodaStream thing in the stores lately and wondered if it was worth getting into.  I feel I already drink enough pop the way it is, sometimes too much in one day.  I thought I would try it out and since you make your own, it should cost less overall, plus you'd use less bottles/cans and throw away a lot less of that stuff.

So, I decided to crunch the numbers a bit, and give my reasons why I think this device will help me cut down on waste, cut down on intake, and keep me more aware of how much pop I'm drinking.

Let's say you get 3, 12 packs on sale for $10 total.  That's about 28 cents a can, on a sale price.  Plus 36 cans you have to throw away, plus 3 cardboard packs to toss, too.  A regular price for a 12 pack around here is near $5, so now its about 42 cents a can at that rate.

Now, with the SodaStream device, it makes 1 liter at a time, and each bottle of Soda Mix (such as ones for Cola, an Energy drink mix like Red Bull, and my new fave, Fountain Mist, a Mountain Dew like flavor), costs anywhere from $5-7.  Lets use Cola as the example, which was $5 at the store.

Now, its easy to discover that each bottle of Soda Mix makes about 12 liters, or 33 cans worth, of pop for you.  But you also have to factor in the carbonation factor, which on my device makes about 60 Liters of soda for you.  A replacement cartridge could cost $15 if you recycle it at Target, which is where I got my device from.  A cartridge off the shelf is $30 new. 

So, the cost for just the Cola mix for 33 cans worth is about 15 cents a can, and carbonation is about .008 cents an ounce, or roughly 10 cents total for 12 ounces in comparison.  So, even though its 25 cents total to make about 12 ounces of pop, you would still save money over time versus the sale price of 28 cents. You'd really save a lot compared to a regular price at 42 cents a can. 

However when it comes to bottles, if we use our math here, its .008 cents per ounce for carbonation, and 1.25 cents per ounce for Soda Mix.  Total cost is 2.05 cents per ounce (.0125 + .008 = .0205, or 2.05 cents).  For a 1 liter bottle, its only about 67 cents to make 33 ounces of pop.

For a typical 20 ounce bottle, its about 41 cents.

Considering I'd buy half-liter bottles in 6 packs, now I'm spending about $2.00 to make 6, half-liter bottles.  (3 liters of pop total, .67 x 3 = $2.01) I've seen most stores sell them for $4-4.50 a 6 pack, now I'm making them for about half the cost or more.  That's going to save me money over time.

Okay, so that's the money-saving equations to showcase how much you'll save, but here's what I thought about too:  Its also going to make you more aware of how much you consume when you have to make it yourself each time.  You can't just grab a can & go, you'll have to make it quick (only takes about a minute to do) if you want some pop. 

My unit came with a 1 liter bottle, and I also bought some half-liter ones.  For today, I brought two half-liter bottles to work after making it this morning, and limited my drinking to that during work.

I now know that I'm saving money, not wasting bottles/cans, and putting a limit on my intake because I want my purchase to last longer over time, too.  I also like the fact that the pop you make isn't full of aspartame if you choose the diet stuff, it isn't full of high fructose corn syrup, and another thing I noticed was that its just the right amount of fizz added.  It seems to be bubbly, but not so bubbly like you get in a can or bottle.  Goes down a lot smoother, and some flavors I got in the sampler pack taste a lot better too! 

So, if you are looking at the SodaStream or similar devices out there to make your own pop, I would suggest it due to the fact you'll make your very own & save money, you will know what you are consuming overall by being more aware of how much you make, and when you do drink the stuff, its not as nasty as the stuff already made for you in bottles & cans. Plus you will also help with the environment by having less cans/bottles tossed away overall, plus cardboard/plastic rings as well.  The unit itself has no batteries, its all run on compressed CO2. So, no electricity used up either, unless you are counting the cooling factor of getting your water cold before you make your drinks. Overall there is no electricity (plug-in or batteries) used by the machine to make the stuff.

I know it sounds like s shill for selling SodaStream units, but its not.  It is simply a way to help you make better choices when it comes to an issue like this.  If a device helps you save money over time, and can help you consume less of the stuff over time, maybe it is worth looking into.  I know a LOT of athletes who have "an issue with pop" and have a hard time cutting down on it.  Perhaps this device could help them out over time in cutting down their overall intake and save money, too.

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Lift. Dominate. Repeat.
Rats Alley Barbell Club
Coach Rick Karboviak