The Nice Do-it-yourself Seltzer Discovery of 2015

The Nice Do-it-yourself Seltzer Discovery of 2015

Our hacked Sodastream systemThe Nice Do-it-yourself Seltzer Discovery of 2015
Our hacked Sodastream system

Normally frugality is about giving stuff up. Completely completely different occasions, it’s about being intelligent.

Mr. Frugalwoods and I are acknowledged seltzer addicts. Undoubtedly, we’re able to scarcely make it by means of a day with out our bubbly water restore. And we have now zero intention of ever giving it up. Pure, unadulterated seltzer (merely water and gasoline, no sugars or flavors) is an costly we’ve determined to include into our terribly frugal lives.

Wouldn’t or not it is cheaper for us to simply drink faucet water? Fairly clearly optimistic. However we select to care for ourselves with this fizzy little drink. Why? On account of seltzer is a key ingredient of our luxuriously frugal way of life. Oh optimistic, you research that right, we ponder our lives to be frugally luxurious.

The Good Frugalwoods Sodastream Hack of 2014

As long-time readers will recall, Mr. FW devised a system to hack our Sodastream machine remaining August to alter the costly little Sodastream model C02 canisters with a gigantico 20lb C02 tank. No, this isn’t a typical problem and optimistic, it’s a system he cobbled collectively himself. However guess what? It absolutely works. Ensuing from his DIY hacking prowess, we saved $433.44 contained in the remaining 12 months alone on our seltzer prices. And our franken-seltz of a machine continues to be going sturdy.

P.S. Everytime you’re hankering for a step-by-step description (with footage!) of how Mr. FW hacked our Sodastreamtry our put up: How To: Low-cost Do-it-yourself Seltzer with a Modified Sodastream.

…And The Good Sodastream Discovery of 2015

Oh somehow we missed this for an entire year...Oh somehow we missed this for an entire year...
Someway we missed this for a complete 12 months…

Our newest 20lb C02 tank ran dry remaining week and we contacted the homebrew retailer the place we’ve been swapping out our tanks. They didn’t have any 20-pounders in inventory, so we sat tight for an agonizing week and a half sans seltzer. The store lastly obtained one in inventory the choice night time and we gamely set off to execute our swap.

As we have been strolling out the door, tank in hand, my intelligent frugal weirdo husband stopped non permanent and uttered his trademark “huh.” Anytime I hear this “huh,” I do know there’s an thought brewing–often a frugal/weird one.

My ears perked up and I requested he elaborate. He acknowledged that the tank has a sticker on its aspect, together with a cellphone quantity for a welding current retailer. We’d by no means observed this earlier than, nonetheless shortly deduced that our little hipster homebrew retailer sources their C02 tanks from one Igo’s Welding Current.

Ever the frugal schemers, we scuttled as soon as extra into the home and sometimes referred to as Igo’s to see throughout the event that they’d do a tank swap for lowly people who aren’t companies. Certain ample, they’ll swap out anybody’s tank and… await it… they worth half of what the homebrew retailer does! Let me inform you what, there was some frugal rejoicing occurring after this miraculous discovery.

Mr. FW seltzerizes our inaugural bottleMr. FW seltzerizes our inaugural bottle
Mr. FW seltzerizes our inaugural bottle

Correct proper right here we thought we’d frugalized our seltzer consumption to the naked bones when genuinely, we have been paying the intermediary a good-looking and hefty mark-up–for the very same product. We felt kinda dumb for not realizing this initially, nonetheless hey, it’s all a part of the evolving frugal life we lead. If we obtained the entire objects right the first time, life is perhaps fairly boring and, I’d have not obtained one thing to position in writing about correct proper right here on Frugalwoods ;).

Plus, incidents like this one protect us on our frugal toes. It’s straightforward to get cosy in our rote, repeated spending habits and I’m a big fan of frequent re-evaluation of our presumed financial monetary financial savings. By no means hurts to repeatedly draw back the entire objects we’re trying to find (hat tip to Budgets Are Participating’s “Downside Every little issue” endeavor). Frugal complacency is nobody’s pal!

Our Candy Seltzer Stats

Our 20lb CO2 tank vs. the standard Sodastream canisterOur 20lb CO2 tank vs. the standard Sodastream canister
Our 20lb CO2 tank vs. the usual Sodastream canister

Since I do know you’re all dying to see the worth breakdown, feast your eyes on these candy seltzer stats:

Uncooked CO2 prices:

  • Normal Sodastream canister: $1.07/oz ($15 for a 14oz canister)
  • 20lb tank from homebrew retailer: $0.22/oz ($69 for 320oz, or 20lbs)
  • 20lb tank from welding current retailer: $0.11/oz ($35 for 320oz, or 20lbs)

Whoa, baby! Are you able to say retail markup? Correct proper right here we thought we have been killing it with our homebrew-sourced C02 nonetheless now, with our welding store-sourced C02 (which, by the simplest approach, is the very same product), we’re critically rocking out!

Primarily based on our consumption worth of 42oz of CO2 a month (3 normal Sodastream canisters worth), our month-to-month CO2 worth is now dramatically decrease:

  • Earlier system with normal Sodastream canister: $44.94/month
  • 2014 frugal beginner system with homebrew store-sourced tank: $9.24/month
  • 2015 frugal boss system with welding store-sourced tank: $4.62/month

With our real tank hack, we have been saving $35.70 a month. However with our new tank hack, we’re saving a whopping $40.32 per 30 days… often typically referred to as $483.84 per 12 months!!!

Even Frugal Hound knows that's a lot of savings!Even Frugal Hound knows that's a lot of savings!
Of us, dat is an excessive amount of savingz!

Why Do We Do This Stuff?

That’s no chump change right there. And as quickly as we couple that greenback quantity with the financial monetary financial savings we uncover all by means of the board by insourcing (factors like haircuts, cooking, residence enchancment, and canine grooming), eliminating (for instance consuming out), trying to find used or by no means (as we do with garments, furnishings, and baby factors), creating efficiencies (consuming $0.10 oats for breakfast), or discovering cheaper alternate decisions (as we as of late did with our espresso), all of it provides as so much as a staggering amount of cash.

Frugalwoods-mobile parked at Igo's Welding Supply, C02 tank in towFrugalwoods-mobile parked at Igo's Welding Supply, C02 tank in tow
Frugalwoods-mobile parked at Igo’s Welding Current, C02 tank in tow

These seemingly inconsequential tweaks in all sides of our lives are what facilitate our 71%+ annual financial monetary financial savings worth. I do know it’s well-liked to solely take into account saving cash inside the biggest worth range classes–typically housing, transportation, and meals–nonetheless I firmly take into consideration joyful excessive frugality is all about relishing the tactic of unearthing financial monetary financial savings in all areas of 1’s spending.

Plus, Mr. FW and I had an superior time driving out to Igo’s Welding for this little C02 tank journey. We ponder our frugal hacking mode of life to be a kind of leisure together with a gratifying draw back. It’s far too boring and customary to simply stroll correct proper right into a retailer and pay for a typical Sodastream canister–it’s vastly extra vibrant (to not degree out hilarious) to scent out a random welding current retailer collectively together with your non-public private 20lb C02 tank in tow.

Have you ever ever ever made any frugal discoveries presently? Are you a fellow seltzer fanatic?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back To Top