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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Soda Stream - frugal or frivolous?!?

66 replies

mentaltodolist · 26/01/2015 05:30

A little background: I drink waaaaay too many diet cokes.
I need to stop this year. I'm worried it's
a) ruining my health b) stupidly expensive.
Since Jan 1st I've been buying big 2l bottles of fizzy water and popping lemon juice in. It's kind of working, but then I have loads of those big bottles to recycle in a small kitchen and it's not really that much cheaper.

So I got to thinking 'Soda Stream'!!! Bottles are re-used so less clutter and after the initial outlay it 'may' be cheaper. However friends have suggested that the gas canister thingies will be expensive.
So what say you? Frugal or Frivolous??

OP posts:

scarletforya · 26/01/2015 05:37

I'd say frivolous. Carbonated drinks, even water are bad for your teeth so you'd be better off cutting them out completely, which I know is easier said than done!

You don't want another gadget stealing space and gathering dust in the kitchen.

PurpleStripedSock · 26/01/2015 05:39

I had one of the originals. Frivolous but fun. It won't replace your addiction.

JoanHickson · 26/01/2015 05:40

Buy value fizzy water instead.

whatsbehindthegreendoor · 26/01/2015 05:52

We have a Sodastream and it's brilliant! It may be slightly frivolous, but, for us anyway, it saves having loads of bottles of fizz in the home! Even the regular colas and non-diet drinks are a lot less calories than store bought ones! I often just carbonate tap water as well, so you don't always have to drink the Sodastream drinks. I'd recommend getting one anyway for what it's worth!

CuttedUpPear · 26/01/2015 06:07

I've been wondering about this as well. We drink fizzy water a lot and the amount of plastic bottles it generates is silly.

toomuchtooold · 26/01/2015 06:07

I worked out it costs about the same to buy value fizzy water as to buy the sodastream canisters. But then, you have far less stuff to lug home with a sodastream.

velocityofbeans · 26/01/2015 06:28

We got one at Christmas, and I thought it would be a five minute wonder, but we do use it a lot. The canisters can be expensive, yes, but sodastream do a swap scheme which makes them a little cheaper. My (grown) dc use it for fizzy water, although I tend to put elderflower in mine, so no real expense apart from the initial price

Seriouslyffs · 26/01/2015 06:30

Expensive and frivolous. Sorry! Have you tried all the own brand and suoermarket dirt cokes. Some are very cheap and some are lovely! Ideally stop drinking carbonated/ sweetened drinks all together but a) you might find a cheaper substitute and b) it would be easier to give up if you're not going straight from the real thing.

Seriouslyffs · 26/01/2015 06:31

Do you have to store recycling in the kitchen? All recycling gets squished down to nothing and goes straight outside here.

CakeMakesEverythingBetter · 26/01/2015 06:32

Wouldn't be without mine. I hate still water but love sparkling. I never use the flavours, just add some squash if I fancy a change from plain water. Argos do the canister exchange, it costs £10 and each one lasts us for ages.

MissMalonex2 · 26/01/2015 06:33

I use the soda stream to make fizzy water - I drink loads of it and the plastic bottles that I would be sending to recycling would be huge if I didn't. So even if cost is on a par with value fizzy water, it isn't frivolous if less waste I think

MargotLovedTom · 26/01/2015 07:12

Ours was a waste of money.
I've heard that they're good for making cheap white wine into a Prosecco style fizz though, so it may get a new lease of life when I get round to replacing the cannister.

Original poster

mentaltodolist · 26/01/2015 07:43

Thanks All!
Scarlet: Hadn't heard that even fizzy water is bad for teeth!?! Arggh I wonder why? That's the only way I feel like I can drink enough water…
Seriously: I cannot bear the taste of the own brand cokes (believe me I've tried them all!) so for me I would be using it to make fizzy water then adding something - like lemon juice - or elderflower - thanks for the tip Velocity.
Now Margot - you've gone and turned my head with the prosecco suggestion
that does sound Very Interesting Indeed...

OP posts:

Wiifitmama · 26/01/2015 08:05

Very interesting timing! We are on holiday in Germany in a house with a soda stream (home exchange). It has been a revelation! I only drink fizzy water. Usually bought through ocado as they deliver. I drink A LOT of it. It replaced a soda habit year ago. We sat down and worked out the cost of buying a machine, the two canisters at full price (one in machine and one for swapping at argos). Then I worked out that the ongoing running cost would save me 40p per litre. So the initial outlay would pay for itself within about 3-4 months with the savings. Buying one will be the first thing I do when I get home!!

SqueezyCheeseWeasel · 26/01/2015 08:09

Expensive, gimmicky and yuck.

Mind you, I hate fizzy drinks.

LaurieMarlow · 26/01/2015 08:32

We've had one for about 3 years and it's in constant use. I'd hate to live without it.

I only use it for fizzy water (the soda stream juices are awful). But if you drink a lot of fizz it's more than worth it in terms of cost and saving yourself all those plastic bottles sitting around.

Must try the wine thing, I've been meaning to for ages. I've made a lovely homemade lemonade in the past (the amount of sugar required would make you weep though).

BeanCalledPickle · 26/01/2015 08:36

Simply couldn't live without mine. It hasn't replaced my diet coke addiction and I still have two of those a day, but everything else I drink is soda streamed mainly squash with fizzy water. It's paid for itself so manu times over I just wouldn't be without

SistersOfPercy · 26/01/2015 08:44

We've had ours for a couple of years and I love it. I also have a coke addiction (of the fizzy variety) and find I can wean myself down by adding less syrup.

Tips...

Don't go to Argos for the gas exchange though, it's cheaper by a quid in The Range - £8.99. They also sell syrup.

Dunelm sell the syrups too and they are very often on offer. If you do a quick compare between them one or the other usually has an offer.

NEVER try and fizz orange juice. It sounded nice in theory, my kitchen walls are testament to how it didn't work.

Your bottles have expiry dates. Don't use out of date bottles as there is a danger they could pop under pressure.

Some of the non diet flavours (Ginger Beer for one) contain aspartame whilst some diet flavours don't (weird)

posthumus · 27/01/2015 23:28

Aren't Sodastream manufactured in the occupied West Bank? (If that might bother you.)

MrsTerryPratchett · 27/01/2015 23:30

sodastreamboycott.org/ if you are bothered.

I have one (didn't realise!). DON'T try the fake Prosecco thing. Unless you want your kitchen covered on booze and half a bottle of nasty, non-Prosecco tasting muck.

GenerationX2 · 27/01/2015 23:37

Posthumus - I believe they closed the operation in the West Bank - I heard a podcast about it late November - but sorry I can't find a link.

cleanmachine · 27/01/2015 23:42

I would never buy one for reasons stated above.

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 27/01/2015 23:45

We have one (bought about 5 years ago) used for fizzy water.
I don't like fizzy soft drinks but DH likes the diet ginger ale.

loveka · 27/01/2015 23:51

No, please DO try the fake prosecco/ cava thing! This saved us loads of money ovwr Christmas and new year. We make our own rose wine, and fizzing it up is amazing. You have to be careful, but we made lots of bottles with no accidents.

I have made my own syrups, eg strawberry, lemon. I bought a tonic water syrup. Otherwise juat fizzy water!

It's great, and has already paid fot itself.

TheBooMonster · 28/01/2015 00:00

I hate own brand coke, I also hate the soda stream coke, but there are lots of flavour options for the soda stream, we bought one about 6 months ago and it sees varying frequencies of use, at the moment it's being used (at least) daily because I discovered the Bitter Lemon syrup on the website at £1 a bottle and it's my new favourite thing! I'd say that potentially it's frivolous, but as we were getting through a 2l bottle of coke a day between the two of us, it's been a frugal purchase, because we've stopped buying fizzy in the shops with the soda stream at home.

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