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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think fizzy drinks are a waste of money

97 replies

mammamia839 · 29/07/2018 16:01

DP drinks at least two huge 2L bottles of Pepsi every day, costing about £1.70 each. I know it's petty, but I think this is a waste of money, fizzy drinks aren't food and completely pointless IMO. I can imagine wanting a glass here and there as a treat, but all the time...I just don't get it.

I only have tea and water so maybe I'm just odd. But he buys all these drinks on the joint account while getting groceries which means we're spending huge ammounts on fizzy drinks.

AIBU to think this is bloody silly?

OP posts:
PaulRuddislush · 29/07/2018 16:17

There was a guy on Eat Well For Less a couple of weeks ago with a serious Coca Cola habit and he was advised to cut down gradually as cold turkey would have horrible withdrawal symptoms. It's an addiction.

Dreamingofkfc · 29/07/2018 16:22

Wow. That's loads of pepsi. I love Pepsi and yes in a way it's pointless, but I enjoy it...no more pointless that any drink other than water

tenterden · 29/07/2018 16:24

Why is he paying so much for it? Is he buying it on a daily basis from a corner shop?

If it is full sugar then it's very bad indeed for his health. Is he overweight? What are his teeth like?

Allergictoironing · 29/07/2018 16:30

tenterden that's the going supermarket rate, or more depending on the supermarket.

I like my Pepsi, but I would drink less than that in a week not a day. But from a waste of money aspect? I don't drink, don't smoke, have aspartame intolerance so can't buy cheaper brands as they all have sweeteners in them, don't eat out, eat comparatively cheaply at home. Don't spend a fortune on hair (£30 every couple of months), nails, make up, shoes, handbags, designer clothes etc. So a couple of bottles of my preferred pop a week totaling under £4 is a small price for my indulgence.

bonitabonita · 29/07/2018 16:31

drinking 2 litres of pop a day is a waste of insulin and a waste of your health!

DiegoMadonna · 29/07/2018 16:36

drinking 2 litres of pop a day is a waste of insulin and a waste of your health

You misread. He's drinking at least FOUR litres a day

JacquesHammer · 29/07/2018 16:37

Fizzy drinks in and of themselves are no more a waste of money than any other drink other than water.

However the amount he is drinking is a concern healthwise.

NeeChee · 29/07/2018 16:37

DP has started getting big bottles of Pepsi Max in or adding them to the shopping list (I do most of the food shopping). I don't drink it because I don't like the taste of diet drinks. He also used to be dead against aspartame and other artificial sweeteners, but he seems to have forgotten that now. Him and DSS don't drink as much as the OP's husband, but it's easily a couple of 2L bottles a weekend. I might start "forgetting" to buy it. Squash or water would be healthier, pop isn't something anyone needs. I'll get some juice cartons in for the kiddo (I know they're full of sugar, but it's better that chemicals).

BertieBotts · 29/07/2018 16:38

It's addictive - the caffeine. DH used to drink about that much, I think it just crept up until he didn't notice it any more.

It's like smoking IMO. It bothered me financially, but also the example set to DC who was expecting to be allowed to drink really overly sweet fizzy stuff every day because Daddy did, so we talked about it and he has cut down - he has about 1 bottle a week now and he's found he likes to drink bottled water, which we keep in the fridge. He also has a coffee in the morning at work and then switches to water, which his office provides.

I tend to drink squash which is much cheaper but I will buy fizzy drinks as a treat sometimes.

Interestingly since DH cut down on cola type drinks he is now much more sensitive to energy drinks and finds them overly strong. He's also lost weight - I guess the sugar was actually contributing quite a lot (he did also drink pepsi max, though, which is sweeteners instead.)

IceCreamFace · 29/07/2018 16:38

I'd be more concerned about his health to be honest that's a crazy amount to be drinking. If money is tight then yes I guess that should be a factor too.

TeaAndNoSympathy · 29/07/2018 16:39

Jesus. That’s a ridiculous amount of sugar. A two liter bottle of Pepsi contains approximately 8 servings. Each serving has 28 grams of sugar. 8 x 28 grams = 224g of sugar. 224g x 2 = 448g of sugar in 4L. The recommended daily intake of sugar is 30g. Bloody hell.

IHaveBrilloHair · 29/07/2018 16:39

Wow, that's a lot of money, and a lot of fizzy juice.
Can you afford it and is his health otherwise ok?
If so then no problem, but it's still quite shocking written down.

I recently realised I'd spend £45 on smoothies in two weeks and was shocked.

bonitabonita · 29/07/2018 16:40

Oh man, please tell him to get his blood sugar tested. My DB was slim but drinking 2 litres a day for years and he had pre diabetes at 26, you would never have known to look at him, they picked it up during a random free thumb prick test at Asda. He managed to quit and sorted his diet and is in remission now and has no ill effects other than enamel damage to his teeth.

BertieBotts · 29/07/2018 16:41

I would defo recommend budgeting for it separately as you would for alcohol/cigarettes/eating out rather than simply letting it be consumed into the weekly food budget, if you're having budget constraints as it can add quite a huge chunk IME - and it helps to look at it like that and see it as a luxury. It might be an acceptable luxury, only you/he can decide that but I'd defo budget for it separately and not lump it in with things like toilet paper and carrots which are actually essentials.

BoomBoomsCousin · 29/07/2018 16:41

Fizzy drinks are no less “pointless” than tea. 4 liters a day is pretty bad for you physically, though.

Glumglowworm · 29/07/2018 16:41

YABU

Everything except tap water and basic rice and beans could be seen as a waste of money. Tea is not morally superior to Pepsi.

4litres a day is a huge amount, and if you were concerned about his health I would have more sympathy.

Before you tackle him about his waste of money, make damn sure you don’t have any money wasting habits yourself. Such as wearing makeup, eating out, drinking alcohol, driving places within walking distance, iTunes etc

Quittingthyme · 29/07/2018 16:42

£1200 per year on pepsi! That would make my head explode.

Butterflykissess · 29/07/2018 16:43

Why is he paying so much for it? Is he buying it on a daily basis from a corner shop?

standard price really.
pepsi is £1.95 in tescos and the diet version slightly cheaper at £1.50

Redglitter · 29/07/2018 16:44

Cost wise it's probably not much worse than going to Costa or Starbucks every day. The cost would be the least of my concerns though. Thats a seriously unhealthy amount of Pepsi to he drinking every day. All that sugar and empty calories must he impacting on his health

NeeChee · 29/07/2018 16:45

@BertieBotts I think I'm addicted to redbull at the moment. I have a can daily at work just to keep me awake because I've not been sleeping very well. But I think it's a vicious circle. I need to stop :(

SilverySurfer · 29/07/2018 16:45

4L of Pepsi is really bad for his health, perhaps you should concentrate more on that. Does he comment how much money you spend on tea and coffee? Why would that be any different?

Sophisticatedsarcasm · 29/07/2018 16:45

I wouldn’t worry about the money I’d be concerned he prefers Pepsi to Coca Cola 😂😂

EggysMom · 29/07/2018 16:46

As others have said, that's less than someone might spend on a large takeaway coffee from a well-known coffee shop, which some do every day on their way to work.

Unless you are watching the pennies, the expense is not great. The health aspects, that should concern you more.

80sMum · 29/07/2018 16:47

Blimey! Four litres of the crap stuff every day? I can't imagine what that's doing to his insides or his tooth enamel but I know it can't be good! That's definitely not sensible behaviour, whether you can afford it or not!

SadieHH · 29/07/2018 16:48

Aside from the fact that Pepsi is vile (Diet Coke much better!) and it's a lot to drink each day, he's clearly not looking for the deals. I only ever buy Diet Coke on offer and wouldn't pay anything like £1.70 a bottle.