| Have they all been brainwashed? Well, there's more to it that appears on the surface. Some, yes, definitely have been brainwashed, I'll agree. However, going to the tap and taking a whiff of some of the water in this area, well, the smell alone could about knock you out. And then drinking it? Well, I've had the Hershey Squirts enough from bad water so I'm a bit careful. Woof, that's not good! As far as well water being free, well, (no pun intended) I had a well put in at the cabin... far from free. And if I could have that water available to me at all times, great, but you can't compare that I can get it free at home when I'm 200 miles away and thirsty. You can get food at home cheaper but when you're away and hungry... well, you get it. I've been drinking a lot of water since long before it became fashionable. I have always liked water. When we'd eat out, I often ordered water to drink even if I had something else with it. Always had a good thirst and after getting sick of soft drinks ("pop" as we call it around here) I drank more and more water. Then the prices of soft drinks skyrocketed and I knew water was a better choice. I do splurge by buying bottled water. But I refuse to pay more than $1 for a 6 pack. Normally I want the price about 10¢-15¢ per 20 oz bottle (or less) and I'm willing to pay that for the convenience of leaving it in the vehicle and also the consistency so when I'm out and about I don't have to risk indigestion. I travel a lot and rather than buying single bottles or buying pop, juice, or whatever, I'm saving money when I'm out and about. I also have it with me so I don't have to buy something or search for a drinking fountain to take an aspirin or ibuprofen. I did start out buying one or two and refilling them often from my filtered water at home. But you really need to clean the bottles for sanitation purposes and I am not into that much effort for such a little return. Given the other savings, and additionally I make coffee and take a thermos with me which is a great savings so I'm satisfied. I realize water is generally a filtered municipal water. However, it's generally a municipal water that is good to start with and then filtered, so yes it is different than the average tap water. Especially different than many areas. It's also more consistent than municipalities which vary so much from area to area and even from well to well. Some cities just take the water from the local rivers. My city water has changed dramatically over the years as they put in a new well. There are big differences in water! When I go camping or something, I take a 5 gal. jug and fill it with my home tap water. Great for washing and is drinkable. But I usually take a couple gallon jugs and fill with filtered water for drinking. For that matter, when we were in the Boundary Waters, we just used lake water for drinking! Sadly, that's getting worse in latter years though. So there's always going to be the argument that it can be cheaper if you... but I since I have a large thirst, especially in the summer and know how much pop I used to go through, I'm saving big bucks by spending a few bucks. Could I save more? Maybe, but then again, I might wind up being able to sh*t through a screen door at 20 paces from drinking water that doesn't agree with me. I don't consider great discomfort to be a good tradeoff for a few pennies in savings. Like I said, I'll splurge in this area and make it up in others. I'm just upset that water drinking caught on. It did raise prices but there's still good prices if you watch for sales. | 
