"A Clear Delicious Glass of Agua Purificada, Anyone?"

Today, I continue a series of posts on ‘finding’ money you didn’t know you had. This one is similar to last week’s Latte post but it might apply to more people. It actually does for me.

Just last night this one was put to the test. My wife and I took our three boys to Cracker Barrel last night to eat. Usually our bill is somewhere around $44 with tip included. Last night’s bill came to $38 with tip. When I brought it up to my wife, Natalie, she promptly stated “we ordered water to drink”. Duh. Usually we both order sweet tea at Cracker Barrel or coffee if we are having breakfast. Each would have run us $2. Probably another $1.50 each for the boys had they ordered something (luckily they are used to water when we eat out and don’t complain).

Just that small act enabled us to save $5 when you include tax and tip on that $4. Like the Latte, it is a drop in the bucket. But the drops are already adding up. If you eat out just once a week, we sometimes eat out as much as 3-4 days a week, switching to water to drink can save you $20 - $40 a month depending on your family size. And it’s healthier!

* If you are drinking alcohol, you can save even more. Track it for a month and see.

*And the title, if you don't know, is from Shrek 4.