it depends on many variables, such as how healthy we currently, and how our body reacts to ingredients in soda
Permalink | Report

I do this automatically and it has nothing to do with saving money or my diet. I can't stand fountain drinks ever since I worked for a corner store that never cleaned their machines. After seeing what it looked like I never drank fountain pop again. It's been almost 10 years now.
Permalink | Report

Ideally yes, you should order water instead of soda for the monetary benefits as well as the health benefits. However, as with many other things, the answer depends on the person.

There are any number of things that can be considered wasteful in life. Buying anything that's not a necessity can be considered wasteful. So a soda? Yes, it's a luxury. But like I mentioned in a previous answer, it depends how important it is to you, and how much you spend on it. If you're going out every day and buying a $3 or $4 soda, then that will certainly add up. But if you do it every once in a while, and you're not spending on extravagances elsewhere, then heck, why not indulge yourself a little bit with a soda?

Personally, I go out to dinner maybe twice a month. And while I'm there, I'll get a soda or a juice or something. So call it $4 with tax and tip. Twice a month, it's about $96 a year. And yes, that is expensive. But it makes it more enjoyable to go out, and I don't have any regrets about it. And I think that's what money is for. It's to let you enjoy life. And since I feel comfortable with how much I'm saving, investing, and putting away for retirement, I'm happy spending that on enjoyment.
Permalink | Report

No. You should not ask for water if your goal is to save money. If you goal is to save money, you shouldn't be going to restaurants (fast food or otherwise) to begin with. You should be going to the grocery store and cooking your own food.

The $1.29 or whatever you'd "save" by getting water rather than soda is absolutely nothing compared to the money you're wasting by spending $8-$20 on a meal that would actually cost you about $2 or $3 to buy and cook yourself.

(This answer, btw, applies if you're goal is health-related rather than finance-related, too)
Permalink | Report

I'm kind of leaning towards no on this one. Here's why:

If you order a combo meal- let's say fries, hamburger, and a drink sometimes the price comes out cheaper than it is to buy just the fries and the hamburger.

Also some restaurants charge you for water. So while you might be saving money by not getting a soda, you might also be replacing that expense by buying water. Some restaurants will offer you bottle water which can cost just as much as a soda.

I guess it's important to know what the difference between having water and not having water. If it saves you money, by all means do it. But if it doesn't, than it might not be worth it.
Source(s):
*My husband and I don't drink soda, so we don't buy soda, but sometimes we pay more not to have the drink.

*In our high school the bottled water was $1.00 and the soda was 50 cents a can- so it was actually cheaper to drink the soda than to buy a bottle of water.

Permalink | Report