Free Brita Water Bottle (First 250)

At 10am, the first 250 to enter for a chance to win on Self will get a free Brita water bottle.  These bottle are great for a day out because you can keep refilling it from water fountains and you won't have to worry.  The bottle's built in filter will clean it as you drink.  Remember to try and drink eight glasses of water each day.

The water bottle is a sign-up bonus for the first 250 people at 10am on May 14, 2012.  The grand prize for this contest is you'll be entered for a chance to win a trip for two to the Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort & Casino for five nights.

Possible Moneymaking Deal on Brita Pitchers

Back in September, I posted about some great rebates on Brita products; $10 back on a Brita Pitcher or $5 back on a Brita Bottle. You can also take the Filter for Good pledge, which I have mentioned before, and you'll get a coupon good for $5 off a Brita system.

The rebates and coupon are still available so now might be a great time to head over to CVS and buy a Brita pitcher. The six cup pitcher is $14.99 with $5 back in extra care bucks. Use the $5 coupon and $10 mail in rebate to make your final price a money making deal of $5.01.

Possible Money Maker Deal on Brita Pitcher

There are some great rebates available right now for Brita products. You can get $10 back on a Brita Pitcher or $5 back on a Brita Bottle.

Take the Filter for Good pledge, which I have mentioned before, and you'll get a coupon good for $5 off a Brita system.

Use the coupon this week at Walgreens where the Brita Slim is on sale for $10. Submit the rebate and you will end up making a $5 profit.

Source: Mojo Savings

Amazing Deal on Brita Pitchers

Anytime you want to buy a Brita filter, you can easily check out FilterForGood.com. Sign a pledge to reduce bottle waste and you'll be able to print a coupon for $5 off a pitcher or faucet system.

Right now, you can add to that savings at Walmart. They have a bogo rebate on select Brita pitchers. Since you need to buy two, you can use two of those $5 coupons ($10 total).

Pitchers are priced at $12.54 (price may vary by location) so after two $5 coupons and the bogo rebate, you will pay a total of $2.54 for BOTH pitchers.  Even if you don't need two pitchers, you will always need the replacement filters, so you'll have a spare.

Source: Mojo Savings

Sponsored: Product Review of SodaStream

Whether you call it soda, pop, or soda-pop, we all know that it can get pretty pricey.  So when I first heard of the SodaStream machine, I thought it would be interesting to try.  I contacted the company and told them about Making Cents of It and how my readers are always looking for ways to save money.  After learning more about my readers, they sent me a SodaStream Fountain Jet to try and review.

The machine arrived and I was very excited to try it out.  The machine came with one can of carbon dioxide (makes 60 liters) and two reusable one liter BPA free bottles.  They also sent me a selection of flavors to taste.  The flavors range from traditional sodas like cola and root beer, to unique flavors like mango and grapefruit.  I think that anyone can find at least one flavor they like.  At first I couldn't figure out the measurements but I soon found the side of the cap had three levels for cup, half bottle, and full bottle.  The nice thing is that after you make the bottle of carbonated water, you can flavor the entire bottle at once or just a cup.  So if you're not sure what you want, you can change your mind for your second cup.

The machine itself was very simple to use.  There is no plug and the bottles just twist in.  The carbonator bottle twists in the back and is covered by the machine's case so that you don't actually see it.  You carbonate plain water by pushing the button and then add the flavoring last after removing the bottle from the machine.  The pictures on their website shows water coming directly from the sink however the directions say to use very cold water.  Therefore you need to refrigerate the water before carbonating.  I used water from my Brita which was already in the fridge.

I followed the instructions and made my bottle of carbonated water. Before adding the flavoring, I tasted the unflavored seltzer water. It tasted just like the sparkling water you would buy in the store. I then added the diet cola flavoring and found that it didn't have much flavor. I added a little more syrup and tried again. The second time I tasted it I found it to taste just like a generic diet cola. I also tried the lemon-lime and it too needed a little extra syrup but tasted really good.  I think maybe I wasn't reading the measuring cups correctly since both flavors needed a bit of extra syrup but tasted good.

If you are very picky and only drink a specific name brand, you might not like this flavoring. However, if you are the type to always buy the store brands of soda you won't notice a difference.  Since you are adding your own flavor, you can add more to make the flavor more intense.  Just remember that more syrup per bottle will result in more expensive soda overall.

My only major complaint about the machine is that it is taller than most kitchen appliances and it didn't fit under my cabinets.  If you don't have a height restriction on your counters, there won't be an issue because the machine itself takes little surface space.  Perhaps a different model will be shorter.

So now for the savings.  Overtime, the SodaStream will save you money if you drink lots of soda.  The most expensive part is the machine and since that doesn't need to be replaced the price per liter will go down every time you replace the carbonation tank and syrup.  I figured out that the initial price is $1.67 per liter, because of the cost of the machine.  After the initial purchase, replacement carbonation tanks will cost an average of $0.25 per liter to carbonate.  Add in the price of flavoring, and a liter of soda is only $0.67.

I looked up retail locations that sell the SodaStream and one such store is Bed, Bath, and Beyond.  Using those 20% coupons we all love, the tanks will cost about $0.20 per liter and flavoring will cost $0.33 per liter, making a liter of soda only $0.53.  Except for when we find great coupons (which I always post for you), this price is hard to beat.

Besides saving money, SodaStream will also help you save the environment.  Instead of adding bottles to landfills, this machine allows you to reuse bottles.  The bottles that came with the machine are BPA free and will last a while.  Just be sure not to put them in the dishwasher because they are not designed to withstand heat.

Disclaimer: I was sent a Sodastream Fountain Jet machine along with a variety of flavors so that I could try out their product and see if it was something my readers might be interested in.  Prices per liter were based off of prices in the SodaStream online store and may vary depending on where you shop.  This product review is 100% my opinion.

Possible Deal on Brita Filtration Systems

Brita has just released a great new coupon for $7 off a Brita filtration system. If the direct link to the coupon doesn't work, check out Brita's Facebook page.

To make this deal even better, if you are interested in a faucet mounted filter, the rebate offer I posted back in April is still valid (expires December 31, 2010). So you can get an additional $5 back.

That's a total of $12 off the price of a faucet mount filter which you can probably find the basic mount for around $17. Even if you already have a filtration system, this deal is so cheap that I'm planning to buy it for the filter which will fit in my current base.

Great Deal on Brita Filtration System

When you pledge to reduce plastic bottle waste at Filter for Good you will get a coupon for $5 off a Brita system.  When you register to receive email reminders to replace your filter you will also get a $2 off coupon for the filter.

On Target.com you can print a coupon for $10 off a Brita filter system AND multipack replacement filters.  There was a coupon for $5 off a system but I do not see that one posted anymore.  Perhaps in your zip code it is still available.

When I purchased my faucet system today, there was a rebate form that was on the package.  It does not require the rebate form so you also can benefit from my lucky find.  There are two separate rebates on this form but they can be sent together.  One is for a filtration system and the other is for a replacement filter.  Click on the image of the rebate to enlarge and read text.

When I went to Target today, I purchased the simplest faucet system for $14.49.  I had the $5 Target coupon so with the $5 manufacturer coupon, and the $5 rebate, I will be making a profit of $0.51.

If you are going to be buying the system and filters you can save $27.  The system is not on sale so I do not know what your final total will be in the store but that is still a huge savings when you consider that it will also be replacing bottled water you currently purchase.