Tip-a-licious Thursday/Sodastream Review

Last week we gave you "8 Ways to Green your Home" and we hope that you used at least a few of our tips. This week we would love to introduce you to a earth friendly product you may or may not have heard of, it's called: I must say that I was super excited to return home from vacation to find a package with all these goodies inside! The Sodastream home soda maker (pictured to the left) costs $89, which may seem pricey at first glance. However, according to the Sodastream/Soda-Club website after your initial purchase of a home soda maker package, you'll enjoy seltzer and sparkling water in reusable 1-liter PET bottle for just $.20 per liter and flavored sodas for as little as $.57 per liter, before any applicable shipping charges.
Are you going green in your home? If so, check out these great facts:

• No bottles or cans to recycle or throw away
• Saves thousands of containers for a family of four in a year
• Carbonating bottles last for three years (*Note: Empty carbonators are easily exchanged for full ones for as little as 20 cents per liter at an authorized retailer or by ordering online at sodastreamusa.com.)
• Highly concentrated sodamix minimizes packaging
• No batteries or electricity
• Reduces energy used to manufacture bottles and cans
• Reduces gas and pollution from shipping packaged beverages
• Eliminates pollution from batteries

My daughter and I love the fact that there are so many varieties offered by Soda-Club! There are currently over 25 regular, diet, and caffeine-free flavors as well as 3 MyWater Flavor Essences. Each concentrated Sodamix bottle costs $4.99 and makes about 12-liters of soda--WOW!

Controlling Sugar, Carbs or Calories?
If the cost per liter wasn't enough for you...well let's compare the Sodastream vs. other soda brands!
Calories Carbs Sugar Sodium Caffeine

Pepsi®	100	27g	27g	25mg	25mg
Coca-Cola®	100	27g	27g	35mg	23mg
Pepsi® Edge™	50	13g	13g	25mg	25mg
Coca-Cola C2™	45	12g	12g	30mg	23mg
Sodastream Cola	34	9g	9g	2mg	15mg
7-UP®	100	26g	26g	50mg	0mg
Sprite®	100	26g	26g	45mg	0mg
Sodastream Lemon Lime	36	9g	9g	25mg	0mg

For more comparisons click here

I have yet to try ALL the flavors sent to me but the ones I tried were delicious. The flavors don't taste exactly like other brands we all know but they are extremely close. The great thing about making your own soda is that you control the carbonation! Want more fizz? Push the button more times! I'll admit I am not a fan of unsweetened all natural flavor sparkling water, so I add Splenda to my MyWater flavors. Overall, the Sodastream is easy to use, fun for the whole family, earth friendly, and a money saver! You can use this soda maker anywhere (remember it doesn't use electricity or batteries!) and you can even make cocktails with it! FUN!

Watch my 9 year old daughter make her own soda!

Want your own Sodastream?

• Visit the Sodastream online store

• Penguin machines and 60L exchange carbonators now available at all Williams-Sonoma stores in the continental USA
• Fountain Jet soda makers and select sodamix flavors are now available at all Kohl's locations
• Fountain Jet machines, sodamix and 60L Exchange Carbonators available at Camping World stores