Save Money with DIY Soda

The average American drinks more than 500 cans of soda per year, according to some estimates, which amounts to about $73 billion spent of soft drinks annually, a hefty chunk of change that could be less if we made our own soda.

Soda making at home works much like the soda fountain at any restaurant or movie theater; it’s just on a smaller scale. You carbonate water, and then add the syrup or other flavoring of your choice.

There are actually several types of seltzer bottles, soda siphons and soda makers out there, ranging in price from about $50 to nearly $3,000. Depending on soda-drinking habits in your household, one of them is likely to save you money if you’re a fan of fizzy drinks.

Plus, more cities are considering levying sin taxes on sugary drinks, which could mean paying more for every ounce of soda you buy in a store. Reusing soda containers at home means no more deposits for bottles and cans as well as less trash in landfills.

Sounds like a no-brainer, right? Well, you’ll also want to consider taste. Homemade soda may not be as pleasing to your palate as the mass-produced stuff you buy in stores. MainStreet decided to try out one DIY soda machine for a week and here’s what we found.

The SodaStream

The SodaStream comes complete with a carbon dioxide cartridge and sturdy reusable bottles, and you can choose from a variety of flavors, which come as bottles of syrup with enough to make 12 liters of soda. A Fountain Jet starter kit like the one we used costs about $100 for the machine, cartridge and bottles, plus two syrup flavors of your choice that cost between $5 and $7 each on their own.