Budget Challenge: Ice Ice Baby

This post is the part of a series I'm writing as I head toward my food budget challenge with my daughter-in-law in September.

 

I hate buying ice.  Might as well take your money, wad it up and throw it in the trash can and set it on fire.  Buying frozen water just makes makes no sense to me. Neither does bottled water but that's another story. Not only are you paying for (frozen) water, you have the plastic to deal with, not to mention what we're doing to earth with all those plastic bags and bottles. I'll admit that my thoughts on buying ice come from my mother. We used to make ice in those little aluminum ice trays. The ice always tasted funny until we graduated to plastic trays. I still don't like ice from trays unless it is freshly made, like the night before. After that, it takes on a flavor that makes me want to drink warm water. Full disclosure: I will buy ice for the cooler if we are traveling. I also buy bottled water when I'm dying of thirst and can't get to the water fountain. And, on the rare occasion I have overnight guests, I will buy a bag of ice for their comfort.

 

We use a Brita filter at my house. I bought it gently used at a thrift store and replace the filters when I can remember to. Sometimes I make a note on my fridge calendar and sometimes I think we simply have cold water in the fridge that has come from the faucet. I'm not too picky when it comes to water. Fact is, I don't drink much straight-up water. It needs to have caffeine in it. I do like water to be cold when I drink it. If I want it to be colder than fridge temperature, I pour a glass and stick in the freezer for 45 minutes (set the timer). On the rare occasion we have guests, I pour several glasses of water ahead of time and place them in the freezer and pull them out before I serve dinner. Personally, I think that's the caring thing to do.

 

I've noticed a couple of lunch places I've visited don't serve ice. Locally, Graze (a sandwich shop) does not have ice, or least they didn't when they first opened. I  have only been once. It seemed weird at first but I quickly recognized with their menu that these folks are trend setters. When we were in Fairbanks, Alaska recently, we had breakfast at a great little hipster joint called Lunch. Their menu was entirely dairy and gluten-free. They did not have ice, and we were there on a very hot day. I'm not sure of the philosophy behind it but because of my own feelings on ice, I'm all about promoting the idea that you don't need ice in your water. You can do your own research on the benefits of drinking room temp water.

 

The last thing I'll say about ice is that I don't hate it. If I'm out to lunch or dinner, I appreciate ice in my water, I do. But if I'm somewhere that doesn't have it, I'm okay with that too. I suspect I'll not change anyone's mind about ice and really I'm not trying to. This ice thing is one of many quirks that maybe you didn't know about me. Now you do. Bonus Quirk: I drink hot coffee on 100° days.

 

Yeah, ice is nice but not necessary. Capisce?

 

Do you have to have ice in your cold drinks? Do you buy it, or do you make it?

 

love, susan