Review and Giveaway: SodaStream

Being that it's Thrifty Thursday here at Mess For Less, I thought I would share one area where we are looking to cut spending. We go through a lot of carbonated beverages in this house. The majority of which are consumed by my husband. Despite my shopping at sales and using coupons, this is a not a very frugal habit. I have been wanting a SodaStream since I first heard about the product, hoping it would cut our grocery bill. I recently got my chance to try a SodaStream... lets see what happened.

I was sent a SodaStream and some great flavors to try. The biggest issue was which yummy flavor to try first. Here's what we had to chose from: Cola Free, Sparkling Green Tea Pomegranate Peach, Cranberry Raspberry, Diet Lemon-Lime, Ginger Ale, Sparkling Natural Orange and Pineapple, Diet Pink Grapefruit, Sparkling Natural Black Currant and Pear. We also had Orange, Raspberry, and Lemon-Lime all natural flavor essences to add to sparkling water. Which would you have tried? 

Our kids are constantly bugging us for soda, but we don't let them drink any so I thought we could make some Sparkling Natural Orange and Pineapple drink which has 16% juice. The SodaStream could not be more easy to use. 

The soda stream comes with a carbonator that helps the magic happen. You can buy carbonators that will either make 60 or 130 liters of soda. That's a lot of soda! When the carbonator is attached you simply screw in the carbonating bottle which you have filled with cold water. Then press the button on top to add the carbonation. We like our drinks very carbonated so we pressed 3 times. For less carbonation, you just press less. The SodaStream is pretty smart and will buzz when it is time to stop carbonating. 

Once your water is nice and bubbly, remove the bottle from the unit and simply add in your choice of mix in the specified amount. Here is hubby adding the Natural Orange and Pineapple flavor. 

Just look at those bubbles! 

Shake gently to mix the flavor in, and there you have it! We actually made enough to fill the whole bottle but drank some before I could snap a photo.  This whole process took just a few minutes from start to finish.

So what did I think of the drink? Yummy! I think the SodaStream is one of those products that will make my life easier. Already, it has eliminated the trips to store where I am lugging home six packs and twelve packs of soda. Not to mention the fact that I have reclaimed the cabinet space where I used to keep all the store bought soda. The SodaStream is attractive and goes with our decor, so we just leave it out on the counter. I am also thrilled with the fact that I don't have to deal with all the empty cans anymore. The bottle that comes with the SodaStream is able to be reused which means less waste.

So how much money can you save using a SodaStream? Well, a can of soda sized portion costs 25 cents. Pretty good huh? If you are the kind of person who buys lots of cans of soda, you know that 25 cents is a steal.  So because of the cost savings, ease of use and variety of flavors, we are now SodaStream converts. Our little ones liked it too, though they will still mainly drink water and milk.

Little C gets her first taste of orange pineapple goodness.

What are these bubbles?

She liked how it felt fizzy and she loved watching the bubbles.  

If you want to get on the SodaStream wagon, visit them here. There is a great video on the homepage that demonstrates just how easy this thing is to use.

Buy it here:You can purchase a SodaStream system and supplies on their website or at many fine retailers.
Disclosure:  I was sent this product for review.  All opinions expressed are my own. I received no monetary compensation for this review.
Win it here: Thank you to SodaStream for being so generous and giving away a Fountain Jet Soda Lover's Start-Up Kit! I am super excited for this giveaway. Look what you will have the chance to win:

Fountain Jet Soda Lover's Start-Up Kit  ($99.95) http://www.sodastreamusa.com/Fountain-Jet-Soda-Starter-Kit-P184.aspx.  It includes:

-              Fountain Jet – winner’s choice of color (black/silver, red/silver or white)

-              1 carbonating bottle, reusable for up to 3 years

-              Reusable carbonator to fizz up to 60L of soda

-              Variety 6-pack of popular sample-size flavors

-              3 full-sized flavors of the winner’s choice

Are you excited too? Rules and entry are below. Soon you too can be making and enjoying your own beverages!

a Rafflecopter giveaway