The average person consumes over 170 bottles of water each year spending an average of over $450 per calendar year. The cost of bottled water is often higher when traveling. When I travel I save a tremendous amount of money because I very rarely purchase bottled water. I use a Steripen. SteriPEN is a growing Maine (where I am from) based company that provides a compact, fast and safe water sterilization solution. I purchased my first SteriPEN for $20 from Craigslist summer of 2011 and it has been invaluable to me in my travels.
In many countries it is not safe for foreigners to drink the tap water because the bacteria in the water multiplies in your body after you ingest the tap water and causes you to be ill. The SteriPEN prevents this by using ultraviolet light to sterilize the water so that the bacteria are unable to multiply thus making the tap water safe to drink. You can use the SteriPEN Freedom for 45 seconds to sterilize up to half a liter of water. Using SteriPEN is a great way to be kind to the environment by wasting far less plastic from all the water bottles you would otherwise consume. I always bring a Camelbak water bottle with me because I like the no-spill one handed use as well as how durable they are. The SteriPEN Freedom charges via USB, the battery life is excellent and it includes an optional wall outlet adaptor. The other pretty cool thing about the SteriPEN Freedom is that if you shake it, the handle transforms into a pretty bright flashlight!
I highly recommend the SteriPEN Freedom as a way to save money on water and lessen your environmental footprint.