Soda Stream Vs. Coca-Cola

I have a confession.  I LOVE to drink soda!!!  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it.  When an ad from Wal-Mart advertised The Soda Stream, I was intrigued.

My next thought was "Is this worth it?"  And by "worth it", I meant a few different things.  One, is it worth it financially?  Two, does it taste like the soda I love?  Three, is it worth the health benefits?  Four, is it worth it environmentally?  Five, is it more convenient?  

For the sake of keeping this post until 1,000,000 words, I will focus on the financial aspect of this.  

While I'm wondering if this is worth it, I decide that my students could benefit from my inner dialog.  

How many sodas do I need to consume for The Soda Stream to be "worth it" financially?

Act 1:  As I greet each student into my classroom, I am holding my favorite can of soda (Diet Coke) in my hand and take a sip every now and then.  I never do this, so the students know something is up.  I begin class by confessing my love of soda, and a few students chime in.  They are more than happy to share their opinions with me.  

Next, I hold up the ad from Wal-Mart.  Students again are alive an animated.  A few students' eyes light up and state they have have the machine and like it.  I don't have this machine so I let them speak.  I ask for their advice, should I buy this machine?  Then, they turn the table on me?  They want to know some things about my soda-drinking habits.

How much soda do you drink?

How much do you pay for soda?

Where do you buy your soda?

It's like they're reading my mind.....

Act 2:  I hand out this paper to all of my students.  

Little Joey:  "Did you really walking around Wal-Mart taking pictures?"
Me:  "Of course!"
Little Joey:  "Well, you probably weren't the strangest person there."


I ask students what they think.  As a class we decide that if I can get my money's worth in a few months, then I should buy The Soda Stream.  If it takes, say 7 years to get my money's worth, then I should forget about it.

I give the students all the time they need to figure this out.  I let them make guesses, and educated guesses.  They write their answers on the board.


Act 3:  Here is a link to my PowerPoint.


After we finished all three acts, I showed the students this commercial and we discussed what else should be taken into consideration when buying The Soda Stream besides financial as mentioned above.


My decision:  I will not be purchasing the soda stream.
Reason Number 1:  I have a very tiny kitchen and if I bring one more appliance into it, it just might explode.
Reason Number 2:  Convenience is a huge deal to me.  I don't feel that opening a can is that burdensome.  I don't go to the grocery store specifically for soda, therefore I'm not making a special trip just to purchase it.  It's not that heavy to carry in (especially for me, since my husband is such a gentleman to carry it in for me).  However, making the soda in The Soda Stream might be a burden to me (lazy, I know).