Bottled water is not always a luxury, and not always overpriced. We live in an old city on an old street in an old house - what does that mean? There are lead or lead-lined pipes involved in our water supply, and as we do like functional brains, we use bottled water for drinking and cooking. And no, we never pay $3 a bottle. The bottle I have beside me right now cost me about 14 cents, and I will recycle the bottle itself when I am done with it.