I saw a staggering waste of packaging and money yesterday at Meijer, although this product might well be available elsewhere.

It was timely, because driving around the other day we heard a radio ad promoting peanut butter in small “dipping-size” cups for children. My 14-year-old son promptly pronounced the product a waste of money, speculating it cost $5 for four small cups, when for the same price you could buy a whole jar and scoop it into little cups yourself.

Understand too that I hate, hate, hate buying bottled water when perfectly good stuff comes out of my home faucets, and refuse to do so.

So I was stunned when I was padding down a pet supply aisle on the way to rabbit food and saw a dog product called Pup Cups. It was four small cups of water, packaged much like single-serving applesauce or jello for people, and it even had instructions, in case you couldn’t figure out for yourself that you were to peel off the top and place the cup on the ground so your beast could lap up this fabulously purified water. The package sold for $3.99.

Our solution always has been to carry a bowl and a people-sized water bottle, and we didn’t feel terribly burdened. I just can’t fathom paying $1 each for little water packets, and the requisite waste they generate.

This post originally appeared on ourMidland.com, the online home of the Midland (MI) Daily News. Republished with permission.