Terms of use & disclaimers

Short version: DrinkIY is a cost calculator, not an advisor. Our numbers help you compare what drinks cost to buy versus make at home. Anything you brew, mix, ferment, or buy based on this site is your own decision and your own responsibility — here's exactly what that means.

Educational use only

Everything on DrinkIY — calculators, recipes, guides, reviews, and comparisons — is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. Nothing on this site is medical, nutritional, legal, financial, or food-safety advice, and nothing here creates any professional relationship between you and DrinkIY. Savings figures are estimates built from typical prices and your own inputs; the "if invested" projection is an illustration, not investment advice. Always verify current prices, labels, and laws yourself, and consult a qualified professional where your health, money, or legal obligations are involved.

Health & medical

Health & medical disclaimer. DrinkIY is a cost-comparison and educational tool, not a source of medical, nutritional, or health advice, and nothing on this site creates a doctor–patient relationship. Electrolyte needs vary widely from person to person. Consuming too much sodium, potassium, or magnesium can be dangerous — particularly for people with kidney disease, heart conditions, high blood pressure, or diabetes, people taking medications such as ACE inhibitors, ARBs, or potassium-sparing diuretics, and people who are pregnant or nursing. Consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any recipe or product shown here, and before making any significant change to your electrolyte or fluid intake. For dehydration caused by illness, use a commercially prepared oral rehydration solution and seek medical care — do not rely on a homemade mix. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration; nothing here is intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Allergens & dietary needs

Our default recipes and cost estimates reference common ingredients — dairy milk, flavor syrups, teas, grains, sugars, and mineral salts — and any of them can contain or come into contact with allergens such as milk, soy, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and gluten. Product formulations change without notice. Always read the current label of every product you buy, and substitute ingredients to fit your own allergies, intolerances, and dietary needs. DrinkIY cannot know what you're allergic to and makes no claim that any recipe or linked product is safe for you.

Food safety, fermentation & DIY mixing

Several drinks on this site involve real food-safety technique, and following it is entirely your responsibility:

• Fermented drinks (kombucha, beer). Fermentation cultivates live cultures. Sanitize all equipment, follow a trusted recipe, and discard — never taste — any batch showing mold, unusual colors, or off smells. Kombucha naturally contains trace alcohol and live bacteria; people who are pregnant, nursing, or immunocompromised should consult a doctor before drinking it.
• Measured mineral mixes (electrolytes). A mismeasured DIY mix can deliver a very different dose than intended. Use an accurate gram scale (not kitchen spoons) for salts, never substitute one salt for another (e.g. potassium chloride is not table salt), keep bulk salts labeled and away from children, and stay within the dose ranges on your ingredient labels.
• Unheated drinks (cold brew). Cold brew never gets a heat step — use clean equipment, refrigerate the concentrate, and consume it within about a week.
• Pressurized equipment (soda makers, bottle conditioning, espresso machines). Carbonate only water, only in bottles rated for pressure. Over-primed homebrew bottles can burst. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for every machine and CO₂ cylinder, and keep hot and pressurized parts away from children.

Alcohol

Homebrewing content is intended for adults of legal drinking age (21+ in the US). Homebrewing beer for personal use is legal under US federal law, but state and local limits vary — you are responsible for knowing and following the law where you live, and for never selling homemade alcohol without the required licenses. Drink responsibly.

Accuracy, estimates & "as is"

Prices, product details, and nutrition figures shown were collected from public retail listings and product labels at the time of writing, and they change constantly. Savings results depend entirely on the numbers you enter. All content is provided "as is" and "as available," without warranty of any kind, express or implied — including accuracy, completeness, merchantability, and fitness for a particular purpose.

Assumption of risk & limitation of liability

By using this site you agree that you use its calculators, recipes, guides, and links at your own risk. To the fullest extent permitted by law, DrinkIY and its operators will not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, or special damages arising from your use of (or inability to use) this site or anything you make, buy, or consume in reliance on it — including illness, allergic reaction, injury, property damage, or financial loss. If your jurisdiction does not allow certain liability limits, those limits apply to the greatest extent it permits.

Affiliate links

As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Product links on this site are affiliate links; they never change the price you pay. Linked products are sold by third parties — their listings, pricing, and safety information are theirs, not ours. The full story is on How we make money.

Trademarks

Brand names mentioned on this site (Breville, De'Longhi, Nespresso, LMNT, Liquid I.V., Nuun, DripDrop, SodaStream, and others) are trademarks of their respective owners. DrinkIY is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by any of them; references are for identification and comparison only.

Changes to these terms

We may update this page as the site grows. The version published here is the one in effect; continuing to use the site after a change means you accept the updated terms.