After the Katrina water rush here in Mississippi, I quit fooling around with soda bottles and bought 10 Aqua-Tainers at Walmart. It's a full month's supply of water for me, my wife, and our dog, and they are easy to store, durable, and the best-reviewed affordable container ($7.97 each).

And it's DONE, in one afternoon. No more asking people for empty bottles, washing, trying to store them in a reasonable amount of space, etc.