Shopping/Money Saving Tips
7 Easy Ways to Save Money on Your Water Bill
We are all looking for ways to save money on household expenses, groceries, and other essentials.
In my experience, we could all save more water during daily rituals by making a few simple tweaks. My suggestions include 7 ideas that go beyond the usual advice of only running your dishwasher and washing machines when they are full or making sure you fix leaking taps promptly.
If you are looking for money-saving solutions, try these 7 easy ways to save money on your water bill that you may not have considered.
Measure Then Boil
I got this idea from watching my late husband make hot drinks. Instead of filling the kettle with water before boiling, he would measure out the amount of water he needed into the mug he was using and pour that into the kettle.
Many people believe that it’s unhealthy to reboil water. If you find yourself emptying remaining water in your kettle after boiling, try this instead.
It will not only save water, but has the added advantage of taking less time to boil, so you get your cup of tea faster and save on electricity, too!
Collect Rainwater Without Needing a Rain Barrel
You can collect rainwater by leaving one or more containers out during a rainstorm. I live in a walk-out apartment with a patio. Several of the small containers on my patio, like the two mason jar vases pictured, tend to collect water during a storm.
Instead of just dumping the water out onto the garden that’s already thoroughly saturated, I transfer the collected water into a large watering can. Then, the next time my area experiences a dry spell, I can water my hanging baskets and potted plants without turning on a tap.
Let the Rain Clean Your Outdoor Chairs
Take advantage of the rain to help you keep your plastic chairs and other outdoor furniture grime-free. After it rains, all you have to do is go out with an old towel and wipe everything down.
If you find you need to use the garden hose after all, take the chairs onto the lawn, so the grass can have the benefit of the water, too.
Avoid Rinsing Your Dishes
When you rinse your dishes before putting them in the dishwasher, you’re wasting water.
Naturally, some things, such as egg stuck to a bowl after making scrambled eggs or mashed potatoes stuck to a pot, will need to be soaked and scraped before putting them in the dishwasher. But such things are the exception.
According to the experts, it really is better not to rinse your plates and cups before putting them in the dishwasher. Your detergent needs the food particles stuck to your dishes to grab onto, in order to do its job properly.
So, resist the urge to rinse your dishes before loading the dishwasher and shave a bit off your water bill. Just scrape any leftover food into the compost container and load your plates and cups into the dishwasher. Then let your machine and dishwasher detergent do the jobs they were designed to do.
Shower Less Often
Unless you work in construction or are engaged in some other physically taxing job or activity, do you really need to shower every day? I find that, under normal circumstances, showering every other day is sufficient to keep me socially acceptable. Experts even say that showering two or three times a week can be enough, depending on your lifestyle.
I think it’s worth considering, because this is definitely one area where we use a lot of water.
Another idea is to keep a bucket in the shower to collect water as you wash and use the collected water to flush the toilet once.
Use the Water Collected by the Dehumidifier
If you use a dehumidifier, you can use the water collected in it to flush the toilet one time.
You can also use the water collected in a dehumidifier to keep your outdoor plants watered during the summer.
Do Less Laundry
Certainly, if you have young children, you’re going to be doing a lot of laundry. But you can cut down on the amount of laundry you do for the adults in your home by not changing your clothes every day. After all, was that shirt you just tossed in the hamper even dirty? Maybe you could have gotten another day’s wear from it. Sometimes, if one of my shirts still smells fresh, but I want something different to wear, I’ll hang the first one back in the closet to wear again another day.
Many of us now work from home, so why do we need a fresh set of clothes every single day of the week? Personally, I tend to wear the same pair of pants all week and just swap out my tops every other day or so.
Stop Hosing Down the Driveway
If you own a home, I get that you’re concerned about curb appeal. However, if using a push broom to clear debris from the driveway isn’t enough, you could wait until it rains and then go out afterward with a broom.
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Some of these things may not seem worth your while to do but, over the course of a year, when practiced consistently, could add up to significant savings. Every little thing we do to conserve water helps, not only the environment, but also to lower the household water bill.
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