Practicing a frugal life can mean paying attention to the little details of your daily routine and finding ways to economize until those ways become automatic habits. Use the example of taking a shower, for instance. There are many ways you can save money if you approach the task with a frugal mindset. Here are some ideas you can use.
Shorter Showers. We all know that shorter showers save water and therefore money, but do you realize how much it can actually save? Water is by far the biggest expense of taking a shower. Not only do you have the cost of the water (or the cost of the electricity to run the water pump if you have a well), but you also have the heating cost of that water. Just reducing your shower time to 20 minutes from 30 minutes will save you 33 percent! and be sure to install a low-flow valve or low-flow shower head. That can save you lots of money on water costs right there.
One important strategy with to help you take a shorter shower is by using a timer or an inexpensive clock. Don’t go all out and get a fancy shower clock radio “thingy.” I used to use an old plastic clock that I got at the dollar store, until the shorter shower became a habit.
Water Heating. The hotter your water, the more you are spending, so consider a cooler shower in the hot summer days. But, here is a little trick that will help you save on water heating costs without noticing a difference in your shower temperature. Instead of turning the hot water all of the way up and then turning the cold water up to get the right temperature, turn the hot water down when it is too hot. Most of us simply turn up the cold.
Mary Ann Romans also writes for the Computing Blog here at Families.com where she shares everything from the latest news on technology to cool downloads and fun websites.
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