When our rent bill came last month, I was startled to see that it was over a hundred dollars more than we usually pay. I read down the itemized list to see what on earth had happened, and saw that the water portion of the bill was through the roof. We had been watering the lawn, but my husband had been overseeing that particular chore, and I didn’t know how much he’d been using. When he came home that night, he explained he’d been doing quite a lot of watering, but after seeing the bill, he said he would cut back. This month, our bill was much more reasonable.
It’s easy to spend money without realizing it. We don’t often stop to contemplate the cost of something like water. The price seems pretty minimal when you consider how much we use, between showering, laundry, dishes, and drinking. But when one of those things is done to excess, it can really add up.
Some ideas:
1. Water your lawn in the cool of the evening or at night. If you water during the day, it’s just evaporating, and that’s a waste. In addition, pay attention to how long you water. It’s easy to forget the sprinkler’s on and to let it run longer than necessary.
2. Put a rock in your toilet tank. This fools the toilet into using less water.
3. We should all know this one by heart … but turn off the water while brushing your teeth.
4. A quick shower uses less water than a bath.
5. If you’re going dishwasher shopping, ask the salesman to help you find one that conserves water. A good dishwasher will use less water than hand washing the same dishes.
6. Keep in mind that as fall is coming on, it’s not necessary to water as much, even if the weather is still warm.
Water conservation is just one way to save a little cash. It may not be truckloads of money, more like a drip in the bucket, (ha ha), but when you’re operating on a budget, every little bit helps.
Related Blogs:
Cutting Water Costs without Cutting Hygiene