money_jar1Where to “find” money around the house – realistic ways.  PROVEN WAYS!

Installment 2

Water

The next place that I “found” money around the house was in the water bill.  We ran the dishwasher 7 days a week. It’s not a fancy “done in 8 minutes” one either.  It’s probably just like the one you have – noisy and takes about 45 minutes and still doesn’t get all of the dishes clean! 

So I did an experiment. I did the dishes by hand for a month.  Guess what happened? Our water bill dropped by $9.41!!  Then, I shortened our showers. Another $3 off the bill.  Just by not taking 20 minute showers. 

Last summer our water bill was easily $240 for 2 months out of the summer.  Why?  FORBID that we have brown grass!  OH NO!  NOT THE GRASS!  SPARE THE GRASS!  So, we watered.  Sometimes, we even watered overnight because we forgot to turn off the water.  So, this summer, we’re going to make a rain barrel and hoard water all summer long.  We’ll use this water to get the grass green and we’ll use this water to water the plants and keep them alive. I’ll keep you updated on the progress of that. 

But so far, we’re saving on average $150 per year (not including the summer overages) on water just by not running the dishwasher and not taking extreme showers.

How do you cut down on the shower time?  If you shave your legs… Put the plug in the tub and after you’re done with your shower, sit in that water (I know – sounds icky but you rinse off after you’re done) and shave your legs. Rinse off. You’ll save a TON of water by doing this. Don’t fill your tub up first and then rinse off and bathe.  This will be counterproductive.  The key is to get your cleansing done first and then shave. Then just quick rinse off at the end. J

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