Common Sense Frugality: Stop Wasting Water

If you've never watched the documentary Tapped, do yourself a favor and check it out.  I streamed it free on Netflix.  After watching it I feel stupid having ever purchased a bottle of water.  Really, with a little planning is there ever a need to buy this stuff within the confines of the US of A?  The water that comes out of your tap is  just as good, if not better.  In fact, often all you're getting from bottled water is what comes from the tap: Dasani is 100% tap water.  That $.99 you pay at the gas station is for the convenience of having it served cold in a plastic bottle.

Once you've stopped paying for other people's water, it's time to look at ways to reduce your water bill.  Here are a few things you can try.  Remember, at home you are most likely paying two bills when you turn on the tap:  water AND sewer.

• I wash my car when it rains.  This is how Warren Buffett washed his car when he was younger.  Zero water used, plus it's faster than rinsing it myself.  
• I skip a shower from time to time during colder months.  If I haven't exerted myself, I'm not dirty, and a hot shower dries your skin out.  
• To cut down on laundry I wear clothes more than once before I wash them.  This works particularly well for pants; not so well for t-shirts and underwear.  Most of our clothes are air-dried, as the clothes dryer is one of the most expensive appliances in the house, energy-wise.

Once upon a time I would have thought it was penny-wise but pound foolish to focus on saving money by saving water.  But in my home, our water bill is the most expensive utility bill we pay.