Seven Ways to Save Money By Saving Water

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With some regions experiencing drought crises – e.g., California – the importance of conserving water comes to mind. Even if you live in an area with plentiful rainfall, saving water can help reduce your water bill:

Shorter Showers

Showers are one of the biggest sources of water usage for many families, especially if everyone is showering every day (sometimes multiple times per day) for extended periods of time. When it comes time to crack down on water usage, limit family members to showers no more than five minutes and preferably no more than five or six showers per week. Girls who need more time to wash their hair could be exempt from this rule, but otherwise, it’s important to make sure everyone is onboard with the water conservation efforts. If you have a gym membership, you might also want to shower there instead in order to reduce your water usage at home (though be sure to wear flip flops because gym showers aren’t known for their pristine cleanliness).

Brushing Your Teeth

Some of us feel pretty absent-minded when we brush our teeth and may accidentally leave the water running while brushing. To minimize water wastage, leave the water off until the very end, when you’re ready to rinse, then turn it off immediately after. It may not seem like much, but when it comes to lowering your water bills, every drop counts.

Shaving Time

When it comes to saving water during a shaving session, the first trick is to never leave water running while you’re doing it. Either turn off the shower or better yet, fill your sink with some warm water and rinse the razor in there after each shave.

Lawn and Plant Care

One of the biggest complaints cities have about their residents’ water usage is excessive lawn watering. To achieve a lush, green lawn requires several gallons of water each week, but the necessity of a nice lawn is slight compared to conserving water for the local agriculture industry or for households’ drinking water supply. To avoid large water bills (and even penalties for excessive water usage, depending on where you live), either reduce the number of days you water your lawn and plants or replace them with more drought-resistant plants that can handle forgoing water for long periods of time.

Simplify Car Washes

Car washes are huge water wasters, especially during summer. Gallons upon gallons of water gush out of your hose every minute and like the lawns we discussed above, it’s not much of a necessity compared to other water needs around the home. To lower your water bill without your car losing its beauty, focus more on touch-ups rather than full washes. For even greater savings, you can find coupons for window cleaning fluid, car wax, sponges, squeegees, and more from SumoCoupon or stop by Target or Walmart for cheap car wash supplies.

Hand Wash Dishes

Hand washing dishes is arguably the best way to get the job done in the most water-conserving, environmentally-friendly manner. Your other options are to run the dishwasher (uses more water) or use disposable dinnerware (bad for the environment).

Toilet Flushing

This is one of the more extreme ways to save money on water: don’t flush the toilet when there’s only urine in it. While this sounds gross, keep in mind that each flush consumes 6-7 gallons so after a while, it could really add up!