Ways to Lower Your Water Bill

Water bills are outrageous, aren’t they? They come every three months and really sock it to you. In today’s economy, we all need some ways to cut our expenses, and the water bill is one area where it’s easy to get a handle on things. Cutting back here and there can save you tons, and isn’t hard to do. You don’t have to sacrifice that much to get some really big savings. Here are a few ways to lower your water bill.

Cut a Minute or Two Off Your Shower
I’m not talking about cutting your shower in half, but how about a minute or two? Those minutes add up big, especially when you are talking about every member of the family and over the course of a year. Many people use the shower to help wake themselves up. But instead of that, go outside and smell the fresh air, jump up and down, grab some coffee. All of those things are cheaper than letting your shower pour over you for an extra ten minutes.

Also, take a shower rather than a bath. You’ll use less water.

Turn Off the Faucet While You Brush Your Teeth
Sometimes just being aware of when you are using water can make all the difference. Letting the faucet run was a big one for me. I used to let it run in case I needed to rinse my toothbrush off. But the reality was that it just ran and ran, costing us money. Turn it off and when you need to rinse, turn it back on. Simple.

Run the Dishwater When It’s Full
This is one I did more when I was single because I didn’t use that many dishes at once. What I should have been doing was just hand washing my small amount of dishes, and waiting until I had a big load in order to run the dishwasher. Now, I wait until the dishwasher is really full, and then run it on the energy-saving option.

Use the Proper Amount of Water in Your Wash
We had someone living with us that loved to fill up the clothes washer to the brim, even if she was washing a few panties. You can save on both laundry detergent and water if you simply pay attention to the water levels. If you’ve got a small load, use a smaller setting. If you don’t have the option for a smaller setting, try putting some more clothes in so you don’t waste the water.

We’ve been able to save $30 off of every water bill (which equals $120 a year) just by doing these small things.