As things get tougher and money becomes scarcer we all have to start thinking outside the box. We have been so spoiled, for so long, that we take the most basic things for granted. When I was four years old we moved to Bolivia, in the middle of South America. I spent 30 very happy years there but learned many things that I know I would not have learned here. Why? Bolivia is a third world country, one of the poorest in Latin America in fact, and common U.S. commodities were often times not available.
Take water for example. Yes, yes we had water. But we had to be smart about our water because there were times when the utilities department had to work on the system and we would be cut off everyday after 8:00 A.M. No water for us until 6:00 P.M. for months. Believe me, when this happens you learn to manage your water consumption. Another example was when ever a new neighborhood was being built. Many times city water was not available for years. Being that there were no natural wells in the city, one had to resort to huge water tanks that would be filled up by the water truck.
But let's not go so far away. In the late 70's I was going to school on the San Francisco peninsula and we were going through a drought. As fate may have it, I live in Southern California today and, yes, we are going through a drought again. At any rate, all the things I had learned from living in Bolivia came in very handy at that time and are very handy now. So, there are two reasons to start being more frugal with our water. One, we need to be careful or else we might run out of it (don't they say water will be the main cause of future wars - think about your children and grandchildren) and two, we need to cut back on our expenses as there seems to be a drought in our bank accounts as well!
So here are a few humble suggestions I have in order to lower your monthly water bill and help the planet as well - two very noble causes!
1. When you are brushing your teeth, don't stand there, in front of the mirror, checking yourself out sideways sucking in your gut or looking at your wrinkles or admiring your pecks all while the faucet is running! Do you have any idea how much water you are wasting! For crying out loud turn the faucet off! There is no need to brush, brush, and brush while the water is running! What's more, how about filling up a glass with water and using that for rinsing? Now there's a novel idea! You need more than one full glass to rinse? No problem. Fill it again. You are still going to save gallons and gallons of wasted water.
2. Now let us move into the shower. My grandfather, a beautiful man whom I miss a lot, was a retired army Colonel. When we were going through the 70's drought he taught me to do the following: I get in the shower and wet my body. I turn off the water and apply shampoo and soap. I turn the water back on and rinse. I turn the water off and apply conditioner and shave my legs and other body parts that might need some attention. I turn the water back on, do a final rinse, and get out. No lingering under the soothing, cascading water. Believe me, I love doing that to but it is time to make small sacrifices and this is one of them as far as I am concerned.
3. OK, moving on to the toilet. A couple of things about this. First, if you have an old toilet you are using way too much water my friend. Consider changing it for a newer more efficient version. It will look better but, more importantly, you will save a lot of water. Secondly, if you are one of those very considerate people accustomed to the 'courtesy' flush STOP! Buy a candle and stop being so wasteful!
4. So, now let's move into the kitchen. If you are going to run the dishwasher please make sure that it is fully loaded before you run it. Better yet, if you only use a few dishes at a time wash them by hand. But don't run the water while you are soaping and while you are rinsing! If you have a double sink plug one side and fill it up with really hot water and detergent. Start by scraping the left over food into the garbage. Wash the glasses first (they should have no grease), followed by the silverware, followed by the dishes and finishing up with the pots and pans. Change the water if needed but you get the picture, start with the greaseless items first and finish with the dirtiest ones. Fill the other sink with hot water and put your soapy dishes in it. You will probably have to change that water as well but you will end up using a lot less than you would by running a half full dishwasher. If you do not have a double sink get yourself a large plastic tub and wash the dishes in that. Rinse in the sink.
5. OK, two more areas left. The laundry room! Ah, the laundry room. A place of so much joy and satisfaction! Here's the deal, do your laundry once a week - unless, that is, you are an 'octomom' with six other chickadees. That way you will make sure you have full loads in your washer. If you have an older washer you might want to consider upgrading to a newer one. They are much better when it comes to the amounts of water they use. Just make sure you are not running the washer with only a few items in it. Way too much waste! Another thing to consider here is educating your children on the proper dirty clothes etiquette. Let me tell you, if your children are like mine, you will end up with clean clothes that went from the hanger to their body to the floor back to the laundry room. Why do kids do that? And let's not even get into the towel discussion, I don't know about your children but mine are completely towel challenged! There is no way for me to get them to hang their towel after they shower. It is always left somewhere, rolled up in a wet ball, rendering it unusable, sending me into a tirade that makes Cruela de Ville appear a gentle creature. Ugh!
6. Finally, lets talk about the outdoors! If you have a beautiful garden which you irrigate on a daily basis and a beautiful car that you have to wash all the time you might want to weigh your priorities - a green, green garden and a spotless car or a future with water for your children and grandchildren. Maybe you could consider watering the garden every other day and washing your car once a month.
In conclusion, just a little sacrificing can go a long, long way! Let's all do our part to save some money and to help out the earth!
Don't even think of clicking here, it may save you way too much money!
The Frugal Chef
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