5-min shower challenge

[getforfree]

I want to challenge myself and limit everybody's shower time in my family. I curently use 10-15 min when take shower, and about 10 min of running water for both of the kids.

I don't take shower every day, so, if I skip 1 day, the next day I have 10 min accumulated, and so on. Or, if you take 3 min instead of 5, you have 2 extra min. For evey 10 extra minutes accumulated, I will pay myself $1 towards extra on my mortgage. Lets see, if I can come up $20 this month just for me and kids. I am not sure if Dh wants to count the minutes.

[gavinmccallister]

What I did one time, when you shower close the drain and shower when you get done showering you will notice that you still don't have a full tub so I think showering saves water still especially if you have a miser shower head installed.

[rusty@saving]

i can usually take less than a 5 minute shower, unless i need to shave, then it takes me an extra 5 minutes. it is much easier on the face with all the steam.

[poundwise]

Originally Posted by gavinmccallister

What I did one time, when you shower close the drain and shower when you get done showering you will notice that you still don't have a full tub so I think showering saves water still especially if you have a miser shower head installed.

No doubt. Bathing in a tub utilizes much more water than a shower. This fact is only magnified if you take short showers.

[Ima saver]

I weigh 800 pounds, it takes a long time to get all of me wet!!

[Ima saver]

[LuxLiving]

Count me in! I put a plastic bucket in my shower so I can use the greywater to water my outside plants. Excessive heat here is a scorcher on those around my concrete patio!

-LuxLivingFrugalis

[Ima saver]

Well I am only kidding, I don't weigh 800!! I thought someone would give me some dieting advice! I do diet, but I am under 150!! So I can shower in under 10 minutes!

[Kris10Leigh]

Julie, Heavens! LOL! I was sitting here thinking how to respond to that! My goodness. All kinds of thoughts about how to encourage you while not offending you. Hmmmmmmm. I am overweight and struggle with it quite a bit, nothing like that though! I love message boards because I am free to be me without the weight blemish. I'm a bit insecure.

[Ima saver]

I was just trying to me funny, but I guess that is really not a funny subject. I think we would all like to be thinner, I would!! Maybe we should start a dieting thread and encourage each other!!

[PrincessPerky]

I think my showers average 30 minutes..but in my defense I get two other kids washed while in...

I have actually been working on shortenting them this week too...dunno if I will get down to 5 minutes (less I skip shaving the legs and washing my hair, then I can easily be done in 5) but I do hope to get the three of us done in 15 -20.

[Kris10Leigh]

Julie, I didn't think a thing about it! Seriously, it made me laugh when I scrolled down and read further. As far as a diet thread, not for me. I have a disorder called "Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome" which messes with my insulin. It makes it very hard to take weight off...seriously. For one and half years now I work out at the gym faithfully lifting weights...cardio...swimming. Last year I swam 2 miles in just under two hours! I was rather proud of myself. My best friend goes with me and she has lost 50 lbs. Me? I've gained 2. I'm learning to be happy with myself.

[Ima saver]

That is the best thing you can do, learn to be happy with yourself!!

[getforfree]

What i did, before even turning the shower water on, I would get a big cup of warm water from the sink, get in the tub, wet my legs, and then shave it. Then I would turn the water on, and the shower doesn't take more than 5 min that way.

I usually wash my hair first, don't rinse yet, soap the rest of my body, then rinse, then put hairconditioner in my hair, and soap my fase, then rinse again. When I am rinsing the last time, I turn the hot water off like 10 seconds before I will shut off the rest of the water, and the water doesn't get cold for a few more seconds, so I get like a cup of hot water for free.

[getforfree]

ANd I forgot. For the last 6 days I took shower only 2 times, for 15 min total. Washed the kids 2 times, ran water for them for 20 min total. So I used 35 minutes out of 90 allowed. I don't even know how many times and how lond dh took showers.

[PrincessPerky]

I don't know how long the showers took today, but I rearanged the order of starting and managed to only have the water run for a few seconds where I wasn't washing anyone (of the 4 of us)

I know you are thinking that is obvious, but I think showers clean better than baths, and DD can't sit in a bath with shampoo or soap in it (bad for girl parts) and UE can't be wondering around he has to be in the tub (9month old baby) and at some point the bathroom has to get bleached, and I have to fix hair shortly after the two older ones get out (curly, style when wet), and showers are not just about getting clean they are also body parts lessons (ankle, toes, ect) water physics (floats or sinks?) and fun time.....today I did it with about as little water as I think will ever occur

you really don't need all the details, but for non parents just know it isn't as easy as you think!

[getforfree]

I used 65 min out of 200 allowed, so I will be sending extra $14 with my house payment which is due on the 1st. + the other $22 profit I made on ebay for this month.

[Great to be Debt Free]

I was supposed to take a shower at the gym today, but didn't make it b/c my friend called to tell me she was in an accident (everyone's ok). But I missed my aerobics and so I had to shower at home to get to the bank, etc. Oh well, maybe tomorrow after Cardio Beat!

[b4freedom]

How much money do you think you actually save per month by taking a 5 minutes shower vs a 15 minute shower?

[getforfree]

The cold water alone for 10 min shower, about 20 gallons, costs you 3c. And I think it costs another 20c for the heating of water, depends of your water heater. So, for every 10 min, it's like 13c extra.

If you are using clean towel after every shower, assuming that you can fit 20 towels in your washing machine. For the load it costs, 3c water +15c if you add hot water, +8c for detergent and softener+3c for electricity =29c, or 1.5c to clean one towel, but it depends on a size of your towel too. Plus, if you dry it in the dryer, add another 1.5c-2c.

So if you cut back on your shower time, and save 13c/day x30 =$3.90/month, and another 30c for always using your towel twice, before washing it ot if you take shower every other day. The less you use, the more you can save.