Money saving we do in our house!?!?

[scrava]

we wait to flush! My dh thinks I am crazy. But, it helps. I used to have a septic tank and you had to be so careful. Now we have city sewer but I still do it to conserve water and our $. Sheets 1x a week and I use towles 2x. DH... I think he goes about a week. I would change both daily if I had a maid to do the changing and laundry, LOL.

[getforfree]

I would change my sheets more often and change towels more often too, if the cost of doing laundry (hot water, detergent, electricity) was free.

[Great to be Debt Free]

Lights out throughout the house, but I don't use candles after finding in our last house that they "stained" the walls and cabinet doors. I had to really work to cover them and repaint. Had to do 2 coats of Kilz after sanding because the stains seep back thru.

Everything unplugged, low energy bulbs in lights, water heater at lowest setting (gas -- can't turn it off), and my new way to save that I decided to do after reading this vine (is this a vine or a thread..??), I will shower at the gym and save on water consumptio at the house. WIth just me living here most days (DH working out of town right now) I will really be able to see the difference! Thanks for the ideas!

[Ima saver]

Thread, I think. When I first came to this site, I thought it was a bunch of kids, you know , third grader, high school junior. Boy, I thought what a bunch of smart kids![Automated by GetSmile]

[Great to be Debt Free]

I admit, I did too. I thought, wow, a third grader who is so conscious about turning lights out; this is fantastic! Kept reading and knew there was more to it! LOL

[JulieAnne77]

Hey that is a great idea. I see $$$ everytime I wait for the water to get hot. I will start keeping my water can near the sink to catch the "wait" water!!! thanks

[m.f.walters]

A month or so I started saving the cold water that runs while waiting for hot water in the kitchen sink. I keep two pitchers handy, then leave them on the counter by our coffee maker. Every morning my husband uses it to make coffee, and my daughter uses it for drinking. I also use it to fill up the dog's water dish or to soak my oatmeal dish in the morning. that's just a start to the uses and I think how long I just let that go right down the drain!

[ThisTime]

Wow, I never even thought of half this stuff! I didn't realize it could make such a difference. I wish I could get my husband to adopt the toilet flushing thing, but he would rather die. We are really good about turing off lights and stuff but here are the things I need to (and am going to) work on.

#1- When I do the dishes, do not keep the water on the whole time, and when it is on, NOT turing it on full blast. (I am horrible at both of these)

#2- Not turning the water so hot in the shower. This will save tremendously on the gas bill I think (and my husband from getting cold showers). I don't know if I can cut this cold turkey, so more realisticly I'll say that I will keep the temp down for the whole time, except the last 30 seconds so at least I get a spurt of hotness.

I know it's not a lot, but hey, at least I'm trying?

[crow67]

We have started changing out the bulbs for the more effcient types (hubby thought we had shorts in the lights since the just don't pop on) sheets I try to wash about 1x a month (we sleep on a water bed and instead of sheet's we use comforters, harder to wash) towels, 1x a week, when I do the rest of the laundry (only have one day for laundry unless emergency or hubby needs work clothes washed, he's outside all the time and sometimes get really wet.)

Also started turning the dishwasher off before it hits the dry cycle and open the door (helps humdify the house) and shaking out clothes before putting them in the dryer. Also have cut all the dryer sheets in half (read that somewhere's too) and just keep using them until the disappear.

When I'm the only one home all day, I usually don't flush until I have too...and I don't run the water while I'm brushing my teeth...Also started unplugging things that aren't in use (radio's, hair dryer, toaster) hope to see a difference in the elec. bill this month And heat stays on 70 year round (we pre-pay for propane in the summer) that way we don't have to worry about paying more in the winter.

And something else I've started...all the reply envelopes I get in the junk mail, I've started to keep them to use as scrap paper to write my lists and things on.

I'm sure there are a few other things we do, but they don't come to mind right now.