Hi, New to the forums but am I happy to see them up and running!!!

 How I save water:  I use 2 tubs for dishes.  I always save the rinse water for flushing commode!  Why waste perfectly clean water to flush waste?

I save drinking water for watering plants.

I've used washer rinse cycle water to flush commode too. 

When "hot" water is run to heat up, I save the initial bit for watering the dogs or run it into the britta pitcher to filter. 

Turn water off while brushing teeth, lathering hands...etc.

Can't see running money down the drain...Still trying to get dh to see things my way!

Nice to meet you all!

Lorrie

 

In our family it is a contest to see who can save the most water. Each time our water bill goes down the difference is split evenly. So if one bill was $150 and the next one was $130 we all get an extra $5 spending money. To get more spending money the next bill has to be below $130. If it is say $140 we get nothing. It works for us and the kids are really keen to figure out new ways of saving water.

Heres what we do.

1.Don't water the lawn or yard at all. If a plant dies well it wasn't suited to the environment in the first place. Research plants that are indigenous to your area.

2. Leave the catcher off the lawn mower. The mown grass acts as a mulch. Its also a lot quicker as well.

3. Bathe every second day. Unless you get very dirty from work or sport there is no need to bathe every day.

4.Turn off the tap to the toilet. Ours is off all the time. We turn it on whenever we have to flush. Yes we live be the motto "If its yellow let it mellow..etc"

5. Wash your car in the rain. Its heaps of fun as well.

6. Instead of filling up a pool in summer buy good quality water pistols to use in the back yard or the park.

 

Yesterday DH got the water bill and it had lowered nearly 30 dollars. He asked how that had happened. I figured it out this morning. I've been monitoring the dish washing when my children do it. They have done it MY way and this is the result!! WOOOWHOOOOO!!! I think DH is finally getting on the same page as me! Life is good!! Lorrie

I lowered my bill at least 25-30% by using some of the same tactics that others have mentioned:

1. Displace some water in the toilet tank with a brick or water-filled milk bottle (I don't leave contents unflushed);

2. Shower at gym or pool when possible, or shower only every other day when not really dirty. I sponge bath on the alternate day;

3. Catch water in the kitchen sink to use for pre-rinsing dishes;

4. Use low-flow showerhead and faucet aerators. A new kind allow you to temporarily turn off the faucet while soaping or brushing teeth, then flip it to turn it on again, thereby not getting the faucet dirty;

5. Use indigenous plants in the yard that do not require extra watering during dry spells;

6. Skip car washing;

7. Catch cold water from warm water pipes (but don't drink it, it may have harmful metals from your pipes); use it to water indoor plants, rinse dishes, etc.;

8. Use water level adjustments on clothes washer, but try to do full loads to save electricity;

9. Take short showers, not baths;

10. Encourage others to do the same.

 There are water conservation sites online that have more tips.

 
Sunny

 

"7. Catch cold water from warm water pipes (but don't drink it, it may have harmful metals from your pipes); use it to water indoor plants, rinse dishes, etc.;  -- Sunny"

 We bought our home 3 yrs ago and had all the water lines replaced with plastic.   Our home is over 100 yrs old and we were concerned about lead.  Very good point to consider for those with older homes!!

Lorrie

 

You all have inspired me.  My water comes with the rent, as does the gas, so I have never conserved the water, although I have conserved the gas (go figure!).  You have inspired me to wet my washcloth, soap it up, turn off the water & wash all over, & then only turn it back on when I have to rinse.  For shampoo days 2ce/week, I just add those steps in.

 

Don't know if you have these in the US, but here in Australia you can buy 'wheelie bins' which are similar in design to our large garbage bins which have wheels on the back so they can be moved.  The ones for water can be hooked up to the downspout and can then be rolled to wherever you want to use the water.  There is a tap attached as well.  I have also seen ones with an attachment for 'grey water' so that the final rinse from your laundry can also be used on 'greywater' tolerant plants.  This becomes a necessity in areas which does not see rainfall for months on end. Grey water can be used again for toilets.

Our plant nurseries are now selling small plants which have been raised using greywater and should therefore be able to tolerate its use when they are in the ground.  We also keep the water left after steaming vegetables and after it cools it can be used on the garden.

In the area in which I live, we are charged ascending rates over the duration of the year for our water usage.  This means that instead of being charged a flat rate depending on how much you use, once you have used a certain amount the price charged goes up to the next level and this is repeated several times a year.  I have yet to meet anyone who has managed to keep their usage down enough to stay on the cheapest rate. The 'user pays' system certainly means that water is used several times over whenever possible and we are also working on ways to capture all the water  that falls on our block, even if it means we need to divert the 'stormwater' drains so that what falls on our block during the rare storms can be diverted to a storage facility that we can access, rather than running off into the city drains.

rolo:

CAVEAT EMPTOR!  aka Let the buyer beware.

Our "efficient" (NOT) toilets take 2 or 3 flushes to clear out anything other than "water" and TP.  No savings are apparent but the store was happy to sell them!   In the mitten state, where I live, it is the "law" that toilets sold are only the "efficient" kind.  We can always go over the bridege to Canada to buy a "regular" toilet but not sure about the legalities of coming back into the US with it.  sigh... 

 

 

We discovered when we got our "efficient" toilets that you had to adopt a new flushing technique.    Regular toilets you just push the handle then be about your other business.  With the efficient toilets you have to push and hold the handle.  As long as we use that technique all goes bye bye. 

I know this thread has been about saving water costs and about grey water generally, but I'm trying to think of ways to keep enough drinking/cooking/cleaning water on hand in case of an extended emergency.  Is filling up tap water into clean jugs sufficient?

Joyous--I clean soda bottles and fill them with tap water, adding 9 drops bleach/gallon water, and rotate every 6 months