Toilet Frugality

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

18 Aug 2009 09:18 AM

From the extreme to the sublime, frugal living can take on all sorts of levels. It is important and fun to try new ways to save. Some you will like and continue to use, others you wouldn't even think of doing. The following ideas offer a range of different methods, and yes, they all have to do with the bathroom.

I am sometimes asked the question, "Which saves more money, taking a shower or taking a bath?" The answer here isn't as simple as you might think. For most people, if you take a short shower using a low-flow shower head, then showering saves money. But if you take marathon showers using the hottest water, than a bath is probably your cheaper choice.

Other ways to save on water, both for the water bill and for the environment, is to put that bath water to good use. You can save the bath water to flush toilets or to water your garden.

Of course, we have to get to more toilet ideas. Here are some ways that people use to save money there. You can reduce the amount of water used in one or more of several ways. You can replace your toilet with a low flow version, you can flush it less often or you can replace it altogether with a sawdust toilet. A sawdust toilet eliminates the need to use water at all.

I know of people who save the expense of kitty litter by training their cat to use the family toilet.

Some folks take two-ply toilet paper and separate it out to create two rolls. I don't know if this would work personally, since I would imagine you would have to use twice as much to get the same absorbency. There is one-ply toilet paper available, but it is a specialty item and may actually cost you more money, unless you are prepared to store it by the case.

Another idea that can be used is to give up certain bathroom products, trading that toilet paper for rags or giving up shampoo altogether.

You can read more blog posts by Mary Ann Romans here!

Related Articles:

The Frugal Benefits of a Small House

Frugal Home Decor

Learn more about Mary Ann Romans

Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat.

View Full Profile | More from this Blogger

Samual (11722) 18 Aug 2009 09:35 AM

Do you pay by how much water you use? Here in the UK most people are on water rates, which means you pay a set amount for your water no matter how much you use. You can get water meters here so you pay for the actual amount you use, but unless you are in a two person house water rates are far cheaper.

Mary Ann Romans (26876) 18 Aug 2009 10:02 AM

Here it depends. We have a well, so we don't pay for water, just the electricity it takes to pump it up. Other homes use city water, and there is a water charge.

Samual (11722) 18 Aug 2009 10:11 AM

We don't have any wells here, they aren't legal due to poor filtration of water, our water rates are £12 a month.

thequeenofthecastle (413) 18 Aug 2009 12:40 PM

Here in the summer when it's really hot outside we bathe our two children in the back yard in a small wading pool. This pool is much smaller than our bathtub inside, so filling it up takes a lot less water than the inside tub. The other thing is leaving the hose laying out for the day, so the water coming out is warm for our evening bath time. Most importantly, the kids love it because it feels more like swimming than having to take a bath. :)

jap631 (39) 19 Aug 2009 06:00 AM

What about the old saying "if it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown flush it down" for toilet water savings?!!

Mary Ann Romans (26876) 19 Aug 2009 06:53 AM

Jap, yes, that was the "flush it less often" suggestion in the post.

Mary Ann Romans (26876) 19 Aug 2009 06:54 AM

Queen, make sure that your hose is lead-free. Most garden hoses aren't, and children can absorb dangerous levels of lead from baby pool water when there is lead from the hose. Look for a hose that says it is safe for drinking.

thequeenofthecastle (413) 05 Oct 2009 11:24 AM

That's a good point. Thanks for the info. I hadn't really thought about that. The other thing is the plastics, especially having left it in the sun. We might have to stop that. Oh well.. the hidden toxins all around us.. they sure can be a joy kill.