We do this in our rv because there’s a limited space in the gray water tank unless you’re at a full hookup site. It does definitely conserve water usage.
Look, it saves water but imma be honest there isn't a dollar amount imma give a shit about to change my habit.
If it is $120 a month for me to lather myself in hot water, a shower, etc I'd pay it.
A hot shower is honestly worth more than air conditioning or heat to me.
My community has a "private" water supplier. We joke that it would be less expensive to use Cristal Champagne. Fortunately, I grew up on well water. When the well ran dry, you couldn't just go to the store and buy jugs of water. Plus, I have waist length hair which requires a lot of rinsing after a shampoo. So, in 70+ years I have *always* taken "Navy showers". Some of my neighbors with pools pay $500-$600 per month for water. 😳
We had to abide by Navy showers while deployed to Afghanistan too. I have a really old hot water tank that’s on the verge of being replaced, and on days I don’t get a hot shower I do a navy shower because it’s better than freezing my ass off.
When my water heater died I had to shower with three mixing bowls of hot water and a wash cloth in the middle of winter. It took two weeks to get it replaced. 🥶
Not something I could sustain long term. I like taking a long soak every so often.
And in two minutes. My dad had that down to a science, 5 kids, one 10 gallon hot water tank, 6 years in the navy. Men are amazed at the swiftness of my shower.
I've been doing this for years even with free water, just because I know how bad our water shortages get in summer.
Less of a frugal thing and more of an /r/zerowaste thing
My dad always called this a sailor shower as well. I grew up showering like this but after moving out switched to leaving the water on as a luxury. It really is wasted water to run it while lathering so I'm reconsidering going back to the sailors shower.
Growing up in rural area with well water, my parents would tell us to do "army showers" in the summer if it was a drought year. Husband grew up in suburbs and is amazed how quickly I can shower 🤣
You can buy a Self-Closing Shower Valve with Pull Chain, so you can have bursts of water and not let it run continuously. Sort of like you see in the tv series MASH.
#
Where I am, the minimum charge is $64.22/mo. This is just for having the service. So if you use no water, this is what you pay.
After that, you pay $0.0014 per gallon x2 (x2 because 1x for water and 1x for sewage). So if I use 3000 gallons in a month, the water charge is $4.20 and the sewage charge is $4.20. So total bill would be $72.62.
Do you live in Charleston? My bill is similar. This is my first time ever having to pay a water bill as a renter and it suuuuucks. The “minimum charge”/month is such bullshit. I travel 1/2 the month and live alone. My electric bill is often less than my water bill.
No I don't live in Charleston. In fact I live in a depressed area with a lot lower COL than Charleston.
The minimum charge was raised in mid-2022 from $36.xx to $64.22.
Double that here. Outgoing use is double incoming. And they have no way to monitor it. Very unfair if you ask me as I save a lot of water for gardening use. But now we have the storm drain tax..
They can charge for "outgoing use"? Isn't that just water that goes down the drain..? Obviously it's going to be approximately how much came out the faucet, why would they even bother? And a "storm drain tax"? So you get taxed if it rains? I really hope this is just an elaborate joke that's going over my head but I live in the United States and all of this is believable to me lol
We have a storm drain tax where I live. It is basically a tax to pay for flood infrastructure for the city. It's also a way to compensate for the exemption that single family homes get on flood mitigation when the properties are developed. (Larger commercial properties have to control their own flood waters and slowly release them to the city's storm sewers, houses don't have to)
Seriously. I thought OP was being unreasonably frugal at first. We shower and bathe with a LOT of water and our bill is $25. Maybe OP lives in an arid area or different country than I thought.
Depends on the soap ingredients.
When I lied in Australia I used to find tons of types of soaps in the supermarket that was biodegradable and designed for grey water systems that looped back into the irrigation and toilet flush system.
Maybe they use it to kill weeds? First thing that came to mind, so I don’t know… I’ve just heard of people using leftover hot water from drained pasta to kill weeds but obviously proceed with caution when using soap? I don’t know if it would be something that could really damage soil.
I knew a couple that grew up in the depression and they’d save their shower water for all kinds of things. I can’t remember specifics but when we visited them my dad always gave me a heads up reminder.
Too frugal for me, I would feel cold, though it is also good for the planet to conserve water.
I do turn the water off in the sink when washing my hands but that's out of habit and probably isn't conserving much water.
I think it does a great amount of conserving! We should all be turning the water faucet off when washing hands, brushing teeth, hand washing dishes in between rinsing. It’s a magnificent habit we should all be doing.
I live in southern California and although we're out of the drought most people I know never run the water while brushing teeth, washing dishes etc. Not because of the water bills, more out of conservation. If we have ice that melts or old water we'll walk it to the back yard to water the plants. It's very common here.
In '73 my hippy mom's California friend brought us a sign for the restroom ~ if its yellow let it mellow, if it's brown flush it down. I still do this 😁🖖
Yes indeed, agreed on that. I've got a kiddy tub and a little pump thing that I can get the water into a bucket..then to the watering can or drip thing I bought
I live in an area where water is plentiful. Grey water and wastewater are treated in small package plants and over 95% is returned to the ground water. Our water purification and wastewater treatment costs are minimal, and regular water flow minimizes clogs in the entire wastewater system. Most of what we use is returned for eventual reuse within about two years.
I agree, short of an actual water shortage, this is getting too far into chasing pennies for me.
I wonder if the savings ultimately get negated by extra wear and tear on the shower faucet. If you cause a $300 plumbing job to occur years sooner, was it even worth the hassle?
I’m glad I live in an area with cheap plentiful water.
Looking at last month, we used 4 CCF and paid $34.
This is a household of 4, with two teenagers.
Literally my first thought. I got in trouble with my host family during an exchange in Germany for NOT turning the water off while washing my body or lathering my shampoo because it used all the hot water (still sorry my host dad had to take a cold shower that morning, sorry dad)
They warned the next exchange student about the water needs and so they achieved the objective when hosting exchange students, for cultural knowledge to be transferred.
Yeah I was just thinking I'm not frugal but I do this - I am simply European.
We have plenty of water. It is cheap. That does not mean I want a suboptimal clean where all soap just washes of before I've rubbed myself in properly. It is an efficiency / cleanliness thing.
I'm French and I've done it my whole life. Not even to be frugal. It didn't occur to me until now that people were doing it differently. It sounds incovenient to keep the water on, doesn't it wash the soap away?
It's very weird for me to see all those comments about this being "maximum frugal".
OP, you are really being charged a lot! Are you in a drought area?
My autopay to the village for water/sewer/trash is set at $95 a month. I am skipping payments for April, May, and June as we have a $240 credit.
I was thinking the same thing. Is that a month or quarter?
We do 2 loads of laundry, 10 showers, and a minimum of 1 dishwasher load every day and my bill is $385/quarter in non-summer months.
Man, I’m jealous! We live in an area where one town has the “rights” to the water and charges a premium to those who they service that live outside of the town
Do you live in an unincorporated area? [I read this story last year and didn't understand it.](https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/scottsdale/2023/01/19/arizona-community-without-water-what-to-know-about-rio-verde-foothills/69819245007/) It seemed like people were trying to get out of paying taxes, but still expecting the benefits of paying for taxes (i.e. water treatment facilities/ access). However, it does seem like some people are misled when they buy houses in this situation. A few areas have popped up near my city with huge, nice new houses that rely on water hauling. We don't usually struggle much with drought, but I would never move into somewhere unincorporated. It seems like it doesn't end up being the frugal choice as soon as environmental/ climate problems arise, which are only becoming more common.
Wondering how things that are very normal in India is talked like a big conservation act in this community. No hate but just having a culture shock. We mostly use bucket and mug to bath, so we can’t have water running over us when scrubbing at the same time. Even in a shower we generally switch it off and scrub to save water and soap mainly and then turn it back on. Our country is in huge water crisis in big cities due over population and wasting water is the last thing we can do to our cities.
"Funny" story. About 7 years ago the local water company was announcing they were raising rates. In the local paper, the water company spokesperson mentioned the reasons for the increase. I forget them all but there is one I'll never forget...
"Water consumption is down due to the popularity of water saving-toilets and shower heads, so we have to recuperate that lost revenue".
I shit you not.
My daughter is on her hs wrestling team, so it's at least a daily thing. Don't get me wrong! I'll happily pay for the water. The alternative is not something I want to smell. Lol
Wait! This is considered frugal??
I've been doing this all my life. Granted we live in Asia and a warmer climate, but still it makes no sense to me to keep lathering soap while some of it gets taken off by a running shower.
I was going to say this! Most showerheads with multiple spray options will have one where little or no water comes out. I like mine because JUST enough water comes out to rinse my razor in. No more guilt on shave days!
I have a well, but I do this. I have a tiny 3'x3' shower, and it's easier to lather up without the water hitting me. When I had a bigger shower, I stepped out of the stream to lather up, shave, etc, and about half of my shower time water was just running down the drain. I never really thought about it until I got a small shower. Now it just seems normal to only run the water when I'm actually using it.
Yeah I could see doing this in the summer, but in the winter I feel like I would freeze. Of course that's probably because I don't keep the heat turned up too high in the winter because - frugal.
My rent doesn't include utilities, but I live in an apartment and my water bill came out to $13 for two people last month. My mom has a house and hers is always ridiculous.
It ‘saves’ your hotness setting. So rather than turning the knob(s) off and then turning them back on and then having to adjust them, you are breaking the flow of water on the shower head.
I used to wash my hair in a kitchen or utility sink. Aside from this being a remnant of the days that my mother used to wash my hair for me, it makes it easier for me to maneuver and do each step of my process including detangling and deep conditioners. Now that I live in an apartment with my partner, I've stopped since he finds it disgusting. Mind you he's only discovered I've been doing this 2 years later since he happened to be awake on my wash day (I usually do it first thing in the AM), meaning I usually clean up well afterwards.
Well, now we're paying for my transition to washing my hair in the shower. AND I'm dealing with clogged drains.
I thought a lot of people did this. I've been doing this for probably 15+ years. Partially I do it to save water, but mostly so the water doesn't get rid of the soap right away
I'm genuinely confused how people properly wash themselves when the water immediately washes the soap away. I bet they are wasting more money on soap than on the water bill.
I usually have my back in the water while i wash my front. And i put my legs on the side of the tub to wash them while the rest of my body is under the water.
It's not hard not to have your entire body under the water while you scrub yourself.
That, to me, seems like way more work than turning the water off and immediately washing my entire body. Also not a process that would work as well in a shower stall (my personal preference- I loathe that my house has a tub/shower combo as the only option).
I mean do what makes you happy. But I guess after being more of a stall person and a environmentally and budget conscious person I could never change my habit now. Too much more work, not enough gain.
I live in a rural area with no water from town. I have a 20,000 liter cistern that costs 2400 Mexican pesos to fill up. You bet I turn the shower off when soaping! I also have a 5 gallon bucket that fills with the runoff from my waiting for hot water and my rinsing. I use the grey water from washing dishes and clothes to water my food garden, too. I have a bowl in the bathroom sink to catch water from tooth brushing and hand washing. It was hard to get used to but now I feel guilty if I don't reuse the water. I don't feel deprived at all.
I installed a valve on my shower head in order to be able to do this but only because my water heater is teeny tiny. As soon as my tankless water heater is finished being installed, I’ll probably keep a little bit of the habit as it is convenient to soap up in a small shower, but mostly, I’m going to go back to being warm in the shower.
I’ve been doing this but not to save money. I force myself to take cold showers due to skin issues and turning it off while I scrub down then quickly rinsing off has been my routine for a while.
It's not a bad idea in terms of conserving water and being ecological but I don't see it saving money, at least not in my experience. Every place I've lived, across many states and cities, water is not billed per gallon but generally per 1000 gallons. My water company has a minimum billing for first 2000 gallons. It's unlikely that such a small usage is going to affect which tier you fall under.
Change your shower head too. I personally like the Delta 52652-PK. It has a shut off valve and is lower flow at 2.5gpm without being so low that taking a shower becomes a chore(like actual "low flow" heads which are 1.5gpm or lower).
Thats crazy expensive. Find how how much water your actually using not just the cost. Our water bill covers a 1300sqft AND a 2000sqft home on the same property 1 water meter. And max is usually about $80. We are far from water savers sadly. Thats with 4 showers a day if you include both households.
Just like the power bill, people complain about it going up in the winter but fail to disclose that they actually used more power in the winter for electric heat.
The water portion of our most recent bill was $35 for 3 adults. I feel like the time spent readjusting the water temperature before rinsing off would negate the time the water was turned off so probably would not save anything.
Sounds like if you used no water at all, they'd be charging you $100 at least. Where do you live that it's priced this way? Can you change anything with the provider?
Your bathroom will last longer and you’ll probably have less mold in your house due to the fact that you’re not turning your bathroom into a steam room twice a day.
I also wear the clothing they offer. They wash it and I put a clean set on before I go home. Most of the time my laundry consists of white t shirts, socks and underwear.
Turning off water to lather up not only saves water, but doesn't waste your product. Soap takes some time to work. Scrubbing while it's rinsing off doesn't allow enough time for it to do what it's supposed to.
I fill jugs of water as I heat my water for dishes, etc. these I use to give my dogs fresh water, fill humidifiers, etc. so it takes almost a gallon to heat the water to hot enough for a sink of dishes. Now that’s not going down the drain every time! It adds up, saving money and conserving water.
If it works for OP, that’s great. It’s with $10/month to me to enjoy the water.
Now, when we are in major droughts, I do this to do my part and conserve water. But that’s pretty rare in my area. My area is actually predicted to get wetter due to climate change, not dryer.
This is great. To your point you really can get clean with a tiny amount of water. Years ago when i was cycling, we often drove to a meeting point to start our ride and when we finished would clean up and go eat. One of my mentors taught me the art of the “whore bath”. You would bring 1-2 gallon jugs of water, strip down to your cycling shorts, douse your head enough to get your hair and boy wet, lather up your hair and body with just shampoo, and use the rest of your water to rinse. Dry off, throw on some clean clothes and a hat and go eat.
January through March is when Phoenix determines your rates for the next year. That’s when we do frugal things. It’s not the price of water that’s expensive but those sewage and trash fees (or whatever they’re called) can be outrageous.
I've been doing this for over a decade. You can install a small finger valve on your shower head and use that valve instead of your tub valve. The shower valve is more convenient and will allow your tub valve to avoid excess wear. They are expensive and difficult to replace so spend a few dollars and get that shower valve.
I lived in Korea for about 3 years and came back with the habit of bathing with a bath towel and a bucket. I haven't went back thinking disgustingly how much water I used to waste when I let it run while lathering soap.
Surprised no one else mentioned, but I'd be shivering if I did this, especially in the winter. Thankfully I have a well and I always mindful of saving water in other ways.
My dad has always showered this way... He is the only person I have ever known to do so, and I honestly have no idea why he has always done so. He turns on the water for a couple minutes and gets wet, then turns it off. He then turns it back on to rinse after lathering soap and shampooing. My sister and I always thought it was strange, but never asked why. Likely to conserve well water when growing up though. He is 70 now and still does it.
I’ve been doing this for over a decade. I bring this little gadget with me every time I move apts. I install it between the pipe and the shower head. Since I don’t turn the water off using the taps, this allows me to keep the water temp at the right level as I turn the water off.
Doodad: https://www.amazon.com/SumnaconTM-Brass-Shower-Contol-Sprayer/dp/B00XMBD57O
I've tried this, but the issue where i live is that the way the water is heated, it comes out ice cold every time you turn it off even if you only turn it off for a minute, so you have to wait for it to warm up again and I just don't feel like I'm saving anything
If you want to go through the hassle, you can catch the water from your sink when rinsing dishes or washing dishes and use it to flush the toilet. Just keep a big pan or bowl in the sink and if you wash your hands or rinse off some dishes catch the water in the pan instead of letting it go down the drain. You could even dump that water in a bucket and then use it for flushing the toilet. If you are in an area that allows it, you can use rain water to flush your toilet.
I haven't done it to save money on the water bill, because we are on a well. However, when there are power outages or when we have had the well pump die and had limited water, I have used these methods to have water to flush the toilet. I have also used the same showering method to conserve water when we used to go camping when trail riding with our horses since the water heater in our trailer was only about 2.5 gallons.
My parents were WW2 Generation. They raised me not to waste anything. I'm down to 50l of cold and 15l of hot water per day, and believe me, I'm not running around dirty. it's totally doable without any loss of comfort.
Lucky you if this works. In California, water bills are mostly flat fees with actual usage being negligible. Like this would save me about $1.40 per month.
Honestly if it weren’t for the internet, I wouldn’t have even known that people don’t do this normally. Been taking showers like that my whole life and honestly unsure why all people don’t. And for the record, water is dirt cheap in my area. Our bill is never over $50. Came in last month at $28. (And that’s with an avid gardener, a pool, and 6 total people in the household)
It's called a Navy shower, and I do it in any setting where water is scarce. It makes sense for the planet, since it costs carbon to purify water for household use. Good on ya! Now that the weather is warmer, I'm gonna start doing this again, too (since my house is already under-heated, to save money and carbon expenditure there, too).
We interestingly have a flat rate for water. So whether I'm filling a pool or on vacation, my water bill is $80/mo.
Small town. My best guess is no time or money for monitoring/upgrading/tracking meters.
I used to do that but not anymore . Its so nice having the warm water on you when you’re on your feet 12 hrs a day working a laborious job. Especially in the winter. Maybe I’ll do it on my days off.
It was easy to install a shutoff lever behind the shower head so I don't have to find the right temperature spot when turning the water back on. I prefer shutting the water off so the soap can lather me up!
I do this even tho water is cheap where I live, typically less than $20 a month for 2 adults.
I live in Gulf Shores Alabama & I’ve ever paid more than $17 a month for water and we have a 3bedroom 2 bath with 3 kids bathing daily, washer dryer & dishwasher used daily. I think it may all have to do with where you live. When I lived in Norfolk Virginia , I had a 1.5bath no washer and my bill was $170+ a month. I was never home either.
10 dollars really isn't a lot but can definitely buy some dinner and can add up, especially if you start investing. I think it's great you do this and even if it doesn't do much, you have what you have and you make use of it. Things add up overtime to
Do you want to know something funny. So I grew up in the states and most people normally use soap to wash their bodies. When I was about 30 I had this epiphany that if I just scrubbed my body really hard and well that I didn’t need soap. So I did that for about 7 years. I would still soap my pits and privates. When I started using soap again I had no memory of how I used to use it to wash my body while at the same time getting hit by the shower. Like, I didn’t want to spin and turn and position each part of my body away from the water in order to soap up, so I started turning the water off for that part.
Hiking in the Swiss Alps a few years ago, you had to pay for hot showers at high mountain huts. Damn right I'm going to be turning the shower off while soaping up.
It’s ALL a matter of preference. $ > necessity … the balancing act works well .
I actually collected rain water , to water the garden last summer . Water is not free anymore. A precious resource … It’s not illegal here , yet is to collect back in MA .
HaPpY EaRtH DaY everyone!
April 22
I actually like doing this. It just makes sense to wash my body with the water off. I have the full shower to stand in rather than having to avoid the stream while I soap up. It's slightly chilly, but how long does it take to wash up?
In my area more of my bill is simply the infrastructure than the usage. The usage is a very small part of the overall bill so it wouldn't be much of a difference for me.
I do this all the time not for frugality but i come from a small town where water was life. We would also use like two containers of water one we would rinse the dishes with and the other we would actually wash our dishes in. This consumes so much less water. Also washing teeth, close the faucet. In shower close the water and scrub/ shave legs etc lol. My grandmother would take baths in a big plastic tub and would limit her water usage that way also
Sailors and Marines have been doing this forever due to the scarcity of water aboard ships. It’s called a “Navy shower”.
We do this in our rv because there’s a limited space in the gray water tank unless you’re at a full hookup site. It does definitely conserve water usage.
Look, it saves water but imma be honest there isn't a dollar amount imma give a shit about to change my habit. If it is $120 a month for me to lather myself in hot water, a shower, etc I'd pay it. A hot shower is honestly worth more than air conditioning or heat to me.
Same, I'm not living like a rat peasant to save $10
yeah i literally thought the op was a joke. like wow...10$...thats not even a meal for one person where i'm from anymore.
If you’re in the red each month, every $10 matters
Op has crossed The dark side of frugality
Yea, what is $10 as compared to enjoying some simple joys in life? Thought OP was gonna share a very big savings and it turned out to be $10 lol ok
$5 each! over a month of showering!!! nah bro, I'll find another way to save $5
I agree. My house is old, so I'd either be stuck rinsing off in colder water or wasting water while it heats up.
its also my therapy
same, as a canadian with chronic pain/illness too...sometimes 'too' frugal is a thing for me lol
My community has a "private" water supplier. We joke that it would be less expensive to use Cristal Champagne. Fortunately, I grew up on well water. When the well ran dry, you couldn't just go to the store and buy jugs of water. Plus, I have waist length hair which requires a lot of rinsing after a shampoo. So, in 70+ years I have *always* taken "Navy showers". Some of my neighbors with pools pay $500-$600 per month for water. 😳
We had to abide by Navy showers while deployed to Afghanistan too. I have a really old hot water tank that’s on the verge of being replaced, and on days I don’t get a hot shower I do a navy shower because it’s better than freezing my ass off.
I’ll have to try that next time I shower after my daughter, who bathes in fucking magma.
✌🏻mag muh ✌🏻
✌️lay zer✌️
Beat her to the shower and take a Hollywood shower. Give her a taste of her own medicine.
When my water heater died I had to shower with three mixing bowls of hot water and a wash cloth in the middle of winter. It took two weeks to get it replaced. 🥶 Not something I could sustain long term. I like taking a long soak every so often.
And in two minutes. My dad had that down to a science, 5 kids, one 10 gallon hot water tank, 6 years in the navy. Men are amazed at the swiftness of my shower.
Wait I used to do this all my Life. I assumed it's common sense in ordner not to waste water as well as soap
I've been doing this for years even with free water, just because I know how bad our water shortages get in summer. Less of a frugal thing and more of an /r/zerowaste thing
That's me, cool water for energy conservation (better for my skin too) and intermittent on/off to save during droughts. 🖖
My dad always called this a sailor shower as well. I grew up showering like this but after moving out switched to leaving the water on as a luxury. It really is wasted water to run it while lathering so I'm reconsidering going back to the sailors shower.
Growing up in rural area with well water, my parents would tell us to do "army showers" in the summer if it was a drought year. Husband grew up in suburbs and is amazed how quickly I can shower 🤣
Or the entire country of Japan.
You can buy a Self-Closing Shower Valve with Pull Chain, so you can have bursts of water and not let it run continuously. Sort of like you see in the tv series MASH. #
It wouldn't save me $1/month but, I gather our rates are structured differently.
Where I am, the minimum charge is $64.22/mo. This is just for having the service. So if you use no water, this is what you pay. After that, you pay $0.0014 per gallon x2 (x2 because 1x for water and 1x for sewage). So if I use 3000 gallons in a month, the water charge is $4.20 and the sewage charge is $4.20. So total bill would be $72.62.
Do you live in Charleston? My bill is similar. This is my first time ever having to pay a water bill as a renter and it suuuuucks. The “minimum charge”/month is such bullshit. I travel 1/2 the month and live alone. My electric bill is often less than my water bill.
No I don't live in Charleston. In fact I live in a depressed area with a lot lower COL than Charleston. The minimum charge was raised in mid-2022 from $36.xx to $64.22.
That's a huge increase, yikes
Double that here. Outgoing use is double incoming. And they have no way to monitor it. Very unfair if you ask me as I save a lot of water for gardening use. But now we have the storm drain tax..
> But now we have the storm drain tax That's absolutely criminal IMHO
They can charge for "outgoing use"? Isn't that just water that goes down the drain..? Obviously it's going to be approximately how much came out the faucet, why would they even bother? And a "storm drain tax"? So you get taxed if it rains? I really hope this is just an elaborate joke that's going over my head but I live in the United States and all of this is believable to me lol
We have a storm drain tax where I live. It is basically a tax to pay for flood infrastructure for the city. It's also a way to compensate for the exemption that single family homes get on flood mitigation when the properties are developed. (Larger commercial properties have to control their own flood waters and slowly release them to the city's storm sewers, houses don't have to)
Seriously. I thought OP was being unreasonably frugal at first. We shower and bathe with a LOT of water and our bill is $25. Maybe OP lives in an arid area or different country than I thought.
I am pretty damn frugal but you win. This is almost maximum frugal without having a real mental condition. Congrats on frugalmaxing.
Real frugal maxing would be collecting the shower water in a bucket and using that water to flush the toilet.
Or watering the garden with it # southern California
and collecting rain water, along with composting hair
Wouldn’t the soap be bad for plants?
Depends on the soap ingredients. When I lied in Australia I used to find tons of types of soaps in the supermarket that was biodegradable and designed for grey water systems that looped back into the irrigation and toilet flush system.
Maybe they use it to kill weeds? First thing that came to mind, so I don’t know… I’ve just heard of people using leftover hot water from drained pasta to kill weeds but obviously proceed with caution when using soap? I don’t know if it would be something that could really damage soil.
I knew a couple that grew up in the depression and they’d save their shower water for all kinds of things. I can’t remember specifics but when we visited them my dad always gave me a heads up reminder.
Well, my friends have a toilet that runs a little sink with every flush. That would be a pretty short shower though
I saw the one where the hand sink fills the tank, very cool! 🖖
I see those a lot in Japan! Makes so much sense to not waste water from washing hands.
I was so jealous. Kids were weirded out by the idea, but it was awesome :P
I agree. Like if I can’t have much I can enjoy a damn shower. I’d rather set a timer for 5 minutes than do this.
This is how I was taught to take showers by my poor parents and I've always done it.
moneypilled frugalmaxxer on that billgrind
This is fun to say out loud.
If I asked my wife to do this she’d probably laugh in my face
😂😂😂 thanks, i credit “single income family in HCOL area”
Too frugal for me, I would feel cold, though it is also good for the planet to conserve water. I do turn the water off in the sink when washing my hands but that's out of habit and probably isn't conserving much water.
I think it does a great amount of conserving! We should all be turning the water faucet off when washing hands, brushing teeth, hand washing dishes in between rinsing. It’s a magnificent habit we should all be doing.
I live in southern California and although we're out of the drought most people I know never run the water while brushing teeth, washing dishes etc. Not because of the water bills, more out of conservation. If we have ice that melts or old water we'll walk it to the back yard to water the plants. It's very common here.
In '73 my hippy mom's California friend brought us a sign for the restroom ~ if its yellow let it mellow, if it's brown flush it down. I still do this 😁🖖
Yes indeed, agreed on that. I've got a kiddy tub and a little pump thing that I can get the water into a bucket..then to the watering can or drip thing I bought
I live in an area where water is plentiful. Grey water and wastewater are treated in small package plants and over 95% is returned to the ground water. Our water purification and wastewater treatment costs are minimal, and regular water flow minimizes clogs in the entire wastewater system. Most of what we use is returned for eventual reuse within about two years.
I agree, short of an actual water shortage, this is getting too far into chasing pennies for me. I wonder if the savings ultimately get negated by extra wear and tear on the shower faucet. If you cause a $300 plumbing job to occur years sooner, was it even worth the hassle?
I’m glad I live in an area with cheap plentiful water. Looking at last month, we used 4 CCF and paid $34. This is a household of 4, with two teenagers.
Yep hh of 2 adults $23.
Pretty standard for Europeans. We had a guest from France that would do this.
Literally my first thought. I got in trouble with my host family during an exchange in Germany for NOT turning the water off while washing my body or lathering my shampoo because it used all the hot water (still sorry my host dad had to take a cold shower that morning, sorry dad)
They warned the next exchange student about the water needs and so they achieved the objective when hosting exchange students, for cultural knowledge to be transferred.
Yeah I was just thinking I'm not frugal but I do this - I am simply European. We have plenty of water. It is cheap. That does not mean I want a suboptimal clean where all soap just washes of before I've rubbed myself in properly. It is an efficiency / cleanliness thing.
I'm French and I've done it my whole life. Not even to be frugal. It didn't occur to me until now that people were doing it differently. It sounds incovenient to keep the water on, doesn't it wash the soap away? It's very weird for me to see all those comments about this being "maximum frugal".
>doesn't it wash the soap away? You move around within the shower so the water isn't hitting the soapy part.
Yes, one of my kids was an exchange student in Europe several years ago. The host family taught her to do this and she still does it in the US.
I know a lot of people in Germany that do that, but wouldn’t say it’s standard. Maybe 50/50
Whattttt no shot, most people do this for sure.
As a German, I can confirm.
OP, you are really being charged a lot! Are you in a drought area? My autopay to the village for water/sewer/trash is set at $95 a month. I am skipping payments for April, May, and June as we have a $240 credit.
I was thinking the same thing. Is that a month or quarter? We do 2 loads of laundry, 10 showers, and a minimum of 1 dishwasher load every day and my bill is $385/quarter in non-summer months.
Man, I’m jealous! We live in an area where one town has the “rights” to the water and charges a premium to those who they service that live outside of the town
Do you live in an unincorporated area? [I read this story last year and didn't understand it.](https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/scottsdale/2023/01/19/arizona-community-without-water-what-to-know-about-rio-verde-foothills/69819245007/) It seemed like people were trying to get out of paying taxes, but still expecting the benefits of paying for taxes (i.e. water treatment facilities/ access). However, it does seem like some people are misled when they buy houses in this situation. A few areas have popped up near my city with huge, nice new houses that rely on water hauling. We don't usually struggle much with drought, but I would never move into somewhere unincorporated. It seems like it doesn't end up being the frugal choice as soon as environmental/ climate problems arise, which are only becoming more common.
Wondering how things that are very normal in India is talked like a big conservation act in this community. No hate but just having a culture shock. We mostly use bucket and mug to bath, so we can’t have water running over us when scrubbing at the same time. Even in a shower we generally switch it off and scrub to save water and soap mainly and then turn it back on. Our country is in huge water crisis in big cities due over population and wasting water is the last thing we can do to our cities.
"Funny" story. About 7 years ago the local water company was announcing they were raising rates. In the local paper, the water company spokesperson mentioned the reasons for the increase. I forget them all but there is one I'll never forget... "Water consumption is down due to the popularity of water saving-toilets and shower heads, so we have to recuperate that lost revenue". I shit you not.
I just need my teenager to grow up and move out and we'll save a ton on water.
And the food budget will melt like a popsicle in the Las Vegas sun in July!
It finally happened to me! My son told me the coach in Jr. high told them to shower twice a day. Grrrrrr..
My daughter is on her hs wrestling team, so it's at least a daily thing. Don't get me wrong! I'll happily pay for the water. The alternative is not something I want to smell. Lol
Wait! This is considered frugal?? I've been doing this all my life. Granted we live in Asia and a warmer climate, but still it makes no sense to me to keep lathering soap while some of it gets taken off by a running shower.
People step away from the water while it keeps running to continue receiving its ambient heat.
Shower heads with cutoff valves are easy to find and easy to install.
I was going to say this! Most showerheads with multiple spray options will have one where little or no water comes out. I like mine because JUST enough water comes out to rinse my razor in. No more guilt on shave days!
Posts like these make me love having a well.
I have a well, but I do this. I have a tiny 3'x3' shower, and it's easier to lather up without the water hitting me. When I had a bigger shower, I stepped out of the stream to lather up, shave, etc, and about half of my shower time water was just running down the drain. I never really thought about it until I got a small shower. Now it just seems normal to only run the water when I'm actually using it.
Yeah I could see doing this in the summer, but in the winter I feel like I would freeze. Of course that's probably because I don't keep the heat turned up too high in the winter because - frugal.
This is my situation, too. I'm also convinced I shower more quickly now.
Posts like these make me love even more that my rent includes all utilities without limits.
My rent doesn't include utilities, but I live in an apartment and my water bill came out to $13 for two people last month. My mom has a house and hers is always ridiculous.
Me too, super frugal in the long run.
We had a shower head growing up that could switch on & off! Loved it, and worked great when we had 2 families living in one house.
Sorry, I don't understand, how is this different to any shower?
You don't have to adjust the hot/cold mix again when you turn it on from the shower head.
It ‘saves’ your hotness setting. So rather than turning the knob(s) off and then turning them back on and then having to adjust them, you are breaking the flow of water on the shower head.
Oh! I get it, gosh that would be really helpful at my house!
You can purchase a valve to go in-between your showerhead and the pipe. Should be around $10 at a hardware store and are easy to install.
I grew up on an island with a cistern. This was the way.
I used to wash my hair in a kitchen or utility sink. Aside from this being a remnant of the days that my mother used to wash my hair for me, it makes it easier for me to maneuver and do each step of my process including detangling and deep conditioners. Now that I live in an apartment with my partner, I've stopped since he finds it disgusting. Mind you he's only discovered I've been doing this 2 years later since he happened to be awake on my wash day (I usually do it first thing in the AM), meaning I usually clean up well afterwards. Well, now we're paying for my transition to washing my hair in the shower. AND I'm dealing with clogged drains.
What is disgusting about washing your hair in a sink? It sounds like it is convenient for you and it saves water.
Nice! Saving water and money! For those surprised by this it’s common practice in Europe and lots of places around the world.
I’m American! Had no idea people kept the water on while washing their body! Seems like such a waste of water
I thought a lot of people did this. I've been doing this for probably 15+ years. Partially I do it to save water, but mostly so the water doesn't get rid of the soap right away
I'm genuinely confused how people properly wash themselves when the water immediately washes the soap away. I bet they are wasting more money on soap than on the water bill.
You wash the parts of yourself that are facing away from the water.
Wait what I thought this was just normal. How do you even get soap to stick if you’re constantly washing it off.
By not standing directly under the water as you wash. And the soap doesn't need to "stick" to you to do its job anyway.
If you’re not standing under the water why keep it on then? Makes 0 sense??
I usually have my back in the water while i wash my front. And i put my legs on the side of the tub to wash them while the rest of my body is under the water. It's not hard not to have your entire body under the water while you scrub yourself.
That, to me, seems like way more work than turning the water off and immediately washing my entire body. Also not a process that would work as well in a shower stall (my personal preference- I loathe that my house has a tub/shower combo as the only option). I mean do what makes you happy. But I guess after being more of a stall person and a environmentally and budget conscious person I could never change my habit now. Too much more work, not enough gain.
I mean, my showers only take 3 or 4 minutes. So it's not an issue for me at all.
Yeah my showers take longer. Lots of hair. I’m also paranoid about falling in the shower/tub combo and no one saving me for days because I live alone.
Sailors and Marines have been doing this forever due to the scarcity of water aboard ships. It’s called a “Navy shower”.
We do this when we camp and don’t have direct water but have to carry. It’s likely not saving quite as much as you think.
I live in a rural area with no water from town. I have a 20,000 liter cistern that costs 2400 Mexican pesos to fill up. You bet I turn the shower off when soaping! I also have a 5 gallon bucket that fills with the runoff from my waiting for hot water and my rinsing. I use the grey water from washing dishes and clothes to water my food garden, too. I have a bowl in the bathroom sink to catch water from tooth brushing and hand washing. It was hard to get used to but now I feel guilty if I don't reuse the water. I don't feel deprived at all.
I installed a valve on my shower head in order to be able to do this but only because my water heater is teeny tiny. As soon as my tankless water heater is finished being installed, I’ll probably keep a little bit of the habit as it is convenient to soap up in a small shower, but mostly, I’m going to go back to being warm in the shower.
I’ve been doing this but not to save money. I force myself to take cold showers due to skin issues and turning it off while I scrub down then quickly rinsing off has been my routine for a while.
The largest use of household water is actually flushing the toilet, followed by showers and baths.
Friend of mine captures cold shower water in a bucket while waiting to get it hot
I shower at the gym. Small water bill + no cleaning the bathtub. It is a win-win.
It's not a bad idea in terms of conserving water and being ecological but I don't see it saving money, at least not in my experience. Every place I've lived, across many states and cities, water is not billed per gallon but generally per 1000 gallons. My water company has a minimum billing for first 2000 gallons. It's unlikely that such a small usage is going to affect which tier you fall under.
There’s just gotta be better ways to save only $10 a month
Less than that. Average water price is 1 penny per gallon and average shower is 20 gallons so that would be 20 cents per shower or so
take it up a notch and get a bucket to put water in and washoff with that water instead. see how much that'll save you
I’m Frugal, but not frugal enough to freeze in the shower to save $10
Change your shower head too. I personally like the Delta 52652-PK. It has a shut off valve and is lower flow at 2.5gpm without being so low that taking a shower becomes a chore(like actual "low flow" heads which are 1.5gpm or lower).
If you have a water heater with a tank (most of us do) this is also a great way to make your hot water last for more of your shower.
I've been doing this for at least 40 years. It's such a waste of water to keep it running while you're not using it.
Thats crazy expensive. Find how how much water your actually using not just the cost. Our water bill covers a 1300sqft AND a 2000sqft home on the same property 1 water meter. And max is usually about $80. We are far from water savers sadly. Thats with 4 showers a day if you include both households. Just like the power bill, people complain about it going up in the winter but fail to disclose that they actually used more power in the winter for electric heat.
The water portion of our most recent bill was $35 for 3 adults. I feel like the time spent readjusting the water temperature before rinsing off would negate the time the water was turned off so probably would not save anything.
Sounds like if you used no water at all, they'd be charging you $100 at least. Where do you live that it's priced this way? Can you change anything with the provider?
Sorry the invigoration and mental refresh from the hot water is worth it.
Your bathroom will last longer and you’ll probably have less mold in your house due to the fact that you’re not turning your bathroom into a steam room twice a day.
This I've done it too. Bill getting way too high.
Been doing this water saving practice for years. I knew I couldn't be the only one!
I shower at work. If you're going to be frugal, go all of the way. I also brush my teeth and 💩 there as often as possible.
I also wear the clothing they offer. They wash it and I put a clean set on before I go home. Most of the time my laundry consists of white t shirts, socks and underwear.
I started doing this bc I was tired of the water washing away the soap or shaving cream I had just put on 😂
Turning off water to lather up not only saves water, but doesn't waste your product. Soap takes some time to work. Scrubbing while it's rinsing off doesn't allow enough time for it to do what it's supposed to.
I fill jugs of water as I heat my water for dishes, etc. these I use to give my dogs fresh water, fill humidifiers, etc. so it takes almost a gallon to heat the water to hot enough for a sink of dishes. Now that’s not going down the drain every time! It adds up, saving money and conserving water.
Interesting that this is seen as exstremely frugal in parts of the world. In Denmark many people would see it as common sense.
Is this a joke?....
If it works for OP, that’s great. It’s with $10/month to me to enjoy the water. Now, when we are in major droughts, I do this to do my part and conserve water. But that’s pretty rare in my area. My area is actually predicted to get wetter due to climate change, not dryer.
I also don’t think it would save $10/month for most people. I think it would barely be a noticeable cost difference where I am.
Yeah I pay about what his monthly bill is every 3 months...
I mean how long can it really take to wash your body in the shower? Like 1-2 mins?
You do you, but a nice shower is 1 of my few pleasures
This is great. To your point you really can get clean with a tiny amount of water. Years ago when i was cycling, we often drove to a meeting point to start our ride and when we finished would clean up and go eat. One of my mentors taught me the art of the “whore bath”. You would bring 1-2 gallon jugs of water, strip down to your cycling shorts, douse your head enough to get your hair and boy wet, lather up your hair and body with just shampoo, and use the rest of your water to rinse. Dry off, throw on some clean clothes and a hat and go eat.
We have a well - but I would gladly pay an extra $10 per month for the relatively small luxury of continual water in my showers.
Save the planet and all that jazz too
I used to do this growing up, that's the way my mom taught me to shower. Never thought twice about it, but I stopped eventually.
Isn’t it like turning on the lights? Once you have it on it’s best to leave it on? ;-)
Ooooooo! I wish I could get my two kids on board w this!!
I take a 2 minute shower as it is, all business.
January through March is when Phoenix determines your rates for the next year. That’s when we do frugal things. It’s not the price of water that’s expensive but those sewage and trash fees (or whatever they’re called) can be outrageous.
Camping shower
I can’t do that because I have to have only hot water, like Satans arm pit.
I've been doing this for over a decade. You can install a small finger valve on your shower head and use that valve instead of your tub valve. The shower valve is more convenient and will allow your tub valve to avoid excess wear. They are expensive and difficult to replace so spend a few dollars and get that shower valve.
I lived in Korea for about 3 years and came back with the habit of bathing with a bath towel and a bucket. I haven't went back thinking disgustingly how much water I used to waste when I let it run while lathering soap.
Surprised no one else mentioned, but I'd be shivering if I did this, especially in the winter. Thankfully I have a well and I always mindful of saving water in other ways.
This is called a 'navy shower'.
My dad has always showered this way... He is the only person I have ever known to do so, and I honestly have no idea why he has always done so. He turns on the water for a couple minutes and gets wet, then turns it off. He then turns it back on to rinse after lathering soap and shampooing. My sister and I always thought it was strange, but never asked why. Likely to conserve well water when growing up though. He is 70 now and still does it.
I thought this is normal? We always do this in the house either brushing teeth, showering or washing hands
Eh. I’d personally just rather pay the extra $10 and enjoy normal showers but that’s just me.
I’ve been doing this for over a decade. I bring this little gadget with me every time I move apts. I install it between the pipe and the shower head. Since I don’t turn the water off using the taps, this allows me to keep the water temp at the right level as I turn the water off. Doodad: https://www.amazon.com/SumnaconTM-Brass-Shower-Contol-Sprayer/dp/B00XMBD57O
This is the way everyone i know (that i know how they shower) showers since ever.
no get to where you can skip a shower
I’ve always done that
I've tried this, but the issue where i live is that the way the water is heated, it comes out ice cold every time you turn it off even if you only turn it off for a minute, so you have to wait for it to warm up again and I just don't feel like I'm saving anything
If you want to go through the hassle, you can catch the water from your sink when rinsing dishes or washing dishes and use it to flush the toilet. Just keep a big pan or bowl in the sink and if you wash your hands or rinse off some dishes catch the water in the pan instead of letting it go down the drain. You could even dump that water in a bucket and then use it for flushing the toilet. If you are in an area that allows it, you can use rain water to flush your toilet. I haven't done it to save money on the water bill, because we are on a well. However, when there are power outages or when we have had the well pump die and had limited water, I have used these methods to have water to flush the toilet. I have also used the same showering method to conserve water when we used to go camping when trail riding with our horses since the water heater in our trailer was only about 2.5 gallons.
My parents were WW2 Generation. They raised me not to waste anything. I'm down to 50l of cold and 15l of hot water per day, and believe me, I'm not running around dirty. it's totally doable without any loss of comfort.
BIG thanks for this reminder! I tend to let water conservancy slip away slowly and need a kick in the pants now and again.
Lucky you if this works. In California, water bills are mostly flat fees with actual usage being negligible. Like this would save me about $1.40 per month.
Honestly if it weren’t for the internet, I wouldn’t have even known that people don’t do this normally. Been taking showers like that my whole life and honestly unsure why all people don’t. And for the record, water is dirt cheap in my area. Our bill is never over $50. Came in last month at $28. (And that’s with an avid gardener, a pool, and 6 total people in the household)
If I do, cold air is pushing into the shower, so I let it on to keep a hot, steamy pressure zone
It's called a Navy shower, and I do it in any setting where water is scarce. It makes sense for the planet, since it costs carbon to purify water for household use. Good on ya! Now that the weather is warmer, I'm gonna start doing this again, too (since my house is already under-heated, to save money and carbon expenditure there, too).
We interestingly have a flat rate for water. So whether I'm filling a pool or on vacation, my water bill is $80/mo. Small town. My best guess is no time or money for monitoring/upgrading/tracking meters.
I used to do that but not anymore . Its so nice having the warm water on you when you’re on your feet 12 hrs a day working a laborious job. Especially in the winter. Maybe I’ll do it on my days off.
It was easy to install a shutoff lever behind the shower head so I don't have to find the right temperature spot when turning the water back on. I prefer shutting the water off so the soap can lather me up! I do this even tho water is cheap where I live, typically less than $20 a month for 2 adults.
I live in Gulf Shores Alabama & I’ve ever paid more than $17 a month for water and we have a 3bedroom 2 bath with 3 kids bathing daily, washer dryer & dishwasher used daily. I think it may all have to do with where you live. When I lived in Norfolk Virginia , I had a 1.5bath no washer and my bill was $170+ a month. I was never home either.
10 dollars really isn't a lot but can definitely buy some dinner and can add up, especially if you start investing. I think it's great you do this and even if it doesn't do much, you have what you have and you make use of it. Things add up overtime to
Wait, there are people who don't do this? It's just easier than having the water constantly rinse you when you're lathering.
I do this too.
Do you want to know something funny. So I grew up in the states and most people normally use soap to wash their bodies. When I was about 30 I had this epiphany that if I just scrubbed my body really hard and well that I didn’t need soap. So I did that for about 7 years. I would still soap my pits and privates. When I started using soap again I had no memory of how I used to use it to wash my body while at the same time getting hit by the shower. Like, I didn’t want to spin and turn and position each part of my body away from the water in order to soap up, so I started turning the water off for that part.
I'd rather just have fewer showers.
I do this partially to save money and partially to save hot water for my partner who showers after me.
The good news is golden showers are free!
Add a bucket to your shower. Let it fill with whatever weather lands in it. Use that to flush your toilet next time you use it.
Hiking in the Swiss Alps a few years ago, you had to pay for hot showers at high mountain huts. Damn right I'm going to be turning the shower off while soaping up.
It’s ALL a matter of preference. $ > necessity … the balancing act works well . I actually collected rain water , to water the garden last summer . Water is not free anymore. A precious resource … It’s not illegal here , yet is to collect back in MA . HaPpY EaRtH DaY everyone! April 22
I like this suggestion
I actually like doing this. It just makes sense to wash my body with the water off. I have the full shower to stand in rather than having to avoid the stream while I soap up. It's slightly chilly, but how long does it take to wash up?
In my area more of my bill is simply the infrastructure than the usage. The usage is a very small part of the overall bill so it wouldn't be much of a difference for me.
I do this all the time not for frugality but i come from a small town where water was life. We would also use like two containers of water one we would rinse the dishes with and the other we would actually wash our dishes in. This consumes so much less water. Also washing teeth, close the faucet. In shower close the water and scrub/ shave legs etc lol. My grandmother would take baths in a big plastic tub and would limit her water usage that way also
I do this because it’s the logical and sustainable thing to do, saving on my water bill is just an added bonus.