10 Oct 2014
Peeing In The Shower
It’s nearly weekend so we’re back with some more #FrugalFriday money-saving ideas, but first I need to ask you a question…
How hardcore are you?
We all love a bargain of course, but how far would you be willing to go to save money?
And where do you draw the line?
As you may have guessed from the title of this post, today I’m talking about saving water.
Shower With A Friend
During the long, hot UK summer of 1976, with temperatures so hot that it melted the tar on the roads, the drought was so severe that stand-pipes were introduced in the streets to reduce water consumption and people were encouraged to “Save Water, Bath with a Friend”.
Now I realise that the more money-conscious among you might suggest that showering with a friend is a more eco-friendly option, but would you? Would you really?
As you are no doubt aware, Japanese families share their bath water – sure, they wash and shower first, but everyone soaks in the same tub and the same water is often re-heated and re-used several times. And whilst it is a tradition in Japan, it harks back to a more frugal era when collecting water and heating it were such major chores that people shared: you can still find traditional Japanese bath houses dotted around the country, but since every home has its own bathroom now, the numbers of public bath houses or “sento” have declined dramatically in recent years.
Water Is A Precious Resource
Water covers more than 70% of the earth’s surface and yet more than a billion people don’t have access to clean drinking water: the World Health Organization estimates that safe drinking water could prevent 1.4 million child deaths every year from diarrhea alone, and it is believed that some 5 million deaths each year are attributable to drinking unclean water.
Of course, we all know that water is a precious resource, but many of us tend to waste it without really thinking: naturally, you would consider it more carefully if you actually had to carry it from a well to your house, but as it is you’re blessed with a plentiful supply of fresh, clean drinking water directly into your house, so why worry?
Water Is Expensive
Well for one thing, water is expensive, so if you want to save money it makes sense not to waste it.
But how far would you be willing to go? A new washer to fix a dripping tap costs pennies but it can save you 4 litres per day. Similarly, simply putting a brick in your toilet cistern will reduce the volume of water it holds and will result in you using less water each time you flush… simple but effective.
But how about this for an enterprising idea? Yesterday I read that two university students in East Anglia had come up with a novel way to save water… by encouraging their friends to pee in the shower.
Apparently flushing the toilet accounts for 30-40% of household water consumption, so taking your first leak of the day in the shower instead of the loo could save water and save you money.
And if everyone in the UK did it, they estimate a saving of 720 million litres each year.
What do you do to save water? And how far would you go to reduce your bills?
24 Oct 2014
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Banana Milkshake #FrugalFriday #Video
Happy Friday gorgeous reader!
The weekend is so close you can taste it…
Talking of which, what better way to celebrate the weekend and save some cash (this being a #FrugalFriday post) than to raid the fridge and whip up something delicious for next-to-no-money?
The title of the post kind of gives it away, but today we’re talking milkshake: seriously, what could be simpler?
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A homemade milkshake is way healthier than anything you’d buy from a café, it will taste a million times better (yes, that’s an officially verified statistic after extensive research and surveys), and you’ll save yourself some cash into the bargain… what could be better?
Enough talk! Watch the video and let me know in the comments below, what’s your favourite milkshake?