Wall Water Bills: Conserve Water, Save Money

While you might not be a tree-hugging Trotskyist, chances are that you are, in fact, an "I-Can-Find-Better-Things-To-Do-With-My-Money-Than-Spend-It-On-A-Huge-Water-Bill''-ist.

This is one issue where Ayn Rand and GreenPeace, oddly enough, have common ground. Keep an eye on that water meter and spend less money, while saving more water. Everyone wins.

There are a number of energy-efficient appliances that promise to use less water, and many of them do. But replacing appliances is expensive.

Don't let that stop you.

There are a number of quick, easy and, importantly, free things you can do around the house to use less water and save some money.

• Do not let water run unnecessarily. Letting your faucet run for five minutes while shaving or brushing teeth uses up to 8 gallons of water a day.
• Take short showers instead of baths. A shower only uses 10- to 25 gallons, while a bath takes up to 70 gallons, according to the federal EPA.
• Wash only full loads of laundry or dishes, and select the appropriate water level or load size option on the washing machine or dishwasher.
• Do not use water to defrost frozen foods; thaw foods in the refrigerator overnight.
• Scrape, rather than rinse, dishes before loading them into the dishwasher.
• Compost food waste instead of using a garbage disposal.
• Keep drinking water in the refrigerator instead of letting the faucet run until the water is cool.
• Water used to rinse friuts and vegetables can be collected and re-used to water house plants.
• Use a broom instead of a hose to clean your driveway and sidewalk and save water every time.
• Shorten your shower by a minute or two; save up to 150 gallons per month.

Know of some other tips we did not include? Tell us in the comments below.