6 Ways to Conserve Water and Save Money This Summer

In the past, summer time could do some damage to our water bill. The biggest increase in our water consumption comes from watering our garden. We rely on the food that we grow to help lower our food bill, but I don’t want to save money on my groceries only to increase the money spent on our water bill.

As the summer is heating up, the kids love to cool off in the sprinkler. I can hardly say no, when sweat is rolling down their sweet faces and it is too much fun watching them laugh and play in the yard. By the end of the day they are filthy so there is surely a bath at bedtime. During the rest of the year, I can usually get by with bathing them about twice a week.

I am always looking for ways to conserve water and save money on our bill year round, but even more so in the summer.

1. This is my fourth spring/summer with my rain barrel. Our county’s conservation district promoted these rain barrels years ago for $25. There is now a 2 year wait list and the cost has increased to $55. I got mine just in time. A few years ago, you didn’t see rain barrels much, but many stores now carry them. Store-bought rain barrels can set you back between $100-$200. It could take some time until it pays for itself from the water saved. But, if you are a do-it-yourselfer, this could be a great project to try. In the past 2 years, I rarely had to rely on the water hose, but we haven’t had rain in a few weeks, and my barrel has now dried up. This is the first time this has happened to me. Although when it does rain, it fills up very quickly and I sometimes wish I had room for a second barrel.




2. Use water collected from dehumidifier to water your garden and flower pots. In the summer, our basement gets very damp and musty, so we run a dehumidifier. It fills up quickly on sweltering days. Since it has been so dry here, that water will come in handy when watering my plants.


3. When waiting for the hot water to heat up from the faucet, trap it in a jug or bucket and use it to water your garden and flower containers.

4. Use the water from steaming vegetables and corn on the cob to water your garden.

5. Choose drought tolerant plants for your landscape. This is something we considered when we designed our front lawn landscape. A quick google search will help you find a list of these plants for your garden zone or ask the staff at your local garden nursery.

6. Water your garden in the early morning or evening to avoid evaporation from the mid-day sun.

We are heading into a sweltering week. My rain barrel is dried up, so I will be relying on #2 - #6 to get me by until the next good rain.

How do you conserve water during the summer?

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This post is linked to:

• Works for Me Wednesday at We are that Family
• Making Dollars out of Change at Madame Deals
• Thrift Thursday at The Coupon Teacher
• Frugal Friday at Life as Mom