We all want to save money, but we all know how hard that can be.
I did a whole post on how to save money, so you can check that out here.
Now, one thing that most people don’t know or understand is how we use liquids in our house.
Simple awareness of something we pay no attention to will help you save more money than you think.
Just like how you would save with fuel, these household-specific liquids are costing you more money than you think.
I have dedicated a whole post to identifying and fixing this problem.
It might seem like it’s not a big deal until you do some simple math.
Throughout the course of a year, you will see how much money you are really throwing away.
I do have kids, and I see how wasteful they can be.
Not only do I see what they are doing, but I also see how I am going about the way I use things.
I have recently been very attentive to the fluids in my house that are either consumed or used, and it is no surprise how much is wasted.
Through that investigation, I am now able to provide such a blog post.
It’s not the sexiest of topics, but I’m sure you will learn a thing or two when it comes to saving and being frugal.
So here are the liquids that are most commonly wasted and could save you lots of money.
1. Water
H, 2, fricken, O.
This is a complete no-brainer, but I still had to add it to this list.
Not only is it the most wasted liquid in almost every household, but it is the most valuable.
Most brats could not care less about this, but today is a great day to start.
I’ve seen many people leave the water running for HOURS, and that is really unacceptable.
Whether you are waiting for it to get hot or you are brushing your teeth, there is no reason why you should leave the water running.
And these are just the basics of saving water.
You can do things like shut it off when you shampoo your hair, and you can shut it off when you do the dishes.
Unless, of course, you have a dishwasher.
Use it sparingly throughout the day and treat it like it is your life.
Because it is.
You will be helping our planet and your bank account as well.
Do your part, and your wallet will reward you.
This does not just have to deal with water usage, though.
In my household, we used to waste lots of drinking water.
We fill up our hydro flasks, head out the door, and return just to dump it in the sink.
We combated this problem by utilizing smaller bottles and also taking what we plan to use.
Sounds super simple, but there is no need to throw drinking water away.
Especially if you are paying for it.
2. Toothpaste
I had to put this next on this list because my kids are the biggest wasters when it comes to this.
Not because they don’t care but because they just don’t know how to really use it.
Some of you grown adults probably don’t either, so you might want to pay attention.
The first thing you need to know is that you do not need to use a lot of toothpaste to brush your yellow ass teeth.
Start off with just a little and add if need be.
Do not think that you have to fill up the whole brush, as you probably only need to cover a quarter of it.
Give it a try, and you will see that even just a little bit of toothpaste can do a lot more than you think.
Secondly, not all teethpaste are created equal.
I know that is not a word, but I think it sounds cool, so let me say what I want.
Most toothpaste brands do a great job at getting your mouth all sudsy, but not all will do it.
Depending on what you get, try to find one that at least gets you all foamy, as that is what will do the cleaning.
If you have to use a lot of paste when you brush, you might want to spend that extra $.50 and get a better brand.
Lastly, monitor the usage of toothpaste.
If you have kids, they will never learn how to use toothpaste unless you tell them.
Stop having it fall out of their mouth and into the sink, and you will save a lot of money on toothpaste.
Oh and lastly, and lastly, do not give in to crazy toothpaste marketing commercials.
The same toothpaste that is on sale will do just as good of a job as the latest and greatest hype.
Buy what you can afford, and you’ll be just fine.
3. Ketchup
I know not everyone likes ketchup, but my kids do.
Not only do they like it, but they use the crap out of it.
Not only with all kinds of food but in a way that they are just so comfortable with squirting a lot onto their plate.
Have some ketchup awareness and see how your kids are using it.
I’m not trying to say that you should limit them, but just monitor things, and you will see that they are most likely wasting a lot of it.
I know you just throw your dishes in the sink and wash it like any other day.
Take notice of how much ketchup is left, and you will see how much is being wasted.
Imagine just a month’s worth of wasted ketchup.
You are throwing away half of the bottle!
So the next time you rinse off the ketchup from your kid’s plate, think about how much of it you are wasting.
Just like the toothpaste, only put what you will use.
Add if needed, but don’t overdo anything.
4. Shampoo
This is why I decided to do this post in the first place.
I always let my kids shower before me every time after soccer practice.
Not only do I feel bad for going before them, but I also get to manage the amount of water they use.
Once I feel they have been in there too long, I tell them they are done.
In most cases, they are usually playing and wasting water anyways.
What is also being wasted is some good old shampoo.
They start using it to slip around in the tub and in whatever other way they decide to use it.
Most people tend to overlook how much they are using to clean their tiny little heads.
For the most part, they will just pour as much as the bottle will allow them to.
Then comes the word “oops,” and you already know they put too much.
This will happen almost daily unless you put a stop to it.
Give them shampoo awareness and tell them how much they are wasting.
It might sound like a little, but trust me, it adds up quickly.
Then, you will find yourself running to the store for more shampoo without even understanding how it got wasted in the first place.
Observe this just one time, and you will see how much shampoo is being wasted.
This goes for you, as well as most of us, who usually use more than we should.
Just like your toothpaste, use just enough to get it all foamy, and you’re good to go.
5. Dish Washing Liquid
I can not stand seeing this simple thing go to waste.
If you have the best of the best when it comes to dish soap, you really should only be using drops of it.
No bottles should be squeezed as you don’t need much to wash your dishes.
And if you think you’re saving money by buying cheap stuff, think again.
If you are using some weird brand of dish soap, I’m sure you will need a lot of it.
Now, if you’re using the best, you only need a couple of drops.
And if you don’t know the best, I have one word for you.
Dawn.
This is by far the best dishwashing liquid on the market.
I use drops of that stuff, and my dishes are as clean as they should be.
If you are using Dawn, try using less than what you normally use, and you will see that it still has the same cleaning power.
I know it sounds stupidly simple, but there are too many people throwing money away with something so simple as dishwashing liquid.
Conclusion – Be Frugal
Frugality is learned, and it doesn’t always involve money.
If you can conserve when it comes to the usage of products, you will be much more frugal.
Being aware of the liquids you use is not something we pay much attention to, but that’s okay.
I hope this post has given you a few pointers on what you can do to stop being wasteful.
I’m sure there are many other parts of life that we waste, but we can always save them for another post.
I also want to see what you think and do, so please do share.
Until next time, tell your ketchup bottle that I said hello, and remember to always be frugal.