8 Ways to Save Money Just by Taking a Shower

Getting up and going to work to pay bills is never any fun and people are always looking for ways to save money. Here are some ideas to save you money just by taking a shower.

1. Turn your hot water heater temperature down

If you find that your shower water is hotter than you need it to be, safely adjust the temperature on the water unit to save money. For example, if your hot water heater is set at 100 degrees but you only take a shower in 90 degree water you are wasting electricity. Even if you don't use the 100 degree water, the heater is always working to make sure that should you turn that much hot water on, it is available. By turning down the main temperature gauge, you are saving your heating unit from working extra hard for nothing.

2. Use hair conditioner instead of shaving cream

An idea that might sound crazy but it not only saves money, it leaves your legs and under-arms silky smooth and...well…conditioned. Shaving cream and lotion can cost several dollars a can while hair conditioner can cost less than a dollar a bottle and lasts a lot longer. Just apply a small amount of conditioner as you would shave cream and shave as you normally would. A word of caution for those using this in a shower, make sure the conditioner washes down the drain before leaving the shower for someone else. Conditioner can be slippery if left on the floor of a bathtub or shower so be sure to rinse!

3. Use a trap to keep hair from going down the drain

You might not think about it while in the shower, but the average person loses over 100 hairs from their head a day! Much of this (not to mention all that hair you shaved with the conditioner) is lost in the shower. Allowing hair to go down the drain will start to clog pipes and require expensive treatments to remove clogs or even a plumber to come over. Use a trap to catch hair and other things that don't belong in the drain.

Once a month you should boil a large pot of boiling hot water to run down the drain. Just because you take hot showers does not mean that you are clearing the pipes. Boiling water once a month or so will help clear the pipes and save having to call a plumber. (This trick also works for sinks!!)

4. Re-use bath towels

When you get out of the shower you should be clean. (We hope). So why do you need to wash those towels more than once a week? You don't. Re-use those bath towels for at least a week. Remember, you are just drying off clean water. If you use towels on the floor as a bathmat or by the door in the winter, etc. try graduating the towel you used last week to dry off down to the floor or front door, etc.

5. Buy in bulk

Five gallon bottles of shampoo from the local warehouse club can look intimidating on the outset, but you can work around that to save some serious cash. Save the smaller bottles of shampoo you use now and use the bulk bottles to refill those smaller ones. Sometimes you can buy a large bottle with a pump for easy dispensing. Towels, soap, razors, conditioner, bath tissue and personal hygiene care are all items that can be bought at a warehouse club to save money. If you do not think you have the room to store twenty bars of soap, find another family to split the items.

6. Shop after the holidays or try outlet stores

If you are particular about the type of shampoo, conditioner and body soap that you use in the shower, and warehouse clubs are not an option for you, try stocking up on shower gels and such after the holiday season. If you have the storage room and like giving bath and shower sets as gifts, purchase next years gifts after this years holiday season and store them.
If you are near outlet stores that carry your favorite brand name, you can also save money shopping there. Outlet stores were designed to be the last stop for overstock items that regular stores cannot hold; or to finish off the last of a discontinued item or scent. Sometimes these stores also hold remainders of seasonal items that regular stores do not have stock room for. Shopping at an outlet stores allow you to purchase your favorite shower supplies at a low cost and even savor your favorite items that cannot be found in regular stores.

7. Leave the bathroom door open if possible when taking a hot shower

Showers that cause a lot of steam can damage the walls and ceiling in the long term. Having to replace parts of the wall or ceiling is expensive. Damage also depreciates the value of the house when you try to sell it. To avoid some of the damage that steam from hot showers can cause, try leaving the bathroom door open (if possible) when you shower so that the moister does not build up. Use a fan if you have one and even clean the walls once a season to remove build up.

8. Do not turn on the heat in the winter just to shower

Getting out of bed in the morning is hard especially in the winters when you live in the north. It may be tempting to heat the bathroom while you shower to help make the transition from your nice warm bed to the cold world around you easier but try and avoid it. Trying to heat up a room that was cold all night long will make your heating unit work extremely hard to catch up to your desired temperature. Think about it in terms of the rest of the home. In your bedroom where the heat is already on in the morning, you can turn up the thermostat a few degrees and the heating unit does not require so much effort to reach the desired temperature. In the bathroom you are asking the heating unit to play catch up to heat the room, only to turn it off in a few minutes. The amount of money you spend trying to heat a room for half an hour far exceeds the necessity of heat in the bathroom. You are better off investing in a nice warm bathrobe and turning on the shower while you brush your teeth to warm up the room.

You may not be able to use all these tricks but just using one or two for now will allow you to save money just by taking a shower!