I know we have discussed a similar topic before, but I think it is worthy of bringing this up again.

I was pondering this last night and think it is an important subject not only for frugality's sake, but also, environmentally.

So, how much of your consumables (things that get "used up") useage is just habit?

Do you use x amount of dish detergent because you have actually tested and found that that amount is just the right amount to use to get the dishes clean, or do you just use that much out of habit?

Have you actually used less butter or sugar in a dish to see if it would come out just as well?

Have you tried turning the water down (so less comes out) when you wash your hands to see if it would work?

We are such creatures of habit that we are probably using up a lot more than we need to "just because." Imagine the savings you could see if you were able to use 50% less of something and get results that are just as good! (And you would be helping the environment, as well, since all things we purchase have an environmental impact.) You will effectively have reduced the price to half.

Do you need two lights on at night, or would one do?


You get my line of thinking. Are there things you could experiment with to reduce your usage?

I am sure I do use way too much dish soap - I like it sudsy.

Again with the tap running on full when it doesn't need to be.

I bark at the boys (DH & DS) to turn the lights off, but have been guilty of having too many on and then forgetting them on.

It is definitely time for me to recommit and tighten the belt around here.

I will start using my Brita filter for when I am home and the bottled water only to take out.

Will water my shampoo down just a touch.

Will do my best to eat leftovers and not just shove them to the back of the fridge till it's time to chuck them.

Had to put the golf fish crackers on a higher shelf - my DS (9) would get up in the morning before us and help himself which is fine, except he would eat 4 cup of fishies and then not want breakfast - we were going through the big jumbo club pack in a week!

I am pretty good with laundry soap - I have never used the amount the box calls for always much less and it works fine.

I could cut back on papertowel usage - I often only need half but use the full one.

We are all big TP users - not sure how to cut back there - I drink a lot of water - what can I say :)

I guess always filling the kettle full to boil water for one cup is a waste of energy as well - but both DH & I are in the habit of doing that - he is afraid to burn out th eelement if the water is too low - but we could be filling it much less and not cause a problem.

Lately I have been turning the burner (electric) or oven off a few minutes before something is finished - the burner stays hot for several more minutes.

Have to do more thinking on this - thanks for the idea and sorry to go on so much :)

Kim

No need to apologize for "going on"- I'm not the queen of brevity myself, and it is always good to get ideas from others with this kind of thing. Thanks for sharing!!

TP is a good one. I go through quite a bit. After lecturing both dd's on the hazards of flushing anything other than t.p. down our low flush toilet, we seem to find bundles of unmentionables the size of large softballs in my bathroom trash. I have decided dh and I don't have a thing to worry about when we retire, what we will save in t.p. alone will feed us for a month. lol

Paper towel, I have been trying to grab a clean hand towel before I start cooking. I wash my hands so frequently while cooking I go though quite a bit of paper just to dry my hands.

Lights, I guess the old nagging woman needs to come out of the closet for this one. As I pull into my driveway at night all I can think of is, what a pretty Christmas tree my house makes.

Laundry, we have off peak electric rates here but yet I seem to throw in a few loads whenever I feel like it. I would like to blame the family for this one yet I can not. Shame on me.

Computer ink is another good one. We go through tons. I click and print just about anything. If there is a recipe I like instead of digging it up out of my messy recipe notebook I will just print another copy out.

I stopped watering down my shampoo or anything else for that matter. How lazy is that.

I am sure there is plenty more and it's time for me to get busy at saving a few dollars and our environment. Repeat or not thanks for posting it gets us thinking.

Paper towels- I'm with pkellyc on this one. I tend to wash my hands constantly when I'm cooking so I was using alot of paper towels. I just solved this by moving the paper towels off the counter to under the sink. I lay a clean towel out by the sink to wipe my sink and counter off with and so its easier to use this than reach under the sink every time.

Dish Soap-I'm trying to get into the habit of not using as much. I know I use to much! lol Also, on this-my mom and I both use Dawn. Well she has started watering it down and it works great! So I need to start doing that too.

Bups. I've started cutting my oven and stovetop off early too! Esp when I'm baking cookies, which I make alot of!

I often use "half or less" of any given product. I like to use less laundry detergent, softener, dishwasher soap, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, toothpaste, etc and it doesn't effect anything except my bottom line - in a positive way.

Paper plates and paper towels are my downfall. I just hope that the amount of money and time and energy saved on washing all those dishes factors in to the equation!

I am working hard on using less energy of all kinds right now. We have windows, open the shades and let the light in! (Unfortunately, the heat comes with it this time of year). I use my attic fan to cool the house down when possible, hang dry some but not all of my laundry (covenents restrict laundry lines), use the long soak cycle for laundry, the short cycle with no heat for the dishwasher, etc. I need to convince my kids that they do not have to run the garage door opener every time they go outside to play. We have a front door!

Things I'm good about:

*laundry detergent (I marked my own line on the scoop)
*fabric softener (I water it down, so that even when I fill the little thing, I'm not using too much.)
*dishwasher detergent
*shampoo (one squirt)
*facial cleanser
*paper towels (I only use them for really gross stuff like cat puke)
*Salt - I used to poor from the container into a measuring spoon & spill salt all over in the process. I figured salt is cheap, so what? Now, I keep my salt in a canning jar and dip the spoon into the salt and level it back into the jar - no waste!

Things I could improve on:
*Toilet paper - I tend to pull a good-sized length out of habit, but could get by on about 60-70% of that - when I pay attention
*Sugar for my tea (I like more, but can accept less)

Hmm...I can't be that good - I'll have to think of more. :)

I'll have to say we are pretty careful about such things. One thing several of you mentioned that I don't understand is water down my shampoo. If you're using the proper amount, how does this help? It would only increase the amount you need to use...or am I missing something?

DSS is used to leaving lights, TVs, and everything else on at his mom's house...but we've got him well trained that we dont' do that at our house. In fact, sometimes he is better trained than DH!

Let see.......
1. Toilet Paper (Being pregnant, I use more toilet paper than ever and I have always use more than enough)
2. Body-Wash (I like it to be very soapy, so I always use alot, and I know I need to cut back, but a part of me is not ready to let go yet)
3. Dish-Soap (use more than needed)

THINGS I HAVE LEARN TO USE LESS and GET SAME RESULTS:
1. Detergent (I used to think that the clothes won't be clean unless it's very soapy where I see the soapy foam in the washing machine, I used to use twice as much as what the instruction says) Now, I use 3/4 of what the instruction says.
2. I skip the olive-oil when boiling pasta in water (found-out that it doesn't make any difference at all)
3. Try to use the same body towel more than once (I used to use a clean towel after shower, then throw in washer. )
4. Turn off lights when not in use (used to be one of those people that leaves lights on, and didn't care to turn off)
5. Turn off water while brushing teeth, only turn on when need to use water.

This is all that I can think of for now.
:heartsm:

i've found that i was a real creature of habit in a lot of areas; just doing things a certain way because mom or grandma did it that way....i try to use cloth (towels, feminine hygene, TP...a subject you may not want me to touch on!)
its liberating breaking old habits!!

I'll have to say we are pretty careful about such things. One thing several of you mentioned that I don't understand is water down my shampoo. If you're using the proper amount, how does this help? It would only increase the amount you need to use...or am I missing something?

It's really just fooling yourself - or the people that live in your home.

I water down my Downy. What I've discovered is that I really like to pour it in up to the line (on the fabric softener compartment on my washing machine). When I watered my Downy 50/50, and poured it so it just covered the bottom of the compartment, my clothes came out just fine. But my hand, brain, and eye still want to fill it to the tippy top. So now I mix it 66% water to 33% Downy and can feel free to pour it right up to the line.

So if you have a teenaged daughter who thinks her hand must be FULL of shampoo in order to wash 6 inches of hair, watering it down lets her use the 'same' amount without actually going through so much product.

Another example is juice: I mix the 12oz concentrate with five cans (not three) of water. It still tastes as good and it lasts a bit longer.

Wow, what a great thread. It makes me sit here and think of what I need to change.

Things we are good with:
- We only drink refrigerated tap water between meals - this has saved a ton of money
- No longer use paper plates
- Use the select-a-size paper towels
- Use less detergent than asked for
- No longer use the dryer
- Only run the a/c if I can't stand it anymore

Things we should improve on:

- Running water full blast
- Long showers and deep bubble baths, sigh....
- Prepackaged snacks for school lunches

Oh, a little trick for all you toilet paper junkies - I think I got this from one of the Tightwad Gazette books -- step on the toilet paper before you put it on the holder. This way the inside is not pefectly round and it is not possible to freely pull huge strips, it comes off in little short strips. Works pretty well for us!