Not all methods of saving can produce equal results. Sometimes we can see a tremendous amount of money accumulate with almost no effort, such as in winning the lottery, other times we must seemingly work for weeks to get a single dollar to put into a bank account, such as in carpooling to save gas money. Overall, however, money saved is money earned (or just saved) and all of us are happy to have money accumulate, no matter the amount, instead of seeing our cash disappear. It is wise to have as many different types of money saving going on at the same time. If one type works better than another, fine, but having several types of saving working together is likely to get us further ahead. Following are a few more saving hints that are working for others; they can work for us, too.

1. Save some water. When we turn on the faucet on our sink we normally get a strong stream of water – too much water. Usually we must adjust the handle to get to the right amount of water for our purpose. We are wasting water each time we turn on the faucet, and we’re wasting money  on the wasted water. To save both money and water, go to the valve that is located under the sink and turn it closed a little bit. Now when you turn on the faucet less water will come out. There should be plenty of water for our purpose so we shouldn’t feel that we are taking a bath in a teaspoon, but we will be saving quite a lot of water – and money – over the course of time.

2. Clothes line for drying. Most people have an electric (or gas) clothes dryer. In fact, it is almost unheard of to find a clothes line any more. But, a clothes line can save big bucks on the electric bill and it can save a bundle on repair and replacement of the appliances. Sure, it takes a bit of work to haul the wet clothes outside to the clothes line and to hang each piece with clothes pins. In times past this was the preferred method of all people in cleaning their clothes. You washed the articles of clothing in a wash tub, you wrung them out by hand (or wringer) and you hung them on a clothes line to dry. The result was clean clothes that smelled fresh. There was almost no expense except for the soap, clothes line, and clothes pins. To accomplish the same results today, you have to buy special soaps, fabric softeners, scented dryer sheets, a washing machine, a dryer, and the electric (or gas) to power the machines. If there is a power outage, you’re back to the stone age. A clothes line is much better from several viewpoints, not the least of which is saving money.

3. Reroute water drips. Most air conditioners and dehumidifiers remove moisture from the air. This moisture forms into water that is channeled away from the machine and it is deposited outside. This water is wasted. We can save some water and some money by rerouting this wasted water where it is needed. Two great uses for this water are to water the garden and to water your pets. Attach some piping (or hoses) to the outlet drain from the appliances and route the water to the garden so that the air conditioner can water your vegetables. Watering the pets is even easier as all that is necessary is to put the pet’s water bowl under the dripping water. The water flow is usually sufficient to keep the bowl full even when the dogs are drinking. This is a great method to keep the pets hydrated when the temperatures are soaring and you would rather not go outside to fill the bowls.