Anything new?

[UncleEbenezer]

Meal planning: cook compatible things.

An oven cooked main dish, anything from a quiche to a roast? Accompany it with a baked spud, and perhaps even an oven-cooked dessert like a fruit pie or crumble. Thus make best use of having turned the oven on.

On a similar note, if steaming veg, boil pasta in the water under them! Applies even if boiling rather than steaming the veg.

And of course, as others have said, some foods can be prepared in bulk and frozen. Soups by the cauldron are my most usual, and I'll stew up fruits for freezing when they're in season.

[UncleEbenezer]

As a family we all use water bottles when we are out and about. Personally though, I'm not averse to asking to refill a bottle anywhere rather than pay £s for plastic bottles of water. Still, an initiative such as this great if it reduces all the staggering amounts of unnecessary plastic waste - let alone anti-LBYM expenditure - of plastic water bottles.

When I lived in Sheffield I bettered that. Most Sundays unless otherwise occupied I'd go out into the Peaks with a couple of big empty water bottles and return with them full. Got to know and love the individual tastes of many of the streams up there.

Sadly I no longer do that. Dartmoor water doesn't taste remotely as nice as the High Peak. I think that's down to some very bitter mineral traces, possibly a legacy of mining back in the 19th century. Fortunately the stuff that comes through the taps is OK, though still not a patch on Sheffield water.

[neversay]

I'm just re-reading my initial post at the head of this thread. It was long (sorry) but it makes me think just how many facets there are to managing your money and LBYM. It's very easy to take your eye off the ball.

[didds]

OK - reasonable points. I guess I don't see wastage occurring so it never crossed my mind that people on unmetered provision (eg us) would leave the taps running because it doesn't cost them anything more or less.

Moving on what sort of things do metered clients do to minimise water usage?

eg oinly flush once a day? Do the washing up up in their bath water? Catch rain water for tea and coffee? Shower in the rain?

cheers!

didds

[dspp]

OK - reasonable points. I guess I don't see wastage occurring so it never crossed my mind that people on unmetered provision (eg us) would leave the taps running because it doesn't cost them anything more or less.

Moving on what sort of things do metered clients do to minimise water usage?

eg oinly flush once a day? Do the washing up up in their bath water? Catch rain water for tea and coffee? Shower in the rain?

cheers!

didds

A few years ago I shifted my house to a metered supply. There are generally three adults living in the house so even before I did it, my calculation was that it would be more costly. So my decision was not LBYM in a financial sense, but was because I thought it the right thing to do from an environmental perspective, i.e. to apply pressure to myself to be careful with water usage, which I guess is LBYM but in another sense.

I put buckets next to the greenhouse gutters and that gives me a fair chunk of water for if I feel the need to water the garden. I made sure that every time a tap is changed the new one is the aerated style. I tick my lodgers off if I find them doing the dishes under a running tap. And so far that is it. I'm not planning much more either - my gardening is not the style that needs plumbed in water butts.

Personally I think all household water should be metered. It has been the 60s since the chalk stream in my 'home' village flowed naturally, even in winter. That is entirely due to over-abstraction by the nearest conurbation. And I live on the 40" line.

regards, dspp

[vrdiver]

OK - reasonable points. I guess I don't see wastage occurring so it never crossed my mind that people on unmetered provision (eg us) would leave the taps running because it doesn't cost them anything more or less.

Moving on what sort of things do metered clients do to minimise water usage?

eg oinly flush once a day? Do the washing up up in their bath water? Catch rain water for tea and coffee? Shower in the rain?

cheers!

didds

- use a bowl for washing up instead of filling the sink directly
- put a brick* in the cistern
- adjust the cistern to stop filling at a slightly lower level, reducing the flush volume
- turn the tap off when not needed (brushing teeth, shaving, washing up)
- reduce water used in the garden (don't water the lawn / leave the hose on so much, use a water butt/bucket to collect rain)
- put less water in the bath
- get out of the shower sooner
- fit aerators to taps / shower heads
- run the tap less when getting cold water to drink
- put used washing-up water on the garden (instead of fresh water)


More extreme:
- don't flush every time toilet is used
- divert bath water to a water butt for the garden
- collect rain for toilet flushing (heard of it - never met anybody who has!)
- avoid washing machine / dishwasher in favour of manual, less water-intensive methods

There's probably more, but they gradually move from free-and-easy to expensive-and-difficult.

VRD

*Either a real brick, or the water companies used to give away a plastic bag that, when put in the cistern, would absorb about a litre of water into the gel crystals inside it, thus occupying and reducing each flush by about a litre.

[UncleEbenezer]

- put less water in the bath Don't use an oversize bathtub in a shape that requires more than twice the water to reach a usable depth. Someone should tell my landlord.
- get out of the shower sooner For a much bigger saving, use an electric shower for low flow and near-instant hot water. Though that's one economy I prefer to forego.
- fit aerators to taps / shower heads Nooooo! In any case, it's a false economy, as you need to run it so much longer to rinse anything. Perhaps it makes brushing your teeth so much torture you stop doing it?
- run the tap less when getting cold water to drink Keep some water in the fridge so it's cold.


More extreme:
- don't flush every time toilet is used Pee in the shower, get a flush for free.
- divert bath water to a water butt for the garden
- collect rain for toilet flushing (heard of it - never met anybody who has!) Use the water from the dehumidifier in place of a flush.
- avoid washing machine / dishwasher in favour of manual, less water-intensive methods I think that's a false economy: aren't machines more efficient with water than anything short of a dip in the river?

There's probably more, but they gradually move from free-and-easy to expensive-and-difficult.

VRD

*Either a real brick, or the water companies used to give away a plastic bag that, when put in the cistern, would absorb about a litre of water into the gel crystals inside it, thus occupying and reducing each flush by about a litre.

Or just use a water-efficient cistern.

For what it's worth, getting a meter in the present place reduced my water bills by more than 80%. And that's with the stupid oversized bathtub, and a lifetime habit of failing to turn off while brushing teeth, and a shower with real water and decent power that needs to be run far too long to warm up. In other words, a long way from real frugality.

[Watis]

- put less water in the bath Don't use an oversize bathtub in a shape that requires more than twice the water to reach a usable depth. Someone should tell my landlord.
- get out of the shower sooner For a much bigger saving, use an electric shower for low flow and near-instant hot water. Though that's one economy I prefer to forego.
- fit aerators to taps / shower heads Nooooo! In any case, it's a false economy, as you need to run it so much longer to rinse anything. Perhaps it makes brushing your teeth so much torture you stop doing it?
- run the tap less when getting cold water to drink Keep some water in the fridge so it's cold.


More extreme:
- don't flush every time toilet is used Pee in the shower, get a flush for free.
- divert bath water to a water butt for the garden
- collect rain for toilet flushing (heard of it - never met anybody who has!) Use the water from the dehumidifier in place of a flush.
- avoid washing machine / dishwasher in favour of manual, less water-intensive methods I think that's a false economy: aren't machines more efficient with water than anything short of a dip in the river?

There's probably more, but they gradually move from free-and-easy to expensive-and-difficult.

VRD

*Either a real brick, or the water companies used to give away a plastic bag that, when put in the cistern, would absorb about a litre of water into the gel crystals inside it, thus occupying and reducing each flush by about a litre.

Or just use a water-efficient cistern.

For what it's worth, getting a meter in the present place reduced my water bills by more than 80%. And that's with the stupid oversized bathtub, and a lifetime habit of failing to turn off while brushing teeth, and a shower with real water and decent power that needs to be run far too long to warm up. In other words, a long way from real frugality.

I sense a distinct lack of imagination here.

Simply treat the oversized bathtub like one of those old cisterns. Put a pile of breeze blocks - or carrier bags full of gel crystals, according to preference - in one end of the bath - and you're good!

Watis

[JessUK98]

- put less water in the bath Don't use an oversize bathtub in a shape that requires more than twice the water to reach a usable depth. Someone should tell my landlord.
- get out of the shower sooner For a much bigger saving, use an electric shower for low flow and near-instant hot water. Though that's one economy I prefer to forego.
- fit aerators to taps / shower heads Nooooo! In any case, it's a false economy, as you need to run it so much longer to rinse anything. Perhaps it makes brushing your teeth so much torture you stop doing it?
- run the tap less when getting cold water to drink Keep some water in the fridge so it's cold.


More extreme:
- don't flush every time toilet is used Pee in the shower, get a flush for free.
- divert bath water to a water butt for the garden
- collect rain for toilet flushing (heard of it - never met anybody who has!) Use the water from the dehumidifier in place of a flush.
- avoid washing machine / dishwasher in favour of manual, less water-intensive methods I think that's a false economy: aren't machines more efficient with water than anything short of a dip in the river?

There's probably more, but they gradually move from free-and-easy to expensive-and-difficult.

VRD

*Either a real brick, or the water companies used to give away a plastic bag that, when put in the cistern, would absorb about a litre of water into the gel crystals inside it, thus occupying and reducing each flush by about a litre.

Or just use a water-efficient cistern.

For what it's worth, getting a meter in the present place reduced my water bills by more than 80%. And that's with the stupid oversized bathtub, and a lifetime habit of failing to turn off while brushing teeth, and a shower with real water and decent power that needs to be run far too long to warm up. In other words, a long way from real frugality.

LOL, I thought I was the only one to think of pouring the water from the dehumidifier down the loo!
I confess that I only flush the loo after I've used it several times for a pee (obviously if it's a number 2 it gets flushed straight away, and if I have guests other than immediate family/close friends I will too). Quite often instead of flushing I can use the dehumidifer water. I also occasionally fill the iron with the dehumidifier water. I don't have plants or grow anything in the garden otherwise I'd use it for that as well, along with getting a water butt.
With reference to other money savers - I use a dishwasher, which uses less water than washing up (I've checked how many litres various washes are Vs how many litres my washing up bowl takes to fill, and have the water warm up. One full load in the dishwasher uses less water than having to do a couple of washing up sessions by hand over the week).
I have also been known to wash my car in the rain, to save on water, as you don't need to rinse the soap off after!

[didds]

I just don't wash the car! LOL

didds

[Dod101]

I am so glad that I live in Scotland where we just pay water rates and can use as much as we like. I also have what amounts to wonderful Highland Spring water from my taps.

How do you people south of the Border pay for water waste? Removal of ours is included in the charge for water supply unless like me you have a septic tank and soakaways for rainwater.

Dod

[Dod101]

I am so glad that I live in Scotland where we just pay water rates and can use as much as we like. I also have what amounts to wonderful Highland Spring water from my taps.

How do you people south of the Border pay for water waste? Removal of ours is included in the charge for water supply unless like me you have a septic tank and soakaways for rainwater.

Dod

[vrdiver]

How do you people south of the Border pay for water waste? Removal of ours is included in the charge for water supply unless like me you have a septic tank and soakaways for rainwater.
Dod

If on a meter, the water utility assume every litre of water supplied is also removed and have a separate (per L) charge for that. In essence, the cost of metered water is for both the supply and disposal, with a daily charge for the connection as well.

VRD

[JohnB]

Actually water companies assume that your waste water is less, perhaps 80% of the supplied water, to allow for watering the garden. Not that it makes a difference, as they set the charges for both. Many water saving measures make poor economic sense, like the £30 cost of a 200l water butt would take take 75 butt loads to recoup (£2/ton combined supply and waste cost), which would take years, given you only water when there has been no rain, and you'd have to carry 15 tons of water round the garden. Better for the plants as you avoid the chlorine, but not the pocket.

[midnightcatprowl]

I am so glad that I live in Scotland where we just pay water rates and can use as much as we like. I also have what amounts to wonderful Highland Spring water from my taps.

It may perhaps be wetter in Scotland too so there is more water freely available for people to use without running rivers dry and reducing lakes to puddles through the extraction of water for our use? I live in the East of England Region. Last Spring was frighteningly dry and the area is densely populated and becoming more densely populated year on year. Something has to give, you can't just let people pour the stuff down the drains because they can't be bothered to turn the tap off. Personally I think that lawn watering should be banned except via hand held watering cans which would act as a great incentive for Brits in the drier parts of the country to start planting things more suited to the climate and regional water resources as they are today rather than in the past. Those who continued to insist on a lush green lawn all year round would either get lots of exercise via hand watering which would reduce the strain on the NHS or have to pay other people to do it and there are always people on the look out for those few extra hours of paid work which would make all the difference to their personal financial situation. Whichever they'd still be using a lot less water than when people get out there with a hose or leave the sprinklers on all night.

[Satsuma]

My guess is that most of us here have been living and breathing LBYM for so long that we consistently do all we can.

I think this is definitely the case. Whenever I see one of those emails/websites with "10 ways to save a grand" or whatever, I get excited for a minute, then scan the list and realise I have been doing them all for years anyway. It's second nature to me/many of us now.

On a similar note, has anyone else noticed the RFQS equivalent of the January Gym rush?
I routinely go grocery shopping in the evenings, and used to have my pick of the yellow stickers and a generally peaceful, quiet shopping trip. Last few times I have seen actual queues of people waiting for the (slightly terrified looking) lad to finish unstacking the crates. And one time I was idly looking at a whole shelf-full, when a middle aged lady physically stood in front and body-checked me to stop me getting in first. Honestly, love, I'm more than happy to share the cheap broccoli

Also my bread plan has been thwarted somewhat as my local Tesco takes ALL fresh bread off the shelf at 7pm, so I invariably miss it (the cornbread is delicious!), full price OR reduced!

[Satsuma]

Meal planning is an odd one for me. I generally have 'food' in all the time, and never have a fixed meal in mind for any day of the week - certainly I have never set up an entire weekly plan. I just make what I fancy when I get in, or might have spotted something that inspires me at some point in the day.

What do people do when it's, say, Tuesday Fajitas, and they really cannot be [expletive deleted], or actually would give their right arm for cauli cheese?

[dspp]

Meal planning is an odd one for me. I generally have 'food' in all the time, and never have a fixed meal in mind for any day of the week - certainly I have never set up an entire weekly plan. I just make what I fancy when I get in, or might have spotted something that inspires me at some point in the day.

What do people do when it's, say, Tuesday Fajitas, and they really cannot be [expletive deleted], or actually would give their right arm for cauli cheese?

Meal plan ? Easy: eat whatever is left in fridge. If empty go down to Tesco and buy yellow-sticker items. Eat.



dspp

[JohnB]

I time my supermarket trips for the quarter price reductions at Sainsburys at 19.45, but I have to arrive a little earlier before the evil bread slicer takes all the loaves off the shelves to slice them. Tesco does this too, despite my pointing out that an unsliced loaf can be always sliced by the buyer, but a sliced one cannot be reassembled.

[vrdiver]

Meal plan ? Easy: eat whatever is left in fridge. If empty go down to Tesco and buy yellow-sticker items. Eat.



dspp

I find those yellow stickers a little chewy to be honest

VRD