This blog is mainly about how I find ways to save money and I have tried a LOT of different things in the past. I read other blogs to look for tips on things I can do to reduce my expenses so that I can work on reducing debt and building wealth.
I have found a few frugal tips out that have been great and there also a few that really freak me out!!!! I decided to start a little series of Frugal Tips That I will NOT try so you can get a better idea of some of the things I think are too extreme.
One of the tips that I will not follow is Taking Cold Showers Year Round. I grew up in a warm climate and I really hate to be cold. One of the ways that frugal people claim they save money is by taking cold showers all the time.
Yes, even in the middle of winter!!!!
It is now about 38 degrees where I live and I can tell you right off the bat that I will NOT be freezing in the shower, trying to save some money. I know it costs money to run the water heater to get my shower warm (in my case HOT) but it is worth it to me to be comfortable for the short time I am in there.
Yes I will turn the thermostat down a bit and wear a sweater inside but I simply refuse to attempt to shower in ice cold water.
I agree. That is something I had tried once and I promised myself never again. What I do since then is just heat the water long enough to where it starts out as warm and gradually tempers off to lukewarm by the time I am done with my shower.
-Jean
We in Scandinavia have sauna and after 20 minutes in the sauna do we roll us around in the snow and then jump in the lake which is often only 4-5 degrees. Your body feels much better and you are guaranteed pure.
Maybe that’s why they call us Vikings.
Wow I have heard a lot about Scandinavians doing that but I am amazed by it. Seems like such a shock for the body to jump into ice cold water!
-Jean
My wife and I agree on this. She’s actually been pushing me to turn the water heater up a notch as the first shower of the day seems to be a little cooler as I’m guessing the tank doesn’t keep the water as hot when it’s ‘keeping it warm’ versus ‘heating new water’.
I don’t do it to save money, but water…I get under the shower immediately. Yes, this time of yr the water is FREEZING until it warms up. But it does warm up. B/c DH will not shower in cold water, LOL. He thinks I’m a little nuts.
I’ve also heard this is also good for you, to expose yourself to cold and then really warm water.
If anyone is interested in saving money with water heater, simply leave it unplugged except for those two or three times a day you really need hot water.
Hi LuluGal! This is one crazy idea for me especially during winter. There are other ways to save money while taking a bath. Just use enough and don’t stay long in the shower. Don’t rely on the water heater all the time.
Even in the warmest & Scorching hot weather –
I definitely take Hot showers. I’m deathly afraid
of Cold Water –
and even a little confession, sometimes after
playing basketball in College and the dorm
room shower’s hot water wouldn’t work –
i’d go to sleep without showering; I agree with
you LuluGal, if electricity bill has to be a little higher
because of cold showers. SO BE IT :-p
Interesting to note…and funny too!!!! But you do what works for you.
Haha, me too. I can’t shower ice cold water. I will freeze!
Strange but true, a way to get around this is to build a solar batch water heater. No electricity or fossil fuel required – just a heat collector box and passive energy via the sun. Well, and an old water tank. But yeah, this would eliminate the need for cold showers as the heated water is free since you already pay for the cold water.
I totally agree this is the way to go, not only it’s free but it also helps improve the environment…
-Kostas
I’m not sure that I would go directly to cold showers unless things were seriously critical. However, I would go for shorter and cooler showers. Set a timer for say 10 minutes. When the timer goes off, it is definitely time to rinse and get out of the shower. When you can handle that, then set the timer for 8 minutes. If you work reasonably fast with the shampoo and cream rinse, you should be able to get your shower time down to between 3 and 5 minutes. This will save on both power and water bills. Likewise, work on cooling the water down a little at a time.
I agree on taking shorter, cooler showers so your body can adjust. The timer is also a great idea and I am sure you can end up reducing the time after a while but still get everything done.