Flushing away your money? Ways to cut down your water bill

If you've been reading Walletpop for a while, you've already come across some of our tips for conserving water. However, as we face a long, hot summer with drought conditions across much of the country, this would be a good time to reconsider how much of the old H2O you use and how much it costs you. Besides, saving a little water here and there could loosen up the purse strings in other areas. Who knows: You might even be able to afford your weekly fill-up!

One of the first places where you can slice your bill is in the place where you spend 28% of your water and a comparable amount of your time: the toilet.

If your "porcelain convenience" was made before 1970, you're flushing approximately five gallons of water down the drain every time you push the lever. Post-1970 toilets use 3.5 gallons per flush, and current thrones (such as the Toto Aquia) use as little as 0.9 gallons per flush. For the average household, this can result in a savings of over 7,500 gallons of water per year. This is over 1,000 cubic feet, or more than enough water to fill a 12' x 10' x 8' space. In other words, if you have an old toilet, you're probably flushing away enough water to fill your living room!