Normally, I try to persuade readers to plug spending leaks that cost meaningful sums of cash. Housing, transportation, and insurance immediately come to mind.
However, that doesn’t mean I think small things are unimportant.
For some reason, we’re perfectly content throwing money away on certain items. We can increase our savings within the next 24 hours if we simply stop wasting money.
Admittedly, I haven’t adopted a zero waste lifestyle. What can I say? When you live in a land of abundant wealth, a set amount of money is pretty much predestined for the receptacle. All right, fine, perhaps I could try harder.
But in the meantime, you don’t honestly believe my imperfection will stop me from judging those who are worse than me, do you? You do? Well, allow me to disappoint you.
Here’s a compilation of ten wasteful habits that you can (and should) end right now.
1. Using Too Much Toilet Paper
I have an unnatural affinity for two-ply, mega rolls of ultra soft toilet paper. So I understand I’m about to tackle a touchy subject.
Yes, I’m frugal, but through good times and bad, there’s one product of which I insist on the highest quality–toilet paper.
After hosting Airbnb guests for over a year, I’ve learned that some people will consume an obscene amount of tissue no matter what. It could be 1/4 inch thick and 10-ply.
Don’t get me wrong. Use however much is necessary to get the job done. But I’m convinced some women are using craaaazy amounts of toilet tissue. If all you’ve done is number one, you don’t need an entire half inch thick mitten of paper to wipe! I mean, WTF? How does one person burn through a roll of tissue a day?
2. Using the Toilet as a Trash Can
According to the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), it takes up to seven gallons of water to flush a toilet. Assuming you have a wastebasket in your bathroom like most civilized people, you could just as easily toss chewing gum wrappers and expired drugs in there. Doing so allows you to eliminate a step since garbage bins don’t require flushing.
3. Leaving the Water on While Brushing Your Teeth
Dentists recommend brushing your teeth twice a day for at least two minutes. While a bathroom faucet spits out two gallons of water per minute.
Let’s crunch the numbers, shall we?
2 minutes x 2 gallons x 2 times a day x 365 days a year equals . . .
So annually, this extraordinary act of laziness wastes about 2,900 gallons of potable water. How long does it take to shut the faucet off? Half a second?
4. Squeezing a Long Glob of Toothpaste onto Your Toothbrush
Since we’re on the subject of teeth, you’re probably using more toothpaste than you need. You wouldn’t know it from advertisements, but all you need is a pea-sized dab of fluoride toothpaste to get the job done. Flossing and brushing properly are the most important components of dental health. Knowing this, I won’t pay over $1 for a tube of toothpaste. And I always pocket whatever is leftover from a hotel stay. As a result, I can get away with spending about two or three bucks on toothpaste all year.
5. Turning the Shower On Well in Advance of Taking a Shower
After this one I promise we’ll get out of the bathroom. Be prepared to hop in the shower when you turn on the water. If you gotta cook breakfast, give the cat her insulin shot, check your email, just leave the shower off. It’s obvious, but if I didn’t know people who were guilty of this behavior, I wouldn’t mention it.
6. Using Paper Towels to Clean Up Large Spills
I find it wholly unacceptable for someone to reach for six or seven heavy duty paper towels to clean up a spilled cup of juice. What’s wrong with a mop? If the accident occurred on a counter top, use a sponge. If that doesn’t do the trick, grab a towel.
7. Putting Too Much Milk in Cold Cereal
When I was a kid, my mom forced us to drink whatever milk was left after we finished our cereal. If you didn’t want to drink what amounted to a large glass of sugary, crumb filled milk, then you’d be well advised to use less. Of course, not every household has this rule. So good milk–and good money–is poured down the drain.
8. Overusing Household Cleaners
A while back, FB revealed that, most of the time, she doesn’t use detergent to wash her laundry. Her admission inspired me to change a wasteful habit. Although I still use detergent in every load of laundry, I’m down to a quarter of what I used before. And you know what? My clothes and linens are as clean as ever.
9. Leaving Peanut Butter, Mayonnaise, and Other Spreads in the Spoon
Not only is this nasty, but it’s unnecessary. The easiest solution is to use a knife. But even if you prefer a spoon, is it too troublesome to use a corner of the bread to scoop out the remainder of the spread? How about we try this? Start with a small amount and add on as needed.
10. Applying Too Much Foundation
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard, “You don’t need makeup; you have great skin!” Oddly, the majority of people who say this have never seen me without makeup. So how do I trick them into thinking I have flawless skin? Concealer.
I told one of my friends how concealer changed my life, and she replied “I don’t have time for that.” Oh, but you have time to pile seven coats of foundation onto your face? Not only does too much foundation look unnatural, but it’s expensive. By applying concealer to the problem areas only, you can hide skin discoloration without slathering on a pound of foundation every morning.
True, the money you save from using less toothpaste won’t pay for your retirement. And turning the water off while you brush your teeth probably won’t help you become debt free one day sooner than estimated. But no matter how small the amount of money we’re talking about, there’s no point in being wasteful.
Shawanda Greene is a free thinking, frugal gal whose only vices are boxed wine, lip balm and money grubbing. You can find more of Shawanda's musings at 
I don’t understand number 9. What is it talking about??? Why on earth would a spoon ever be involved when spreading something on bread? I’m so done with toilet paper (at home that is). I use my shower head as a baday (or however you spell it) as I sit on the corner of the tub and then a towel. It’s like you just had a shower.
Regarding toilet paper. I spend 1 roll per day, sometimes 2. Reason the toilet splashes. I can sit with my whole bum on the toilet seat, and the water from the toilet would still splash upwards, especially when doing number 2. The toilet is apparently completely fine and shouldn’t do this, but it does. When you flush, stay 1 meter away or you will have wet legs and feet. That’s why every time I go to the toilet i put some paper inside it first as a base so it doesn’t splash. If I have dirty hands, I will roll up more toilet paper around my hand before wiping. Saves me from being stressed all the time. Unlike my mom who keeps taking showers after using the toilet because of the whole splashing issue. From what I’ve heard it’s perfectly fine and a lot of woman do it.
I’m quite shocked that people actually do these things, some of them being news to me O.o Living in Australia we have massive water restrictions due to the climate, so most of us are brought up to conserve both water and electricity. My parents kept a bucket in the shower to collect the initial cold water that came through to use on the garden/swimming pool/fish pond etc I do like the idea of using less washing powder, i guess we rarely think of those sorts of things.
Leaving the water running while you brush your teeth is a really bad one if you pay for your water. Think about how many times you might brush your teeth and multiply that roughly by 30. That is a lot of water coming out of your bank account!
All good suggestions, keep them coming!
I’m guilty of turning the shower on way before taking a shower. I just hate walking into cold running water and my boyfriend always complain about how much water I waste too. I’m going to be better about it! I have to be after reading this post! 😉
I was a little worried you were going to suggest not using toilet paper… I am guilty of using it in excess. I get used to using crappy 1 ply in the office and when I get home I automatically use the same amount of paper even though it’s an excess. I need to train my brain. I also let the water run too long before washing my face… I just like warm water in the morning. Definitely some room for improvement in my life; great post!
I am definitely guilty of leaving the water on while I brush my teeth. Need to work on that immediately! I also have learned not wash my clothes after only wearing them once. It helps the clothing not only last longer, but saves hydro and detergent expenses.
I realize that I’m using too much shampoo/conditioner/body wash every time I take a shower. It doesn’t take that much!
Great tips, though I’m totally guilty of turning the shower on a few minutes before I get into it.
Expired medication should not go in the toilet or the garbage. It should be taken to the appropriate household hazardous waste depot. Waste water and drinking water treatment plants are not designed to filter this stuff out. Ultimately it will make its way back to our taps.
I’ve read that leftover meds leach into the ground water from the landfill site — if animals or people don’t get to them first.
Most pharmacies take back medications (prescription and over the counter) and vitamin supplements too. (At least where I live.)
It’s safe to throw many drugs into the trash. You just need to take certain precautions before tossing them out.
http://www.fda.gov/forconsumers/consumerupdates/ucm101653.htm#GuidelinesforDrugDisposal
Agreed on everything! I’m guilty of leaving the water on though so I need to remember to turn it off while brushing my teeth. I tell my bf that all you need is a pea-sized amount of toothpaste and quarter-sized dollop of shampoo to do the job. More lather doesn’t equal more clean.
Question: if you don’t use detergent to wash your laundry, what are you using? Just water?
I do use vinegar in the rinse cycle, and those little balls with the nibs all over them to “soften” my clothes in the dryer (i.e. “beat the heck out of them”), but can’t fathom my clothes, towels, etc. getting clean with only water, so I’m wondering if I’ve misunderstood you.
The argument is that the agitation of the washer is what cleans your clothes. You may need to use detergent or some other cleansing agent if your clothes are stained or soiled.
Many people do number five because they don’t like taking cold showers. More than once I’ve lived in apartment buildings where the water heater must have been at the opposite end of the building, and it could take as much as five full minutes for the hot water to get to my shower.
I was thinking the same thing! It takes a while for hot water to get up to my floor. I would collect the water if I had any use for it, but my handful of house plants can only take so much…
Leaving the water running because you don’t want to take an ice cold shower is one thing, but I’ve known people to turn the shower on and leave it running way longer than necessary. For instance, in my apartment building, it only takes a few seconds for the water to heat up in the morning.
I’ve been getting better at some of these. I have never understood the habit of throwing things out via the toilet but I was also raised in the country on a septic tank so you couldn’t do that without making some major problems.
My husband always gives me a hard time about the paper towel thing. It’s just too easy to grab off the counter for spills, which seem to happen quite a bit, thanks to our rambunctious 6 year old! But he has a bad habit too – constantly running the water when washing dishes instead of using the plug in the sink.
I’m guilty of nearly all of these! I need to stop leaving the water on especially.