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Are You Paying For Free Things?

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There are so many things, that we as consumers feel we need to buy/use because of advertisements and other forms of peer/corporate pressure. Are you paying for items that you could simply be free?

Water: Our neighbors spend money I would love to have on watering their lawns at hours at a time sometimes several times a day. It seems a cruel injustice when in other parts of the world/country people are practicing the “if it’s yellow let it mellow” rule. You can save money on water by using what you have already paid for once. For instance, using bath water to water your plants, pet water/aquarium water etc.(You can also get absolutely free water by catching rain water, and/or collecting de-humidifier water, this is also wonderful for plants and gardens). If you can use water you’ve already gotten out of the tap, the second use is considered a freebie. This is because instead of using the water you need that you would have to buy again, you’ve re-used the water from a previous mean.

Air/heat: Okay so you have really ugly underwear that you would rather not show your neighbors! You can still hang out everything but your underwear on the line! Not only will the sun kill all the germs that are in your laundry, (not one detergent/fabric softener can do that), but you will get fresh smelling clothes for free. (Why pay for “Outdoor Fresh” scent)? As I become a more experienced line dryer I am finding that some clothes by being line dried can pass inspection without ironing. (Overalls are a good example! If you secure these over the line by the buttoned straps, you won’t get that uncomfortable snakebite look)! I hang all of our clothes on the line except for underwear and bath towels (my husband enjoys the comfort of a soft towel). Another bonus to line drying is, even if you dry only your hand towels and washcloths (I can get away with line drying these), you are actually helping the absorbency of these. While working in a “posh” home store, I was required to learn as much about the products as possible. Although I never bought an item over $5 there, I did learn some invaluable information. Towels/washcloths can last ten years or more if you do not use fabric softener. This helps to retain their absorbency. Being so, this makes line drying the more desirable choice.

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