5 Money Saving Tips for the Bathroom - SATIRE

Saving Money Room-by-Room, Part 2

Brian Digby, Columnist, Orlando Sentinel-Times
August 30, 1998

In this economy, families need every bit of help they can get to save money. As part of my ongoing series of saving money, room-by-room, here are my top 5 money-saving tips for the second-busiest room in the house. The BATHROOM.

1. When a bar of soap nears the end of its life, it becomes a piece of slippery wasted money that ends up on the shower floor. You have to bend over (uh-oh!) and try and grab it. Kill two birds with one stone by pressing it, firmly, against a fresh new bar of soap! Hint: use water.

2. Don't just throw those empty shampoo bottles out! Stretch them by adding a few ounces of water and shaking the bottle to ensure proper mixing. You'll get at least four more washes out of the bottle. Hint: to save double, do your spouse's shampoo bottle too when she's not looking.

3. Skip a shave or two. This one requires no effort at all! Instead of shaving every day, shave every other day. You've automatically cut your shaving bills in half. If you're a man, your wife or girlfriend will appreciate the rugged look. If you're a woman, make sure that your man is okay with it!

4. Brace yourself: this one's not for the squeamish, but did you know that dental floss can be used more than once? With a tensile strength of 25 pounds and designed by Scientists, floss is some of the strongest stuff in your house -- not including your liquor cabinet, of course! So just give each strand a rinse and save it for next time.

5. Don't forget to reward yourself. Keeping track of all these great money-saving tips can be exhausting. You have to let yourself enjoy your time in the bathroom, so the occasional splurge on that hundred-buck electric shaver or water flosser is totally fine!

Brian Digby is a columnist for the Orlando Sentinel-Times. His column, Smart Money for a Smart Millennium is syndicated nationally.