{Living frugal life} How much does it cost to do our daily chores ?

Living in the world full of consumerism, choosing a frugal lifestyle can sometimes mean living as an outcast.  Your friends might talk behind your back.  They just “don’t get it” and assume you’re being overly cheap or unreasonable.

As for me, I care less what others are thinking about me.  I have goals in life that I don’t have to explain to them and if I do, maybe they don’t understand and it’s OK.

During summer, I open the windows in the morning to take advantage of the cool breeze.  I also turn on a portable fan to circulate the cool air throughout the house.  I do laundry once a week or two sometimes, to ensure the machine is full of clothes.  I turn off the light as soon as I leave the room.  I fill up my sink with dirty dishes to get the maximal load of dish washer.  Everything with the hope of saving some dollars at the end of billing cycle.

Is it really worth it to do extra steps just to safe $ less than the cost of a cup of Starbuck coffee ?

{Note: All the numbers you see below is not absolute.  Everything will vary with location, age and kind of equipments you have, etc. I am not an expert in this field but I do want to know the rough cost to do my daily chores.}

One day I googled: How much does it cost to do our daily chores ?  Do my frugal lifestyle really safe me significant money?

Let’s dig in and crunch the numbers.

1. Taking shower for 10 minutes

$1.9424 for the average ten-minute shower with heated water in Minneapolis, MN.  Source: Ats Eco Solutions

2. Flushing toilet

Federal plumbing standards now specify that new toilets can only use up to 1.6 gallons per flush (GPF).  Source: Conserve H2O

The average price of water in the United States is about $1.50 for 1,000 gallons. At that price, a gallon of water costs less than one penny.  Source: FCWA

3. Brushing teeth

You use about 5 gallons of water if you leave the water running while brushing your teeth.  Source: Glen Canyon

So if a gallon of water costs less is about 0.15 cents, then 5 gallons of water is just less than a penny.

4. Dish washer

An average dishwasher runs 215 loads per year, so you’d have a cost of about $0.46 per load for the cost of the dishwasher.  Source: The Simple Dollar

5. Laundry and dryer

 If you wash clothes in a top-loading machine, using hot water, a detergent that costs $0.50 per load, and dry in an electric dryer, it costs about $1.52 per load.  This is the Most Expensive Way.   Source: Money crashers

6. Lights

The cost of a kilowatt-hour of electricity varies across the country, but average cost (including all charges) is about 15 cents.  The cost of running one 100 watts fluorescent bulb is 0.4 cents per hour.  Source: Ase

7. Air Conditioning / Heater

I did calculation using this  Calculator.  The cost to run AC is 50 cents per hour.  

From reading multiple sources, I conclude the cost to run a heater is 70 cents per hour.

Hmmmm, after analyzing those numbers,  the number one thing worth saving is # 1. the shower.  I love taking a long hot shower even during summer.  My shower is definately longer than 10 minutes :(.  I would consider taking shower in shorter minutes, changing the shower head to low-flow kind, and turning off the water while shampooing.

The second thing worth saving is the AC/Heater.

Am I chasing the wrong things here?  Do I miss a bigger picture by keeping myself busy patrolling the house and everyone in the house?

I admit, I do.

There are so many things worth to cut down than worrying about 1 or 2 pennies.  How about my shopping habit ?  Do I really need that many clothes, shoes, boots, or purses ?  I often find myself overwhelmed and stressed out just by looking at the garage and closet alone.

 “When you are overwhelmed, tired or stressed, the solution is almost always…less.  Get rid of something.  Lots of something.”  This quote really speaks to me.  As if it was written for me.

I want to enjoy life to the fullest.  The saying “Having Less is more” is becoming true and truer each day.

Living frugal has hidden benefit.  Believe it or not.  They are true.  Source: The Simple Dollar

#1: Frugality is Good for the Environment.  True

#2: Being Frugal Can Mean Less Stress.  Strongly Agree

#3: Not Caring Can Be Good for the Soul.  Absolutely

#4: You Have More Time for Things That Matter.  Yes

#5: Frugal Living Is Good for Humanity.  Amin

#6: Having the Ability to Give Generously.  True

#7: Retiring Early.  Ultimate goal

How about you ?   What are you chasing in life ?  Do you worry about things that hinder you from the bigger problem ?  Please share your thought with me.  Have a good weekend.