Spent $40 on a rain barrel and it paid for itself in 3 months

I got one of those 50-gallon rain barrels from the Everett hardware store last spring. Between watering my garden and washing my car, my water bill dropped enough that it covered the cost by July. Has anyone else tried cutting down on their water usage around here?

3 comments

3 Comments

laura18924d ago

You say it "paid for itself in 3 months" but I REALLY doubt that. Did you actually compare your water bills from the same months the year before? Because my water bill barely changed after I got my 50-gallon barrel. Like maybe $5 a month less, and that's it. $40 divided by $5 is 8 months, not 3. Plus you have to factor in the time you spend setting it up and cleaning the filter so it doesn't get all gross. Sorry but this math just doesn't add up for most people. I think these things are way oversold when the real savings are tiny.

tyler_wilson24d ago

Bet you didn't factor in the drought surcharges though @laura189 those add up fast.

zaram9713d ago

Ugh exactly, cleaning that filter is a pain I totally underestimated.