If you’re interested in saving a little money around the house without really doing anything, here’s a practical little tip. Find out which costs more, your garbage pickup or your sewer, and use that method of disposal for tissues. During the winter, many people go through lots of tissues. If your garbage pickup is free, make sure you throw them all in the trash rather than flushing them, since sewer charges are usually by volume. If you have cheap sewer rates but have to pay for garbage, you might be better off dropping that tissue in the toilet. Of course, don’t flush things that SHOULDN’T be flushed or you’ll pay for it later. But tissues are usually fine, and if you, like me, use toilet paper for blowing your nose when you’re in the bathroom, then it’s specifically designed for flushing and there are no worries. Here in Indianapolis, though, sewer rates are pretty high while garbage pickup is free, so I make it a point to drop those wads of toilet paper in the garbage instead of the toilet.

Not gonna make you a millionaire overnight or anything, but the pennies add up.

[tags]conservation, waste disposal, saving money[/tags]