09/13/2021 / By Zoey Sky
Maintaining a homestead is no easy feat, and it can sometimes be an expensive task as well. But there are many ways to save money on your property, especially if you know how to manage your resources wisely.
Read on to learn how to conserve water and reuse gray water on your homestead. (h/t to HomesteadLady.com)
Some of the methods detailed below can be started within a week or so but others require some planning.
If you live in an area that often experiences drought cycles, water shortages, or contaminated water supplies, conserving water can benefit you as a homesteader. And if you live in an apartment in the city, conserving your resources can also help reduce your water bills, which can mean great savings in the long run.
Conserving water is a task that requires hard work but it’s worth it just like other homesteading activities such as gardening or caring for livestock.
Water conservation may require special equipment, depending on the system you choose. Your chosen equipment will also have a start up cost.
And if you’re harvesting rainwater, the weather isn’t always dependable. Thankfully, conserving water on your homestead is more about using water wisely instead of cutting back on water use.
Whether you live in a cramped apartment or in a spacious homestead, these tips will help you conserve water at home:
Gray water refers to the used water that comes out of your home, but this doesn’t include blackwater or sewage water from the toilet.
Gray water comes from sources like:
Here are some easy ways to conserve water by reusing gray water:
How you reuse gray water depends on what you put into the water.
If you use cleaning products like toothpaste, shampoo, or laundry detergent full of commercial chemicals, this will reduce the usefulness of your gray water. But you can still use water like this for your compost pile.
Alternatively, you can dump gray water in some areas of your property to return the water to the earth so the gunk can be filtered out.
If you use natural or non-toxic cleaning products, here are some ways to reuse gray water:
Note that clean water from the sink can be used directly on plants.
Your plants need a lot of water, but these tips can help you conserve water in your home garden:
It’s also best to care for plants that suit your growing zone to conserve water in your garden.
A survival garden is one of the main water hogs in a homestead. Follow these tips to make sure your crops receive the water they need:
Rain barrels are best for small-space homesteaders. This method involves the use of barrels to harvest rainwater that can be used in your garden or around your house.
Here are several suggestions on how to use rainwater:
Before setting up rain barrels review local ordinances and the regulations of your homeowner’s association (HOA) to confirm if rain barrels are legal in your area.
All these suggestions may seem overwhelming but choosing the method that best suits your needs and planning ahead will be helpful. Once you’re done with your research, choose three areas of water management and storage that you want to explore in the next six months. Write these down in a journal.
Make sure one of the areas you chose concerns water storage in your home, car, or on the homestead. Add up the cost of containers and any other equipment, then start saving up for it.
Plan a schedule for purchasing, filling, storing or setting up your water storage. After six months, complete these three goals and set three more for the next six months.
If your homestead is in an area that doesn’t experience droughts, conserving water is still beneficial if you want to save money on your bills.
Visit Homesteading.news for more tips on how to run an efficient homestead.
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Tagged Under: homesteading, how-to, off grid, preparedness, prepper, prepping, self sufficiency, SHTF, survival, sustainable living, tips, water, water conservation, water supply
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