Yesterday, at the gym, I overheard an interesting conversation in the locker room. One of the women commented that since she joined the gym, she had stopped showering at home. I was impressed that she went to the gym every single day and didn’t think much of it beyond that.
But then she continued. She was doing this not because of convenience but because of all the money she saved. This made me pause. Could she really be saving that much money by only showering at the gym?
Our gym has a very nice locker room. They provide shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and lotion, as well as towels (which could be bigger, in my opinion – nothing like finishing a great workout and ending up with a towel that barely wraps around your waist). But how much money could you really be saving?
She wouldn’t be paying for water for her showers or for washing her towels after her shower. Of course, the amount saved depends on the length of the shower. My water is included in my rent, so I’m not sure how best to calculate this number. Additionally, if I were calculating whether or not it was worth it to me to only shower at the gym, the water cost would have no meaning since it’s part of my rent.
Then there’s the cost of the shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotion, and detergent for the towels. While all of these things can be expensive, to truly calculate savings, I’m looking at these as being very basic items. No super fancy body washes here, just a cheap bottle from the drugstore. I don’t know about you, but I don’t go through a bottle of body wash a month, nor do I go through a bottle of shampoo or conditioner in a month. And I’ve got fairly long hair. I can’t imagine that she saves more than $10 a month showering at the gym.
Of course, $10 saved is $10 saved. If she’s already at the gym and it’s easy for her to just bring everything she needs and shower there, then sure, it makes sense. But I’m not sure it makes sense as a way to save money.
But I guess we all have our own little ways of saving money. What things do you do that others might find a little ridiculous.
Maybe it pays for her latte that she has to have every morning that costs $5 😛
Or saves her water….
My husband thinks that turning off the faucet while he brushes his teeth is a ridiculous way to save money on water. Whatever. Every little bit helps so I still insist that he turns off the faucet.
Well, you defintely can’t knock her determination to save money! I think it all comes down to personal priorities — I don’t know about you, but I love my shower and am particular about my shampoos/body wash.
I agree that she can’t be saving much by doing this — but a penny saved is a penny earned. All the more power to her!