I'm a thrifty Manchester mum and save money on bills by having my kids bath in leftover shower water

A thrifty Manchester mum saves money on her bills by having her two sons bath in leftover shower water.

Emma Stretton - who shares her money saving-hacks on her Instagram account @emma.wears.it.all - also makes her boys, aged 10 and six, share a towel. 

In partnership with Victoria Plumbing, she’s come up with four tips to make bath time more friendly on the family budget. First up, Emma recommends setting a four-minute timer or playing a song to ensure those showers are short and sharp. 

“When my children are showering I will set a timer on Alexa for four minutes, and when the timer goes off they have to turn the shower off,” she says. “Sometimes I do the same but with a song, they can have a little dance and a wash whilst it plays and then when the song ends it’s time to turn the shower off.”

Now the leftover water hack comes in as saving the shower water ensures kids can have a more bill-friendly wash - and be able to splash about after. 

“One of my children's favourite things to do is play in the bath, but whilst we try to reduce water costs I have had to find an alternative,” she says. “This is where the idea of ‘shower baths’ came from. 

“When having our four-minute shower, I will plug the bath so that the water collects, at the end of the shower when the kids are clean they can mess about in the water that’s filled the bath.”

Emma’s two sons also share a bath, an option if your kids just won’t have a shower and it can be extended even when children get too big to physically get in the same tub. 

“When my kids get older and stop wanting to share a bath, or just can’t both fit, I think I will still try to get them to share the bath water and just put one in after the other,” Emma says. “Giving the bath a quick top-up of hot water to keep it nice and warm.”

When it’s time to get dry, Emma admits some people may think the idea of sharing a towel is “gross” but the mum-of-two has no issue with it at all, and sees it as another practical move. 

“With two young children in the house I am constantly putting on loads of washing,” she says.  “One way I try to reduce this is by letting my boys share a towel. 

“I know some might think it’s gross but wiping off excess water before drying means the towel isn’t too wet after use and my boys don’t notice a difference. After all, we’re clean after the bath or shower so it’s not an unhygienic option.”