A ten minute shower uses about 25 gallons of water. A five minute shower uses about 12. That is half, and your water bill is basically half math. I cut my shower time with a simple timer, and my water bill dropped by enough that I noticed it two months in a row.

Pick your timer

Any timer works, but it has to be one you will actually use:

• Phone alarm set for five minutes, placed on the counter out of reach.
• Three songs in a shower speaker or from memory. Songs are about three minutes, so three is roughly nine, start with two.
• A sand timer stuck to the shower wall with a suction cup. Old school and waterproof.

The wet, off, soap, on method

This is the big one, and it sounds strange until you try it: get wet, turn the water off, soap up, turn the water back on to rinse. The water only runs for about two minutes total, but the shower feels normal. I was skeptical too. Now I do it every time, and the only real change is that I stopped standing under the stream while I lather.

Shave off the last two minutes

Most people run the water at the end while they stand there thinking. When you are done, shut the water off before you grab the towel, not after. That last stretch is pure waste, and cutting it is painless. I also turn the water off while I shampoo, same idea as the soap method.

Fix the drips while you are at it

A leaky showerhead can waste hundreds of gallons a year, even with a perfect five minute shower. If the head drips when the water is off, replace the rubber washer inside, it costs a dollar and takes five minutes. Check the tub faucet too. A steady drip is money going down the drain in slow motion.

My shower timer paid for itself in the first week. The water bill number that used to make me wince is now just a number, and I still get plenty clean.