Save Water + Time!

I thought of this a couple months ago. No wait -- it was as soon as I moved into my own place. ...You see, changes in circumstances can help us to learn.

There's a really simple way to keep your water bill down a little and save some time doing dishes (<- the real reason). All you have to do is reuse dishes. Imagine, if you used every dish twice, that cuts dishwashing time and washer loads in half.

i.e.
Use the same glass for water all day (or multiple days).
If you're having something like a salad followed by stir-fry and rice, use the same bowl (or plate) and fork for both.
Toast in the morning? Save the plate.
Coffee-fanatic? As long as you don't use real cream/milk (which might be OK anyway, but I don't trust it), just rinse the cup briefly and use it the next day. Same with tea.
If you can take it, instead of getting a new glass for a different drink, use the same one. (Can you handle orange juice after milk??? Fruit juices all mix. I do not suggest milk after fruit juice.)

So I don't know how healthy this is, there's probably a limit to how many times you should use something -- we wash dishes for a good reason. Anything that's been used for dairy products like cream and milk (left out = eew) or raw chicken/pork/eggs (unhealthy) should NOT be reused.

I also tend to reuse plates and bowls more than cups, and all those more than silverware, and depending on what I used it for I'll rinse it a little. Keep it down though; rinse too much, and you may as well have put it with the rest of the dishes.

It's a simple but effective method, as long as you don't mind a few dishes hanging around the kitchen.

And if you forget to replace your cup for too long a time, let me know what happened.