PSA: I spent $40 on a water meter for my garden and it paid for itself in 2 months

I got tired of guessing how much I was watering my tomato plants last summer. Bought a simple analog water meter from the hardware store for $40. Turns out I was overwatering by almost double every time. My water bill dropped by about $25 a month after I started using it. Has anyone else found a cheap tool that actually saved them money?

2 comments

2 Comments

mary_kelly1mo ago

It's wild how easy it is to just set a sprinkler and forget it, right? A lot of people don't realize that a little water meter can totally change how you look at your garden. I always thought I was being careful, but seeing that dial spin made me feel pretty dumb about how much I was wasting. It's like those little electric meters you plug into outlets to see what's sucking power, but for your yard. You'd think we'd all have figured this out by now, but sometimes you just need a cheap gadget to spell it out for you.

paigeg221mo ago

That "feel pretty dumb" part really hit home for me. I think the thing most people miss though, @mary_kelly, is that the meter only measures what goes through the hose, not what your plants actually soak up or lose to evaporation. So you can still be way off on how much they really need.