Started my navy shower today

[rocketman48097]

From this website, I started reading early retirement extreme.com, and have been addicted ever since.  On that website, I read about the "navy showers" where you turn on the water to wet your hair and body, turn it off to soap up and shampoo your hair, and then use the water to rinse off.  I first implemented this today and was quite delighted at how easy it was.  Even better than a band aid low flow shower head. 

Assuming I can make this a habit, I can potentially save lots of money over a lifetime of doing this.  My wife laughed at me for doing this, but she may eventually take on the challenge.  It was easier than I thought, but the water was warm since my wife showered first.  Next time I plan on doing this in the cold water, before it heats up, to really challenge my bad @ssness.  I work for a living so no corners, like waiting for hot water to warm up, can be cut. 

[Nords]

From this website, I started reading early retirement extreme.com, and have been addicted ever since.  On that website, I read about the "navy showers" where you turn on the water to wet your hair and body, turn it off to soap up and shampoo your hair, and then use the water to rinse off.  I first implemented this today and was quite delighted at how easy it was.  Even better than a band aid low flow shower head. 
Assuming I can make this a habit, I can potentially save lots of money over a lifetime of doing this.  My wife laughed at me for doing this, but she may eventually take on the challenge.  It was easier than I thought, but the water was warm since my wife showered first.  Next time I plan on doing this in the cold water, before it heats up, to really challenge my bad @ssness.  I work for a living so no corners, like waiting for hot water to warm up, can be cut.

When I retired from the Navy, I swore I'd never take a submarine shower again.

So I save water by collecting the warmup in a bucket (for plants or toilets) and by showering with my spouse.

But the best way to save water is to shower at the beach...

[rocketman48097]

I had a hard time with the warm up this morning as I was the first to shower.  I tried the very cold shower, but admittedly, I wimped out and let the water run a while so I could at least have warm water when I rinsed, which I did.

I think this cold water can be cured by switching my teeth brushing as well as my shaving to the first part of my day.  That way I will use up the cold water doing these productivity activities instead of wasting it down the shower drain.  Admittedly, this still might not be enough, but it will at least be a lot less waste than our current way of doing things.  The beauty of getting into good habits and routines is they can last forever, and the money savings which go with also do as well.

Do I show up to work stinking like a European?  Nope, I am just as clean as everyone else, I have just saved money and used significantly less water as well. 

[dahlink]

I was rarely on ships with water rationing.  However, an lpd i was on had these horrible hoses with a push button nozzle.  It felt like getting hit with sand.  Cold water definitely causes you to hurry up , hot as hell water too .  I had a drain start shooting gray water at a guy.  Glad i missed out on the sub hot racking and showers though

[mustacheme]

I was just considering this the other day! Way to take badassity and run with it!
We used to get water rationed in our home ocassionaly, and this was what was suggested all over the news during those times. I don't remember it being so bad as a kid. Might be time to give it a go!

[CommonCents]

I am afraid that for me, this is a frugality definitely not worth it.  I treasure the luxury of a nice hot shower - and it's much cheaper than most other luxuries too!  If you don't enjoy hot showers and take them as rote though, then that's a great way to save. 

[BC_Goldman]

I've sort of been doing this for about a month. Originally started when I turned off my water heater to try and figure out how much energy it was using. Finally turned it back on today after about six weeks but I think I'm sticking with the cold showers and turning off water while lathering. It's brisk but after about 10 seconds you quit gasping and it feels pretty good. Definitely helps make you feel more awake!

[umterp1999]

I used to do this a lot.  Then I started collecting the water in the bucket as someone else said.  The bucket trick worked, until we started a developing a mold problem.  If we weren't using the water right away, it sat.  I took a Navy Shower and turned off the water while soaping and shampooing.  The water just started getting warm by the time I was done rinsing.  In the winter we keep the thermostat at 64, a cold shower might not be possible then.  LOL.

[canadiansaver]

This is par for the course at this time of year in our Eastern Canadian location.  We live in an old house and the well is 8 1/2 feet deep.  Our family of five does well most of the year, but mid August - Septembe is pretty dry.

 This is a great way to get a shower without draining the well.  When we can't even spare that, I  bike over to the river for a swim and it feels great.  Last year my nine year old and I went for an early morning dip on the first day of school when our well was dry- a nice memory!  We were rewarded by mother nature the next day when it finally poured and filled our well to the brim. 

Doing without something for a well makes it seem so awesome when it's back.  I felt pretty pleased with myself not to have ordered a delivery of a truck full of water at $250.  Other years I would have felt that I "needed" it and thought nothing of spending that money.

[KulshanGirl]

I shower like this most days, I got a little doohickey that screws onto the pipe just behind the showerhead, it has a little button to push in to stop the water.  I do let it warm up before I get in though, I'm not that badass.  I just shut it off while I shampoo and wash.

[mgreczyn]

This thread is basically one long Air Force recruiting ad.

[BC_Goldman]

Yo, man, I would totally join the Air Force in a heartbeat if I knew I could be stationed at McGuire the entire time. There's pretty much no way to guarantee that and I'm not in a position where I'm ready to start moving around every few years.

My other option, which I'm keeping an eye on, is landing a full-time job as an Air Force Reserve Technician or with the Air National Guard. Those are pretty hard to come by from what I hear. The ones I've seen posted on USAjobs have usually required you to already be in the appropriate branch. Doing a 20 year stint in the AF and retiring at 51 would be excellent.

[mgreczyn]

Yeah, it's tough to avoid the moving part unless you're ANG or Reserve right off the bat.  Also keep in mind that even if you are ANG or Reserve you'll still need to go through initial and advanced training in other locations.  Also deployments... All that said, a full-time ANG or Reserve gig is the closest thing to stability in the military.

[BlueMR2]

This thread is basically one long Air Force recruiting ad.

Funny, reminds me of the day I went to see the recruiter back ages ago...  He talked me *out* of joining the Air Force.  My eyesight would have prevented me from being a pilot (which is what I really wanted), and he said I was way too independent to fit in anywhere else in the AF.

[mgreczyn]

Funny, reminds me of the day I went to see the recruiter back ages ago...  He talked me *out* of joining the Air Force.  My eyesight would have prevented me from being a pilot (which is what I really wanted), and he said I was way too independent to fit in anywhere else in the AF.

You and everyone else.  I ran into very few AF members, officer or enlisted, who didn't want to be pilots at some point.  The dirty secret is that the eyesight thing doesn't really matter, it's a weed-out criteria.  It costs ~$2 million to get a pilot from zero to hero.  You think they just cut pilots after dumping that much cash into them if they go a little nearsighted in their late 20s?  Well, now it doesn't matter because it's all going unmanned, but that's another story.

I did get to have one true Navy experience just before going full-time civilian.  I got to play liaison officer to a Navy air group, which came complete with 3 days on the Abe Lincoln.  I was accompanied by one of my tech sergeants (E-6), actually this guy was one of my instructors when I was coming up.  The kind of NCO that smart O-1s know they really should be calling "sir" or "ma'am" instead of the other way around. So the Navy NCO that's showing us to our quarters takes us both up to officer's country into a completely empty 6-bunk stateroom.  We're both in flight suits because, well, we're both aircrew.  My understanding is that it's extremely rare for enlisted folk to wear flight suits in the Navy.  Then he does a double-take as he get's a good look at my buddy's rank and says "umm, actually this room is now full, I'll need to take you to another room".  We both look at the other 5 bunks in the room and go "umm, OK".   So my buddy spends 3 days bunking with 100 seamen in one big room somewhere a few decks down, he had a blast and they were all asking him how they could transfer over to the Air Force.  I spent three days in an otherwise empty 6 bunk room.  And I took Air Force showers the whole time.

[BC_Goldman]

Yeah, it's tough to avoid the moving part unless you're ANG or Reserve right off the bat.  Also keep in mind that even if you are ANG or Reserve you'll still need to go through initial and advanced training in other locations.  Also deployments... All that said, a full-time ANG or Reserve gig is the closest thing to stability in the military.

I'd be Ok with training and occasional deployments. As long as I can come back home when I'm done. Things may change for me over the next few years so who knows?

[velocistar237]

You need about a quart of water to wash your hair, and a wet washcloth to get clean otherwise. You don't really need showers to keep clean. That Jacob, he's so extravagant.

[Dr.Vibrissae]

So I save water [...] by showering with my spouse.

I find this does not save me water...must be doing it wrong ;)

[Mazzinator]

But the best way to save water is to shower at the beach...

Yup...me and the kids shower there most days..plus this beach life saves on laundry too!! Rinse swim clothes at the beach shower too. 90% of laundry belongs to dh...hope someday he'll join me in full MMM (he's slowly getting better each day!)

[Nords]

This thread is basically one long Air Force recruiting ad.

We don't want to be the Air Force, we just want the same perceived quality of life.

In my case, I sold my 24 years for the irresistible challenge and the bonus bucks.  I'm not sure how much of either of that existed in the Air Force, but the submarine force was full of it...

[mgreczyn]

This thread is basically one long Air Force recruiting ad.

We don't want to be the Air Force, we just want the same perceived quality of life.

In my case, I sold my 24 years for the irresistible challenge and the bonus bucks.  I'm not sure how much of either of that existed in the Air Force, but the submarine force was full of it...

No worries, just stoking the inter-service rivalry:) If I can't rag on my Navy buds, there's just no point to life anymore. To be honest, I spent spare moments on the Abe being more than a little bit jealous. It's a pretty cool environment to say the least. With the exception of the food.  I'll take a nice TCN-prepped chicken and rice special over that slop any day. Apologies to any Navy cooks hanging around, but you know I'm right. There was plenty of bonus and challenge in the AF, I thoroughly enjoyed it! 

[Nords]

This thread is basically one long Air Force recruiting ad.

We don't want to be the Air Force, we just want the same perceived quality of life.

In my case, I sold my 24 years for the irresistible challenge and the bonus bucks.  I'm not sure how much of either of that existed in the Air Force, but the submarine force was full of it...

No worries, just stoking the inter-service rivalry:) If I can't rag on my Navy buds, there's just no point to life anymore. To be honest, I spent spare moments on the Abe being more than a little bit jealous. It's a pretty cool environment to say the least. With the exception of the food.  I'll take a nice TCN-prepped chicken and rice special over that slop any day. Apologies to any Navy cooks hanging around, but you know I'm right. There was plenty of bonus and challenge in the AF, I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Feh, carrier fod food.

Food on submarines is a primary source of entertainment.  It's certainly ranked higher than the movies, but slightly below oxygen and uninterrupted sleep...