I thought a rain barrel was a waste of money until I saw the number on my water bill

Elizabeth Mason · 2026-10-03T02:50:03.379155+00:00

Last spring I finally set up two 55 gallon barrels off my downspouts in the backyard, mostly because my neighbor kept bugging me about it and I wanted him to drop it. I filled both of them in one good storm in April and used that water on the tomatoes and peppers all summer. My July water bill came in at $31, when it's usually closer to $58 in the dry months. I sat there staring at it, because I swore for two years that barrels were just a hobby thing for people with too much time. So now I'm curious, does anyone run a third barrel or a small pump setup, and did the math actually work out for you?

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I thought a rain barrel was a waste of money until I saw the number on my water bill | Backyard Projects - Thought Shares