Bowl-A-Rama

A plastic mixing bowl has become a staple item in my bathroom. A few months ago, the distributor on my bathtub broke, meaning I couldn't switch the water to the showerhead. Instead of immediately contacting my landlord as I probably should have, I began taking "bucket showers" like I learned in Honduras. The day our hot water heater konked out, I just heated water on the stove and poured it in my bowl and avoided falling victim to a frigid shower. I find the "bucket" method calming in a way--not to mention I probably use  1/10th of the water I would with a conventional shower.

In the end, my landlord repaired the distributor. However, my sink is chronically drippy. So, I tried leaving the bowl in my sink basin to collect the drops. It fills about every 8 hours. When it's full, I use it to flush the toilet (another life skill I learned in Honduras). This is a whole lot easier than the greywater systems* I've read about that involve tinkering with the pipes under the sink. And, it calms my conscience to know that all those runaway drips will be put to some use.

*greywater systems use water that has been lightly used (for washing hands, brushing teeth) again, for dirtier tasks like toilet flushing.