Collect water while the shower is warming

Dave writes: "Put a bucket under your shower and collect the water that would otherwise be going down the drain as you wait for the hot water to make it through the pipes. Then, take the bucket full of clean water and pour it in your washing machine. At week's end, you'll have saved your washing machine from having to fill up its first tank full!"

Another use for this otherwise wasted water is to save it to water houseplants, although its best to let it sit in the watering can for a little while so that chlorine and other chemicals introduced through municipal water purification can evaporate.