WASHING DISHES BY HAND: 3 VALUABLE MONEY-SAVING LESSONS

* I was taught to hand wash dishes since I was a little kid, and that’s something I have been doing for the past 31 years.

*If you think washing dishes is a chore, I hope this blog give you a different perspective.

1993, Vietnam: where the habit started

Our family just moved to Ho Chi Minh City, which was considered the most developed area in South Vietnam. The technology was not yet affordable for the general population. I remember my dad bought a refrigerator and we didn’t even know how to use it. No one in our neighborhood owned a washing machine or even a dishwasher. Whom who did was the super wealthy. During that period, I learned that if I want money to buy a new comic book, I needed to complete the chores around the house. Washing dishes was one of the tasks I had to pick up.

Over the years, this simple little habit has evolved and become a teacher. Let’s take a look at the 3 money saving tips that I have learned.

Related: How overthinking can cost you money.

1) Focus on ONE task at a time so you don’t feel overwhelmed

Can you wash 5 cups at the same time? Well, the answer is “Yes” if you have ten hands. By washing one by one patiently, you will end up with a pile of clean dishes. Once you get good at it, you will know what is the excellent sponge or soap to buy to achieve a better and faster result. To me, having clean dishes at the end of the day is one of the best feelings. This lesson is about getting good at what you do through repeating it over and over again. I admitted it I like to multitask and keep myself busy. Last year, I tried to run an online business with Amazon, grow an Instagram, twitter and facebook accounts while working 3 jobs. Can you guess the result? I fail because I was impatient and my attention was divided into too many tasks. I thought that if I kept myself busy, eventually the result will show after all the hard work.

2) Don’t pile up and wait until the end

Stop being a procrastinator. Does this sound familiar to you: dump dirty dishes in the sink after every meal and wait until the very end of the day to wash them. Imagine how many dirty dishes will be and how difficult it is to get the solid stain off since you didn’t soak it in the water. My recommendation: encourage everyone in your family wash their own dishes every single time after they are finished with their foods. That way, no one will feel the burden of doing a large number of dishes by themselves. If you get this habit down, eventually you can apply the same thing for other chores around the house such as vacuuming, cleaning the toilet,… The same goes to every other aspect in life: if you just wait to get everything done as the deadline approaches, there will be a lack of quality on your work.

3) Save money doing it yourself

Yes, the dishwasher is invented for a reason. But it makes you lazy and wastes your money. It actually doesn’t cost that much to operate a dishwasher. According to Homeguides, it is under 50 cents a day to run the dishwasher. Some might argue that it is entirely not worth it and they instead spend that time with family and friends. Yes, I get it. But if you are living a super frugal lifestyle, you can save $182.5 a year by washing dishes by hands.

The lesson I want to point it out here is much more than just saving money. It is about to continue to observe and learn so you can do it yourself without relying on anybody or anything. For example, by spending $1,000 for someone to create a website for me, I can save a lot of headache and tons of time. But what if something breaks down or not function exactly the way you want, you have to contact them and ask for help. Now, you are depending on that person and their times just as precious as yours and mine.

Your turn

Do you use dish washer? What do you think about saving just a little bit of money using it?