Recycling Rain Water?

Hi Kim, I was at my sister's house the other day, and all we did, was cut a downspout short enough to put a large barrel under it, and the gutters/downspouts re-direct all the rainwater into the barrel, instead of into the ground.  This is FREE :) except for the cost of the barrel.
She then uses the water for the vegetable garden and watering the grass, and anything else that rain water can be used for outdoors.  We have also replaced all the light bulbs in the house for 'green' bulbs; and it's already making a difference; planted some trees; etc. 

Some ideas for going green? .... Our City has also implemented 'smart meters', which attach (?) to your hydro meter and when the demand is at its peak, the City turns down your thermostat slightly, to reduce the strain on energy, during the peak periods (especially in the heat of the Summer).  Cleaning the furnace filter every 2 months, can increase its efficiency up to 50% (and I do it that often, because I have pets); during the heating season, keep the draperies open on all south-facing windows, to let in the sunlight and warm up the home - keep them closed at night, to reduce the chill. In the summer, avoid using heat producing appliances and use the microwave and BBQ more often; and/or enjoy cold meals/salads. When using central air, make sure you are cooling only the rooms you need. Close the vents in the other rooms.  Take a quick shower; it's cheaper than a bath. Keep your refrigerator away from a heat source, so you don't force it to work harder.  Wash laundry in cold water and wash/dry late at night....

Some ideas ... I'm pretty new at this myself, but trying hard.

If it is the rain barrel system it is less than $100 per barrel, but then you have to have the drip sprinkler system installed and that is another couple hundred, but it isn't as simple as a normal sprinkler system and not something you can put on a timer.

Our rain barrel system is much easier ... we dip a small watering can, with a rain 'showerhead' attached, into the large barrel, and do it like in the old days, before the hose was invented ... sometimes it's all the exercise we get. :)  (Works well for the vegetable garden - very time consuming for a large patch of grass...). 

The neighbour a few doors down, bought a hose that already has holes in it, along the whole length of the hose, and he connected it to the barrel (sort of like a spout on a wine barrel); and as long as the barrel has water, the hose does the job, all by itself - works really well in vegetable gardens too (and this way is cheap, cheap). :)

Great ideas. I tend to agree with Kermit the Frog..."It's not easy being green."

I wonder how that barrell system works in terms of saving money...interesting idea that you actually will save money over time by doing this. Of course, it rains so infrequently out here in Hemet.