Water conservation is important to me - I’m all for reclaiming water and recycling water for showers - but taking short showers is tough. I love my shower. At this point, I can take one (almost) every day without someone under the age of five banging down the door to ask for something. It’s a few minutes all to myself. I mean, I don’t take marathon showers, but I know I take too long in the shower, according to conservationists. Did you know that in the US, people use an average of 2.5 gallons of fresh water for every minute they shower? How guilty do I feel when even Jennifer Aniston is taking two minute showers? Does she wash her hair only when it’s raining?

I thought about getting a shower timer and trying to train myself. Ripple Products, an Australian company, makes a great variety of shower timers for you or to help teach your kids (especially teenagers) about conserving water. The one here operates on batteries, and you can set it for however long you want (whew!) They do have sand timers that are for those elusive two minutes douses. All the products are waterproof and stick to your shower with a suction cup. Game on!