the Cost of Municipal Water Service

I use a municipal water service in my home town of Austin, Texas. I have a family of five, all young children, my wife and myself (I only state this stat for consumption comparison purposes). We pay the city around $50 a month for water service, but to be more precise this past month our water bill was $48.63. This is paid in monthly increments and can fluctuate depending on our usage, but is generally the same amount every month unless we go on vacation or are out of town for a week.

The service is just okay, but I don't have much choice as this is the only option I have to pick from. There have been a few times where the water is rusty, or at least discolored - but that could be because of my old plumbing. They do work on the lines sometimes and that shuts down everything, but usually only lasts for a few hours. The one thing I don't like is how the price for the water has risen to over double in the last ten years.

Try to consume as little water as possible. One thing I do is put a large bucket out side when it's raining. Obviously I can't drink this water, but I use rain water for watering plants and washing cars which does help save a little money on the water bill.