Save money + be prepared with a battery-powered shower?

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I purchased a <$40 portable shower device sold by Ivation back in 2015, and since then have saved at least $10 a month using it to wash our pet pug at home . . . who every few weeks starts to smell like a sweat sock, albeit an adorable one.

I like to be frugal, but I don’t skimp on pet shampoo (word from the chastened: don’t use people shampoo on pets). One <$16 bottle of all natural oatmeal and aloe pet shampoo sold by Earthbath has lasted us three years so far. Sure, there might be recipes for homemade pet shampoo out there and related cost-savings — but it seems worth five bucks a year or so to keep the pug more or less itch-free and without experimenting.

I wash our pug outside on sunny days (drying and brushing him after), feeding the shower from a full bucket of warm water. The shower itself charges with the provided USB cord and seems to hold a charge well.

I’m over 6′ tall, and I’ve used the portable battery-powered shower a few times, too, with good results. The hose is long enough, the water flow is gentle and suitable, and it’s kind of thrilling to have such an easy to use and durable set-up. Pairing the shower-bucket combo with an electric kettle or gas stove or solar water heating bag could allow for warm showers in various different settings or scenarios — such as if the house water heater goes out or when camping — and without the awkwardness of trying to rig up a gravity-fed (bag) shower or perform a bottle shower.

The Ivation portable shower seems to use water efficiently (be sure to only run the pump when it is submerged in water), and using it raises my awareness of how much water is used with more traditional showering. Saving at least $500 in pet bath costs over time (Petco apparently charges $23+ per pug bath but includes nail trimming and other features?) is satisfying, too!