Laundry-Mat 101

So, we loaded up the suburban early thist morning and started our laundry experiment at 8:10am. I had 4 garbage bags and 2 baskets which totaled about 7 loads of laundry. Some factors to consider:

-This week's laundry was significantly lower after I had a mini-meltdown with my children last week which ended in me asking them to wear their jeans at least twice and to use a bath towel a minimum of 3 times. Is that bad? I am thinking not. Did you know that people in every other country besides the USA rarely EVER wear their clothes only one time? This one single change lessened my laundry load by 2!! Thank you Lisa S. for monogramming some towels with each child's name on it...so that they know which towel to re-use! You have given me a gift of sanity.

-The money factor- After a little research and consulting with my friend, Mr. Aaron the electrician, I learned that it cost on average $1.00 to run your washing machine. For me, my dryer has to run at least 80-85 minutes to dry 1 load (nothing wrong with my dryer..I just have a long tube from dryer to outside which causes it not to heat up as much). My dryer is going to cost me about $1.50 to run.

So...with 7 loads, washed and dried, that is going to equal= $17.50.

Let's be real here and assume that I over stuff my washer (who does that? LOL) and shorten my loads to 5....my total is going to be $12.50...including drying.

Let's compare that with what my costs were today:
Washing- My costs were $12.50.
Drying-$2.75
Total- $15.25

We also need to calculate gas costs...The laundry mat is about 3.5 miles from my home. I am going to estimate that at about $1.00 round-trip.

The time factor-
So...at home...it will take me about 7-9 hours to get everything washed and dried.
Today..it took 2hrs. 10minutes.
Obviously, the time thing is a huge consideration.




So...is this something that I want to continue to do????....

Well, here are some positives for me
-of course the time thing. It was great to have it all done in about 2 hours.

-I was able to spend some time catching up with my sister in law. I could also potentially use this time to meet with some of the girls I am descipling. The laundry-mat had several tables and chairs that they called "study" areas.

- The place was pretty much kid friendly. Ada and Hope were great. There is not really anything in there that they can get into. The only thing they did was hide behind the coke machine. Ok..Ok...Hope did climb on top of the table and pull out all of Annalee's dryer sheets. And I think she may have chewed on them a bit. And Ada did eat a biscuit off the floor and yes it was a little dirty. But, overall, they had a great time playing together. We brought the Ipad and they watched some TV also.






-I could have left my clothes to dry and run some errands. The place is mostly used my college students and they are no where to be found at 8am. haha

-I felt very safe. Its in a small strip mall, directly next to a Quiznos.

Some of the negatives:

- When I am at home doing laundry, I can get other chores done at the same time.

-The costs? Maybe? Maybe not.

-Carlton loaded my laundry....but unloading it was not fun. However, it took me all of 5 minutes to unload it. I am purely being a princess here complaining about having to carry baskets of laundry by myself. Lol

Conclusion:

I really enjoyed my time at the laundry-mat. These places have come a Loooooooooong way since 1996, the last time I was there. I really do love not doing a bit of laundry ALL week and then getting it ALL done in 2 hours. I also loved spending time with a dear friend. That is always refreshing. I left feeling energized and encouraged. I definitely think it's a lot more fun with a friend. I suppose I could have brought a book had she not been there today. The cost seems like a lot to me. But, I know that's what I am spending if I am at home. I guess when I see the power bill, it might encourage me even more in my decision to wash at home or not. But, honestly, spending 15 bucks on laundry is just plain depressing! I honestly think its more of that I actually "see" the money being spent. With the power bill, it just magically gets sucked out of our checking account each month. It's not as 'real'.

So...yes, I plan to head back next week. Until then, my baskets will be filling up.

Happy Washing to you!