Went to the Laundromat today

We had to go recently and were shocked at how expensive it was. The cheapest washers were $2.75 with an extra quarter if you wanted an extra rinse. I didn't look at the price on the big huge washers but I'm betting they are more. Dryers were the same as yours-25 cents for 5 minutes. They did hold a lot though. At least twice what our home dryer can hold. We only had to wash 2 loads (which all fit in one dryer) but forgot our soap and it cost $1 for a single load's worth of soap.

It’s really expensive. When we visit my parents, we go to a resort in northern Minnesota every summer. You need to supply your own towels, plus all the bug spray on the clothes, the beach towels, lake water in everything... I take it all to the laundromat when we get back to my parents, rather than overwhelm their well and septic system. I’m done in 2 hours, but it costs me almost $30 to do all that laundry.

When we were first married, our first major purchase was a washer and dryer. We moved ourselves from our apartment to a house on base and the military pays you to do that vs hiring a company. It was just enough for a washer and dryer. Twenty-nine years later, we still have that same washer and dryer. They are in storage in the states, but they still work really well and still look darn good for almost 30 years old. I know several friends who have the pretty washers and dryers, but my old Sears set is still plugging along. I hear about the new models breaking after a few years, so we’ve decided to keep these for as long as they work.

Yes that’s about what we spent at the laundromat when our washer died 3 months ago. We did the math and it was more expensive to use the laundromat vs buying a new washer for the year. 😨

I typically spend about $60 a month, maybe more, to do laundry. I have a washer and dryer but using the washing machine fills up our septic way to fast. The machines where I go are $4.50 for a large machine, $3.50 for medium and $2.25 for small. It is .25 for 5 minutes in the dryer, but they get very hot, very fast. If you use their loyalty card, they will give you $1.00 for each $10 you put on the loyalty card--$10 is $11, $20 is $22.00, etc. It adds up in a good way. It works like a debit card, just for that laundry mat only. It is hubby, 3 grands and our daughter that I do laundry for. It will be just 4 when DD and baby grandson go home when SIL comes home from deployment soon.

I have to pay for laundry at my condo. $2.75 to wash $2 to dry (45 min). You have to hope you dont have to run a 2nd cycle to rinse soap out of the darks and you hope your stuff dries in the 1st run. These are new machines too.

I am lucky, when our washer broke, we were moving soon, so I did not want to invest in a new one until after the move. I took my laundry to my sister's house. I washed while we visited on weekends and brought it home to dry. I've only been to a laundromat once.

Many of the laundromats here do a free day 1x a month so low income families, can wash items and dry. The mats do different weeks so it ends up being at least 1 doing it every week.

I haven't been to one in years but remember going when my mom's washer broke and thew new one was on the way. Another time we did laundry at my grandparents. I was driving then so I helped get laundry there and my grandma washed it then my mom or I picked it up.

Agree about the price! Every once in awhile I'll take all the sleeping bags to a laundromat, and back when we still had our ancient washer that went off balance for everything I'd sometimes get fed up and save up all the bathroom rugs for the laundromat too. I'd haul it all there and was always shocked at the price. And the one I went to used only quarters, no cards or anything like that. I went to that one because it's clean, well-lit, and not too far from my house. But inevitably I'd have trouble with my quarters and the guy in charge would have to come over and put all mine in for me.  

Haven't done that in awhile now that we have our lovely new washer, the kind with no central agitator so things like rugs fit in easily. And it doesn't go off-balance! I won't be able to do sleeping bags of course, but we don't use those much anymore anyway. We used to use them a lot when kids were sleeping over, or when we'd go to my parents' house in Pittsburgh... 

There is a local Catholic high school that has washers, dryers and detergent available for free for the students to use. Most of the students are from low income families and work while going to high school. The school runs a work-study program which places students in a variety of jobs including office work. They recognized the need for students to have clean clothes to wear to school and job.

I remember my college days of going to a place that was a laundromat on one side and a bar on the other. It was great fun to have a beer, listen to live bands and sit on top of the dryer!

That reminds me of the movie with Freddie Prince Jr

Our old apt had washers and dryers down in the basement and the landlord set it up where it was $5/per wash and $5/per dry. It got very pricey. 

My DD and I took her rug to the laundry mat the other day and used the triple washer which cost us $8 for 25 minutes.