The Cost of Clean Clothes
Posted on October 30, 2006 by Him and tagged finances, laundry
Laundry, like finances, is often one of those things that I wish would just take care of itself. While I love our apartment, it doesn't have a washer/dryer in it, nor does our building have a community laundry room. That means that every three weeks or so, we have to carry 3 lampers (Yes, lamper - a cross between a laundry basket and hamper. We didn't name it, that's what the label said it was...) full of clothes down to the laundromat, which is thankfully less than half a block away. Another two hours there watching the clothes go round and round. Then the multi-trip exodus back to our apartment where the clothes are vomited onto disheveled piles on our bed, to be robotically folded neatly or hung on hangers for another half an hour. All in all, about a three hour ordeal.
Sounds like a great time, doesn't it?
This weekend at the laundromat, I calculated that every time we do laundry ourselves, it costs $16.00. I then asked the woman who works there how much it would cost if we dropped off our laundry and had them do it for us. She replied that it would cost 0.60 per pound of laundry.
I estimated that we have at least 60 pounds of laundry every three weeks. Let's compare the math...
Doing laundry ourselves:
$16.00 X ~18 laundry days per year = $288
Paying someone to do our laundry for us:
60 pounds of laundry X 0.60 per pound X ~18 laundry days per year = $648
Money we "save" by doing laundry ourselves: $360
We spend about 54 hours a year doing laundry. That's over TWO FULL DAYS.
Do you think that our time is worth the extra savings?
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Malla | Oct 30, 2006
Do you earn enough money in 54 hours at your jobs to afford the extra $360? Would taking that money from where it's spent now and turning it into laundry funds cause you other hardships? That's the way I look at all "luxury" expenses like that, and how I determined it was cost effective to get my brows professionally groomed once a month but not to get my hair professionally dyed every other month--that I do at home.
Having done the laundry mat thing, I totally understand the rational for this service. We had a local service that included pick up and deliver in the price and also folded things and shrink wrapped them for delivery. I just loved the idea of getting these nice, neat, plastic wrapped parcels of laundry delivered home.
I count the value of this service as a quality of life service. If it is emotionally draining to spend time at the laundry mat and then overwhelming to then have to fold all those clothes – I’d say it is worth it. Yes, there are better places for your money to go, but there are also better ways to live your life and not doing marathon laundry is one of them.
Avila | Oct 30, 2006
Why not alternate? Make a regular laundry schedule and figure out what dates you want to hire the service.
Lisa | Oct 30, 2006
Actually if you are doing the laundry together, you are looking at 108 hours. Divide by the $360, and you are each earning $3.33 for each of those laundry hours. I'm guessing your time is worth just a tad more than that. However, if you pursued an additional activity (one that might otherwise eat into your recreational time) while you wait for laundry, then you end up truly saving that $360. To boot, you will always be able to tell your children, "When I was your age, I lugged 60 pounds of laundry . . ."
If your apartment has space, you should consider buying or renting a washer and dryer. I purchased an almost new set for $350. It would pay for itself in less than two years and you'd save lots of time.
I HATE laundry! Since I have a washer/dryer in my house, I can't justify the expense, but if I were you, I'd definitely spring for the service.
Ok, being the Laundryqueen, I have to respond. I am not sure of your location, but here in Illinois we charge 90c a lb. So, I think with the high cost of utilities 60c is dirt cheap. We keep our scale at the counter, just for fun weigh it next time you go in. As a general rule we subtract 3 lbs for a big sturdy basket and 2 for a little cheap one. Use your better judgement.
Also, if your time is of value, then you need to include this cost. Just how much are you worth? Our motto - take 4 minutes to do your laundry 2 to drop-off and 2 to pick-up.
The last thing is when you drop off your wash, you do not pay for soap, bleach, stain spray, or softener, you need to account for this savings as well. NOTE: Laundry may deduct an amount if you bring your own - we do.
Now, let me help you save money while in the laundry:
1. Top loaders can not be filled over the top row of holes (inside). Only use if you don't have much. This is general Whites.
2. Front loaders are the best way to go. They come in various sizes and different efficiencies. They are always the best value for your money. They use less water and thus require less soap 30 -45 frontloader only needs 1/3 cup of soap. Theres a savings - Top loaders require 1 cup. They will hold 2-3 times as much as a top loader - you only need to stick your hand in the top and move it around if you can you are good to go.
3. Dryers are huge. If you use top loaders they will carry 2 Washers Full. This saves, on dryer money.
4. Separate heavy jeans, towels and sweats into their own dryer. They will require a longer dry time. Fold the other clothes while the heavys are drying. Saving time later.
5. Our laundry also has a huge softener, many times better than any household unit. This will require less soap as well.
6. When using the big front loaders - if you wash in cold with no new "red" items you should be good to go - no need to separate anything but whites.
Becca | Oct 30, 2006
Does the laundry service pick up and deliver? If not, you still have to lug the laundry down to the laundromat and back up to your place once it's clean, which sounds like the worst of the chore, and would still take you quite a bit of time. I'd be inclined to get a few good books and make the laundry experience as little more pleasant, rather spend the extra money.
caryn | Oct 30, 2006
I agree wholeheartedly with Malla, is it a necessary luxury? Is it going to be worth sacrificing a luxury elsewhere? It also depends on what your future plans are. Are you planning on moving anytime soon and to a place that has an in-home w/d? If so then maybe you can tough it out a little bit longer. Overall, I'd say you should just continue to launder your own clothes and spend the time waiting at the laundromat to do something fun/creative etc like suduko, reading magazines, etc. that will lessen the pain of doing laundry.
MMS | Oct 30, 2006
WOW,You only need to do your laundry every 3 weeks! I have to do mine every 7-10 dyas. Maybe you shouldn't have spent so much on clothes. just kidding.
I too am forced to do laundry in a laundromat and have found that since the dryers are so big and so powerful I can put 3 loads of wash into 2 dryers, which saves me about $1.50 per week ($78 per year).
I would say to continue to do your own, just catch up on your reading, grab a bite to eat, call an old friend or whatever while you wait. Also, think of it this way...if you had your own washer and dryer at home you would miss out on the "lug your laundry" work out and it would take you about 3 hours for just 1 load of laundry since you can only wash and dry one at a time. Consider that time savings....
Yeah it's worth doing it yourself. If you are going to go to the laundry to drop of clothes if someone else is doing it...might as well drop them on in the washer.
2 full days a year is nothing...:)..if you take a shower for 10 mins everyday of the year ...you are spending 60 hours in the shower through the year !! that's like standing in the shower for almost three full days :)..if you want to think about it that way.
Frugal Homemaker Plus | Oct 30, 2006
Do it yourself. It's a pain (and I know- I have not had a washer/dryer for the last six years!) but it will save you money. If you're trying to pay off debt or save for something, keep that in mind. Just think as you wash- by doing wash today, I can put X amount towards (specific goal.)
Another way to save money doing laundry is not to dry it. We had a five line retractable clothesline and a drying rack in our apartments. Now that we have a house we've installed a permanant clothesline in the basement.
After you've paid off all your debts and done whatever luxury things you want- pay somebody to do the laundry for you! But not before then. It's just not worth it.
I would totally pay for it to be done in that situation, but only if I could afford to do it without having to cut back on other things (especially debt repayment).
Like has been mentioned before, your time is worth figuring in to the equation too. If you can use that laundry time to read or do something else while you wait then it may be worth it in more ways than just the money savings.
Ed | Oct 31, 2006
I used to use a laundry service in Chicago, until my girlfriend notived red marks all over her clothes. Upon asking the woman at the laundromat what happened, she suddenly lost her ability to speak English and somehow communicated that my girlfriend had left lipstick in her clothes pockets. The great part was that my girlfriend never WORE lipstick.
This just underscores the point that other people are not going to take as good care of your clothes as you would, especially if you are paying rock bottom prices. If you do go this route, be diligent about counting the number of items you hand over. I think, but can not prove, that the laundry service was ganking or losing some of my clothes. I am the kind of person who wouldn't notice for a long time, and I don't think most people would notice a shirt here or some dress socks there.
Overall I recommend buying your own washer dryer if you can. Did you know that the UN distinguishes developed from non-developed countries by measuring the percentage of people who use washing machines vs. hand washing. If above a threshhold, you're developed. Not that you're going to be hand-washing, but don't you want to own your development?
Er, what?
Unless you will both be doing something else to make money instead of sitting at the laundromat, I wouldn't pay for this service.
Then again, you two strike me as being rather lackadaisical about getting out of debt, so really, why even bother asking us?
Claudia | Oct 31, 2006
I found that I saved time doing my laudry where I could do all of it at the same time. Since loads of towels take more drying time than pillow cases, there is usually about 10 to 20 minutes between loads coming from the dryer, just enough to fold one load at a time. When the last one is finished, you have all the clothes ready to put away, and linens folded. It is a much more organized way to work.
However, I think you should look at getting it done by the laundry service during the holidays, if someone is ill, after a vacation, and other stressful times of year. I didn't have my own washer and dryer until my first born was a year old. The physical and mental stress of just getting ready to go seemed overwhelming.
No one else mentioned how much gas or electric energy costs or the water required for doing laundry at home. And it is seldom well organized. The laundry room can be 3 feet in dirty stuff and until you are out of undies, you may keep putting it off. I like laundry duty and took over for my daughter and 3 grandkids when they moved in with my husband and me 2 years ago. I do laundry at home, but with 6 people from 4 to 65, there is always a red load, a green load, several white loads etc and I don't have to wait to do a full load, or a small load which wastes energy costs.
Besides all that, I like the time to read or write and still feel like I am doing something constructive!!
Pink Shoes | Oct 31, 2006
I'm going to say this as gently as I can:
You are nearly $150,000 in consumer and student loan debt. Your true assets (cash & cash equivalents) add up to less than $35,000. On top of all that, you are diverting (I believe) nearly $25,000 that could go toward paying down debt to your wedding.
In light of those numbers, NO, I do not believe you should even think about paying for laundry service. I do think, however, that both of you should look at taking on part-time jobs to help dig yourselves out of this hole. If you really want to take advantage of your "valuable" free time, why not pick up a few waitressing/bartending shifts on a Friday or Saturday night?
Frugal Homemaker Plus | Nov 1, 2006
If you really, really want to do it, then find something else to cut that would be the same as 360. Do you have cable? Canel it. (I would say cancel it even if you don't decide to send out the laundry, but that's a whole other discussion.) Do you have a gym membership? Could you cancel it and jog in the park? Do you subscribe to magazines? Do you eat out? Do you go to clubs or bars? What would make up the 360 dollars? If you really want somebody else to do your laundry for you, sacrifice something else. If you're not willing to make the sacrifice, keep doing your laundry yourselves. I don't think your time is worth 360 dollars at this point in your life. You have a lot of debt to pay back and that takes sacrifice. I think a lot of people use time as a justfication for spending money, when it may or may not really be a good idea.
This post was pretty stream of consciousness (not to mention kind of complain-y), and was was worded in a very loaded way. There are plenty of better things we can be doing with that cash. We don't have a dishwasher and Her hates doing dishes, but there's no way I'd consider hiring a maid to do it for us.
Golbguru - shower time is an enjoyable necessity. Anyway, you can't pay someone to shower for you...or can you...?
Sharon | Nov 1, 2006
I think it's worth it. I have laundry at home now, but for 10 years of so I did what you did and I liked to have the time to read and do the crossword puzzle etc. It can be sort of a forced relaxation day. Plus I would never trust my laundry to anyone. I am very picky about how it gets done.
Scott | Nov 1, 2006
This is another expense that you simply don't need.
Try alternating laundry days with Her. Both of you can drop off the laundry, one person can watch it and move it from washer to dryer, and then both can carry the laundry back home. The watcher can settle in with a novel or magazine.
My DH and I often have this discussion. Should I join ski patrol so we can all get a free season pass??? But, this requires giving a lot of time. So, I always try to think, "If I pick up another private client, can I just pay for this out of our own money?" This helps me see if I really want the thing I thought I wanted in the beginning (in your case, someone to do your laundry) and if I could get it cheaper with less time.
So, is there a way you could earn extra money to pay for the service? And will you feel good about spending your extra money getting out of sitting in a laundrymat? If so, pay someone else to do it!
Or, but a washer and dryer if there is room in your apartment and it is allowed. You'll need one when you buy a house anyway.
If you enjoy reading you can get a lot of reading done in 54 hours. At least several books and many magazines worth. If the laundrymat atmosphere is positive and you don't have to deal with annoying people then why not save the money and do it yourself? Since you write a PF blog my hunch is you will stick with the current plan.
I understand that you're in debt but you're trying to save money... wouldn't scraping up some money for a used washing machine be worth the time investment?
Matt,
I would give anything to have in-unit laundry! Unfortunately our unit does not have the plumbing and ventilation hookups required to install a washer or dryer :(
We would love to purchase our own washer/dryer, but we're merely renting an apartment. There are no washer/dryer hookups, and our nasty landlord would probably not be so willing to try and make something work.
There is one point that I don't think anyone here has made. Sounds like you two are doing your laundry together. These 54 hours a year are time you can spend together. Doesn't make sense to hire this particular task out at this stage in your life.
I guess it just depends on how much your time is worth... I'd spend that time reading a book or doing something productive. The 1/2 hour you spend folding, you'd do anyways. The walk to the laundrymat- free exercise.
You can view inexpensive, compact washing machines and spin dryers at http://www.laundry-alternative.com, which many people use to do their wash from home (i.e., people living in apartments).
I agree with what many others said. You have to consider that you would still have to do the walk there and back, and you would likely need to unfold some laundry to hang it, so therefore you really only are able to remove the 2 hours watching clothes spin, some of which would be eaten up by the extra trip back and forth to the laundry mat.
So the real question is, do you think spending two hours at the laundry mat is less productive than spending the 2 hours at home. Also, while on the subject, if it is only 1/2 a block away, why don't you just leave the clothes there and come back? Many laundrymats have machines that lock while functioning so you don't even have to worry about stolen clothes. Maybe yours doesn't? Maybe you don't want to make the extra trip to go back to rotate them to a dryer?
Theresa | Oct 30, 2006
Well- I love laundry it is my favorite household chore. That being said I walk down to my basement to take care of it at my leisure. I think if you went with having a service do it you would have to calculate in there the ocst of replacing ruined clothes. Because no one is going to care for your laundry like you do.
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