Laundry…we all do it…at least I hope we all do! Well it costs us every time we wash our clothes. We use electricity (or gas), water, detergent, and maybe fabric softener and dryer sheets. But how much do you really spend in laundry? I have the answer!! Well, okay, that’s a lie, but Mr. Electricity has the answer! Just go to: http://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/laundry.html. He has this cool thing you can calculate how much you spend on a load! Here’s my estimated results, the monthly and yearly costs is for 6 loads a week.
Using Dryer:
- Per Load – $1.18
- Month – $31
- Year – $367
Line Drying:
- Per Load – $0.46
- Month – $12
- Year – $146
So if I was to do all of my drying on the line I would save $221 a year! But the truth is I have been using my dryer a lot. I babysit in the afternoons, and well, the dryer makes my mornings a little less hectic. But I do try to hang up clothes at least once or twice a week. I plan on doing more posts in the future about saving in laundry, but for now I just wanted to share the Mr. Electricity website with you, once you know how much you spend on cleaning clothes, you can then decide if it’s way too much and you need to look for ways to save, or if you’re okay with that price. Happy clothes washing! =)
By the way, I wasn’t going to hang laundry today, but I needed a picture for this post! Haha, and I saved myself $0.72 too!
I think my clothes would freeze if I put them outside right now… but someday when I have sunshine and a clothesline I look forward to line drying my clothes again! Besides, they smell so good after being outside for a few hours. Mmm…
Do you find fabric softener and dryer sheets (when you use the dryer) to make a big difference in your laundry? I never use either, which saves $$$, but I don’t really know what I’m missing
Yeah, I’ve only recently been able to hang clothes up again here! As far as fabric softener, I don’t use it either, never have. I do have a box of dryer sheets I use occasionally, but not with every load. I’ve heard of people reusing them or cutting them in half to save money.
Also, I love how blogging can be inspiring. For example, you line dried your clothes so you could take a photo for your blog! (See, blogging could be a money-saving strategy!)
I never use fabric softener. I like the smell, but it bothered sensitive skin in our family. I liked using dryer sheets in the states, especially in winter, because it cut way back on the static cling that comes with dry air. That usually isn’t a problem in Paraguay. I always used them 2 or 3 times.