7 Easy Savings to Stretch The Family Laundry Budget
Small savings can be found through out your home that can impact your budget stretching. Even a 1% savings will show up in the long run. Saving one dollar a day will lead to saving 365 dollars in a year.
Check for Lint
Set a schedule by marking it on your calendar, to check your washer and dryer regularly for lint, lost socks and any other thing that would interfere with it working properly. Lint in the dryer’s lint screen or vent can slow down the drying time and loose you money.
Sort Your Clothes
When sorting your dirty laundry, not only sort by colors and whites, but by weight. You will want to keep your like weight, (jeans, towels), (summer tops, shorts), in the same wash load. Not only is it more effective when washing but when drying. Adding light weights and heavies at the same time will damage your light weight item with over drying, thus causing the extra expense of replacing the garment sooner.
Machine Size
Know the size of your machine and fill it full but do not over fill it. If you have to weight your laundry basket until you can guess how many clothes it takes to make 20 pounds or what ever size your machine holds, then do so. In the end it will help with water, soap and electricity waste.
Laundry Boosters
Two simple pantry products will help make laundry day easier. Adding 1/2 cup of baking soda to your laundry will boost the cleaning power of your detergent and help with odors. Add 1/4 cup of white vinegar to your rinse cycle and you’ll have no need of dryer sheets as it takes the static cling from your clothes.
Softening Power
If you need a little more softening power, rub a little liquid [no more than a teaspoon] softener on a wet cloth and toss into the dryer with the clothes. You will get the same softening and fragrance as using 1/4 cup in the rinse water.
Wash in Cold Water
Washing your clothes in cold water will save money on your water heating bill. Most detergents are made to work in both hot or cold water. Save the hot water for things like towels, sheets or anything with heavy stains.
Dryer Heat
Use your dryer back to back for better use of the left over heat, thus saving money. If you wash a load in the morning and again in the evening, choose one time to dry both loads.
Saving a dollar a day will lead to a savings of $365.00 in one year. Finding small savings each day can lead to thousands of dollars in a year. Be aware of what is around you and find those savings.
The Author:
Faylee James is a Life Coach/Writer/Speaker from Northeast Tennessee, who has an above average interest in people, cooking and living life to the fullest.
Photo. Magda Ehlers
