Check the Pockets and Save Money....seriously

So, at first I thought that this little rabbit trail had nothing to do with saving money....but it probably does. I think I save a ton of money and useful items by following this advice.
This is the story of my life as the laundress, isn't that a fabulous word?? I had to look it up to see if I had spelled it right. It makes doing laundry seem kind of regal! Ha! Who knew?!

   When I do laundry I have a rule...FIRST: ALWAYS CHECK EVERYONE'S POCKETS. Then I zip the zippers, button the buttons and into the wash they go. Why do I have this rule??? Over the years I have found many interesting things in the pockets...little bits of paper with important notes on them, candy wrappers, with and without candy in them, screws, pens, crayons, lipgloss...flash drives...

Actually, the flash drive I found after I washed it! (It was in my pocket, by the way!). This was before the ALWAYS CHECK THE POCKETS rule was put into effect. The good news is it still works!

Not long ago my girl friend decided to see how an ipod touch would fair...(just joking it was an accident). Good news the ipod still works, it now has a really funky screen effect that might become a new feature if Apple saw it!

 A family member of mine(I didn't get permission to mention her their name before this posting) tried the same trick with an ipod shuffle....that ended sadly, seems the newer versions may fair better!

Maybe I should have titled this post, What you can and can't successfully wash??

The reason I wrote this post today was because as I fished in some one's pockets(doing my laundress duty)....I found a partial tooth...an artificial, expensively made tooth...so this is kind of a sad story as it means someone needs to go to the dentist and get major dental work done(which will cost lots of money)....Oh, well..... this post is my glass half full...laughing way of dealing with life...
What do you find in those pockets?????

Washing Machine Woes

So, last week I had a bit of  washing machine troubles! One morning I woke up and found my washer was full of super wet clothes! My washer is probably 9 years old(it came with our house). I had gotten quite behind on my laundry and so a broken washer was not convenient! We ended up going to the laundromat and doing 8 loads. Now, I haven't been to the laundromat very often and so I don't have a lot of experience, but the one we visited was very nice. It was roomy, not busy(we went during the day) and the staff were very friendly! 8 loads get done a lot faster than they would at home, but it's also fairly pricey! My 8 loads cost $17.25 and that was without fully drying them(I ran out of time). I wonder if you calculated out the price of a new machine, the number of years they last, the cost of water and power, how it would compare in the long run. Now of course there is the hassle factor, not being able to do your laundry at home, having to make a special trip....Anyways, all things to factor in I guess.
So, back to my washer. Fortunately for me I have a very smart, very capable husband! He took apart my washer and quickly determined that the problem was a broken shock(or maybe both shocks...oh dear, I'm not sure if they  are called shocks or maybe stabilizers?).Anyways, off he went to get a part and a few hours later I was back to being able to use my own washing machine again!
Total cost? $89.
So, the beautiful washing machine in the picture above is not mine.....I am saving for one like this, but in the meantime, my washer is working! Thanks to my wonderful hubby!