I'm Spoiled.

lappir · July 4, 2022

Or apparently have been.

Starting the summer in a new location where I spent the majority of my childhood. Where I had my first paying Job and will be parked at a High School friends property while she spends the hottest part of the summer near Houston, TX. (Glad she didn't invite me to go).

I've been returned to this area most every summer for a while starting when my younger brother was suffering with a suddenly found Stage IV cancer on my Dad's birthday somewhere between 2007 to 2009. I remember exactly where I was and what I said when my Dad called me, but I cannot remember the year.

I was in Florida on a Nursing Travel assignment and knew I'd look for work in Iowa for that summer.

Both my Brother and Father passed away in 2010 and I would spend some time each summer with my Mom, but she passed away in April of this year. It leaves only my Youngest Brother and I, the oldest.

Little brother has a "Tire Shop" and I'm going to try my hand at selling tires and services for him, in the small town of Oskaloosa, Iowa. It used to be a larger town, but as you know if people don't buy local the local businesses cannot survive and the town slowly dries up to nothing. Hopefully not this summer though.

There used to be 3 or 4 laundromats in town, now there are two. Mom had a nice washer and dryer at her place and despite my telling her I can do my own laundry, she would wash every day and I never had to. When I've been on my travel assignments I would always be able to find a "Drop off Laundry" and was happy to pay the cost. The two laundromats here now do not offer the service and I found out today, neither one is apparently "Air-conditioned". I went to the newest one with my clothes in the basket, laundry detergent and a book, but there was no way I was sitting there with the crowd already there and the door propped open and 100 degrees on my Jeep's outside temperature gauge. Google said there are three laundromats, reality there are two and they are less than 1/2 mile apart. Both with the doors propped open. Should have just bought Mom's condo for this summer, but it's too late now.

Rod

RV_ · July 5, 2022

Sorry for all your recent losses. I empathize with your bailing out of the Laundromat. We can't deal with heat anymore either. Never mind in a laundromat with dryers!🥵

Dutch_12078 · July 5, 2022

We never sit in a laundromat to wait for our clothes to finish. We go in and get the loads started, noting the time for the first one to finish and repair to our air conditioned car for the duration. When the wash finish time approaches, I go back in and transfer the clothes to the dryers and once again note the time remaining before returning to the cool car where we continue listening to music and reading our books until it's time to to fold and go.

pjstough · July 5, 2022

Two doors down from our favorite laundromat in Yuma is a bar. One drink to wash, and two, if you want, to dry.

bigjim · July 5, 2022

I am sure you have thought of this but if they are open pretty early that is the time to hit it. If there is any way to put out a cheap local ad in something like a penny saver or shopper news or maybe even a local craigslist you might find an individual that would do it at a reasonable cost in their home. I remember it used to be somewhat common for housewives to take in washing and ironing to pick up a little extra money. I have not seen this for years of course but I have not paid much attention. I even lived in 2 different boarding houses. They used to be somewhat common in some areas. One had some single or shared rooms and even one "bunk" room with eight beds with lockers. Worked pretty good and at least gave the folks somewhere clean and safe to sleep at an affordable cost. You did need to be able to ignore snoring and a few other things but I had to do that in the barracks in the Marine Corps and the Air Force.

sandsys · July 5, 2022

4 hours ago, Dutch_12078 said:

We never sit in a laundromat to wait for our clothes to finish. We go in and get the loads started, noting the time for the first one to finish and repair to our air conditioned car for the duration. When the wash finish time approaches, I go back in and transfer the clothes to the dryers and once again note the time remaining before returning to the cool car where we continue listening to music and reading our books until it's time to to fold and go.

I did that except in my conversion van so I literally had all the comforts of home while waiting for laundry machines to do their thing. I did have to set a timer, though, to remind me to go back in.

Linda

lappir · July 5, 2022

Thanks for the replies. Will think about the penny saver add and will hit up my Brother about using his house once a week.

Rod

Dutch_12078 · July 5, 2022

11 hours ago, sandsys said:

I did that except in my conversion van so I literally had all the comforts of home while waiting for laundry machines to do their thing. I did have to set a timer, though, to remind me to go back in.

Linda

That's definitely better than sitting in the car! Years ago before we started fulltiming, we went through a several month stretch without the use of our home washer and dryer while we were remodeling our "exit plan to be" Adirondack cottage. When it was time to hit the laundromat, we would take our then 21' Class C instead of the car. As you said, "All the comforts..."

Chalkie · July 5, 2022

7 hours ago, lappir said:

Thanks for the replies. Will think about the penny saver add and will hit up my Brother about using his house once a week.

Rod

Where we are we use our daughter's machine every other week. We just pick a weekday as they work and do laundry on the weekends mostly. The RV park we are in has a nice laundry room and you do not use cash, it is all done with an app on your phone. Not only that you can check where your laundry is in the cycle via the app from basically anywhere.

lappir · July 9, 2022

Pulled into my spot for this summer and fall yesterday and will finish the set up today.

I'll be watering lots of inside and outside plants, feeding and letting he dog out at least twice a day and watching over things from the end of this month to October while she is in South Texas preparing to welcome her first grandchild. The she is a high school friend who is allowing me to stay on her property in exchange for the above mentioned activity.

She turned on the electric to the site earlier this week and I'll be covering that, but I think this will be the least expensive site I have ever occupied.

Last night she cooked dinner and gave me the list of things to do it looks pretty easy. One unexpected thing is she offered me the use of her washer and dryer while she was away, so if my "PennySaver" add doesn't produce anything I have a back up plan.

I had been thinking of asking earlier with the thought it would provide more entertainment time for her K9, but she brought it up and I think that will work well.

I guess I may be spoiled, but also have a bit of luck.

Rod

Kirk W · July 9, 2022

2 hours ago, lappir said:

I guess I may be spoiled, but also have a bit of luck.

Did you say where you are located? If you did I seem to have missed it.

lappir · July 9, 2022

Kirk,

I probably have not. It's in South East Iowa, Farm Community.

Rod

Kirk W · July 9, 2022

1 hour ago, lappir said:

Farm Community.

My background also as I grew up on a farm in Kansas. Only a few of my relatives still farm. We do try and spend a week or so on the farm of my aunt as the farm that I grew up on was sold years ago as were most of the farms of my relatives.

lappir · July 10, 2022

Thought I got lucky, but in the end I learned another expensive lesson.

Thought I'd try out the "NEW" laundromat in a town 15 miles the other direction from my usual travel. I go there, but not as often and the reasons to go are getting less and less.

I walked into the facility and it looked clean, was moderately busy and had an attendant. You have to buy "Tokens" to use the machines. Glad I didn't haul my jar of quarters. I had a couple $5's and put it in the machine that said an extra token if $10 used. Didn't indicate it had to be a $10 dollar bill, but oh well.

The attendant finally got unbusy and I inquired about a wash and fold service she said the location did not offer it officially, but if I didn't mind putting my laundry in her car until she got off shift, she would do it when she clocked out. I inquired "How Much" and she didn't know. I offered $40 because the last place I dropped off my laundry had a 20# minimum and it was around $30. I was sure I was a bit higher than 20# this time so I adjusted up. I handed her my $10 in tokens and a $20 telling her I'd be back an hour or so after her 11am clock out time.

I got there at 1215 and found her with about half of the laundry folded and she said there was 11 minutes left on the last dryer so we chatted for a bit. She offered her number for doing my laundry again and then I sat down to wait on the final dryer to finish.

When it was done she offered to fold and I said sure, but I notice she was sorting the socks and I felt that might take a while so I said to just throw the socks in the bottom of the hamper and I'd do that at home. She then decided to also just toss in the other undergarments too, and that was fine.

I said with the $20 in cash, the $10 in tokens I'd give her here's another $10. Her reply was she used all the tokens and $10 of the $20. She kept the $10 I handed her and also wanted the additional $20. If my calculations are correct it's the most expensive laundry trip I've ever had. $60. I tried a dry cleaner once that charged $2.50 per pound and I never went to $60. I have cleared her number and am glad I didn't call it to make sure she had mine. I would go broke. Guess in a couple weeks I'll be doing a load of laundry every time I spend some time with the K9 I will be caring for this summer.

Rod