Unexpected Effect of the Coin Shortage

The U.S. has been undergoing a coin shortage as of late. This shortage has affected me in many ways, but none so drastic as doing laundry. You read that right: laundry.

Yes, the world of laundry machines is still very much caught up in a love affair with coins, specifically quarters.

It costs $1.75 for a load of laundry and then $2.00 if you want to dry it in my building. Washing and drying? Crazy concept, I know. Every time I want to do a proper load of laundry, I need to accumulate 15 quarters. 15! Do you know how long it takes to collect that many in a coin shortage? I’ve bought stuff that I know is either .25, .50, or .75 to get the quarters. I get irrationally annoyed if I get handed back dimes and nickels in place of quarters. Should I be annoyed? No, it is the same amount of money. Am I annoyed, and do I have to suppress a deep sigh? Yeahhh, kind of.

When I get over my money problem, I have to proceed to sort the laundry. Oh, there are no “it’s been a while, let’s just wash them” kind of clothes. There is no “let’s have a white load and a dark load.”

It is like Marie Kondo central over here — what items of clothing do I need to be cleaned to bring me the maximum amount of joy. It’s similar to packing for a trip; I question if I need six clean shirts or if five will suffice. Do I need four pairs of white athletic socks? (Socks are tricky; they come in pairs. You don’t want to wash one only to find out that a dirty one is hidden under your bed or, worse, lost to…