Pay Yourself to Use Household Items

For example, you can designate a set dollar amount for a normal wash. You can then reduce the amount if you decide to do your wash in cold water instead of hot water since this greatly reduces the cost of the load.

You can also place a surcharge on washing clothes when the washer is not a full. Even if the amounts are minimal, over the lifetime of the washer they will be enough to pay for any repairs and for a new model when it's time to be replaced.

Dryer:

You might want to place the pay-to-use price a bit higher to discourage you from using it if you also have the option to line dry your clothes.

This will cut down on the amount of electricity you use drying your clothes, as well as ensure that you have placed enough money aside for repairs and when the dryer needs to be replaced.

The amount that you set for each of these is completely dependent on you and your current finances.

Amounts should be enough to make you think a little before using each, but not so high that it makes the system impossible to follow, and you will likely need to adjust them over time.

If you are just beginning, make them small at the beginning. Forming the habit is much more important than the amount at the start.

Once the habit has been established, you can raise the charge to a more appropriate level.

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