Hi MMMers!
I am about to move into a new rental apartment with my boyfriend in the Boston area. We may only be there for a year. The place has a hook up for washer and dry, but we have to supply our own. The landlord has pleaded that we get a water-efficient model, which of course we would be down with, except, they are expensive! We will only be there for a year!
My first idea is to talk to the family that lives downstairs (young couple with an infant). They have a nice looking set, and it seems silly to have two sets of machines for such a small number of people. I'm thinking of offering them some amount to share their machines for the year. We would work out how to share the schedule of washing -- since I work from home, I can be flexible about when our wash goes in.
My question for the forum is, what would be a fair price? I don't know the precise model, but we have to factor in the electricity for 3-4 loads a week, plus a fair contribution for the use of the machines for one year. How should we think about the calculation?
I'd love to hang laundry to dry, and I am going to check into installing a line in the back yard, but between the Boston winters, and potential landlord/neighbor dislike of the idea, I can't count on that being a major part of the solution.
If we can't work out a share, any recommendations on how to pick the next best option? Should we buy expensive, efficient machines (hopefully used) and resell when we move? Should we get a pair of clunkers for $100-200 off of craigslist, landlord's water bill be damned?