Author Topic: Wasting of Socks...Rant!  (Read 12798 times)

lizzzi

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Wasting of Socks...Rant!
« on: June 11, 2018, 01:14:11 PM »
I live in a large, well-managed apartment complex with three laundry rooms, one of which is below my apartment. When I go down to do my laundry, I am always finding stray socks--everything from those little footies to knee-highs--left on the clothes-folding counter, and piling up more and more every week until I guess the maintenance people throw them out. And on the sidewalks around our building--and other buildings--I am always finding socks that have apparently fallen out of laundry bags and hampers and are just left there on the ground indefinitely.  OK, here's the thing: Does no one pay attention to their socks? Does no one fold them, or knot them, or roll them into pairs and realize that they have lost one or more? Socks cost money. Is my complex so full of rich people that they do not need to worry about throwing socks away? What is with this? If I went to put my clothes away after doing laundry, and found that I had dropped a sock somewhere, I would be right back outside looking for it, and/or going back down to the laundry to see if I left it in a machine, or if it is on the folding counter. I Am Not Rich Enough to Throw Away Socks! And I can't believe anybody else is, either. End of rant.

GuitarStv

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Re: Wasting of Socks...Rant!
« Reply #1 on: June 11, 2018, 01:26:34 PM »
A long time ago, I realized that owning different pairs of socks was a tremendous waste of my life, bought 20 pairs of the same discounted white athletic socks and never looked back.

Now, I never ever match up socks.  I throw them into the bottom of a drawer and grab any two that happen to be on top when they're necessary.  Every 8 years or so I replace all the survivors (which are getting very threadbare) and start over.  If a sock gets lost along the way, it's not really a big deal.

ysette9

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Re: Wasting of Socks...Rant!
« Reply #2 on: June 11, 2018, 01:30:15 PM »
Amen. I did the same for a long while, until I realize that the socks I had picked to buy a bunch of didn’t last all that long, so I started over with higher quality socks.

One area of lifestyle inflation I am unapologetic about is holes in socks: I now ruthlessly toss hole-y socks.

MgoSam

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Re: Wasting of Socks...Rant!
« Reply #3 on: June 11, 2018, 01:35:17 PM »
That's a great idea. I have a bunch of cheap white socks that are all different. I need to find one pair that I like and just buy 20 pairs of that to reuse.

Sibley

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Re: Wasting of Socks...Rant!
« Reply #4 on: June 11, 2018, 01:50:18 PM »
Well, I happen to like colorful socks, so I have to match mine. It's also not that hard to double check the washer/dryer, floor, etc before you walk away. People are lazy.

TornWonder

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Re: Wasting of Socks...Rant!
« Reply #5 on: June 11, 2018, 01:57:26 PM »
I've taken to buying socks that fit a specific foot (L or R).  They seem to last much longer, and I always pair them up so I never accidentally grab two left socks. 

o2bfree

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Re: Wasting of Socks...Rant!
« Reply #6 on: June 11, 2018, 02:21:04 PM »
Socks are indeed precious and should not be wasted! Even when worn out, they are so useful! They make great disposable rags for dusting, cleaning your bicycle, waxing your car, wiping up yucky messes, etc. If you have a cat, you can use an old sock to make a catnip toy. Put a couple tablespoons of catnip in the toe (if it doesn't have a hole) then tie it off with a string and cut off the rest of the sock. If the toe has a hole, put the nip in the tube, tie off on either side to make a loose ball, then cut off the excess sock on either end. Tip: look for catnip in the bulk spices section at the grocery store. The stuff at the pet store is probably more expensive.

Zikoris

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Re: Wasting of Socks...Rant!
« Reply #7 on: June 11, 2018, 02:23:17 PM »
I buy plain black socks for work that all look similar enough to pair together. My not-work socks are colourful, but I just do not give a shit and happily pair mismatched socks together when half a pair goes kaput.

SunnyDays

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Re: Wasting of Socks...Rant!
« Reply #8 on: June 11, 2018, 03:32:30 PM »
@o2bfree, please don't use string to tie off catnip socks!  Potential danger to cat.  Just tie a knot in the sock itself.  I used to have a cat that chewed the string on one of those "fishing rod" type toys.  I thought she had just chewed it in half, so just tied it together and gave it no further thought, until I saw her running around with a blue string hanging out of her butt.  When I took it out (yuck), it was about 4 inches long.  (Pull-start cat!)  Luckily it went straight through.

o2bfree

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Re: Wasting of Socks...Rant!
« Reply #9 on: June 11, 2018, 03:39:53 PM »
@o2bfree, please don't use string to tie off catnip socks!  Potential danger to cat.  Just tie a knot in the sock itself.  I used to have a cat that chewed the string on one of those "fishing rod" type toys.  I thought she had just chewed it in half, so just tied it together and gave it no further thought, until I saw her running around with a blue string hanging out of her butt.  When I took it out (yuck), it was about 4 inches long.  (Pull-start cat!)  Luckily it went straight through.
We don't let our cats play with shreddable toys unsupervised, partly for that reason, and partly so we can stop the fun if something starts getting torn up and messy. Good point though!

lizzzi

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Re: Wasting of Socks...Rant!
« Reply #10 on: June 11, 2018, 04:03:54 PM »
Back to the socks--even if you have 500 pairs that are the same--as I do, btw--when you get your laundry out of the dryer, you are going to know if you have an even number of socks or not. If you know you washed...say...14 socks, then you should know it if you only pull 13 out of the dryer. Or only have 13 when you get back to your apartment. Common sense.

o2bfree

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Re: Wasting of Socks...Rant!
« Reply #11 on: June 11, 2018, 04:38:59 PM »
What's all this I'm hearing about sex in the laundry room? And not having enough sex when you get back to the bedroom? Why, that's just outlandish --I never! If people would just stop it with the sex in the dryer, they'd have plenty left over for the bedroom. What kind of sick, crazy people have sex in a dryer anyway? I just don't understand it, what's the matter with people these days?

...what's that? Oh...that was socks...oh.

Well, then. Never mind.
« Last Edit: June 11, 2018, 04:43:00 PM by o2bfree »

lizzzi

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Re: Wasting of Socks...Rant!
« Reply #12 on: June 11, 2018, 05:29:16 PM »
What's all this I'm hearing about sex in the laundry room? And not having enough sex when you get back to the bedroom? Why, that's just outlandish --I never! If people would just stop it with the sex in the dryer, they'd have plenty left over for the bedroom. What kind of sick, crazy people have sex in a dryer anyway? I just don't understand it, what's the matter with people these days?

...what's that? Oh...that was socks...oh.

Well, then. Never mind.

Ha-ha! Too funny. I guess the same people who don't keep track of their socks and who have sex in the laundry room are the same ones who don't pick up pennies for whatever reason. (Yeah, and I just rolled up another 50 cents worth, so nyah-nyah. I've got $14 in rolled coins, and I have all my socks, and that, dear friends, is why I am a happy and financially solvent Mustachian. Mbwaa-ha-ha.)

MilesTeg

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Re: Wasting of Socks...Rant!
« Reply #13 on: June 11, 2018, 07:34:16 PM »
Socks are indeed precious and should not be wasted! Even when worn out, they are so useful! They make great disposable rags for dusting, cleaning your bicycle, waxing your car, wiping up yucky messes, etc. If you have a cat, you can use an old sock to make a catnip toy. Put a couple tablespoons of catnip in the toe (if it doesn't have a hole) then tie it off with a string and cut off the rest of the sock. If the toe has a hole, put the nip in the tube, tie off on either side to make a loose ball, then cut off the excess sock on either end. Tip: look for catnip in the bulk spices section at the grocery store. The stuff at the pet store is probably more expensive.

Why bother waxing your car if you are going to use socks/rags that will do more harm than good? :)
« Last Edit: June 11, 2018, 07:36:40 PM by MilesTeg »

o2bfree

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Re: Wasting of Socks...Rant!
« Reply #14 on: June 11, 2018, 07:57:57 PM »
Socks are indeed precious and should not be wasted! Even when worn out, they are so useful! They make great disposable rags for dusting, cleaning your bicycle, waxing your car, wiping up yucky messes, etc. If you have a cat, you can use an old sock to make a catnip toy. Put a couple tablespoons of catnip in the toe (if it doesn't have a hole) then tie it off with a string and cut off the rest of the sock. If the toe has a hole, put the nip in the tube, tie off on either side to make a loose ball, then cut off the excess sock on either end. Tip: look for catnip in the bulk spices section at the grocery store. The stuff at the pet store is probably more expensive.

Why bother waxing your car if you are going to use socks/rags that will do more harm than good? :)

Some socks are really soft. Anyways, I'm not too worried about using a sock on my '02 Impreza.

Dicey

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Re: Wasting of Socks...Rant!
« Reply #15 on: June 12, 2018, 04:59:52 AM »
When I lived in a condo with shared laundry, we had a bulletin board. Stray socks got pinned up on the board until someone claimed them. If there was concern about creating holes in socks, one could string up a clothesline with a few clothespins, or put up one of those IKEA sock hangers.

I think the sock situation you've described is the equivalent of dropping coins and not bothering to pick them up.

Cranky

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Re: Wasting of Socks...Rant!
« Reply #16 on: June 12, 2018, 05:42:46 AM »
I have my own washer/dryer, and we still somehow lose socks - I have a basket for the strays because occasionally a long lost sock friend will turn up stuck in the winter sheets or under a bed, but there still appears to be a sock black hole operating.

MonkeyJenga

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Re: Wasting of Socks...Rant!
« Reply #17 on: June 12, 2018, 06:13:30 AM »
What's all this I'm hearing about sex in the laundry room? And not having enough sex when you get back to the bedroom? Why, that's just outlandish --I never! If people would just stop it with the sex in the dryer, they'd have plenty left over for the bedroom. What kind of sick, crazy people have sex in a dryer anyway? I just don't understand it, what's the matter with people these days?

...what's that? Oh...that was socks...oh.

Well, then. Never mind.

Ha-ha! Too funny. I guess the same people who don't keep track of their socks and who have sex in the laundry room are the same ones who don't pick up pennies for whatever reason. (Yeah, and I just rolled up another 50 cents worth, so nyah-nyah. I've got $14 in rolled coins, and I have all my socks, and that, dear friends, is why I am a happy and financially solvent Mustachian. Mbwaa-ha-ha.)

Some of us have lost socks in ten different states, have sex in laundry rooms, pick up pennies, and are FI in our 30's.

If I have to spend time in a laundry room outside the bare minimum, I'd rather have sex then count socks.
« Last Edit: June 12, 2018, 06:15:28 AM by MonkeyJenga »

OtherJen

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Re: Wasting of Socks...Rant!
« Reply #18 on: June 12, 2018, 06:34:15 AM »
I have my own washer/dryer, and we still somehow lose socks - I have a basket for the strays because occasionally a long lost sock friend will turn up stuck in the winter sheets or under a bed, but there still appears to be a sock black hole operating.

I also have my own washer/dryer and have long believed in the sock black hole.

o2bfree

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Re: Wasting of Socks...Rant!
« Reply #19 on: June 12, 2018, 06:50:09 AM »
Laugh In, Emily Litella...anyone? Guess I'm showing my age.

DH did maintenance for a while, and sometimes found socks stuck down in the impeller of the washing machine.

lizzzi

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Re: Wasting of Socks...Rant!
« Reply #20 on: June 12, 2018, 06:59:19 AM »
Back to the socks--even if you have 500 pairs that are the same--as I do, btw--when you get your laundry out of the dryer, you are going to know if you have an even number of socks or not. If you know you washed...say...14 socks, then you should know it if you only pull 13 out of the dryer. Or only have 13 when you get back to your apartment. Common sense.

You count your socks?

Well, not in an overly compulsive way. But if I know I put three pairs through the wash, I make sure I'm bringing six socks back to the apartment in my laundry bag. (One of those big Aldi's reusable grocery bags is perfect for a laundry tote , btw. Holds one load.) Of course I don't have 500 socks, but I like to keep the ones I do have.

Dicey

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Re: Wasting of Socks...Rant!
« Reply #21 on: June 12, 2018, 07:05:56 AM »
Laugh In, Emily Litella...anyone? Guess I'm showing my age.

DH did maintenance for a while, and sometimes found socks stuck down in the impeller of the washing machine.
RIP, Gilda You were gone too soon.

I've always kinda wanted to dismantle our W/D, just to see what's in there.

GuitarStv

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Re: Wasting of Socks...Rant!
« Reply #22 on: June 12, 2018, 07:16:24 AM »
Laugh In, Emily Litella...anyone? Guess I'm showing my age.

DH did maintenance for a while, and sometimes found socks stuck down in the impeller of the washing machine.
RIP, Gilda You were gone too soon.

I've always kinda wanted to dismantle our W/D, just to see what's in there.

Our old washing machine died on us.  It was in the basement, and I had nobody around to help me move it upstairs so I figured it would be easier to move by myself in several pieces.  I brought down the sledge hammer and 'dismantled' it.  Hidden away inside of ours was a surprising amount of water, and a viscous black oil.  It also turns out that the motor of a washing machine is like 80% of the weight of the whole thing.  :P

Davnasty

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Re: Wasting of Socks...Rant!
« Reply #23 on: June 12, 2018, 07:31:22 AM »
Laugh In, Emily Litella...anyone? Guess I'm showing my age.

DH did maintenance for a while, and sometimes found socks stuck down in the impeller of the washing machine.
RIP, Gilda You were gone too soon.

I've always kinda wanted to dismantle our W/D, just to see what's in there.

I'd recommend it, at least the dryer anyway. It's not too hard to get it back together and you might be surprised where you find lint collecting.

I rented a duplex with washer/dryer and the dryer wasn't doing a great job so I checked the duct. It was packed with lint, so I replaced it. Then I tried cleaning around the opening but I wasn't satisfied with where I could reach so I started unscrewing things. 3 hours later I had the drum removed and all the little pieces spread about my 400 sq/ft unit and started to get worried about putting it back together. Luckily with a little help from youtube I had the rollers lubricated (no more squealing), a grocery bag's worth of lint removed (that didn't include the duct), and everything back together before bed. It's doable with one person and if you have a second to help with reassembly there's really nothing very difficult about it.

No experience with washers, seems like something that holds water might be slightly more complicated.

Linea_Norway

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Re: Wasting of Socks...Rant!
« Reply #24 on: June 12, 2018, 08:14:32 AM »
There is even a Norwegian song about socks disappearing in the laundry machine (put in 4, retrieve only 3):
https://www.letssingit.com/%C3%B8ystein-sunde-lyrics-sokka-mine-brj31ss

I always pair socks when sorting the laundry when it is dry. If I hang the laundry outside to dry in the summer, I often hang them up in pairs to make the sorting job easier.
But sometimes I am missing a sock. As we do the laundry in our own house, I know the sock is somewhere in the house, probably still in some leftover dirty laundry. So I put the single clean sock in the front of the sock drawer. Next time washing, the other sock usually appears and can be united with the sock in the front of the drawer.

I do sometimes throw away a sock that has a thin heel. Then we could be stuck with a single sock. Therefore it is best to buy many pairs of the same kind and combine them with each other.


penguintroopers

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Re: Wasting of Socks...Rant!
« Reply #25 on: June 14, 2018, 11:05:21 AM »
There is even a Norwegian song about socks disappearing in the laundry machine (put in 4, retrieve only 3):
https://www.letssingit.com/%C3%B8ystein-sunde-lyrics-sokka-mine-brj31ss


Full song, courtesy of google translate, because I found it humorous:

I have seven years in elementary school,
three years at high school
But after two nights at a nursery school,
did the education go to school
I was prepared for life,
with both math and physics,
but it helped little, just see how it went

We learned about square root, and the area of ​​a polygon,
and equations with three unknowns, and a bit about derivation
But none of mathematics's many theorems,
can help me with today's many small problems

Ref:
Where do my socks take my way when I wash them?
It seems like it's just as good to throw them,
I can put four socks in my AEG,
but when the washing is done, I only have three

The machine is there and washes,
and wait till I do not see,
then the eater saw a sock in a little jafs
and I never see that sock again.
It is picky in the food,
always eat sock without holes,
and compared to the machine 'min
X-files are just jerky

(Ref.)

Put four socks in my AEGeeeee

Turnamat 755 XLT with low-flush drying cap and yeast lock,
and washball and scullery
I can step that piece of laundry,
pour lubricant into the wash ball,
set'n on far advanced laundry
and sit and watch it stand there and shake
like an old Saab diesel for two hours
before it spins onto Richter's scale

But when I open the n to count my socks
how many socks do I have?
Do I have one ..?
Do I have two?
No, when the washing is done, I only have three.

(Ref.)

But here last week I suddenly got it,
I did not have two of a damn sock
so I shouted "Your Hell's washing pork,
I want to leave my last sock! "
Eye to eye, tooth tooth,
a sock is a sock but a man is a man,
so I shouted "Your damn AEG,
now I get my AG3! "
I took charge and lifted me to the door
I throw in and skate one in the doer
and pulled out washing clothes for clothes
and in a pillow case I knew a little piece of paper!
And I thought:
"Helledussen! Here are both mom and dad!"
But that was not part of it, it was the guinea pig

(Ref.)

Put four socks in my AEGeee!
But when the washing is done, I only have three
(RING)

"Yes, it is with Sunde?
Yes, no, so I do not buy on phone sales, so I do not.
Men Socks?
Tilbu ..
Yes, yes, yes, I need men's socks I,
i need .. yes ..
Should we say 400 blue left socks?
The donkey did you know that?
You..? Oh yes, I recognize your voice,
It was you who sold me that washing machine a month ago!
Now I take the 400 high-heeled socks
and then I'll put them down over your head
then you can stand there in the dusk and bumpy!
Your humpback!
I do not have words!
I only have high socks!

Davnasty

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Re: Wasting of Socks...Rant!
« Reply #26 on: June 14, 2018, 01:21:53 PM »
"Your Hell's washing pork!"   *shakes fist*

MilesTeg

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Re: Wasting of Socks...Rant!
« Reply #27 on: June 14, 2018, 01:31:54 PM »
Our old washing machine died on us.  It was in the basement, and I had nobody around to help me move it upstairs so I figured it would be easier to move by myself in several pieces.  I brought down the sledge hammer and 'dismantled' it.  Hidden away inside of ours was a surprising amount of water, and a viscous black oil.  It also turns out that the motor of a washing machine is like 80% of the weight of the whole thing.  :P

Did you call Special Agents Mulder and Scully?

Cassie

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Re: Wasting of Socks...Rant!
« Reply #28 on: June 14, 2018, 05:06:11 PM »
Yes disappearing socks is a mystery. When I had 3 kids at home I always had a bag of orphans.  I tried to buy socks all identical to.

calimom

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Re: Wasting of Socks...Rant!
« Reply #29 on: June 14, 2018, 10:02:22 PM »
"You show me a washer that returns a pair of socks intact and I will light a firecracker" ~ Erma Bombeck

UnleashHell

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Re: Wasting of Socks...Rant!
« Reply #30 on: June 15, 2018, 04:56:33 AM »
What's all this I'm hearing about sex in the laundry room? And not having enough sex when you get back to the bedroom? Why, that's just outlandish --I never! If people would just stop it with the sex in the dryer, they'd have plenty left over for the bedroom. What kind of sick, crazy people have sex in a dryer anyway? I just don't understand it, what's the matter with people these days?

...what's that? Oh...that was socks...oh.

Well, then. Never mind.

Ha-ha! Too funny. I guess the same people who don't keep track of their socks and who have sex in the laundry room are the same ones who don't pick up pennies for whatever reason. (Yeah, and I just rolled up another 50 cents worth, so nyah-nyah. I've got $14 in rolled coins, and I have all my socks, and that, dear friends, is why I am a happy and financially solvent Mustachian. Mbwaa-ha-ha.)

Some of us have lost socks in ten different states, have sex in laundry rooms, pick up pennies, and are FI in our 30's.

If I have to spend time in a laundry room outside the bare minimum, I'd rather have sex then count socks.

excuse me @MonkeyJenga
Is there something you need to be telling me about my laundry room. Especially as its a more of a cupboards.

and I'm missing a sock.

I'm horrified.

Cool Friend

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Re: Wasting of Socks...Rant!
« Reply #31 on: June 15, 2018, 11:12:14 AM »
In a related matter, do you guys darn your socks when they get holes in them?  I go through socks kind of quickly because the soles of my feet are very rough and caloused and tend to rip through the cotton sooner or later.  My friend told me that darning doesn't really hold up well (at least with modern sock materials) and that it tends to be not worth the effort, but I don't know...

tyrannostache

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Re: Wasting of Socks...Rant!
« Reply #32 on: June 15, 2018, 01:54:01 PM »
1. Seriously? With 2 adults, one kid, and a baby, my house is freaking littered with solo socks. My 6-year-old has a box on top of her dresser that is FILLED with stray socks, so she often wears mismatched socks. And tiny baby socks? Forget about it. In my house, people discard their socks in all kinds of strange places, and very few of those places are their proper hampers. Kids' socks also seem to like to jump out of hampers and hide behind washing machines, boxes, and other detritus in the laundry room. So, mustachian or not, there's no way in hell that I am going to spend more than a few moments of my precious time searching for stray socks.
 

2. On darning socks. You can pretty easily mend small holes and extend the life of your socks by a little bit, but it won't do much to combat steady wear patterns. You might consider buying some higher quality socks. I have some Balega and REI brand athletic socks that are just now beginning to show wear after being in steady rotation for 5-6 years.

dcheesi

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Re: Wasting of Socks...Rant!
« Reply #33 on: June 15, 2018, 02:06:06 PM »
In a related matter, do you guys darn your socks when they get holes in them?  I go through socks kind of quickly because the soles of my feet are very rough and caloused and tend to rip through the cotton sooner or later.  My friend told me that darning doesn't really hold up well (at least with modern sock materials) and that it tends to be not worth the effort, but I don't know...
I darn them --darn them all to heck! Then I trash them, and pull the next pair from the massive pile of identical warehouse-club socks...

I'm a red panda

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Re: Wasting of Socks...Rant!
« Reply #34 on: June 15, 2018, 02:36:56 PM »
In a related matter, do you guys darn your socks when they get holes in them?  I go through socks kind of quickly because the soles of my feet are very rough and caloused and tend to rip through the cotton sooner or later.  My friend told me that darning doesn't really hold up well (at least with modern sock materials) and that it tends to be not worth the effort, but I don't know...

I knit my own socks and I don't even darn those....


I would not bother with a store bought sock.


(That said- I don't match my socks, I just wear them mismatched. And I don't wear socks in the summer to prevent having to do laundry.)

Threshkin

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Re: Wasting of Socks...Rant!
« Reply #35 on: June 15, 2018, 05:02:13 PM »
A couple of years ago the local college surplus store had white athletic socks for sale for $0.25 a pair.  We bought 40+ pairs!  DW and I use them interchangeably.  They are not the best quality but at the price who cares.  Holey socks get tossed quickly.

ysette9

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Re: Wasting of Socks...Rant!
« Reply #36 on: June 15, 2018, 05:35:56 PM »
When I was an exchange student in France my host grandmother darned my embarrassing socks. I was impressed with the care she put into them as I had some pretty good-sized holes. Unfortunately the darning failed immediately the first time I wore them, so I toss socks with holes now as it doesn’t seem worth it to try to save them.

TheWifeHalf

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Re: Wasting of Socks...Rant!
« Reply #37 on: June 15, 2018, 06:24:10 PM »
My niece wears socks that don't match, on purpose. Really, what law is there that says socks have to match?

Cool Friend

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Re: Wasting of Socks...Rant!
« Reply #38 on: June 16, 2018, 06:31:31 AM »
In a related matter, do you guys darn your socks when they get holes in them?  I go through socks kind of quickly because the soles of my feet are very rough and caloused and tend to rip through the cotton sooner or later.  My friend told me that darning doesn't really hold up well (at least with modern sock materials) and that it tends to be not worth the effort, but I don't know...
I darn them --darn them all to heck! Then I trash them, and pull the next pair from the massive pile of identical warehouse-club socks...

haha!

Cool, glad to know I haven't been wastefully throwing out socks that could have more life in them.  I'll check out Balega and REI.

re mismatching: I have a fashionable friend who only buys patterned socks and never matches them.  The rest of his dress is very well coordinated so it works as an interesting, subtle accent in his wardrobe.  I think it's a cool fashion quirk!

Cranky

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Re: Wasting of Socks...Rant!
« Reply #39 on: June 16, 2018, 10:18:32 AM »
I do darn hand knit socks, though good sock yarn with nylon in it will last a long, long time.

I'll sew up the holes in the toes of dh's cotton socks, but mine lose their stretch before they get holes.

aasdfadsf

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Re: Wasting of Socks...Rant!
« Reply #40 on: June 17, 2018, 01:27:48 AM »
A long time ago, I realized that owning different pairs of socks was a tremendous waste of my life, bought 20 pairs of the same discounted white athletic socks and never looked back.

Now, I never ever match up socks.  I throw them into the bottom of a drawer and grab any two that happen to be on top when they're necessary.  Every 8 years or so I replace all the survivors (which are getting very threadbare) and start over.  If a sock gets lost along the way, it's not really a big deal.

This. I mean, totally this. You'll still need some specialty socks, for dress, skiing, hiking, whatever, but those are just a few.

I spent way too much of my youth trying to match up socks and often going to school with socks that didn't match and hoping no one would notice. And as a very young adult, I one day had an epiphany. Why the fuck am I doing this? What if I just bought a whole bunch of socks that were all the same, then replaced them in one fell swoop when it came time, years later? Life was immediately better after that.

GuitarStv

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Re: Wasting of Socks...Rant!
« Reply #41 on: June 18, 2018, 06:41:26 PM »
A long time ago, I realized that owning different pairs of socks was a tremendous waste of my life, bought 20 pairs of the same discounted white athletic socks and never looked back.

Now, I never ever match up socks.  I throw them into the bottom of a drawer and grab any two that happen to be on top when they're necessary.  Every 8 years or so I replace all the survivors (which are getting very threadbare) and start over.  If a sock gets lost along the way, it's not really a big deal.

This. I mean, totally this. You'll still need some specialty socks, for dress, skiing, hiking, whatever, but those are just a few.

I spent way too much of my youth trying to match up socks and often going to school with socks that didn't match and hoping no one would notice. And as a very young adult, I one day had an epiphany. Why the fuck am I doing this? What if I just bought a whole bunch of socks that were all the same, then replaced them in one fell swoop when it came time, years later? Life was immediately better after that.

There's not too much that I get misty eyed and religious about . . . but I would consider going door to door to tell people about the life affirming changes that take place after welcoming a mono sock culture into my life.

DreamFIRE

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Re: Wasting of Socks...Rant!
« Reply #42 on: June 18, 2018, 06:51:07 PM »

My socks aren't all the same, but I do have many that match.  I bought ten 3-packs recently with 3 different colors of socks, so that makes it pretty easy while still having a little variety.

GuitarStv

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Re: Wasting of Socks...Rant!
« Reply #43 on: June 18, 2018, 06:52:37 PM »

My socks aren't all the same, but I do have many that match.  I bought ten 3-packs recently with 3 different colors of socks, so that makes it pretty easy while still having a little variety.

I absolve you of your fickle varietal indiscretions my son.

Chris22

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Re: Wasting of Socks...Rant!
« Reply #44 on: June 19, 2018, 08:18:46 AM »
You guys not ever have to wear formal wear, or do you just not care if your socks are completely ridiculous with your outfit?

I have three styles of sock (4 if you count winter socks to wear with boots):

-white low-cut athletic socks
-black dress socks (wear with black/charcoal, black shoes)
-brown dress socks (wear with brown/khaki/navy blue, brown shoes)

Most weeks I wear 4 pairs of dress socks, 2 brown, 2 black, so matching is NBD.  The athletic socks are all the same and matching them is cake.

NoraLenderbee

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Re: Wasting of Socks...Rant!
« Reply #45 on: June 19, 2018, 11:57:35 AM »
This is funny. People will repair their own washing machines and replace their own roofs to save money, but pairing socks is too hard?

PoutineLover

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Re: Wasting of Socks...Rant!
« Reply #46 on: June 19, 2018, 12:12:04 PM »
I guess I have never noticed my socks going missing in such large quantities that I've had to expend any brain power to think about it (until this thread). I toss holey socks, and if only one in a pair has a hole, I'll keep the other as long as I have others that match it. I hate wearing mismatched socks, unless they are two slightly different styles in the same colour. If I end up with an unpaired sock after a wash, I assume the other will be along in the next wash, so I put it in the drawer. I don't need to buy socks all that often and they aren't expensive enough to go chasing down.

GuitarStv

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Re: Wasting of Socks...Rant!
« Reply #47 on: June 19, 2018, 12:34:06 PM »
This is funny. People will repair their own washing machines and replace their own roofs to save money, but pairing socks is too hard?

I'd rather repair my roof for a couple days every 20 years than pair up socks 1040 times in a 20 year period.

MonkeyJenga

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Re: Wasting of Socks...Rant!
« Reply #48 on: June 19, 2018, 12:38:29 PM »
This is funny. People will repair their own washing machines and replace their own roofs to save money, but pairing socks is too hard?

I'd rather repair my roof for a couple days every 20 years than pair up socks 1040 times in a 20 year period.

Preach.

Although my version is, I'd rather rent a cheap apartment so I don't have to repair a roof in the first place. In the eternal cheap vs lazy debate, lazy wins out in both housing and sock pairing.

AZDude

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Re: Wasting of Socks...Rant!
« Reply #49 on: June 20, 2018, 01:18:59 PM »
It seems odd to me that people wouldn't buy all of the same kind of sock. What benefit is there in different white socks? I can understand athletic socks vs dress socks, but after that, what does it matter?

One of those things where I find human behavior bizarre. Like people who don't plan their route in advance when going someplace. They just start driving/biking/walking and suddenly they are making 8 left turns and you are like WTF ARE YOU DOING?!?!!