Thousands of quarters and huge water bills: the economics of laundromats

The United States had a washing machine that cleaned dirty dollar bills

In the early 1900s, the US Treasury Department had a machine that washed and ironed old, soiled paper bills. The machine helped the Treasury save money by decreasing printing costs for new dollar bills, but had nothing to do with the modern understanding of money laundering.

Laundry detergents designed for cold-water washes rely on proteins isolated from microorganisms native to cold climates, such as Iceland.

During wash cycles, synthetic fabrics shed millions of plastic microfibers, making them a significant source of global microfiber pollution.

What to do about the microplastics in your laundry

Synthetic fabrics shed millions of tons of microplastics into oceans each year, largely through laundry wastewater. Here are ways to reduce the pollution.

Local governments are responsible for more than 148,000 public water systems across the US

From large municipal utilities to small rural systems, local governments are tasked with providing clean water to almost every American community. The US operates over 148,000 public water systems.

To reduce wrinkles in clothing, research recommends gentle wash cycles with more water and tumble drying with smaller loads and longer times.

Up to to $68M in coins ends up in American landfills each year.

Waste facilities and TSA say they collect thousands of dollars of discarded money per year. A Wall Street Journal reporter visited a waste facility and learned what you can do with your extra change.

In 2014, there were more payday loan stores than McDonalds

That year, there were more than 20,000 payday lenders in the US, according to the St. Louis Federal Reserve, and 14,267 McDonald's locations. Politicians and consumer advocates frequently cited this statistic as a selling point for increased regulation.

Some banks derive half of their income from overdraft fees on checking accounts

The fees are incurred when a customer withdraws more money than is left in the account, typically around $35 per overdraft. One in 11 Americans pays more than $350 a year in such fees, generating tens of billions of dollars each year for banks..

Ranking the most expensive appliances on your electricity bill

Energy costs have gone up amid war and inflation. Here's a breakdown on the cheapest and most expensive appliances in your home to help you lower your bill.

A third of Americans don't have the cash they need to cover a $500 emergency, according to a 2023 Federal Reserve survey.

Washing dishware before putting it in a dishwasher may reduce the appliance's effectiveness because it dynamically adjusts wash time and temperature based on a sensor that detects dirtiness.

More than $2.6B has been laundered through US real estate in the past 20 years

All cash real estate transactions don't require extensive background and identity checks, creating a loophole for criminals who would otherwise be flagged for suspicious behavior to clean large amounts of money with one purchase. Real estate prices are easily manipulated and can be used to generate more income by renting the space, making it an attractive and common tool for money laundering.

Simple home improvements like proper insulation can reduce winter energy bills

To save money in the colder months, some experts recommend washing your clothes in cold water, using your dishwasher instead of washing dishes by hand, and more. This article lists even more winter money-saving tips.

Why some US cities pay thousands of dollars for a single public trash can

The rationale supposes high-end, heavy-duty trash cans reduce litter and maintenance costs, justifying per-unit costs of close to $3,000 in some municipalities. But results are mixed, and some experiments using cheap 55-gallon drums were similarly effective.

The costs and fees for a payday loan include a 'finance charge'

Payday lenders typically make money via finance charges, a percentage or dollar amount that the borrower owes the lender per $100 borrowed. While the finance charge can range from $10 to $30 for every $100 borrowed, this would equate to an annual percentage rate of almost 400 percent for a two-week loan.

The adoption of modern appliances led to the soap opera's rise

Soaps grew more popular as they transitioned to television in the 1950s. At the same time, the adoption of modern appliances like the automatic dishwasher and the clothes dryer offered housewives more free time, which soaps could now occupy. By 1970, CBS, NBC, and ABC were airing 18 daytime soaps.

The typical US household could lower its household costs by 6.4% by using coupons

The study looked at coupons for food, household items, entertainment, and clothing, as well as other expected expenses. The grocery store category offered the largest amount of savings at around $316 annually.

The average monthly mortgage payment in the US costs 38% more than monthly rent

A recent study showed that the price gap between renting and buying grew in 38 major US metro areas since last year. The metro areas with the smallest price gaps between renting and buying include Detroit, Philadelphia, and Cleveland.

Paper check usage is down 83% over 25 years

At the start of the millennium, more than 68 million checks were processed daily. Amid the adoption of automated clearinghouse (ACH) payment systems, that number has sunk to 12 million a day.

Modern payday lending came about in the late 1990s

In the early 1900s, unlicensed "salary lenders" used to give consumers one-week loans at annualized percentage rates of more than 100%. But wage garnishment and financially abusive practices led some states to create special licenses for lenders and implement rate caps to protect consumers. In the 1990s, a series of deregulations in various states opened the door for the modern payday lending industry to take off.

Americans only became intolerant of body odor in the last century

Daily bathing only became a societal norm in the last century. Today, Americans routinely bathe and buy more deodorant than any other country, spending roughly $6 billion annually on odor-reducing products. The rise of industrialized soaps, deodorants, and antiperspirants—and extensive marketing around them—stimulated this demand.

Dollar stores often place staple items at the back of the store so customers encounter other less-necessary items on their way there, leading to impulse buys.

How much your blood really costs

In the US, donating plasma twice a week can earn you $400 a month. But this system only works by targeting people who need the money most. Plasma clinics are placed in low-income zip codes, and frequent donation may increase health risks.

Dollar stores tend to be smaller in size than other retail stores—and some think it's so customers can see all the products faster, increasing their likelihood of finding something they want to buy.

Americans spent $6.6 billion on body odor products in 2023

This high figure from Euromonitor, a research firm, suggests Americans spent more on deodorant than in any other country. Beyond deodorant, there's also growing interest in "whole body" deodorant designed to mask smells from various parts of the body beyond the armpit.

An estimated 91% of all Americans had used a coupon at least once as of 2022

Coupon use accelerated during the Great Depression, when the US unemployment rate reached nearly 25 percent. While coupons were invented in the late 1800s, they became more popular during the Depression as a way to stretch household budgets during the era’s economic hardships. Companies soon began distributing coupons via newspapers and women’s magazines.

The squeegee kids of Baltimore

For decades in Baltimore, youth looking to earn some money have waited at high-traffic intersections to offer quick windshield washes for a fee. While some drivers find it encouraging, a positive way to spend time, others get annoyed, resentful, or...

There's a myth that Al Capone coined the term 'money laundering,' or the process of disguising the criminal origins of illegally obtained money so it can be used without detection.

Nearly 3 million people fly in and out of US airports every day—but not all of those passengers generate revenue for the airlines they purchase their tickets from.

The economics of ski resorts

More than 480 ski resorts pack in nearly 65 million visitors each year in the US for historically high prices. Daily lift tickets may cost three figures at many locations. Amid industry consolidation and more stringent land use regulations, ski resorts are upping their prices—a factor that does not appear to be dampening the sport's popularity. Learn more here.

Federal law requires payday lenders to meet certain transparency requirements, but states have their own regulations

Federal law treats payday lending like other lines of credit, meaning it requires lenders to disclose the loan's interest rate and its "finance charge," a dollar amount expressing the full cost of the loan. But states have their own regulations around payday lending, hence why it isn't allowed in every state and why the industry looks so different across the country. These regulations are often part of a state's usury laws.

11,000 new US dollar stores opened between 2007 and 2017

Dollar store retailers experienced significant fiscal gains during the 2010s, which were then accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. But in recent years, dollar stores have been closing in large numbers and suffering financial hardship. Experts point to Walmart's strategy of decreasing prices to cater to inflation-fatigued customers, and point out that when Walmart does well financially, dollar stores typically suffer.

Roughly 10% of US apartments were owned by private equity firms as of 2025.

The US has used a wide variety of different currencies between the 1690s and today

From colonial money to national banknotes, people have used all kinds of forms of currency throughout the history of the United States before settling on the dollar bills and quarters that we pay for things with today.

A ‘rent vs. buy’ financial calculator

The New York Times built a continuously updated financial calculator to help potential homebuyers figure out which makes more sense given their individual situation: buying or renting a home. It takes into account how long someone plans to own the home for, mortgage rates, and more.

Despite accounting for less than 1% of the country's water consumption in 2023, US data centers' water use for cooling and electricity generation can increase water stress in drought-affected areas.

Living wage calculator

Some people who work low-wage jobs don't make enough money to pay for the cost of basic needs (like housing or child care) in their area of the country. Curious to see whether or not you make what's considered a "living wage" for your city or state? To find out, plug your locale into this Living Wage Calculator.

Payday lenders spent more than $5M on lobbying efforts in 2025

Payday lenders largely oppose rate cap policies, increased borrower risk-assessment requirements, and other regulations that would effectively shutter their industry. In 2025, the payday lending industry lobbied against interest rate limits on payday loan apps.

Women tend to tip more often than men

For instance, among people who visit hair salons or barber shops, 62% of female respondents said they always tipped. Only 45% of men said the same. This article includes more takeaways and stats about how Americans tip, and who receives them.

The case against the penny

It takes roughly three cents to produce a single penny, with an annual price tag of nearly $100M. The ubiquitous copper coin is scarcely used, ending up in jars or lost in couches, necessitating even more replacement coins, perpetuating a vicious circle. Studies suggest eliminating the coin would not cost consumers money. See a quick overview of the problem here.

After the owner fell into a Ponzi scheme, one braiding shop in suburban Maryland began making $130K a day by staying open for 24-hours

Because braiding often takes a long time, the salon prioritizes fast, efficient styles, with two braiders often working together on a client, which increases revenue by increasing turnover. The salon has 120 seats and more than 400 contracted braiders across its 10,000-square-foot space.

How LA brought water to its booming population

By the turn of the 20th century, Los Angeles had grown from a dusty, crime-ridden pueblo into a thriving metropolis. The only problem was that it was growing too fast. Here's the story of how the booming town created a massive water infrastructure to redirect area rivers to its residents.

Some coin denominations have ridges on their sides in part to prevent counterfeiting.

The US developed a coin circulation problem in 2020

As people reduced the frequency with which they paid for things in cash and change during the COVID-19 pandemic, opting for tap-to-pay systems or online shopping instead, the number of coins in circulation decreased. Those who did make cash purchases were more likely to keep their change at home rather than use it on a subsequent purchase.

The sewage of New York City

Residents of the five boroughs of New York produce 1.3 billion gallons of wastewater everyday. Seventy miles of sewer pipes, first built in the mid-1800s, feed the sewage to 14 wastewater treatment and recovery plants where the waste is treated back to viable, drinkable water. See what shouldn't go down the toilet here.

Bidets have been considered taboo throughout US history

While bidets are a typical household essential in Europe, Asia, and South America, they remain uncommon in the US. Associations with infertility, the aristocracy, and brothels helped fuel their unpopularity in the states.

Dollar stores procure their merchandise in bulk to help cut costs

In order to keep prices cheap, dollar stores source this merchandise from a variety of places, including liquidation sales (an event that happens when retailers need to sell off inventory quickly), directly from distributors, foreign markets, and more.

The average American household spends over $3K annually on dining out

The exact number is $3,228, or $269 per month. WalletHub found the number by crunching the data reported by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics between 2014 and 2023.

Payday lenders are more highly concentrated in neighborhoods with high poverty rates

Research from the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago shows that payday lenders in Illinois were more densely populated in zip codes with high poverty rates. The data also shows that payday lenders were more likely to cluster in zip codes where the highest percentage of residents are minorities.