would it be cost effective to not have a washing machine and use a laundry service instead?

[BooyhooNOTboohoooORbooyou]

i have never used a laundrette so dont know if it would be more or less expensive to use that for all our washing rather than buy a new machine and run it 4/5 times a week.

I can only answer from instinct and not from a maths point of view.

If it WAS cheaper then probably every Mum on the planet with access to a laundry service would use it and not bother with a washing machine.

However, since I am from a humble background and mainly pragmatic, I always bless my machine when at times of illness and the children need more clean clothes or several loads of bedding in the early hours, my little machine is on standby - the laundrette may be closed!

My machine gets my vote.