$3 a load? Whoa.
It takes about $17 for a single load at the laundromats near me, both washing and drying. Going once a week, that's over $800 a year.
Which is one reason I've started washing clothes in a 5-gallon (about 19 liters) bucket at home. It sucks, but it saves me money and I get a work out from it. I'd like to get a small machine I could use in an apartment, but where I live it wouldn't be safe to have packages sitting outside all day and I try to avoid big box stores, so I feel pretty screwed.