#41 Fill it to the top! (but not too full)

A very basic piece of advice, I agree.   But for all those busy moms out there who need something washed right now and it's not laundry day and everything is crazy busy... you know what I mean.  Yes, there are smaller load settings on your machine, but it still is going to take the same amount of electricity to run a small load as a large one.  So take the extra moment or two to find items similar to the one you need washed now and throw them in there with it.  I have also been known to leave my last load of laundry on laundry day when it doesn't fill up the machine.  It gets filled up quickly enough, and is washed in the next couple of days.  Ta da.

Pros:  Bigger loads of laundry means less loads of laundry.

Cons:  It's easy to get carried away and fill the load a little too much, causing unnecessary wear and tear on your washer and dryer.