Forget Clothes That Say "Dry-Clean"

I just picked up some items from the dry cleaners that had been sitting there since the spring. The total bill was $75.00. Ouch. Three of the items were jackets that couldn't be washing by hand, I think two other items might have done okay on the "handwash" cycle. The less money we spend on dry-cleaning the better, so I am going to be more careful to check the tags before I buy anything to see if I want to pay many times over the cost of the item in drycleaning. Usually I wouldn't, but you can't avoid drycleaning fancy dresses or sport coats.