May you be blessed for caring about your man. A few things that will help:

Ask him to not be stingy and spend good money on good quality socks.

Like you have already done buy many of the same colour.

Socks should not be washed by pulling and rubbing. You stretch them and tear them when you do this. Soak them in warm water with detergent for an hour or overnight and then rinse them. Do not wring them; again you stretch and tear them when you do this (Allow them to self drain). Lay them on a flat surface to dry rather than hang them. If however you have to hang them hang them upside down.

Best take away from this...it isn't sabotage on the side of my madam...Kumbe it's common je many a homes.

What material the socks are made of also matters. Bata have very good socks that don't get rough on the soles and also rarely stretch. Also most socks get lost during sorting. Count the socks before washing, make sure of an even number. Hang them in pairs sio moja moja. Thank me later.

Had a similar problem til i got married. The missus had a two-fold solution which works for the family to date. First, she introduced a basket for soiled socks and then taught everybody to roll up the used socks into a ball before depositing them in the basket. After drying, the socks are rolled again into a ball and this time they go to a dedicated drawer.All my kids picked up the habit of rolling their socks into a ball and i observed that it would happen as soon as they stepped into any house. The beauty of this is that the rolled pair would be found in one shoe. Did i say she never puts the socks on the wash-line?. I always find them lined on the slab of the laundry . Don't ask me the reason . Finally, as Marko put it, it's Bata 100% cotton socks or nothing. They are comfortable and easy on feet and do not wear/stretch like those shainese stuff.

Try skin if due-REX fails you.

Thank me.