When old things break

I have this thing for old things. I hate to replace them. Not that I don’t like new and shiny but I feel bad giving up on something just because it’s old and maybe a little less shiny or even kinda ugly. Don’t those years of service mean anything? Last year I had to finally give up on my old car. I needed it to be reliable and after thousands in repairs it just wasn’t. I still think about my old car though. Sometimes I wish I’d kept it, turned it into a giant planter or something just so I could visit it. The extra money toward my newer car was handy but still. I felt bad.

We have a stove top with only 3 burners working. It will be a battle of wills before I replace it since we have other ways to cook and 3 perfectly viable burners although of course, it was the big one that blew out.

Last year we went an entire year without our dishwasher because I didn’t want to buy a new one. Then we got the brilliant idea to have someone come and repair it. Viola! Dishwasher back in business.

Now, the fridge is on the fritz. Actually it’s been on the fritz for a while but we’ve just been dealing with it. It gets too cold and freezes stuff in the fridge and then it’s not cold enough. The ice machine is on autopilot and sometimes goes wild and makes enough ice for my entire church. The water dispenser hasn’t worked since my husband took it apart and forgot how to put it back together but that was before me so I don’t miss it. I just don’t appreciate the frozen lettuce. But now the freezer door is broken. Hubby dear fixed it a few months ago but now even the fix is broken. Sigh. It IS over 25 years old. And for a fridge that’s almost antique. This house was built in 1989 and it’s the original fridge so do the math. I’m pretty sure its not energy efficient and if it ever was, it ceased to be a few years ago.

So, today we ordered a new one. I was going to wait until our vacations were over for the year but having a freezer door open in 90 degree weather while you are away for a week is a fairly bad idea if you like your food to stay edible. Actually many moons ago I went on vacation for a week when my older kids were really small. We came home to the most awful smell in our house. The power had gone out and the fridge never came back on. For a week. In August. That smell never completely went away…

In an effort to NEVER EVER repeat that I caved and went for the kill. A nice new black fridge will be delivered in a few weeks. At least it will match my other appliances now. And stop freezing my lettuce!

Just in case you are also a bit frugal like me, this is how I made the purchase a little less painful:

1. I bought it on sale. No brainer there. I always look at sales first.
2. I researched refrigerators on Consumer Reports. I chose one that was not only recommended but also a “Best Bet.”
3. I used a link through Swagbucks to earn 2% cash back. I will use the Swagbucks to redeem for Amazon gift cards later. You can also get cash through paypal and other gift card options are available.
4. You could also use Ebates and earn cash back. They have cash back offers through JC Penney, Best Buy, Walmart and Sears to name just a few. They are offering 2% cash back at Lowe’s also. (You can only use one of these though. If you use Ebates it won’t also allow you to use Swagbucks to the best of my knowledge.
5. I used my Discover Card. I earn 1% cash back on everything and during July, August and September I earn 5% cash back on up to $1500 in purchases from home improvement stores and Amazon. And if you use this link to sign up for a Discover Card, you will earn an additional $50 cash back after you make one purchase within 3 months. FREE money!
6. I took advantage of Lowe’s free shipping. They will deliver it to my house for FREE! Yay!
7. And although I used my Discover Card to pay for it, I will be paying off the bill in full by the time the payment is due to avoid paying interest. This is key. If you do all of the above and yet fail to pay off your purchase by the payment due date, you lose all of the benefits of using a cash back card. That would just be sad. And I would feel bad. 🙁
8. My husband will take the old one to the scrap metal yard and sell it for a few bucks. Not much but better than nothing! He got $10 for our old dryer a couple of years ago.

So, sayonara old friend. You have been a good if not particularly reliable of late servant. RIP.

 

*clicking on a link will likely take you to an affiliate site. There is no cost to you and the above links all have significant benefits that I use every day!