Financial question - thoughts on appliance options

[The_Old_Maid]

Get thee to a reconditioned-appliances store. I’ve been able to get a major appliance bought, warranty for 90 days, delivered, and old one hauled away for under $250.00 US. Also, unlike with the items directly from someone’s home, they’re going to clean the items before they put them on the display floor.

 

[Xantippe]

I would want the range back before the washer, but I lived off of laundry mats for a long time. I actually think laundry went faster when I did, because I was able to wash all the clothes at once instead of having to do loads. It’s getting really expensive though!

Yes, there is that. Back in the day, when we lived as a family of four in a college dorm, we used to do laundry once a week in the college laundry room. It was a chore to get it back and forth (I used to haul it in a large plastic child’s wagon) and wait to get enough free machines and oh it was expensive, but it was relatively fast.

 

[pensmama87]

Get thee to a reconditioned-appliances store. I’ve been able to get a major appliance bought, warranty for 90 days, delivered, and old one hauled away for under $250.00 US. Also, unlike with the items directly from someone’s home, they’re going to clean the items before they put them on the display floor.

We did this when we bought a new range. It was awesome. I don’t think I’ll ever buy a new appliance again.

 

[Xantippe]

On reflection, if you’re like me, you own a lot of alternate cooking implements other than a stove: rice cooker, electric wok (don’t have it now, but used to have a garage sale one for many years), slow cooker, microwave, toaster, bread machine, George Foreman grill, basic outdoor grill.

However, the washing machine does not have as many convenient home work-arounds.

 

[pensmama87]

However, the washing machine does not have as many convenient home work-arounds.

What, you can’t take your laundry to a river and beat it with a stick?

(Just avoid it if you have lots of problem with stormwater overflow. Blechhhhhh.)

(I am joking, by the way.)

 

[Xantippe]

What, you can’t take your laundry to a river and beat it with a stick?

(Just avoid it if you have lots of problem with stormwater overflow. Blechhhhhh.)

(I am joking, by the way.)

I once spent two years as a Peace Corps volunteer washing all of my clothes in the bathtub every Saturday, scrubbing them on an actual washboard, and hanging them off my balcony (they freeze dried themselves during the winter months).

I love my washer and dryer SO much.

 

[Kelfa28]

I once spent two years as a Peace Corps volunteer washing all of my clothes in the bathtub every Saturday, scrubbing them on an actual washboard, and hanging them off my balcony (they freeze dried themselves during the winter months).

I love my washer and dryer SO much.

Think that is bad…

Try getting 50 loads of daily laundry done for 2 months and then distributing them every night.

Air Force Basic required us to be responsible for our own laundry. We had a group of 3-4 girls who basically lived in the laundry room.

We also had to lug all of that laundry up several flights of stairs to get to our dorms and figure out a system that would give back all 50 loads of uniforms, towels, socks, underwear and t-shirts to everyone…every night.

At least we had industrial washers and dryers.
And the laundry people tended to always get best Airman awards because we always had the most time to study our material and we were never around to get into trouble to begin with.

But still…it was hard work and I found out things about girls I never wanted to know…just by doing laundry.

I don’t complain about doing laundry for 4 (soon to be 5) people every other day.

 

[pensmama87]

I once spent two years as a Peace Corps volunteer washing all of my clothes in the bathtub every Saturday, scrubbing them on an actual washboard, and hanging them off my balcony (they freeze dried themselves during the winter months).

I love my washer and dryer SO much.

Think that is bad…

Try getting 50 loads of daily laundry done for 2 months and then distributing them every night.

Air Force Basic required us to be responsible for our own laundry. We had a group of 3-4 girls who basically lived in the laundry room.

We also had to lug all of that laundry up several flights of stairs to get to our dorms and figure out a system that would give back all 50 loads of uniforms, towels, socks, underwear and t-shirts to everyone…every night.

At least we had industrial washers and dryers.
And the laundry people tended to always get best Airman awards because we always had the most time to study our material and we were never around to get into trouble to begin with.

But still…it was hard work and I found out things about girls I never wanted to know…just by doing laundry.

I don’t complain about doing laundry for 4 (soon to be 5) people every other day.

I kind of like doing laundry.

But I have a cushy situation where my machine is on the main floor (and we have a ranch house so I don’t have to go upstairs to put away, either). I do line dry when the weather is nice and even when the kids are stealing my clothespins there’s something very nice about fresh laundry on the line. In the spring and summer, anyway.

I think I would definitely hate it if I had to do it by either method as described above.

I’m always surprised by the machines Amish and similar groups use to do laundry. I saw a contraption on a PBS documentary that you fit over a bucket of water to wring the clothes out. Seems like a stretching of the rules, IMO. But I don’t blame them for it.

 

[schaeffer]

You can buy a reliable electric stove/oven used for a low price. Check out a used appliance store, or habitat for humanity restore.

A LOT of people these days are getting rid of perfectly good washers and moving to front loaders…you may even have some of these among your acquaintences, or a friend of a friend.

If you buy a new appliance, I would go for the washer first. Saves time and money. Also, it’s harder to test a washer if you are buying it from someone you don’t know etc.

 

[CradleJourney]

I’m a little surprised that a 5 year old washing machine has given up.

We average 2 loads a day, six days a week, year around - with bonus loads during quarterly cleanings - so compare our average of 14 loads a week to a “normal” family situation of say 5 loads a week and by “use” age that would make our washer about 15 years old - in a hard water area with no softner.

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Also for the mention of the river …well, there IS a creek in the backyard I’ve been eyeballing

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After discussion, we’re in agreement about accessing the em. fund - going to start doing some bargain hunting and see what we find.

 

[Xantippe]

We average 2 loads a day, six days a week, year around - with bonus loads during quarterly cleanings - so compare our average of 14 loads a week to a “normal” family situation of say 5 loads a week and by “use” age that would make our washer about 15 years old - in a hard water area with no softner.

---

Also for the mention of the river …well, there IS a creek in the backyard I’ve been eyeballing

---

After discussion, we’re in agreement about accessing the em. fund - going to start doing some bargain hunting and see what we find.

Good luck!

 

[Xantippe]

I’m always surprised by the machines Amish and similar groups use to do laundry. I saw a contraption on a PBS documentary that you fit over a bucket of water to wring the clothes out. Seems like a stretching of the rules, IMO. But I don’t blame them for it.

Was it one of these?

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangle_(machine

I’ve been reading The Practical Conservative (a blogger with an interest in housewife history) and she points out that in the good old days, it was not uncommon for the middle class to send out their laundry (hence the terms “laundry list,” “washerwoman” and “laundress,” “taking in laundry”). So, it has (historically speaking) actually been an innovation for well-off women to do laundry themselves.

 

[pensmama87]

Was it one of these?

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangle_(machine

I’ve been reading The Practical Conservative (a blogger with an interest in housewife history) and she points out that in the good old days, it was not uncommon for the middle class to send out their laundry (hence the terms “laundry list,” “washerwoman” and “laundress,” “taking in laundry”). So, it has (historically speaking) actually been an innovation for well-off women to do laundry themselves.

Yes, but it definitely had an “on/off” switch and was much more contemporary looking. Hence why I thought it was weird for Amish women to use it (and if you’re wondering why they were being filmed, it’s because the documentary was more focusing on people who had left/were leaving/considering leaving.)

I think about those days when having help was the norm for middle and upper-class women rather longingly sometimes. And then I remember that it was only a very select group of my ancestors who would have fallen into that group, so any other way you shake it I probably would have BEEN the help. So I’m thankful for the machines, even if it means I don’t get help.

 

[CradleJourney]

UPDATE:

LOL! Anyone not believe God sends the answer?

Came home from work today and drove past a house on our cul-de-sac that had a washing machine sitting outside that said “Works - Free” (along with a bunch of other junk).

So as soon as hubby came home I sent him and DS down there to drag it back to our house.

No sooner did they get it up on the deck then someone else came buy in a truck to pick up the other stuff.

Now, of course, we have no idea if it does actually work or not (no one’s lived in that house for years and years) and it’s not a great model/size - but hey - I’ll take a risk with “free”. Hubby’s cleaning it right now - and laughing because the guy with the pickup seems baffled as to where the washer went.

God is good all the time.

 

[nodito]

That’s great! If the curb one doesn’t work, check craigslist under the “free” section. People get rid of old appliances when they upgrade or remodel if they can’t sell them in time (and nobody wants an old washing machine hanging around in the hallway, even if it works).

Good luck!

 

[Xantippe]

UPDATE:

LOL! Anyone not believe God sends the answer?

Came home from work today and drove past a house on our cul-de-sac that had a washing machine sitting outside that said “Works - Free” (along with a bunch of other junk).

So as soon as hubby came home I sent him and DS down there to drag it back to our house.

No sooner did they get it up on the deck then someone else came buy in a truck to pick up the other stuff.

Now, of course, we have no idea if it does actually work or not (no one’s lived in that house for years and years) and it’s not a great model/size - but hey - I’ll take a risk with “free”. Hubby’s cleaning it right now - and laughing because the guy with the pickup seems baffled as to where the washer went.

God is good all the time.

Thank you Jesus!

Pentecostal/

 

[Xantippe]

That’s great! If the curb one doesn’t work, check craigslist under the “free” section. People get rid of old appliances when they upgrade or remodel if they can’t sell them in time (and nobody wants an old washing machine hanging around in the hallway, even if it works).

Good luck!

Yeah. A few years back, we had to move from a rental where we had our own washer and dryer to one where the washer and dryer were provided and we had to figure out what to do with our washer and dryer.

 

[Rosebud77]

Interesting thread! I am alone and tend to use the washing machine in the rental for big items eg sheets and towels. Rest by hand and never would use a drier. Fresh air dries well and I have a second rainy day line under cover… There is a dishwasher here but that is something else I would never use. Not how I was raised… second hand is grand; directed my landlord to a good used one when the ancient fridge freezer died Here in Ireland they dump old stuff in rentals…