I devote most of this blog to my daughter's escapades, and family events, but lately I feel like I should do something to share my own interests.
Those of you who know me personally understand that I am a frugalista- I love to shop, but my favorite stores include Target, Ebay, Amazon.com, Consignment stores, and Yard Sales. I just love a good deal!!!!
So recently we have been putting some much-needed upgrades in our home. I finally feel like it's nearing completion!
I had a very small wall-oven and a very small microwave (circa 1995) that was considered a "combo unit". I called it my "easy-bake oven" because you literally could fit one thing in it at a time. It was very difficult when planning a large meal with more than one thing to be warmed. Plus, the microwave was very spotty- meaning half the food on the plate would be boiling and the other half would still be cold. Yuck. In order to warm 2 cups of water (warm, not boil), it required 3 mintues. Boiling required about 10 minutes. Seriously?
The clincher occured one day when I baked a delicious banana bread. I forgot about the broiler hanging down in the oven (the clip which was to hold it in place was long gone before we bought the house), and placed the loaf on the upper rack. As the bread rose, it touched the broiler coil, and left a lovely black line on the bread. That was the final straw!!!!
The dishwasher, also from 1995, had finally become more effort than hand-washing, as the glasses were ALWAYS coated with sand-like granules, and about 25% of the items that were washed had to be re-washed at least once. Time to go, Dishwash-o!
We began the appliance hunt in earnest. Unfortunately, a double oven was going to run us roughly $2000, a dishwasher about $500, and an over-the-range microwave $250 at the least. Add tax, delivery, installation, etc. and we're well over $3000 for new appliances. YIKES.
Time for Craigslist. If you've never been, you are missing a wealth of interesting finds. There's everything from free dirt to yachts, to Carribean vacation rentals....all in one very fascinating place. I love Craigslist. Our most recent vehicle purchase (a Ford Explorer V8) came from Craigslist, and we couldn't be happier....but that's another story.
Anyway, I began searching on Craigslist for used appliances. After weeks of searching, I finally found a double oven (stainless steel, with CONVECTION no less!) but the asking price was a little high- $1250. When I realized that the same people were also listing an over-the-range microwave for $250, I saw some wiggle room in the price. See, the key about Craigslist is that you can usually negotiate the price, at least a little bit. So, we went to see the appliances. They were PRECISELY what we were looking for, dimensions and everything! HALLELUAH! But the price....and having someone install them was going to add about another $200 to the price tag. So, I asked if they would do both for $850. Get this- THEY AGREED!!!!! So I got my gorgeous double oven and my amazing microwave for about a third of the new price!!!!!!!!
And, on top of that, my Handman husband installed the double oven himself (with my help and a 2.5-ton car jack....long story) and replaced the stove hood with the microwave. That equals ZERO dollars in installation fees!
Now for the dishwasher. I would love to say that I found the deal of all deals, but I didn't. We did, however, find a brand-new stainless steel Fridgiaire Gallery dishwasher (GORGEOUS) for $400. Hubby installation for $0, and there you have it!
Total cost of appliances: $1250.
Plus, now we can sell the old oven, hood, dishwasher and microwave on Craigslist. I'm not expecting to get much out of them, but still.
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