“My milk isn’t very cold” said Dan. Oh oh. Is something wrong with our refrigerator? I just made a double batch of chocolate chip cookies with my new KitchenAid mixer. Dan really needs cold milk to go with the cookies! Do we need a new refrigerator?

We have had the fridge about 8 1/2 years – since we moved into our home. However, it is about 1 year older than that. Right before we moved, I took a day off of work, on a Friday, to visit estate sales with a friend. It just so happened that the first sale we went into had a Whirlpool Gold refrigerator and a stackable washer and dryer for sale. Those were also Whirlpool Gold. We were told the appliances were about 1 year old, and they did look pretty new. For our new home, I wanted a fridge with the freezer on the bottom as we are both tall. I also wanted white to match the other kitchen appliances, and whatever washer and dryer we bought had to be stackable. Lastly, the dryer had to be electric. The units at this estate sale met all those criteria.

I don’t remember the asking price, but my friend who is an expert estate sale goer advised me to put in a bid. I believe she advised the bid to be just above 50% of the asking price. Two days later, on Sunday morning, I got a call, and the rest is history. This was a time I believe I was blessed from above. Thank you, Lord.

We paid $350 for the refrigerator, and the same amount for both the washer and dryer. After 8 1/2 years, I can say these appliances have served us well. We did have to have the Whirlpool Gold refrigerator repaired once because it had a faulty drain valve. This is a very common problem for this model, some even calling for a recall. I watched a guy on Youtube show how to fix this problem. After watching the video, we quickly called Scott at Blankenship Appliance Repair to come take care of things.

The valve repair cost around $200. I don’t remember the exact amount as it has been more than 2 years ago. With the issue of Dan’s milk not being cold enough and having a full freezer, we quickly decided to call Scott again.

The current problem was due to a faulty Jazz board, and in 2 days, our refrigerator was working just fine again. Scott said he has replaced a lot of these Jazz boards as when the units get older, the Jazz boards tend to give up the ghost. The total cost was $412, not cheap. However, that is far below the cost of a new refrigerator. A 22 cubic foot white Whirlpool Gold refrigerator currently costs $1349 at Home Depot. With 7% tax, that would total to $1443.

For our current refrigerator, we spent $350 + $200 + 412 which equals $962. So, we are still ahead $481 assuming a new model would never need to be repaired. I wouldn’t take that bet.

Now, I can’t advise you to check estate sales for your appliance purchases. While I love estate sales, the odds just don’t seem in favor of such a purchase given timing and personal preferences. Nor can I advise you to be blessed from above. However, I can list reasons why it is a good idea to get appliances repaired – if possible – rather than purchase new. Here’s the reasons:

1. Financially, it sure beats buying new.
2. It’s easier to pay cash if the cost is lower. I am a cash on the barrel head kind of girl.
3. There’s no interest paying cash.
4. If appliances can last longer, that’s less appliances that end up in the landfill.
5. We patronized a small, local business which is owned and operated by a very nice man.

On a final note, those who follow my blog know I am restoring an old dollhouse. As such, I joined 2 Facebook dollhouse groups where the creativity is anything but miniature. Any old thing is looked at from a new perspective of what it could be in a dollhouse. While I am not going to save every empty package, I did save the Jazz board. Because now when I look at it, I am seeing handles for dollhouse dressers. I bet there’s many more possibilities, so I may post it on Facebook and ask those gifted with such imaginations what they see. Do you see anything? Please feel free to comment if you do. If I could, I’d give you a nice cold glass of milk and some cookies for your efforts.

Stay Safe!