Remember I mentioned that we are looking into buying a new fridge because ours is like 30 years old and an electricity guzzler? Well, turned out, it's not that easy to find a good fit for our kitchen.
Our house was built 33 years ago, and the cabinets in the kitchen are original. And I'm pretty sure, the refrigerator is too. That size just doesn't exist any more!!! Not even the parts (we could never find a replacement bulb, and for the past year we had to go the extra mile to clean it or try to find something on the back). But everything we've been looking at is either too tall, too wide or too deep. I really don't want to lose the top cabinets. You can never have too much storage in your kitchen, right? And we have a pantry door on the same corner where the fridge is, so a deeper one is not an option either. We looked at a bazillion of fridges in the past two weeks. Ugh!
We did find one fridge that we like (click on the link here):
We want to buy stainless steel. Our stove is stainless, our dishwasher is looking like one (more on this later), and we honestly consider it an investment for the resale value of our place. And this fridge is the only thing that can somewhat fit in the space. We will still have to cut the trim off the bottom of the cabinet but otherwise it fits perfectly. Yes, we actually went to Lowes with our measuring tape and danced around it:) It's on sale right now but still more than I wanted to spend. Actually between a coupon, cash back, and two different rebates, we can get the price down to $1300 + tax. But still...
Aaaahhh, decisions, decisions... We do need a fridge because ours is on it's last leg, and this one is also energy efficient... Now I just sound like I'm trying to convince myself :)
It is a big purchase and I'm stuck. Come on, people, cheer me up :)
Would you go for it?
PS - and as for the money, we have almost enough set aside after my recent paycheck without digging into our emergency fund.
Speaking as someone who has gone without a stove for a month I know what your going through. We got lucky and are getting a 2 year old one from my uncles neighbor because he is redoing his kitchen and his wife doesn't want this one. I will will just be glad to have one. But I say do what I always do with a big purchase. I will tell you my sister has the one with the freezer on the bottom and hates it because she of storage and having to dig through it...but she isnt very organized plus my niece is constantly opening it.
ReplyDeleteGuess I wasn't much help huh....I do like it though. I know you; you will make the best decision
Well, thank you Judy :) I'm not too concerned about the freezer part because I have a big freezer in a garage but I actually like I will like it on the bottom. I'm so glad you are getting a new-to-you stove. It's defeintiely hard to live without one (tried it once myself)!
DeleteOuch, Lena, that sounds painful even with the discounts. But as you say it fits in with all your requirements so maybe you should go for it.
ReplyDeleteCarolx
I know :(... If it wasn't for dimensions...
DeleteI say do it, a fridge is a modern day necessity and I think you will really enjoy the upgrade. I think it will cut down on food waste too as you can see everything.
ReplyDeleteI got a new dishwasher this week and it is so nice, our oven has not been working right either so husband insisted we order new range. It is not herer yet but if I like it as much and dishwasher, I will really be a happy homemaker.
If you can afford that fridge, then get it and enjoy it. That is why we are frugal, so we can get what we need.
Yes, that's what I was thinking too. It seems a lot more spacious than our current one and so open.
DeleteLena, We have the same problem and our house was built 17 years ago.... AND we didn't measure... talk about luck....we bought a refrigerator 8 years ago....It's a Samsung with freezer on the bottom which I LOVE.... It has digital display.... Two separate motors...;one for freezer and one for refrig....it cost us $800 8 years ago we bought it.... The ice maker broke 4 years ago.... My Son is going to try and fix it today... Anyways... the refrig barely fits in the space....We were very very lucky.... You will love your new one.... You will recoop your money on the electric bill.... When we replaced out 20 year old upright freezer with a chest freezer we didn't realize how much electricity it burned.... we save $18 the first month just on the freezer....the fuller the freezer got the less electricity it used...Have a great day....Lisa
ReplyDeleteThat was definitely lucky :)
DeleteAbsolutely, Lena! I think it's a great investment, and not exactly something you can go "without"! :)
ReplyDeleteYes! I kind of don't want to risk it and wait until this one is dead!
DeleteIf you've done that much looking and can afford it, go for it. However, it will take a long time of extra energy savings to make up for the cost of a new one. I usually hold onto something like that until it dies or has so many things wrong with it, that it is essentially unusable.
ReplyDeleteWell,normally I would wait too. But it's already been making funny noises on and off, and if want to take advantage of Lowes free delivery, we would have to wait for a day for that. Plus I want to buy online to take advantage of other discounts (like cash back), and that would take a few days to process too. I'm just not sure if I'm willing or can live without a fridge for a few days :)
DeleteHi Lena. We went through the whole 'need a refrigerator dance' last year. It's one of those things you don't really have room for in the budget, but it's necessary. We shopped around many stores also, did our homework on sizes, prices, etc.- we did not want to get a used one with the risk of that one breaking down on us also. So we ended up asking around at all stores if they have any scratch and dent specials. Turns out we got a nice fridge for a really good price because there was a floor model for sale that had scratches and dents (they were minimal damages and located on the side of the fridge and you cant even see it with the way we have our kitchen set up.) Just thought I'd share that suggestion with you in case you hadn't asked for a floor model or a scratch and dent special in your fridge hunting. Good Luck, Lena!!
ReplyDeleteHey Dawn, thank you! We actually already asked. Unfortunately, Lowes is not willing to sell this floor model because they have plenty in stock. But we did get our stove the same way, for 2/3 of a price :) If it wasn't for the dimensions... And I agree with you about buying used. We had to send back three refurbished computers, and it was a pain!! Plus, when I see brand-new appliances listed on classifieds, I immediately ask myself, what's wrong with it!
DeleteSounds like what we went through earlier this year when we got our new fridge! The new ones are all too big. We finally squeezed one in with taking a piece of trim off and we had to cut some trim off the bottom of the overhead cabinet. The one I ended up getting looks very similar to your model, but it's a Samsung. It's not my first choice when it comes to fitting things inside - like milk gallons and pitchers. It's just not designed very well to move the shelves around much. But, overall it's way nicer than the 24 year old fridge we replaced it with.
ReplyDeleteYes, we look at Samsung too but it's way too tall for our space. I need to go back and see how well I can move the shelves around though :) Thank you!
DeletePersonally Lena, I would not go for it. I purchased a fridge almost like the one in your pic .... it was a GE Arctic and lasted for 18 months before it went on the fritz. Sears replaced it with an identical model (so we didn't have to buy another fridge) but guess what? That one did the exact same thing. Both fridges lasted less than 3 years combined and I was stuck with two hulking great broken fridges in my garage. So, I decided to go bare basics and bought a Kenmore fridge which measures about 31" deep, about 68.5" high and about 30" wide. It has a top freezer and good amount of space in the fridge.
ReplyDeleteI have had rotten luck with the larger fridge/freezers. they don't seem to last. And the GE Arctics seemed to me to have taken huge amounts of resources to make, only for them to basically be 'disposable' appliances. I was also disappointed that the bigger fridges seemed to have such large and thick doors but had limited storage on the actual inside, given the overall size of the fridge. Not to mention the cost of running that size fridge here in the summer!
Here is what I have: http://www.kenmore.com/kenmore-18.2-cu-ft-top-freezer-refrigerator/p-04668802000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1
It is compact but I made it work for a family of 6. It was helpful to me to have a smaller fridge too because we waste less food. And can't beat the price both in actual price and operating cost :) Just my 2 cents + change.
Thank you for sharing your experience with me. Definitely something to think about. I'm just afraid, the fridge like this would be too small for us because with our very low grocery budget I tend to stock up. The fridge we are looking at is bigger but not huge. And it seems to have good reviews, 4.5 stars, so I'm hoping t will last :)
ReplyDeletePersonally, I think if you have saved the money then I would go for it. You will make up cost in electricity, etc.
ReplyDeleteWould you get any cashback from your utility company because of its energy star rating? Our utility company has a scheme going on for washer/dryers - not sure if it extends to refrigerators as well. Also check to see if there are any tax benefits.
ReplyDeleteWhat company is your old refrigerator? If you call them and tell them how happy you were with it, they may help you find some good deals with a newer model...we did this when we replaced our mattress this year, and Sealy was very helpful locating good discounts.
Another thought - sounds like your dishwasher is also going. You may be able to swing a bigger discount if you buy a refrig/dishwasher package.
Good luck!
Nan
Yeah, that's how I would lower the price. we can get free haul and $30 back for our old fridge from electricity company plus $40 tax rebate because it's an energy efficient model. Our old fridge is Kenmore, and they don't make them in this size any more :(
DeleteAnd our dishwasher is actually pretty new, we got it last year. I just converted it into a "stainless steel look" :)
Sometimes you gotta bite the bullet and spend the money .Not like you can go without a fridge. Look at it this way, if the new fridge last 10 years (it will last longer than that, but its late and I am not that good at math) that works out to what? 35 cents a day? Would be worth it to me to have the peace of mind knowing my fridge isn't going to crap out on me, LOL
ReplyDeleteThat's how I feel too!
DeleteA girls gotta do what a girls gotta do, better get in on that deal while you can. It's not like you are blowing money on a new purde or shoes! ha BTW in our area the fridge doesn't go with the house you have to buy your own. Just a thought
ReplyDeleteWell, here is depends :) Sometimes it is offered as part of the deal. Having it as an option will help us negotiate a way better price. By offering some appliances with our last condo we got $5000 more on the sale price (and we didn't spend nearly as much for them :)
DeleteI think $1300 is a little absurd for a fridge. Its just way too high and there has to be more options than that not unless you want a fancy model like this.
ReplyDeleteWell, we want this size. There are four of us, and we often have family members and friends' families staying with us for weeks (mostly the ones traveling from Russia). There are times when we have 4 gallons of milk at a time in our fridge :) there are smaller fridges but, honestly, we are trying to get the one as big as we can. I'm not ready to downsize. But I agree with you, the price is high, not the worst out there by far but quite steep...
DeleteDitto most of the others - if you have cash saved, I would attempt to catch one of the good holiday deals.
ReplyDeleteExcellent points on the electricity savings, plus you may be forced to replace it at sometime and then it's not on sale! Do it!
ReplyDeleteWhen we built our house, we purchased a Whirlpool fridge with one door to the fridge on top and a pull out freezer drawer on the bottom. Having a little one has made this wonderful, because she can't get the fridge open to mess around with anything! We do have an ice maker in the freezer, but opted to not have water on the fridge door, because that is the thing that we would have to worry about breaking/wearing out, and replacing filters, etc. I think our fridge was around the same price as yours as well. Good luck with your purchase, and it will be better to buy it before you need to throw away a fridge full of food because your other one conks out!
ReplyDelete