Refrigerators

[MrsK]

Ours is leaking and the ice dispenser doesn't work and I never liked it anyway. DrK wants to replace it. As always, I'm worried about money and I'd just assume let it limp along but I know we'll have an emergency if I do that. We are looking into a side-by-side. Any recommendations?

[Pollyanna]

We have the Frigidaire Gallery side by side. It works great and was priced right at around $1400. And the smudge proof SS is awesome.

[spotty_dog]

I guess the option in between replacing it and letting it limp along, is to get someone out to work on it?

Speaking of which, I need someone to work on my SubZero again, sigh. Freaking condenser.

[MrsK]

I guess the option in between replacing it and letting it limp along, is to get someone out to work on it?

Speaking of which, I need someone to work on my SubZero again, sigh. Freaking condenser.

We have a homebuyer's warranty which covers appliances for another 6 months. However, we pay $75 for every service call. Then they come take a look, go outside to call the warranty company, and 90% of the time they come back in and tell us that our particular repair is not covered. I had them come out once to service the fridge. They said that it had to be leveled and of course that's not covered. The serviceman was nice so he leveled the fridge and then billed it as something else so the warranty company would pay. However, that didn't fix our problem anyway so $75 wasted. I'm going to have them come out once more. I'll pay $75 but no more. If they tell me it's not covered, I'm going to give up and save the money to put toward the new fridge.

The fridge is really a nuisance. When we bought the house, I handled all of the negotiations since I have previous expertise in real estate transactions. Originally, the Seller claimed that the fridge was brand new and they wanted to take it with them. I didn't have a problem with this because I actually hate the fridge. It doesn't match any of the other appliances (it's white, the kitchen is black and chrome), I don't like the french doors, I don't like digging in the bottom freezer drawer, it has a huge ice maker which takes up about 25% of the fridge space and forces the shelves to be awkwardly configured. It's really hard to find room for food in this fridge. Anyway, there was one conversation that DrK had with the realtor when I was unavailable. The Seller wanted more money for the house and DrK agreed provided that we could keep the fridge. Ugh! By the time the discussion was relayed to me, it was too late. The Seller had agreed. DrK's rationale was that he didn't want to have to go out and buy a fridge right away and he thought we could put off the purchase for a couple years. I really hoped that he was right and that I'd grow to love the fridge. However, the fridge has been a headache since day 1 and we are paying taxes and interest on the increased purchase price forever. And, here we are 6 months later, still adjusting to the expenses of homeownership and really feeling the pinch because the initial sum that we set aside for furnishing and improving the house has already been spent.

Anyway, long story short, I'm super annoyed. DrK doesn't worry about money the way I do. He is perfectly okay with taking money out of savings, selling stock, or asking his parents for money. I'm very frugal and I feel like savings shouldn't be touched unless it's an urgency (which replacing the fridge could very well become) and those funds need to be replenished immediately. Stock should only be sold in the event of an emergency or to make a better investment. And adults shouldn't ask their parents for money unless the situation is absolutely dire -- as in you've exhausted every possible resource, you are up to your eyeballs in debt, and someone will literally die if the money is not obtained. I know this is all me and I need to just get over it but it's so hard.

Anyway, if I have to make this purchase and I want it to be as painless as possible. I want to get a fridge that we like that will last a while and won't cost a fortune. If we can get a good deal on it, even better.

It's my understanding that today's refrigerators only last about 3-5 years. Is that right? I hate to spend so much money on junk.

[scrub-jay]

4th of July sales coming right up.

[MrsK]

4th of July sales coming right up.

Yeah, we have a sitter during the day on Saturday. There was a recall on the minivan and it's the only car we have that can hold all the kid/car seats. So we decided to make a date of it rather than be stranded at home with the kids. We are going to leave the kids at home with the sitter, drop off the van, and the two of us go out for a couple hours while the van is being repaired. I was hoping that we could go to a movie or something fun like that but looks like we'll be refrigerator shopping.

[ladymoreta]

Ours has lasted 11 years (and 3 moves), with only a couple small repairs. It's a pretty basic Whirlpool side by side with an ice maker and water dispenser.

[Vanquisher]

http://m.sears.com/samsung-32-cu-ft-...p-04689000000P

This is one I'd consider.

[SoonerTexan]

If you want to wait for something better and spend less now, you could always check Craigslist or any local seller Facebook sites for something cheap to last a few years. I've seen some pretty decent deals for $200-300