Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Turns Out... I Have An Opinion!

We bought our refrigerator with wedding money, so it is as old as our marriage - 18 years.  Our marriage is in much better shape, however.  For months now (maybe a couple years - I've honestly lost count) I have had to defrost the freezer on a pretty regular basis.  There is a build-up of ice that I have to pound through on the floor of the freezer.  If I don't, I'll soon find a puddle forming on the kitchen floor.  It's not the frosty white kind of snowy ice that formed in your mama's freezer.  No - this is the kind you can skate on.  I have to take my heavy duty ice cream scoop, and bang away at the ice... It's a fun job.  Did I mention
I'm down on my hands and knees doing
this?  Yeah - one of my favs.

Well, last weekend, we took a step towards buying a new refrigerator.  We shopped.  A little.  (Read: we stopped by Sears since hubby knew they were having an appliance sale.)  I wish I still had the receipt from 1992 (to see what we paid), because apparently refrigerators have come a long way since then -- and the retailers are glad to charge us for these advancements.

I told my husband that I had no list of demands for a new refrigerator.  I was trying to be easy to get along with, and not come to the table with an agenda.  Wouldn't it be great to just have a new refrigerator, after all?  I just wanted one that I didn't have to defrost -with good door gaskets.  

After much discussion, and several turns around the appliance department at Sears, it turns out, I really DO have an opinion on the subject.

ONE = It must have good door gaskets so there is no need to defrost.  This is really only a JOKE because of our current situation.

TWO = It should be white.  All of our other appliances are white.

THREE = I don't want a water/ice feature in the door.  We've never had one before - so why pay for the extra feature NOW?

FOUR = My hubby tells me it's hard to find a refrigerator without the water/ice feature AND that the filters are $50/mo.  I tell him that I don't want to have the feature and not use it because that would be... (I used the S-word) STUPID!  Besides, I'm also very sure that we don't need 50 of anything added to our monthly budget for the rest of our lives (or the refrigerator's).

FIVE = If we do not get a water feature in the door, then it looks like we will have to go with a bottom freezer/top side-by-side.  That'll work.  I will finally be able to make/bake ahead and freeze some things.  My current side-by-side freezer is not wide enough for any pans.

SIX = But really?  What is that little do-hickey thing that hinges between the refrigerator (french)doors on some models?  Let's find a model without that.

SEVEN = It cannot be bigger than our current 21.7 cu.ft. model.  Our refrigerator is not built-in in the room, and we don't want it to take up any more space than it already does.

EIGHT = After a little further investigating on-line, hubby informs me that we will either have to add 3 inches or go MUCH smaller.  Grrr.

Wow - so there's a portrait of my easy-to-get-along-with self.  A little intimidating.  I do see a new refrigerator in the not-too-distant future -- if we can only agree on a model. 

So, speak up now, because I need your help.  Have you purchased a new refrigerator in recent months?  Tell me about it.  Any other things I should be looking for?  Are you happy with your choice?  Please.  Educate me.


8 comments:

  1. My parents got a fridge for their wedding...:) It just went out and we are enjoying a new french-door (fridge on top, freezer on bottom) design vs. the old side-by-side style (believe me, the french doors are fabulous! No more having to bend over to reach stuff on the bottom shelf of the door...everything's within reach. :D) The water/ice in the door feature is really wonderful...the new fridge has crushed or cubed ice, take your pick. Very handy, and I can't imagine not having it (just my opinion, of course). I think ours is a...let's see...26 cu. ft., I think. We now call it the Wonder Fridge, cause it seems like we never run out of room! :D The only thing I would say, in order to avoid inordinate amounts of stress, if your fridge fits under some cabinets, make sure that it's the right height. Otherwise, it's all about finding a new fridge or taking the cabinets down and sawing the bottoms off so the fridge fits. :)

    I shoot w/ a Canon point-and-shoot A1100 IS. A great little camera, but I'm hoping to upgrade to something dslr-ish this year. I would really appreciate being able to change the aperture...grr...

    Have a blessed day in Him!

    Laurie

    ReplyDelete
  2. We bought a new one last year and I am very happy with it--but I sure did hate shopping for it.
    We have a side by side (first time) and it does have water and ice in the door (also first time!) Our filters are $25 every 6 months and we use it a lot so I think it's worth the price for our family.

    We had a repairman out for our dishwasher the other day and he said buy the cheapest model appliance with the fewest features you can live with. He feels none of the appliances are of any quality anymore and just won't last like they used to. The more features you have, the more things that can break.

    For what it's worth!

    ReplyDelete
  3. @Laurie

    Thanks Laurie! I think I will like the freezer on the bottom & therefore, not as much bending!

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  4. Okay, here's your sister to totally shake up your world! LOL! Have you thought about buying a USED fridge????

    We have only ever bought used. And the only reason we purchased a second one is that we sold the first one with our house.....which i hated because it had the freezer on the bottom which i loved!

    Pros:
    older model may = better made
    older model may = no water/ice in the door

    Just something to consider. I can tell you where we've bought ours. And if you go with new we HIGHLY recommend Daly's Appliance in Barberton. We've bought all our new appliances there (washer, dryer, stove). Their prices are always better than the big stores and they have great service.

    ReplyDelete
  5. @Jill

    Actually, yes. I thought you would have a place to recommend...was going to ask. And you're right - that would work to our advantage - not wanting any new-fangled features. Send me the info. We'll check out Daly's too! Thanx.

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  6. I need a new fridge, too, even though it's a little younger than yours (about 14 yrs old). Every time we go to look at them, though, I get totally overwhelmed and can't make a decision. Maybe in 2011 I'll finally figure it out! :)

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  7. We have not bought a fridge in recent years-thank goodness-only a new washer and dryer (of which you al already aware of Sally). ;-)
    I do know that 4 family members have the freezer on the bottom option and love it. For what it's worth.

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  8. @Sally...aww....right back at you friend! Ditto on the comment you made on my blog! :-)
    Take care you!

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Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! I read each and every one, and truly enjoy "conversations" with you! ~Sally

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