May had been an incredibly expensive month for us here at Chez Sluggy.
Luckily, May was also one of those freak 3 paycheck months.
Good thing, it was!
So how do I start off June financially?
Well, I bought a freezer.
Yup.
Our old workhorse of a freezer has been limping along and this past week things started happening in the old chill chest that indicated that it would be gasping it's last very shortly.
It was defrosted recently and I opened the door to find a LOT of ice built up on the top shelves and on the door and the stuff on the top shelves didn't seem as frozen.
Jacking up the thermostat didn't help the situation either.
So I moved the ice cream and such to lower shelves and after another 24 hours rechecked the temperature and it was definitely heading in the wrong direction.
I went online for 3 HOURS yesterday comparing all the makes, models, brands for all the features important to me, in the size I needed.
My eyes were crossing by the time I came to a decision.
I would have liked to have bought from a local small business but both of them never returned my calls/emails within 6 hours time.
Good job local retailers, Grand Central and Beiter's, if you are reading this......well done!
You have a willing
You should be so proud.
A note to every retailer out there who is selling freezers.....
The chances are that your potential customer shopping for a freezer is in a bit of a HURRY, as the likelihood is high that they are REPLACING their current freezer that NO LONGER REALLY KEEPS ANYTHING FROZEN......and when the weather is in the high 80's, this is an unacceptable situation to have for very long.
If you are selling freezers, return your phone calls if you want the business.
That's all I'm saying.......
Oh!....and don't NOT put prices on your website and make me call/email you for a "price quote".
I understand wanting to get me in the door and upsell me a more expensive/larger appliance but in real life, it just drives me into the arms of another retailer.
The frugal me wanted to buy my freezer from Lowe's....as I have a hate/hate relationship with the ir competitor, the Home Despot.
And I have $500 in gift cards to use at Lowe's from my Rite-Aid +Ups binging days last year.
($350 of the gcs are good at either Lowe's or the Despot, $150 are store specific for Lowe's).
For those of you who are thinking, "My, that was mighty brave/foolhardy of you to purchase such an expensive and large appliance, sight unseen on the internet.....aren't you scared?"
Nope.
Most of these freezers are NOT even in the store(the Despot only had 2 in the size/style in the store and Lowe's had 3 I think on the sales floor and 2 were too expensive), so I didn't even need to go in and "kick the tires" on the chill chests in order to decide.
My requirements were thus.....
1. Be a certain size to fit into the current space for a freezer & approx. same interior size
2. Be an upright model-we are horizontally surface challenged here
3. Have a security door lock
4. Be an Energy Star machine
5. Have good to excellent reviews
6. Not cost an arm OR a leg or our firstborn
I got 5 outta 6. I can live without a door lock if I have to.
2 hours into the research and I realized one thing....Frigidaires are shit.....at least according to the "man on the street" reviews on various sites AND from my own personal knowledge of them.
So I pulled the trigger and here is what the delivery crew from the Despot is delivering to Chez Sluggy this coming Thursday.....
Whirlpool 15.8 cu. ft. Frost Free Upright Freezer in White
Model # EV160NZTQ
Reg. retail at the Despot is $599.00
I got it for $448.20 plus free shipping and haul away.
AND our electric supplier in PA has a $35 rebate if you replace your old freezer with an Energy Star model and THEY will haul it off.
Take it away and give me money?
Yes, please!!
And the deciding factor between this freezer and a nearly identical one at Lowe's?
The Despot would deliver it a full 12 DAYS sooner than Lowe's.
12 Days people......
June 6th vs. June 18th
Do you know what thawing meat smells like in 80 degree weather in 12 days time? lolol
Yeah...I got over my Despot loathing, at least for now, and I've got to organize room and a plan in the garage now for the new machine.
First the old fridge needs to be moved and the old freezer moved over into it's space.
Then the new machine needs to be delivered and put where the fridge was.
Then the goods transferred into it.
Then the old machine gets moved to the front of the garage, awaiting pick-up by the electric co.
Then the new machine needs to be slid over 3 feet and the old fridge needs to be moved back into it's space.
What.
A.
Production.
In the end we are out $413.20 and as a bonus, a little chunk of my sanity.....which is running rather low at the moment.
Sluggy
Did you use your card for the purchase?
ReplyDeleteIn January 1971, I moved 500 miles with a two-year-old throwing up and a six-month-old having diarrhea. Both occurrences were regular. There was no stove where we moved. I had no car and ex had to take care of business instead of his family. I think I made the first order ever from the phone instead of shopping in the store.
I looked in the phone book, picked out an appliance store and dialed. I told them I wanted a 42" electric GE with clock and timer, nothing else. They even called me back, thinking it was a prank call, I am sure. We lived on a mountain in East TN. They brought the stove within 6 hours, that day. They actually begged me to come to the store.
The stove was installed and the two men returned with boxes of food and then went out for two more trips of food boxes. It turned out that the store I picked out had a sale that I was not aware of and $100 worth of canned goods, to boot. You could tell the guys wished they had not brought the food in. I would not have known.
My friends, family, and church members could not believe I bought, sight unseen. I did not see it as a big deal. No woman in her right mind would want to take those two kids down the mountain and into a store. Nope, ex would not have kept them at home.
Why do you want a door lock? My current one came with a door lock, but it was there, not even desired.
Always save the ice cream first!
You bet, save the ice cream first!lol
ReplyDelete$100 worth of canned goods back in '71 must have been a huge pile of glory.....!
I'd have built a fire and cooked on it before I'd haul little kids down a mtn. into town to an appliance store. lol
My freezer now has a lock. When the kids were all here and old enough to raid the pantry, I'd lock the freezer b/c inevitable someone would NOT shut the door all the way which was a disaster in the summertime.
Now the lock helps to keep the door sealed since the gasket and the door are having problems but I won't have that problem with a new coldness box.
LOLOL...Love the "build a fire" remark. Yes, about six full boxes that were so full that the men struggled to bring them in. I often wondered if they had more in the truck since I started questioning them. We were so broke that it certainly was a good thing for me.
ReplyDeleteMy kitchen freezer over the refrigerator kept opening because an avalanche would push the door open about a half inch, ALWAYS overnight. I solved that problem--black Gorilla duct tape will reseal for a year. Ask me how I know! of course if the kids cannot shut the door, who would think that they would tape the door back?
Since I rarely visited my big freezer and now cannot get to it, the door lock will guarantee it is locked since I have to send exbf to retrieve things or put things in.
Had to laugh at the part with the retailers... so true. I too hate the "call for quote" or "offer", then either don't respond back, or say that the price is too low. If you already have a price in mind, put it up and put negotiable! That looks like a nice fridge. Surely you will take a photo of it all properly stored, yes? I had never seen an up-right freezer. Thought they always came horizontal.
ReplyDeleteThat is one sexy looking freezer!
ReplyDeleteAnd Bahahahaha at the horizontally challenged.
Hey - this is great. It's always fun to have a new toy.
ReplyDelete