The Washing Machine - Part 2

After taking the washing machine apart, cleaning it, and putting it back together, we were able to limp it along for a few more weeks. Eventually, we realized that it wasn’t doing anything besides filling with water and then making a lot of noise. We had wet laundry, no clean clothes, and a questionable itch.

We needed a new washing machine, but money was tight and we weren’t sure if it was a priority or if we should just go to the laundromat in the short term. We tried to do a cost-benefit/pros-cons analysis to help us decide by considering the following issues:

1. Is it better, from and ecological perspective, to reduce, reuse, and recycle to keep materials out of the landfill as long as possible, or is it better to purchase modern appliances that consume less energy?

2. Will we benefit more financially from investing in a new set now or later? If we invested now, we could also benefit from using the equipment for a longer period and potentially reduce our electricity costs, but if we purchased a new set when/if we sell, would this increase the potential saleability/revenue of the house?

3. What is the best option for reducing our stress levels – travelling to the laundromat, debiting our savings for a new washer/dryer set (because it definitely appeared to be more worthwhile to invest in both simultaneously if we were buying new), or spending a small amount on a used washer and keeping the existing dryer?

Conveniently, we didn’t really have to decide for ourselves as my aunt and uncle in Toronto had a friend who was moving and needed to sell some furniture and appliances including a washing machine. My aunt in Ottawa was also planning to visit Toronto and offered to bring the washing machine back for us to save us the trip. We decided to buy it unseen for $100 and hope for the best, but were more than a little surprised when it arrived and was a late 1980s era washing machine…

It weighed a tonne and I was reluctant to bring it in the house rather than taking it directly to the dump, but Josh thought we should try it. Turned out that 80s washing machine works great and the old-school agitator doesn’t even eat our clothes!

We assume it will still need to be replaced, but we’ll probably keep it for now and budget for a new set in a few years.

#homeownership #homemaintenance #appliancerepair #appliances #budgeting #frustration