Last week I was out of town. While I was away my fridge quit! Hubby tried to fix it but it looked like it was going to be an expensive part. Once again we were thankful to have a little emergency fund left, as this qualifies as an emergency! As I said I was out of town and hubby was home. He shopped around home while I shopped in Surrey. I learned that BC Hydro gives rebates for energy efficient appliances.
This is from their website:
Refrigerators must be at least 25% more efficient than the federal standard.
While shopping I learned that until the end of Oct, the usual $50 rebate for qualifying fridges, from BC Hydro, is doubled at Future Shop and Home Depot.(for a complete list of all the store deals with double rebates look
here .) There is an area where you can check all the brands and models to see if they qualify
here . It wasn't easy to find one that qualified AND fit my spot!
Turns out that finding a fridge to fit in my spot was WAY harder than I thought! At Home Depot online they took my measurements and out of all the fridges they had only 4 would "kind of" fit my spot! Turns out
fridges have become taller over the years! So, thankfully I have a handy hubby who was able to take out my cupboards above where my fridge goes. Once we could handle more height our options were increased!
Next problem was color! I have white appliances right now, but I was encouraged to go stainless steel. I wasn't sure what to do about this as I don't want to replace all my appliances(unfortunately I will have to, but I don't want to rush it!) and I wasn't sure if it would look really strange(like it would be the first time something at my house looked strange! :) .
So, I arrived home on the Friday of Thanksgiving...my parents and brother and his family were on route to BC. The first night dinner was at our house! Thankfully, hubby had narrowed the shopping down to 3 stores. The first was Wagner's Appliances, which has scratched and dinted appliances. They had the same fridge I had been looking at in Surrey, but for a considerable discount as it had a bit of a wow in the front panel. (It is hard to see and can only really be picked out if you are really looking for it.) The next 2 stores had similar fridges for lots more money, and only one year warranty(Wagner's gives 2!) I just couldn't see spending more for gadgetry(digital water outside the fridge..wouldn't those be fun buttons for kids!) that I just don't need. These fridges were going to double the price! We went back to Wagner's. They threw in delivery and old fridge removal and were able to deliver that afternoon!
So, I went shopping and hubby went home to unhook the old fridge and wash behind it(isn't he a gem!). By the time I got home the new fridge was in place, running and full of food! A happy ending!
Imagine my surprise when I got home and checked the BC Hydro website and found my new fridge qualified for the rebate! And to top it all off, Wagner's does airmiles! So, that's a nice little bonus.
In summary.....Ways to save on appliances
1. Shop around(even if it's quick because your much needed appliance dies). Our fridge died on Wednesday and hubby did coolers until friday!
2. Only buy what you need, try to ask yourself if the bells and whistles are what your family really NEEDS. If you think you can't live without them, then that is what you need.
3. Have an emergency fund....emergencies happen whether you have one or not...having one saves stress :)
4. Look for rebates, buy back programs, or sell your old appliance for parts???
5. Pay cash(or if you are a points or cash rebate credit card carrier use it but pay it off before it's due)
6.Another option is to buy used, but be sure and do your research before buying.
7.Ask other people about their fridge and what they like and don't like
PS. If your fridge is still working BC Hydro will buy it from you for $30!
