(Post 197 of 263)
I’ve had one good distraction in the last few days, in between the nightmare of losing Bonita and the contractors standing me up again. It’s going to sound like such an insignificant thing, but it’s really going to end up being the bright spot of my week.
Last week, I noticed that my washing machine was not spinning. I finally had time to do some diagnoses on Friday and Saturday and determined it was an electronic rather than mechanical problem. Dang. But that washer had cost me $4,500 five years ago and never given me any trouble, so it really didn’t owe me anything.
I have a trustworthy appliance repairman in my contacts who did some work on a fridge for me, so I called him up on the Saturday morning (the 23rd) to see if he could confirm that the washer was not worth fixing. He promised to be here at 10AM yesterday. I cannot remember how I initially found him, but one thing I really like is that his wife comes along, so I always feel comfortable referring him to single ladies who are nervous about having strange men in their house. He’s also trustworthy in all aspects of his work.
As I expected, the washing machine’s motherboard was shot. “Augh, why does my washing machine need a computer?!” I lamented. “I’m not trying to get to the moon!”
His wife laughed and pulled up a photo on her phone, saying that they had a used “American” washer for sale, the old mechanical-type model, Whirlpool brand, all revised, rust painted over, and with a three-month warranty. My jaw dropped. I didn’t even think I could get something like that here. I sure looked when I was washing machine shopping five years ago! I said I’d take it for the $3,300 they were selling it for if they’d hauled away the dead one. They agreed and said they’d return at 4PM!
By 4:27, my old washer (thanks for your service!) was loaded in their truck…

…and I was running a load in my “new” machine.

Despite two trips out to me and the old washer probably not being good for maybe more than a few parts, they dropped the price on the Whirlpool to just $3,000. Call me a happy customer!
I also told them to keep an eye out for a hard-to-find item here, an electric dryer. I am not a fan of using a dryer (bad for your clothes) but I also do not want a repeat of two summers ago when we had three solid weeks of rain and I could not get anything to dry. Dryers here tend to be gas models, but I don’t have gas running to my laundry room
I’ve run two loads so far with the new machine and it works great and takes half the time to do a load! With everything going on this week, I’m so grateful not to have to deal with taking laundry to the laundromat, shopping for a replacement machine, figuring out what I’m going to do with the old one, and, of course, busting my budget to buy yet another disposable appliance. This was just so easy and the new washer is exactly what I wanted even if I could have technically afforded one of those shiny new front loaders that could probably take me to the moon.