I have always been proud of the fact that I am cheap. I won't pay full price for much of anything and it takes me a really long time to agree to big purchases. This time I might have gone too far though... About two weeks ago our dryer quit working. Jason tried a few things that didn't work, and then I suggested we talk to my dad about it since he is really great at fixing anything and everything. He immediately e-mailed me Maytag's dryer troubleshooting info. We tried their suggestions but to no avail. He agreed he would come out and take a look at it, but wouldn't be able to get here until he and my mom got back from vacation (they come back this Thursday). In the meantime, Jason went ahead and picked out a potential new one at Lowe's in the event my dad can't fix it. It costs $300. In my world that is a lot of money we could save if it is something that can be fixed...anyway most of you know that Pat, my mother in law is so gracious to come babysit David for a few hours one day a week so I can go to doctors appointments and run a few errands kid free. The past two weeks I've spent my "time off" here...
...at the coin laundry. Last week I went to a pretty nice one, but this week my errands took me in a different direction, and I sat here for 2 hours with no air conditioning and I must admit I felt a little unsafe. 
Then, after David went to bed I decided I would roll the coins Jason has been emptying from his pockets hoping it might add up close to $300. Once I finished I realized it will only cover 1/3 of the cost (he has a lot of pennies...I ran out of penny rolls). As I reflect on my day now I am thinking to myself...is saving money worth compromising my safety...and really how much did I save by not using Coinstar???
9 comments:
Eh...you know, that's just one of those things you have to do, you know? We are about to shell out at least $300 to have Luke's truck fixed, so I feel your pain. But you have to have a vehicle and you have to have dry clothes, right?
you could always go back to the days of ole and hang your shizz on the line outside, girl! nothing like seeing your underwear blowin' in the breeze. hehe. :)
my granny and grandpa refused to buy a dryer. they akways hung their clothes outside. and they had plenty of money to afford one but my grandpa was so funny about it. he thought it was a waste of money. and they lived in Detroit so i have no idea what they did in the wintertime.
I feel your pain. We had to buy a new washing machine a few months ago. I always feel guilty going to CoinStar too but who has the time...maybe when Lindsay is older and I can make her roll and count all the change I won't have to feel bad. IT will be educational!
Bite the bullet and buy your new dryer. Laundry mats BITE!
Andrea I am the exactly same way. Especially for things that I consider fivalous....which pretty much means anything that you don't HAVE to have. Sometimes I wish that I weren't that way. When I got my income tax money this year I actually talked myself into buying an IPOD for myself. I had "Live A Little" engraved on the back as a reminder to myself.That is the biggest thing that I have ever bought for myself. Somtimes I really wish I weren't like that. Luckily for me I have a partner my BFF Angela is the exact same way!
Oh dear! That is awful! Let me know if I can do anything to help!!!
You saved at least $21 by hand rolling. At the current minnium wage $5.15, If you rolled for more than 4 hours you are out of luck. Oh and not using the dryer saved on the power bill right???? You have to look at the bright side. At the 'mat' you can always catch up on reading while giving the beat down to the thugs off with your rolled quarters!!!
I have a lavanderia across the street from my house if you want to visit that, but I wouldn't recommend it. Buy you a dryer, my good friend! You need it for your clothes and your sanity.
Our Washer wouldn't fill unless the lid was open and then wouldn't start washing unless the lid was closed so I had to sit by the machine while doing laundry so we were going to have to buy a new one...then I figured it out....Daryl had turned the hot water knob off to save on heating hot water and the lack of pressure was causing the problem!!! Being penny wise isn't always the brightest idea. haha.
I've taken my washer and dryer apart several times and spent countless hours diagnosing problems. My conclusion - it can always be fixed for cheaper than a new unit - unless the unit is over 20 years old. The "break-even" is usually determined by whether you need to use a repairman, or DIY.
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