Comments on: Kyle’s Coupons: Investing in High Dollar Items. Worth it?

By: Heidi

Heidi — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 01:30:18 +0000

I totally agree on the Kitchenaid! My mom has had her for over 30 years and it still works fantastically.

I don’t know about the fridge. Ours was new 6 years ago, but we have already repaired it twice ourselves. It was cheap bc we did it ourselves, but would have other wise been expensive. I just don’t know how fantastic new appliances are anymore.

I’d add to the list very good quality clothing, shoes and backpacks from a place that guarantees quality like Lands End or LL bean. That is ONLY if you will wear it until it wears out though.

By: Denise E.

Denise E. — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 21:17:07 +0000

I would buy the fridge, freezer and front loader washer new. The rest are good used. I bought a kitchen aid mixer used and also a used pressure canner. These two were the best deals ever and they are going strong ten years latter.

By: Marci

Marci — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 17:57:15 +0000

@Milena – Don’t just tease us :) Share the recipe! Please :)

By: Milena Thomas

Milena Thomas — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 17:46:38 +0000

I completely agree about the mixer!! It sits on my counter and now that I’ve learned the secret to the world’s best cookies I make them constantly.

Seriously, I’m not kidding. I have the BEST cookie recipe.

By: Mydailydollars

Mydailydollars — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 17:42:50 +0000

I wholeheartedly agree! Our KitchenAid paid for itself with the wedding cake. A wonderful friend of mine donated her cake-baking talents as our wedding gift. We would have easily spent $300 — $400 on a cake. Now we’ll have the KitchenAid for years to come!

By: Jesse

Jesse — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 17:06:42 +0000

I think it really depends on the item. For things that receive heavy use and could break easily I think its obvious that a higher quality choice is the way to go. But for things that are not in danger of breaking, less used, or just generally less important, obviously go with the deal :)

By: Marci

Marci — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 16:47:39 +0000

A good new frig should last you 20+ years and be energy efficient in the mean time. If you are buying for your own personal use, your main frig (and not a pop cooler in the garage or overflow unit or for a rental house), and you are going to use it all day long every day, you should get one that you are happy with, that suits your family’s needs, and that has what you need on it. If you buy a used one, you are just going to need another one somewhere down the line. There’s a certain peace of mind that comes with having a new frig, versus used. If the new one is a lemon, you should know within 90 days, and the store should warranty it for you under the lemon law.

You can get a decent one from $659 (mine – 18 cu ft bottom freezer) on up. Lots are in the $800 range. You probably don’t need the $1500 units :)
Remember the frig needs to be most dependable – your food is in it! Same with a freezer – altho if I actually saw a used freezer with frozen stuff in it, I would not be leary of buying it. However, for $329 I bought a new freezer right before last Thanksgiving, and am delighted with it :)

Remember also that most landfills/transfer stations will charge you for disposing of a frig or freezer due to the freon in it… why take a chance on having to pay to get rid of the bought used appliance?

Other appliances are not on the ‘new list’ in my book. A used stove, dishwasher, microwave… if they go out, your food does not go with them – they are not as important/urgent (in my opinion).

I kind of feel tho that microwaves are soooo reasonable now, that why not buy the new one for $60 instead of the used one for $25.

Both my dehydrators tho I bought used at garage sales – both in the box with paperwork still. One was $5 and one was $10… felt they were worth taking a chance on :) It’s a gamble… I’m not comfortable taking a gamble tho on something as urgent as a frig.

By: Susan

Susan — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 16:29:38 +0000

A friend of mine just purchased a full set of matching white appliances– fridge, stove, dishwasher,microwave, all 4 years old for $800. The owners had remodeled their kitchen w/stainless. I would definately keep an eye on Craigslist.

By: Jennifer Simmons

Jennifer Simmons — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 16:03:45 +0000

Hey there! On the fridge – I say go with a new one. You get the warranty, which could come in handy.

There are times where more expensive is better and times where it isn’t. and of course it depends on how much you plan to use something. Like for me, while a kitchen aid mixer is nice and I’d like one, I wouldn’t get the use out of it since I don’t bake!

Shoot – my mom gave me a bread maker and I’ve yet to break it out. So even though it was free, it isn’t really worth it since its now just taking up space.

By: Ashley @ Wide Open Wallet

Ashley @ Wide Open Wallet — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 15:17:15 +0000

We just bought a new fridge and we went with a middle of the line new one. It’s name brand so I wasn’t concerned about quality but it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles that they over charge you for. We went with new because it’s something that you will have for a very long time. You don’t get rid of your fridge because a fancier version comes along. You use it til it’s dead. So might as get as long of a run as possible on it.