I have one word on how to get cheap appliances, specifically your washer and dryer set. Craigslist.
I purchased my current washer and dryer set for $28.33. I was living with two roommates and we bought our set off Craigslist from a couple who bought new appliances and just wanted to get rid of the old one. The total cost was $85, split between the three of us.
When the roommates moved out (side note: one of the roommates was The Hoff), the washer and dryer stayed with me. And despite a little bit of leaking every now and then from the washer, I’ve had a perfectly good washer/dryer set for almost 4 years.
But as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. Last night I did a load of laundry (actually Tag did it) and by the end of the first rinse cycle I basically had to swim through all the leaked water to get back into the laundry room. My washer was leaking about a gallon of water per load.
At this point I had a few options
- Buy a brand new washer
for $220 or more - Pay a repair man who knows how much money to fix my $28 washer
- Attempt to fix the washer myself
- Buy a used washer from someone on Craigslist for around $50
If you know me at all, you know what I did.
Trying to Fix My Washer
So here’s the deal. My washer is already broken. If I try to fix it and fail, it’s still broken. If I try to fix it and succeed, I don’t have to spend any money on a new one. I can’t lose. The fact that I’ve never even considered what the inside of a washer might look like before now is completely irrelevant.
So after a few Google Searches and YouTube videos, I at least figured out how to take the washer apart.
Now I just had to figure out where the water was leaking from and then figure out a way to fix it. I’ll spare you the details, but I think I figured out the problem and at the same time broke something which may have actually fixed the problem.
I did a load this morning and there wasn’t a drop of water on the floor. BOOYAH!
Why I Love Used Appliances
- Cheap used appliances can last for years without needing repair
- It is easy to get someone locally like appliance repair in plano to fix your old appliances.
- When used appliances are broken, you may as well try to fix it. It’s kinda fun. Plus, I’d never pull apart a $500 washer for fear of messing it up more.
- If used appliances are broken beyond repair then just buy more used appliances, which is still way cheaper than a set of new ones.
Kevin McKee is an entrepreneur, IT guru, and personal finance leader. In addition to his writing, Kevin is the head of IT at Buildingstars, Co-Founder of Padmission, and organizer of Laravel STL. He is also the creator of www.contributetoopensource.com. When he’s not working, Kevin enjoys podcasting about movies and spending time with his wife and four children.
My husband and I just bought a used washing machine for $50 on Saturday and it’s great!
I do not plan to buy any new appliances until we buy a house of our own. Our washing machine cost $80 from the Salvation Army, our fridge $50 off TradeMe. And we’ve previously bought fridges and washing machines for $100 or less online secondhand.Also re yesterday’s post – glad to hear your mother is recovering.
I’m a little surprised your salvation army had a washing machine… The one by my house wouldn’t take the one we tried to donate (something about liability). But I will definitely keep them in mind when I look for a replacement.Also, good for you trying to fix it first. I used to do this all the time with my grandfather. I learned a lot from watching that man tear things apart and put them back together in working order. You would also be surprised at how simple some repairs actually end up being. And like you said, worst case scenario it’s still broken and you can “curb alert” it on craigslist and someone will take it away for the metal content.
I see what you are saying, thats good savings. Its interesting because I was looking to buy a washer/dryer set soon. I think my wife and I are at the point in life where we *read – she* want a nice washer/dryer, though. Our current set was used and purchased back in 2004 – still working, except the dryer takes two runs to dry each load (not a bad heating element, so Im not sure what the problem is). Actually, we think we are going to buy ~$2100 set over at home depot that has all the bells and whistles.So I guess I will be making someone’s day when I post my old one on Craigslist. I will put them on there for $85 in honor of you, Thousandaire!Its tax season, so it looks like I have a washer/dryer comeing back from the government.
If the dryer isn’t drying, look in the exhaust duct and clean it out. Also check the area where the duct exits your house. If the pipe is open to the environment (no cover), then birds/snakes/animals can and will crawl up in there to make a home. In my house I replaced a portion of the duct (~$10 at Lowes) and it fixed the problem.
Great tip. Thanks for letting us know.