Most of the time.
I picked it out after a whole day of diligent research. I knew what I could afford and when I went to Sears (don't knock it - any company that's been around as long as Sears AND used to sell mail-order homes is A-OK in my book!) I knew exactly the model I wanted to look at.
Right next to the model I could afford was a souped-up version of my machine. Just, you know, sitting there looking way shinier and flashier than the one I decided on earlier. The souped-up machine had a see-through glass top and instead of a regular agitator it just had a little round mound on the bottom.
The sales man explained to me how the souped-up model, while two hundred dollars more expensive could hold more laundry, had more buttons and could, you know, perform exorcisms on demand and make lunch for the kids.
My well planned shopping excursion hit a snag. More Buttons? More Laundry? Holy Monkey Butts! I needed that washing machine. I hemmed and hawed, walked between the two models to the point where I scuffed up the shiny waxed floor. The man flitted between me and another customer but I kept asking him more and more questions: warranty? rebates? sales?
In the end, being as budget conscious as possible, I stuck with my original plan: Buy the less expensive but still fully functional machine and be satisfied with that.
Oh! How I sometimes hate that decision. Because every. single. time. I need to wash blankets (which is often as we don't like to use flat sheets and we have long haired cats that insist upon shedding all their fur on the blankets) this happens:
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| And the blankets get so waterlogged and twisted around it is nearly impossible for me to pull them out. |
Ooooh, that would annoy the shit out of me. If it makes you feel better, I have only ever had second hand or refurbished washers. The thought of going to Sears and getting a new one is like a dream. I currently have one that broke mid-rinse in the garage next to the one I got from gram that works, because I've been too lazy to take a picture and post it on Craigslist. If it were in the house it would've been done right away. But it's in the garage. And every time I do laundry I think, "You need to go get your iPhone and post that." And every time, I don't.
ReplyDeleteIt was insanely satisfying buying a brand new washing machine (I also got the matching dryer) as before that I had pretty much dealt with second hand ones as well. My washer did the same thing - stopped right in the middle of a rinse cycle. Lucky for me, my mom lived across the street so I lugged 20 billion pounds of wet towels and sheets to her house to finish.
DeleteHahahahaha! Sorry, this reminded me of last week when I washed the king-sized heavy duty sleeping bag which I KNEW was too big for the machine but I did it anyway because maybe, just maybe, the washing machine got bigger and the sleeping bag got smaller and pigs could fly... gawd.. I had to SHOVE the bag in there and pack it down (what was I thinking? I wasn't)) and once the water was in the agitator wouldn't turn. Wouldn't budge. Started to hear telltale burning smell of dying belt. Had to pull sodden 400-pound sleeping bag out of machine and drag it to the clothesline, water pooling everywhere - so much water it looked like a water main had busted in the house.
ReplyDeleteSigh.
Why is it we always thing we can fit "just one more thing" or something oversized into the washer? Sure the label says you can fit 20 full sized bath towels in there, but...
DeleteMy other blankets mostly fit, but the one in the photo is so thick and heavy, I know even as I'm putting it in, that my whole day will be spent trying to balance the load!
Ugh, my machine does that too. I swear, some days it sounds like there's a freaking drum circle being held in my laundry!
ReplyDeleteAs long as there aren't any half naked natives dancing around...oh wait a second! That could be interesting!
DeleteMother does not wash blankets in washing machine. I used to wonder why? I think you gave me the answer.
ReplyDeleteI agree! I think back to shows like Little House on the Prairie where they dragged out the blankets and beat them with a stick. How that got them clean, I'm not sure, but it always looked like fun!
DeleteI often dream of a machine that will not only wash, but dry and fold as well.
ReplyDeleteSigh... Maybe one day, when I rule the world.
Hugs!
Valerie
Screw going to Mars! Someone at NASA needs to get to work on that STAT!! And if you could throw in hanging things up as well I can guarantee people would pay top dollar for that!
DeleteBut you didn't necessarily make the wrong decision. Maybe you should break down the time used to adjust the blankets in the wash by the price difference. Also, I have some toddlers you can throw in to even out the load if you'd like.
ReplyDeleteNaw...toddlers make too much noise in the wash. All that thumping around.
Delete