THE LOGISTICS OF BUYING A REFRIGERATOR

So we were finally ready to buy a new refrigerator.  The old one was still working, but something somewhere was leaking.  It wasn’t the ice-maker because the line had been disconnected.  However, every day there would be dripping from the back under the freezer.  We finally resorted to putting large plastic cups under the drips.  But they filled quickly, froze up, then overflowed, sending water everywhere else into the fridge.  And that froze on the shelves in the back, so bottles and cans froze to the shelves.  I’d have to completely empty and clean it every couple of months.

Of course, that kept my fridge clean and I never had rotten food hiding in corners.  Still, it was a hassle I didn’t need.  So finally, we had saved enough to buy a new fridge.  We didn’t just go out and buy one, though.  We looked at sales papers, looked at stores, read reviews, etc.  And the features in a fridge now!  I remember seeing one at one point that had a television in the door!

After looking at all the styles, we knew we wanted a bottom freezer.  We also liked the French doors on top.  So the next step was measuring our space.  The size we bought would be determined by the space, of course.  We took our measurements and headed for the store.

We decided to go to Abt Appliance.  We took other store’s ads with us, so we had a good idea of what a reasonable price would be.  As luck would have it, we decided to shop on Customer Appreciation Day.   It was purely coincidence, but the deals were great!  After looking around, reading measurements and opening many doors, we decided on the one we wanted. 

Then comes the hard part - paying for it.   Not having bought a refrigerator in at least 20 years, there was quite a sticker shock!  Especially when you start adding in the extended warranty, water line, etc.  The nice part?  They would take away the old one free of charge.  AND they generated a customer number for getting a rebate on our electric bill for buying an energy efficient model.  All we had to do was write the number on a piece of tape and put it on the old fridge.  We scheduled a delivery date and left the store - with a mattress purchase too!  One stop shopping!

But we still had to go home and take one more measurement.  While we knew it would fit into the space, we didn’t know if it would fit into the house!  We don’t have sliding doors to the house, so it had to go through the front door.  And up six stairs.  We knew the size of the fridge with and without the doors and handles.  We measured the inside of our front door, and knew it would fit if we took the front door off the house.  We called the store back and told them to go ahead with the order!

The weekend before delivery, we started cleaning out the fridge.  I tossed the old food, especially the old stuff at the back of the freezer, and emptied the frozen cups of water.  The day before delivery, I took out anything that didn’t need to stay cold, like cans of soda.  I removed all the magnets and papers from the fridge, sad that the new one was stainless steel.  I have so many cute magnets!  But it looked so neat and clean when the door was empty, it was sort of nice to see.  We then moved a lot of the food to the fridge in our garage. 

The morning of delivery, we moved the rest of the food to the freezer/fridge in the garage, and were able to leave some on the back porch because it was below freezing.  Nature’s refrigerator.  We mopped up the rest of the water and wiped out the bins.  Call us anal, but yes, we cleaned the fridge before sending it to the landfill.  We wrote the rebate number on duct tape and taped it to the fridge on two sides so it wouldn’t be missed. Then we took the front door off the hinges, and removed the railing and the baby gate we keep up - for the dogs.  Anything to make the job easier.

Then the new one arrived!  They had to take the doors off the refrigerator also to get it in the house.  Finally, after removing ceiling tiles in the basement and running lines, all was set!  We had a new fridge!  We didn’t fill it right away, though.  We put ice cube trays in the freezer to make sure it was getting cold.  Then after a few hours, started putting non-perishables back, and finally brought all the food back in.  We were told not to use the first few batches of ice, so we just dumped them as they formed.  By evening, we had everything back in the house in our shiny new fridge! 

Afterward, I realized what a process it is!  It’s not like buying a sweater that comes home and gets folded and set on a closet shelf.  It takes planning, organizing and scheduling.  We were fortunate that everything fell into place.  We could have measured incorrectly.  We could have ended up with a leaky water line.  There could have been a scratch on the door.  So many things could have gone wrong--some under our control, some not.  And we were especially lucky that the old one hadn’t completely died, possibly spoiling food.  But by planning ahead, the experience was a good one!

Using Your Doors for Storage

Tips for Tuesday

We’ve all seen storage racks for the door.  They can be used for shoes in your closet or mud room.  They can be used to hold towels in the bathroom or spices in the pantry.  But there are many more uses for door storage if you think outside the box.

For example, those shoe pockets come in handy for flip flops, but how about using it for hair accessories, small stuffed animals or socks for your child.  And those pantry racks are useful for canned goods, but they can hold paperback books, DVDs or accessories in your teen’s room. 

Here are more ideas for over-the-door storage:

·        Several towel bars can hold extra blankets and linens.

·        Hooks can hold purses and handbags

·        Small hooks inside a cabinet can hold measuring spoons.

·        Use pockets for a family communication center--mail, mp3 players, notepads,dog leashes, etc.

·        Use pockets inside your pantry to hold spices, small bags of food, plastic bags, etc.

·        Use a rack for giftwrap storage.

·        Use a rack or pockets for craft supplies.

·        Use “S” hooks to hold umbrellas.

What have you stored on your door? 

  

Adding Space to Small Kitchens

Tips for Tuesday

No matter the size of your family, a small kitchen can be a big drawback.  Where do you store your food, appliances, pots and pans, etc.?  It’s difficult preparing a meal or entertaining guests.  But there are some changes you can make to your kitchen to make it seem larger than it really is.  Here are some tricks of the trade:

·        Extend your upper cabinets to the ceiling.  The soffit above your cabinets is usually empty space behind the drywall.  Installing taller cabinets will give you space for storing those seldom-used items.

·        Use multi-purpose appliances.  Purchase a unit that chops and blends, or another that steams and deep fries.  Having less items to store will free up space.

·        Install a storage bench that can double as a seat for your kitchen table.  Use it to store linens, extra paper towels, or household files and bill-paying supplies.

·        Use the space under your upper cabinets.  Install hooks or magnetic strips for hanging knives or cooking utensils.  Install drop-down cookbook holders or spice racks.

·        Double the space on a shelf with a wire rack.

·        Use an island on casters so you can move it where you need it most.

·        Hang pots and pans from the ceiling.

·        Don’t buy in bulk, as tempting as the price is.  If you don’t have room to store it, it will be nothing more than clutter.

·        Downsize!  Get rid of everything you don’t need or use or like.  Be honest and brutal!  Peace of mind is worth more than the mugs you donate to charity.