This has been a week of surprises, some good and some not so good. My washing machine (the one that overflowed on Saturday is repairable but the parts alone are 455 bucks, excluding labor. Additionally one of the parts is backordered and there is no date on when it will be available. TheHub and I had decided any repair over 400 dollars was probably not worth investing in a 12 year old washer, so I spent a couple of days researching and shopping.
We have plans to move from this house in the next five years. Ultimately we will use the lake place as our Alabama home and will have a second residence in Portland, so I was looking for a good mid range washer that I can include with the house when we sell it. It seems the local dealers (including the big box dealers) tend to stock the lower priced washers or the big boys that can do everything in the world except whistle Dixie while washing your duds. My option was to bite the bullet and go with a crap model, spring for the super jet machine or order what I wanted and wait. I chose to order and wait, but this means I will be washerless for at least a week.
Mom lives very close to me (about 2 blocks as the crow flies, but luckily there is a big hill and winding roads that make is about a half mile in reality) and would love for me to bring all my laundry to her house to wash. It is so kind of her to offer and I will take her up on the offer, but today I have 3 large loads of towels used for getting the water out of the laundry room plus another load of towels we have used over the last few days in addition to normal clothing laundry. If I go to her house we have to do laundry and have a tea party and 4 loads of towels will turn into an all day event. I will take some of my clothes another day but today I am taking the path of least resistance.
I don't know the last time I was in a laundromat, but I think it might have been when Son3 was a toddler and we were without power for about 8 days. (Collateral damage from a hurricane that made its way pretty far inland) Son3 graduated from college last spring, so, doing the quick math, it has been quite a while.
I loaded the towels and will head to the laundromat as soon as I finish typing this. I was about to fish all the quarters out of my spare change bank, but I googled laundromats to see where one was. (You know how you don't "see" things you don't need? I had no idea where one close to me was, since the one I used over 20 years ago has been gone a long time) I am so glad I checked because quarters are passé and I can use my credit card to purchase a laundry card. I don't have to lug a bag of quarters in addition to my laundry. I call that a major win. I also guess it will take more than 25 cents to wash a load and probably more than a dime for 10 minutes of drying time. Still factoring in time and money, this will be money well spent.
Now on to the pleasant surprises of the week thus far.
Publix (grocery chain) has deeply discounted Bryers Christmas seasonal ice cream. This is wonderful on two fronts. Ice cream is not a huge temptation for me. I like it occasionally but it is not one of those foods that screams at me like chocolate chip cookies do. They have cinnamon, and caramel praline (I think) for 1.75 in the fake quart size (Do they honestly think we have not noticed they resized it and are paying more for less product?) It seems both of those flavors are big hits with the ice cream eaters here so I bought several of each, wrapped them in plastic wrap and have them in the back of the freezer for later.
On a similar note, an ice cream eater was looking through the big freezer for ice cream, (no one but me usually even opens that freezer ) and found my box of G.S. Thin Mints. I am doing whole30 right now and those were waiting patiently for day 31. Now I have to either find a girl scout who still has cookies left, buy some on the black market, or just do without (not going to happen).
A big surprise came from Anna@My Random Thoughts who sent this lovely calendar. It is so welcomed. I was waiting until after January 1 to buy a new calendar (yeah, cause I am cheap and wanted one at half price) and had not gotten around to it yet. Many thanks! It is now hanging in my kitchen and I thought I would take a quick picture before I begin filling it with things I need to do. (Or things Mom wants/needs/commands me to do. Either way it will be filled quickly.)
The photos on the calendar are beautiful and absolutely nothing remotely like the topography of Alabama. Surprised, huh? Now it makes me want to travel to Switzerland badly.
Secondly, I won a contest held by Thrifty Mom in Boise and am now in possession of some beautiful gift tags she made for Christmas. As luck would have it my Christmas gift wrap box is still downstairs in the formerly soaked laundry room. Because it was in one of those plastic gift wrap containers, all is well with the wrap and now these lovely tags have joined them. Hopefully I will take it upstairs and put it away in the Christmas closet before I need to wrap in December. Thank you so much Thrifty Mom, they really are beautiful.
And I have dawdled as much as I can, and am off on a laundry adventure. This surprise thing is fun and I plan to pass it on. I just have to think of what the surprise could be, how to pull it off, and who the surprise victim might be.
Have a great day and try and surprise someone, somehow this week. Surprises are such a treat!
We have plans to move from this house in the next five years. Ultimately we will use the lake place as our Alabama home and will have a second residence in Portland, so I was looking for a good mid range washer that I can include with the house when we sell it. It seems the local dealers (including the big box dealers) tend to stock the lower priced washers or the big boys that can do everything in the world except whistle Dixie while washing your duds. My option was to bite the bullet and go with a crap model, spring for the super jet machine or order what I wanted and wait. I chose to order and wait, but this means I will be washerless for at least a week.
Mom lives very close to me (about 2 blocks as the crow flies, but luckily there is a big hill and winding roads that make is about a half mile in reality) and would love for me to bring all my laundry to her house to wash. It is so kind of her to offer and I will take her up on the offer, but today I have 3 large loads of towels used for getting the water out of the laundry room plus another load of towels we have used over the last few days in addition to normal clothing laundry. If I go to her house we have to do laundry and have a tea party and 4 loads of towels will turn into an all day event. I will take some of my clothes another day but today I am taking the path of least resistance.
I don't know the last time I was in a laundromat, but I think it might have been when Son3 was a toddler and we were without power for about 8 days. (Collateral damage from a hurricane that made its way pretty far inland) Son3 graduated from college last spring, so, doing the quick math, it has been quite a while.
I loaded the towels and will head to the laundromat as soon as I finish typing this. I was about to fish all the quarters out of my spare change bank, but I googled laundromats to see where one was. (You know how you don't "see" things you don't need? I had no idea where one close to me was, since the one I used over 20 years ago has been gone a long time) I am so glad I checked because quarters are passé and I can use my credit card to purchase a laundry card. I don't have to lug a bag of quarters in addition to my laundry. I call that a major win. I also guess it will take more than 25 cents to wash a load and probably more than a dime for 10 minutes of drying time. Still factoring in time and money, this will be money well spent.
Now on to the pleasant surprises of the week thus far.
Publix (grocery chain) has deeply discounted Bryers Christmas seasonal ice cream. This is wonderful on two fronts. Ice cream is not a huge temptation for me. I like it occasionally but it is not one of those foods that screams at me like chocolate chip cookies do. They have cinnamon, and caramel praline (I think) for 1.75 in the fake quart size (Do they honestly think we have not noticed they resized it and are paying more for less product?) It seems both of those flavors are big hits with the ice cream eaters here so I bought several of each, wrapped them in plastic wrap and have them in the back of the freezer for later.
On a similar note, an ice cream eater was looking through the big freezer for ice cream, (no one but me usually even opens that freezer ) and found my box of G.S. Thin Mints. I am doing whole30 right now and those were waiting patiently for day 31. Now I have to either find a girl scout who still has cookies left, buy some on the black market, or just do without (not going to happen).
A big surprise came from Anna@My Random Thoughts who sent this lovely calendar. It is so welcomed. I was waiting until after January 1 to buy a new calendar (yeah, cause I am cheap and wanted one at half price) and had not gotten around to it yet. Many thanks! It is now hanging in my kitchen and I thought I would take a quick picture before I begin filling it with things I need to do. (Or things Mom wants/needs/commands me to do. Either way it will be filled quickly.)
The photos on the calendar are beautiful and absolutely nothing remotely like the topography of Alabama. Surprised, huh? Now it makes me want to travel to Switzerland badly.
Secondly, I won a contest held by Thrifty Mom in Boise and am now in possession of some beautiful gift tags she made for Christmas. As luck would have it my Christmas gift wrap box is still downstairs in the formerly soaked laundry room. Because it was in one of those plastic gift wrap containers, all is well with the wrap and now these lovely tags have joined them. Hopefully I will take it upstairs and put it away in the Christmas closet before I need to wrap in December. Thank you so much Thrifty Mom, they really are beautiful.
And I have dawdled as much as I can, and am off on a laundry adventure. This surprise thing is fun and I plan to pass it on. I just have to think of what the surprise could be, how to pull it off, and who the surprise victim might be.
Have a great day and try and surprise someone, somehow this week. Surprises are such a treat!
My washer is acting up at the moment so we drained it yesterday and made sure the pump was clear. In a glitch of design, the drain is right on floor level so there is no way to drain it down into a container and all attempts end up with water all over the floor so I also have a bunch of towels to wash. Fortunately the machine seems happy to limp on so I don't have to take the laundry anywhere.
ReplyDeleteHow lovely to receive a surprise gift! the smallest thing can be delightful when it is a gift, can't it?
Yes it can!
ReplyDeleteHope the limping washer continues to work
Sounds like a smart plan to buy new rather then spend that much to repair a 12 year old washer. This day and age that's a long time for one to last, sadly. I used to have to go to a laundromat when first married. Every Saturday. I HATED it with a passion, LOL.
ReplyDeleteI did find a really nice laundromat, and it was a snap to get 4 loads of towels (wet and now musty towels) clean and dried in under an hour. But the loads that cost me a quarter to wash are now 4.75
DeleteFrozen thin mints! The best! It seems like I see Girl Scouts selling cookies all time of the year anymore. Good Luck. However, if it were me, I'd wait until I could eat them. The temptation just might be too great.
ReplyDeleteAs I was pulling into my driveway a neighborhood scout was out with her mom selling cookies. I bought me two boxes, but I am going to wrap them in freezer paper and write squash on the package. That ought to foil an unnamed cookie thief.
DeleteI think I saw Girl Scout Thin Mint cookie cereal on clearance at Publix. I was tempted, but just kept walking away!!
ReplyDeleteI love thin mints and all things thin mint. Soon Eady's will start producing the Thin Mint ice cream again. That is when ice cream will start yelling at me!
DeleteFrozen thin mints are the best! I think you made the right decision about your washer. Fun surprises; love the calendar picture.
ReplyDeleteI love them frozen or thawed!
DeleteI know my dishwasher is about to die and had the money saved to pay cash for it. Now I will start over. (It is amazing how the dealers will slash the price when presented cash. I learned that when I bought my last car)
I love all the gadgetry available now, but sometimes I miss the old push/turn/pull system. I needed lessons on how to use our current washer before I started. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteGirl Scout Cookies — oh my! My daughter has three packages sitting here, and I know I am not supposed to have them, but I would love one or two or three or.......
I was looking for a simple machine to just wash. I could find them but they all have tiny tubs and I like to have a substantial load when I wash.
DeleteThin Mints are the bomb!
I need to find a Girl Scout. Thin Mint is my favorite. Washing is not cheap. I found that out the hard way. But, it sure makes the job go fast. I am suddenly very hungry for chocolate of any kind. I will check out Publix. I laughed when you said you were going to label the cookies "squash."
ReplyDeleteFortunately as I pulled in the driveway form washing my neighbor was out with her little red wagon selling cookies. I bought TheHub a box of his favorites and left them on the kitchen table (I quickly hid mine in the freezer but I am out of freezer paper right now. I have to go to Publix so I will take care of that in a few minutes)
DeleteGlad you were able to get the laundry done. I haven't gone to a laundromat in years! I wouldn't even know how to operate one of those machines! The last time I used a coin-operated washer/dryer was before I bought my house! My current washer, which is also limping along, is 26 years old!
ReplyDeleteI had googled the ones near me and there were only a couple so I looked at the yelp reviews and the one I went to had thumbs up from everyone. The only negative remarks were that they were pricy. They were high but the place was impeccable and they had on site help to show idiots like me how to operate everything. I will go back there.
DeleteWe recently had to buy a new washer, our second in less than 3 years!! My new one gets the job done, but I wish I had done more research. Mine wobbles and gets out of alignment over almost nothing... so frustrating! I've used a laundromat a few times in my life. I always dread it, but after it's done, I think 'that wasn't so bad.' And so much faster than doing it at home! lol
ReplyDeleteUh oh! What washer did you buy? I did a ton of research, but that really does not mean a lot anymore.
ReplyDeleteI used the laundromat yesterday because I needed to get the towels done right away and I just did not want to spend all day at Mom's. I am going to run a load down to her house later today, visit with her while they are washing and then leave. We have to check on the lake place this weekend and I will take a couple of loads and wash them down there.
I hope they come in on time, going to the laundromat (or committing a whole day to your Mom's house) is very time consuming. Take a good book!
ReplyDeleteI have no trouble filling time with reading! I hope the washer gets here on time too!
DeleteLaundry mats were part of my former life. Ugh! Not a good memory
ReplyDeleteThe one I found was really nice and I will use it again as needed but loading clothes and taking them somewhere to clean is a pain.
DeleteIsn't is wonderful that there is good to be found among the bad?! It's been many many years since I've been in a laundromat as well though I can foresee it happening in the not so distant future. My washer is 21 years old and my dryer is 24 years old. That's pretty good. BUT, I had to replace my fridge a couple years ago and when I mentioned that my previous fridge wasn't that old the appliance seller told me that appliances are no longer built to last that long. Now we should consider ourselves lucky if a major appliance lasts more than 10 years. Built-in obsolescence in order for the appliance stores to make more $$$. Grrrrr...
ReplyDeleteI understand about the appliance life. This is the 3rd washer I have ever bought and I am still on dryer number 2.
DeleteWhat beautiful gifts you got! We replaced our with a crap model not too long ago. It's doing fine and works. That's all I ask of it. If it starts whistling, we've got problems!
ReplyDeleteTime will tell how well this one works. It is not the big boy with all the bell and whistles, but is supposedly a good mid priced model.
DeleteGlad you got the calendar (I wasn't sure I had read the street number correctly). Then I'm thinking "oh my gosh, I can't remember if the month/day names etc. were written in German/French" and so on, but thankfully everything is usually written in English here as well as the 3 (4 really) official Swiss languages). And yes do visit Switzerland if you ever get the chance. It's simply stunning. Anna
ReplyDeleteSon3 is very serious about a lovely Swiss Miss, so who knows? We might make it for some event or another in the next couple of years.
DeleteOh silly me. I thought Son3 was seeing a Swedish girl (they ain't the same countries). Funny really because when I lived in the States and people found out I had worked in Switzerland quite a few asked me if I spoke Swedish! So at first you try to explain but in the end you just say yeah I speak Swedish. Either way, both countries are very beautiful. A
DeleteShe is Swedish by birth, and is really from the world because they have lived so many places, but her family calls Switzerland home and has lived there since her early teen years.
DeleteIt's been so long since I've been to the laundromat. I used to go a lot to wash and dry our bulky comforter. They have changed a lot. I was surprised you can use your credit card too.
ReplyDeleteYou can use a credit card at this particular one but you have to use it to purchase one of their cards which the machines are programmed to read.
DeleteMy condolences on the washer. We had to replace ours last month and faced the same dilemma.
ReplyDeleteOn a good note, my new one is slightly larger, and I seem to get laundry done faster.
God bless!
Laura of Harvest Lane Cottage
That is nice to hear. I hope the new one will function well, but they don't seem to make things like they used to.
Delete