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I Just Saved $200 Repairing My Washing Machine…or did I?
“What in the world?” I said as I opened the lid of our washing machine. My wife had asked me to put the load of laundry into the dryer but it was still soaking wet. The washing machine had drained but the clothes were still full of water and detergent. “Uh oh,” was the next thing that crossed my mind. Being the optimist that I am, though, I set the control dial to “Spin” and pulled the knob. “Uh oh,” again…noise was being emitted by the washer but not the right noise and, even worse, no movement of the agitator.
Numbers, with dollar signs in front of them, started wracking up in my head (and up and up). The last time someone came to repair our refrigerator, it was $90 just to come to the door. Then there would be the cost of the part(s), and the labor to take the thing apart, fix the offending piece, and put it back together.
I’ll fix it myself!
So, I told my wife I would look into fixing it myself. It was Saturday afternoon and this was our last load until the middle of next week, so I could buy myself some time. Actually, it took just a few seconds on Google to find what was most likely the problem and the part would only cost $10-$20! I’m all in now, I decided. I was going to go for it and try to repair it myself! Now, I had never even attempted to do such a repair before. Sure, I occasionally take electronic equipment apart for tinkering purposes, but I’ve never successfully repaired anything that I’d taken apart (when I was a kid I made a flashlight, does that count?). This would be different, though; this washing machine had to be repaired! (I thought: worst case scenario I would have to pay someone to fix it, but that’s where I was already…just maybe I could make it work).
Fixed!
And I did! I fixed it! I took it apart and fixed it and I have the pictures to prove it! By the grace of God, I was able to disassemble it without hurting myself or anyone else, replace the part, put it back together, and make it work! Let me tell you, accomplishing that was a phenomenal feeling! (Not spending money while simultaneously finding that feeling of accomplishment – now that is a win-win!)
I saved $200!
So what did I end up saving? Let’s see, I wildly guess that the repair would have cost somewhere between $150-$200. Ok, so I spent $20 for the part plus I donated $10 to the guy who put the pictures up on his website that showed all the steps to complete this repair (This is the site you want to check out if you need to repair a Kenmore washing machine!). So, that saves me about $170 – time to celebrate!! Let’s hit the town for a celebratory dinner maybe? Maybe I’ll get me some bike gear that I’ve been coveting. Oh, I know, how about a tuner for my guitar. Man, that extra $170 is going to come in handy!
Am I sure I saved $200?
Now hold on a second, if you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you might know what I’m going to say next. Let’s ask the question again: How much money did I save today? $0…in fact, I actually spent $30. Sure, I do have a working washing machine. God provided for us such that it only cost $30 instead of $200. That’s all true. But that doesn’t mean I should go and spend the amount I “saved.” I’m sill worse off by $30 than I was Saturday morning.
I know, I’m being a total buzz-kill. I’m not trying to be completely goofy about this. Fixing the washing machine was an awesome feeling! I came into the family room yelling about it (much to my wife’s chagrin as she was trying to talk to her sister on the phone….and later to her mother on the phone…yes, the yelling went on for some time). Just remember not to tell yourself these little lies about money that get us into trouble. You can’t save money by spending money (even with a coupon!).
That’s what we tend to do, though, right? Look up to the title of the post, “I saved $200!” Did I really save that much? First, I just guessed the repair would be $150-$200. Of course, I then rounded up and started touting the higher number but that’s not even correct as I spent $30 to do the repair. Ok, so I saved $170, I’m going to go spend that $170! No! In situations like this, people tend to feel like they made $170…no, no, no! Be honest with yourself and don’t play these games with money. I’m thrilled to not have spent $150 or $170 or $200 on the washing machine repair, but that does not mean I now have an extra $170 to go spend! Again, I do not now have $170 more compared to Saturday morning, I have $30 less!
Did I really fix it?
I took pictures to prove that I fixed it. Unfortunately, it didn’t strike me until afterward that I was the one taking the pictures so none of them show me actually working on the machine! You’ll have to take my word for it! Here’s proof that it was actually working after the repair (ignore all the shoes floating at the top, I have no idea what my wife was doing with those in there…yes, yes, washing them, of course, but it just looks strange!).
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7 Responses to “I Just Saved $200 Repairing My Washing Machine…or did I?”
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I’m professional washing machine master and i can say that you done good job!
@Repair-washing-machine-man – Thanks very much! I’m very pleased with the results so far.
This is such a wonderful article. It helps us to stop telling ourselves these little lies about finances. This is similar to when a store forces you to purchase 10 of an item to get a deal – when you only wanted 2. It’s not a deal if you end up paying more for it than you budgeted (in total) – unless you can store the items for future use.
Thank you for sharing your experience and teaching a valuable financial lesson in the process!
By the way, I think your blog (especially with the weekly bible verses) is a great resource for Christians looking to manage their finances. Thank You!
.-= Khaleef @ KNS Financial´s last blog ..Need More Time to File Your Tax Return? Request an Extension =-.
Repairing a washing machine is definitely not a walk in the park so you must have felt really good after fixing your washer. There are some washer problems that can be fixed without the help of a repair man and there are also problems better left to experienced repair persons. Diagnose the problem first. If there are only parts that need replacing, you can try to follow careful instructions in replacing the parts. Make sure your washer is unplugged and no pools of water are lying on the floor.
@Khaleef – thanks for the very kind words. Isn’t it amazing how many strange things we do and little lies we tell ourselves to trick ourselves into thinking we are doing the right thing financially?
@Zach – Yes, I definitely felt really, really good! And thanks for your advice, I don’t think it would have been possible for me to complete the repair without detailed instructions I found on the internet. Luckily for me it was just a small part that needed to be replaced.
Man, I just saw your video at the very end. Can you really put sandals and slippers into the top loader like that? Cause I have always washed them by hand, never thought of chucking them into washing machines,being afraid they will damage the drum.
@Mitch – well, I’m not going to make any official declarations
… but my wife does occasionally toss stuff like that in there and we haven’t had any problems.