We’ve been doing “stuff” this morning and when we got home, and I sat down, I thought . . remember when life was simple? Our lifestyle, in my opinion, is about as simple as it gets. We’re not involved in a lot of away from home activities, everything runs smoothly for the most part but sometimes, life seems complicated. I know many people, probably the majority of the people. would trade places with me any day so I’m not complaining.
This morning we met with the insurance guy and got Vince’s medicare supplements all chosen and started. All we had to do was pick one supplement and choose the prescription coverage. Did that. Talked about the insurance I’ll get when Vince retires. Ugh . . sure wish I could pay for mine what Vince is paying for medicare. What my insurance will cost for one month will just about pay for a whole year of his medicare and supplements. But, can’t stress about the things over which I have no control.
My car needs tires so have to make a decision on which tires. My tires always have to be replaced while there’s still lots of tread on them but the sun and heat cause dry rot way before the tires are worn out. It’s a waste of money to buy tires with long mileage ratings because we it takes 6 or 8 years for us to put 30,000 miles on a car. I don’t want cheap tires but I’m not paying for Michelins when we put so few miles on a car.
We looked at dishwashers. It’s hard for me to believe that something that costs $700 to $1,000+ can only be expected to last 5 – 7 years. We moved into the house in November, 2011 and it was a couple of years before we put in a dishwasher so let’s just say it was summer, 2013 when we did it. Basically, a top of the line brand, that I won’t mention, has lasted 4-1/2 years. A salesman told us they usually last 5 years and if you do annual “maintenance” which involves taking it apart and doing something to the water pump and the motor, you can get 7 years. Really? Had I known then what I know now, I would probably have just kept the cabinet and not ever had a dishwasher put in. Easy to say now that it’s in! 🙂
I do know that I want it to be quiet because it’s right off the family room, I want the metal disposal (vs. the strain and drain that I think is so gross), delayed start and heated dry. Anything else I need to pay attention to when making a dishwasher decision? When we bought the second house in KY, we replaced the dishwasher. Vince thought a cheap one would be ok since it wasn’t our full time house. The cheap one was not ok so in about two months, he replaced the dishwasher again. The house in Missouri was six years old when we bought it and within a year or so, he had to replace that dishwasher. Now we’re fixing to buy the second one for this house so that means that since 2003, we’re about to buy our fifth dishwasher. That’s an average of one every three years, but mainly because we moved off and left two fairly new dishwashers.
Final rant . . it’s time to pick a new electric rep. We have to do it every year. Our contract with TXU expires June 5 so we can start shopping. Vince says “We’re happy with TXU.” I say . . you didn’t spend 5 hours on the phone with them trying to get our solar credits! He’s happy to do all the shopping and comparing for electric rates so he’s going to take care of that little issue. I hear rates have gone up over the last few months so I think he’s going to have sticker shock when he finds out the new rates But . . what can you do? It’s like insurance . . pay what you have to pay and say “thank you!”.
It’s time for me to sit and knit, don’t you think? 🙂
Sue Edberg says
Judy, regarding the dishwasher, make sure you get one that has metal sides and not plastic. When we moved into this house 2 years ago, we bought matching stove, refrigerator, and dishwasher not really paying attention to what the inside of the walls, dish trays, and silverware tray were. The appliances themselves are all great but the inside of the dishwasher is some kind of plastic. We have hard well water and after using the dishwasher a few times, the inside developed an ugly white film. I have purchased (at Loews) something to put in the bottom when you run the washer, but they are very expensive and sometimes you have to use 2 packets. The dishwasher in my previous house came from Sears, was less expensive, had metal sides, dish and silverware trays which had some kind of covering and never turned this ugly white. Next time I need a dishwasher you can be sure to check what the inside is!
Joyce says
Yikes! Now I’m wondering how old my dishwasher is. I know it is more than 5 years old, because I replaced it before my dad passed away, and that will be 5 years this summer. Hearing that they last 5-7 years makes me miss the one that was in the house when I moved in. It was a basic Maytag, and it developed a leak around the door seal. When I researched the serial number to figure out how old it was, I found out it was 17 years old. I decided it wasn’t worth trying to repair a 17 year old dishwasher, so I replaced it. I don’t expect the current one to last 17 years, but I would have hoped for maybe 10 years. I have a Kenmore, and it is super quiet and only uses about 1/2 the water the old one did, so that part is good!
Marti Meadows says
I like a dishwasher that has a third tray just for silverware. With the third tray there is more room in the bottom tray for plates, bowls and dishes.
Judy Laquidara says
I’m not sure I’ve ever seen one like that but we rarely have it full, with just the two of us.
Verna A. says
We installed our dishwasher the week my oldest son was born (he’s 22 1/2 this week) and it’s still going strong–so I guess we got lucky. Good information here in case we need to shop for another someday.
Judy Laquidara says
I think the ones from 20+ years ago may be a whole lot different from the ones they sell today.
Rebecca in SoCal says
I think you’re right! We still have the dishwasher from when we moved in, 14 1/2 years ago, and it wasn’t new then! It’s like my mother said, many years ago, about a Kirby vacuum part (hose, maybe): the old one cost $5 and lasted 15 years; the new one cost $15 and she didn’t expect it to last 5 years. (I don’t remember if it did).
Laura says
We’re lucky … our dishwasher is 15 years old … a “quiet” model from Sears. I’ve never found a dishwasher that is as quiet as I would like. Otherwise, it’s great and I hope it keeps on chugging!
Judy Laquidara says
I’m not sure I’m believing that “expect them to last 5 years” statement. It came from the salesman where we bought the one that’s now 4-1/2 years old and needing replacing.
DonnainKS says
We have had the longest life from Kenmore appliances, no matter which. (I have been told Whirlpool builds to Kenmore specs.) I do have friends who would not say the same! I wish you well on your hunt for a new dishwasher. I think it’s only a matter of time before we replace the one that came with this house; also before Sears closes its doors!!
Joyce in Oregon says
I’m dreading the next dishwasher purchase. I thought it would be great to use less water, but those cycles can last up to two hours. So, while not using water it is using electricity. I always scrub off my dishes, so I really just need one that has short cycles. Ugh.
Sandy says
I bought my house in 2004. It was 4 years old then. The dishwasher still works (although it’s loud), but I’ve replaced the refrigerator, the stove, the sink, and the garbage disposal in addition to the washer, dryer, and hot water heater. And last summer I replaced the heating and air-conditioning! The roof need replacing, but it’s not leaking now. Seems like there is always something that needs to be fixed or replaced!
Nancy says
We had to buy a new dishwasher when we moved into our house 18 months ago. I have been advised to run white vinegar thru it once a month to help with the mineral deposits from our water. We are hoping that by doing that it will last a while. I hated to leave the one at our old house it was a really good one and we had it about 7 years.
Mary Jo says
When I bought a refrigerator for the garage a few years ago I told the sales guy that I didn’t need bells and whistles, I just wanted a refrigerator that would keep our drinks and my husband’s beer cold and that would last for a while. His comment “Lady, they don’t make that anymore. 5-7 years is the expected life of all appliances now!” Shock to me, since the refrigerator I replaced was probably 25 years old!
Nelle Coursey says
I think knitting sounds like a great idea!! LOL I used to work for TU when it was a good company. I worked there 16 years until they downsized me and closed the local office to the public. I now have Reliant Energy and I am pleased with them. We have the free weekends. I know that doesn’t mean much to you, but if you add what they have to buy back maybe it is a better deal for you.
Firelei Jones says
Actually the reason dishwashers fail is that the government removed all phosphates from all home dishwasher soaps (same for washing machines and their detergents). The phosphates kept the lines clean so they wouldn’t get stopped up, and also cleaned the dishes better. Restaurants ate still able use detergents with phosphates. Apparently it takes a bit more time and effort to remove phosphates when recycling water. There are a couple of ways the homeowner can get around this. One is to toss in a half to a whole cup of vinegar in the bottom of each dishwasher load. That helps keep the lines free. The other option is you can purchase Cascade with phosphates professional fryer boil out. It is identical formula to their old home dishwasher detergent. We were told that the gunk that backs up in the lines also freezes up the electronics/transmission/ motor.
One feature I love about dishwashers is when the heating element is in the walls of the dishwasher so there is no heating coil in the bottom of the unit and the entire dishwasher becomes top rack safe.
Pinot and Piecing says
You can also add a bit of T.S.P. to the detergent with your load. T.S.P. adds back the phosphate they took out, and you’re probably familiar with it as an inexpensive common powdered cleanser, available at hardware stores. We add about 1/8 tsp to each load, but we have soft water. I don’t remember what the recommended amount is for hard water, but without it, our dishwasher gets gross and greasy on the inside because the detergents don’t clean very well any more.
wanda j says
TIres??? Sounds like you are getting messed with. If warranty is 75,000 mile then if you have only got 30,000 on them you get over 50% of your money back. Doesn’t matter if tire is balled, or ruined by heat,sun. IT is the ,miles… But you must have paper work. Don’t let discount tire mess you around this is how warranties on tires and batteries work. I know I did them for years for Sears. Miles not looks they can be balled and still get back money if have loads of miles left.Safety is concern for you so don’y get cheap……I just saw new one from Bridgestone warrantied to go 50+ miles after a nail put hole in it. But I always buy Mitchellen myself. Now for the dishwasher problem. I understand that pain. I had to get new one and hate it. Wish now had fixed the old one. Warranty people said no cost to much? Just how much and element cost ? that was what was wrong but due I had warranty I got new one. What a joke takes 3 1/2 hours to wash a load of dishes. How can that save money.( electricity cost money loads more than a few gallons( old on 8 gallons new 5) of water. The repair man said none of new stuff will last that we are better keeping old stuff ( 10+ years old my washer now 35+)and fixing even if cost Oh well it is what it is I guess. GOOD luck with both.
Judy Laquidara says
There’s always a time/mileage limit. Any tire warranties I’ve seen say something like 5 years/60,000 miles or 3 years/36,000 miles. The 5 year tires cost more than the 3 year tires. I would NEVER buy unsafe tires but a tire that has a shorter warranty period and is less expensive does not make it an unsafe tire! Michelin tires are way too expensive for the amount of traveling we do. There’s no reason to buy a tire with a 50,000+mile/6+year warranty when I know that in 6 years, I will have put 30,000 miles on the car. The Highlander had Michelin tires on it when we bought it. We replaced them when they were 6 years old and had 28,000 miles on them. Out of warranty and dry rotted. I love Michelins but for the amount of driving we do, it’s not worth the cost. We usually buy Cooper tires. By the way, we love Discount Tire. They’ve been wonderful to deal with and no matter where we are, if we need service, there’s likely a Discount Tire nearby.
Pinot and Piecing says
We bought a top-of-the line Kitchenaid dishwasher last year (over a thousand dollars!), and it’s the worst dishwasher we’ve ever owned. We have to wash the dishes completely before we put them in, then it takes about three hours for it to finish whatever the heck it does…and it doesn’t dry them either. Don’t get rid of your old dishwasher unless you need to, because the best one these days doesn’t work as well as some of the cheap crummy apartment dishwashers I’ve had. Adding T.S.P. to the detergent helps a bit, but the dishwasher is terrible! My friends like their Bosch, though, so that might be one to look into. I really hate my Kitchenaid dishwasher.
marcille irwin says
I love my Bosch dishwasher, it is the quietest ever – sometimes we have to go look to see if turned it on because we can’t hear it. One thing to warn you about though would be that if you don’t open it when it finishes, you will have water on your dishes.