R.I.P. 5/2/02-5/13/08 A Memorial to a Good & Faithful Servant

I’VE GOT A SUSPICION SOMETHING MIGHT BE DYING IN THE KITCHEN At first I thought it was my imagination. Was the sale-bologna feeling just a little less firm than I remembered? Were my homemade hot dog buns looking a tad limp? Hmmm. Trying to ignore that sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach, I pushed concerned thoughts to the back of my mind and went about my daily chores. Took Silly Lab Sadie for a walk. Read a couple chapters of my latest thrifty entertainment device (library book). Chatted with an undeniably forced cheerfulness with my sister on the phone for an hour (I’m good though - I don’t think she noticed any change in my demeanor) (Oh, and don’t worry I have Vonage). But soon enough that time came when I was forced to confront my fears again- that’s right, dinner time. I had a new meatloaf recipe I wanted to try. I needed ground turkey. It was in the freezer.

Yep, my worst fears were confirmed. The freezer was defrosting. On its own. Oh, not to mention the LOUD alarm buzzer that also told me this. Definitely one of the top 10 worst nightmares of a thrifty housewife. Especially a thrifty housewife who has just scored the deal of the decade on chicken breasts for .60/lb at Kroger Supermarket. And bought 55lbs.

A MEMORIAL Chazz and I purchased our 14.9 cubic foot GE chest freezer from Sam’s Club on 5/2/02. This was a real turning point in our tightwad journey. Since our marriage in 1995 we had been getting better and better at the cheapskate game, and by 2002 we were ready to take it to the next level. Bread thrift stores, loss leaders, left-overs - we were now able to take maximum advantage of these frugal mainstays thanks to our new freezer. We shopped carefully, paid about $400, with free delivery.

It was worth every penny because over the last six years it has saved us a lot of money, time, and gas. For instance, remember that chicken I was talking about?: Originally $3.60/lb., on sale for .60/lb., bought 55lbs- I saved $165 on that transaction alone. I save time and gas because I won’t have to be running to the store anytime soon to buy chicken (that and turkey in different forms is pretty much all my husband and I eat meat-wise). These are the types of situations that I have been able to take advantage of numerous times over the last six years. Even with the cost of electricity my chest freezer paid for itself many times over. I love you, Freezer.

THE AFTERMATH But now here I am in a situation where time is of the essence. Frugals hate being in this type of situation. It is hard to make your best money-saving decisions in panic mode. So first I deal with the most immediate problem, possible loss of great food bargains. Well, I see that the freezer, though undoubtedly on its last legs, seems to be defrosting verrrrry slowly. I test this by placing a baggy of water in my refrigerator freezer at the exact same time that I also put one in the chest freezer. Two hours later the chest freezer baggy is very very cold and a little icy but still liquid. Refrigerator freezer baggie is almost completely frozen. So, run to the nearest supermarket and buy 5 10lb bags of ice.

I cram as much of chest freezer contents into refrigerator freezer (which, though small manages to hold almost all my cheap chicken), regretfully toss some odds and ends leftovers, cram two coolers with smaller items and lots of ice, and leave a few things in the old freezer (remember it is still pretty cold) with two bags of ice, and vow not to open the door under any circumstances until this problem is resolved. (Strangely, I have to fight an impulse to open the chest freezer and gaze blankly at its interior). Oh, also my refrigerator is fairly ancient and we have long since discovered how to accidentally turn it into a freezer by knocking some square plastic thing off the back of it. So, for the first time ever I intentionally knock that square plastic thing of the back of my fridge. (Sure enough, when I woke up this morning, a gallon container of water was frozen almost solid.) I cram more stuff in there, and cross my fingers.

Next, I call a couple a appliance repair places and none can come out before next Wednesday. Poop. That doesn’t do me any good. Plus, I have NEVER, EVER had an appliance repaired for less than $300.00 (I hate to buy extended warranties). Now, generally I think that it is always better to repair something over buying a new replacement. So, I think about that for a bit, considering the age of the freezer, the time factor, and probable expensive repair.

When Chazz gets home from work, we eat dinner (my homemade meatloaf and mexican-style cornbread, both delicious), look online at a few freezers at a few local places and then head out to make our purchase. Since we don’t have time to shop as carefully as we usually do for large purchases, I’m pretty certain we won’t get the best bargain possible.

But you can be the judge; here is what we ended up with: We went to our local Lowe’s hardware (very close to us, so didn’t have to drive very far), bought an energy-star rated Whirlpool 20 cubic foot frostless upright freezer. I know that chest freezers are generally less expensive, but we thought we’d try an upright for a change (it will certainly be easier to keep track of everything, which is very frugal). It was sale priced at $598.00 and free next-day delivery (with mail-in rebate).

So, maybe not the best bargain ever, but considering the situation, I’m satisfied with the deal.

LIFE GOES ON My new freezer was delivered bright and early at 9:00 this morning. It’s humming away nicely and will soon be ready to be filled up. It seems like I was able to salvage everything just fine. And here is a perfect example of why the frugal life is so great. Thanks to our mostly frugal lifestyle, we were able to handle this situation with the minimum amount of stress. We weren’t expecting this large unexpected expense, but it was ok, because we had the funds for it. I was sad to see my old chest freezer carted off this morning, but I was grateful that it played such a large role in helping us to become financially sound. Emergencies are always just around the corner, and what a great feeling it is to have the wherewithal to deal with them with the least amount of fuss possible. Also, the Lowe’s delivery man said that our old freezer would be taken by a man they have a contract with who refurbishes old appliances and sells them second hand. That made me feel great - I hope my old friend has a longer life with someone maybe just starting out on their frugal journey.

$My Good Friend- I\'m Sad to See You Go$