How We Saved Money on a New Washer and Dryer
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See this? This is HALF the laundry that was generated in my household in the last week since the dryer broke. The washer and dryer were on their last legs and decided to die in my absence. Right on their heels went the radiator and thermostat in our van. And the cam sensor. Whatever THAT is. My poor husband never let on that the supply of clean clothes was dwindling and that he had no way to transport all six children anywhere. I guess that explains the panic he might have felt when I almost missed my connecting flight in Phoenix. What a guy!
Do you know how much dirty laundry is created in five days’ time?!
Thankfully, I did get home at the prescribed time. And we spent Monday picking up the pieces. FishPapa called around town to get quotes on a new radiator for the van and off the van limped for repairs. Meanwhile, I hopped online to find a new laundry combo.
Here’s what I considered in my decision:
- What’s the going rate? We had previously researched front loading, high efficiency machines and realized that for the money, we probably weren’t going to get a much longer-lasting washer and dryer than your standard, old school, top-loading washer and standard dryer. We do a lot more laundry than the average household. We quizzed a repairman about this and he concurred. Plus, I just couldn’t swallow the idea of dropping $1,600 to $2,000 on laundry equipment. Instead, I looked up the going rate for your basic Whirpool combo which was about $1,000 after taxes.
- What’s the best cash back? I checked with Ebates as well as ShopAtHome to see who had the best cashback percentages for Sears, Home Depot, and Buy.com. Turns out ShopAtHome was offering 5% back at Sears as well as a coupon code for $5 off a $50 purchase.
- What kind of sales and rebates are going on? Clicking through to Sears, I found out that Sears had multiple deals going on, including 15% off all washers and dryers, a free delivery rebate, and a $50 rebate on each appliance.
- What’s the energy cost? We compared the energy costs of the basic Whirlpool washer and dryer to the Energy Star combo. Since we know that I do an average of 12 loads of laundry per week, we know that a w/d combo will not last as long at our house as someone else’s. Our last set lasted us 5 years. So, after some computations, we realized that the extra cost of the Energy Star machines did not pay for itself. (And before any of my green friends hassle me about buying the bargain machine, can I say that my thermostat is set at 64 degrees in the winter? We are doing our best to conserve energy in other ways. 😉 )
- Can I just stay home? In former times, I might have been concerned about seeing the machines in person and checking out all the bells and whistles. But, experience has shown me that the bells and whistles are just that — a lot of noise. They normally aren’t all that they’re cracked up to be. I read some reviews and was satisfied that basic was going to work for us. Normally, I would have said no to delivery since we own a truck. But, that gas, time and effort still costs us something. Being open to delivery proved to save us a lot more money since it was FREE!
Cost of washer and dryer after taxes and delivery fees: $933.89
Delivery rebate from Sears: -65.00
Appliance rebates from Sears: -100.00
Cash back bonus from ShopAtHome: -39.70
Coupon from ShopAtHome: – 5.00
Total Spent on New Washer and Dryer: $724.19
When all was said and done, we saved over $200 purchasing our new set, without even leaving the house. And it turns out that there were a few bells and whistles thrown in for good measure, like “wrinkle shield” and “energy preferred” settings. I spent the better half of Thursday whipping through 10 loads of laundry. I think these new machines work faster than the old ones.
Best of all, we’ve got clean clothes!
Edited to add: There’s been some great discussion in the comments regarding HE machines. Just to clarify, my point #4 above was comparing the energy savings of a basic top loader and the “Energy Star” top loader. I am not questioning the efficiency of the HE machines, but we had already made the decision not to spend 2K on the set.
So, looking at the lower price point machines — the top loaders — that was the conclusion we were making. It didn’t pencil out to pay $150 more to get a fancier top loader. I apologize for any confusion I might have caused.
I agree with Alicia and the Happy Housewife about the reasons for an HE machine. Those are all reasons I love my front loader as well (and water is tiered here in the desert). I also love that it takes me 40 minutes to wash a load, and about 50 to dry it (on low). I LOVE how much water it gets out of the clothes, and I really love how gentle it is on the clothes.
One thing we didn’t do: we didn’t buy a set. When the dryer went out, we bought a dryer. When the washer went out, we bought a washer. The dryer is a different brand and a lot less money than our washer, but I have been very happy with it. Both machine are the large capacity machines.
I bought my washer online as well, comparing models for energy usage, settings (having 2 different delicate settings was a big deal to me), size, etc. I bought ours online, too. The comparisons were easy to put side my side in a word document on the computer.
I wash 4 loads a day most days (not Sunday).
I hope you love your new washer and dryer!
hey thats my washer! i got the dryer to match too and thats about how much i paid for it too only i didnt do any price comparisons or cash backs or anything because im young and it was my first time purchasing any appliances, but i did get lucky and the washer had a small ding in the metal in the back which popped right back out so we got a much cheaper price!
i love the set btw good choice!!
Well, you know I had to give congrats on a new washer! You thought it out really well – very nice job! Top loaders definitely have their perks.
Jamie – I have a Kenmore Elite He5t with the steam setting. L-o-v-e it. Really I do. That steam setting is unbelievable – but it does add 30 mins to the wash time. Just FYI.
-Lauren
Great job on doing your homework quickly to get such significant savings! I will have to remember those steps you took when we decide to buy another appliance.
HE front loading washers have their issues! We bought our HE washer/dryer from our local Sears scratch and dent store and saved 50%. We’ve had them for about 4 1/2 years and we have issues with the washer not draining all of the water out at the end of the wash cycle. My husband has to go in and drain it a lot. Kind of frustrating and at times I wish I just had a top loader!
Hey Stephanie,
That’s great that you guys got such a good deal. If money had been no object — or we had found one on clearance, we would have done the same thing.
That’s a bummer, though, that it’s not draining properly. My husband found this report on Consumer Reports’ blog that might be helpful to you. I guess your problem is a common one and one that could lead to mold issues. I hope you guys can get that resolved.
I was lucky that when we decided to buy a washer and dryer, we got a great deal from Best Buy! I caught it the week before Thanksgiving, and was able to get a front load washer and dryer for $700. That’s $700 total, not $700 each. They were originally $699/each, but were marked down to $350/each. It was just because it was an older model, and they wanted to make room for the new ones. I love them, and it is much more efficient that I don’t have to spend time drying and (re)drying load after load.
Glad you like your new washer and dryer. It seems to make the chores less mundane!
Happy Housewife- I’d love to hear which machines you purchased. We are nearing end of life on our current set (9.5 yo). I’m set on front loading, HE machines with steam.
I’m impressed with the amount of research that went into this purchase! Big kudos! Hubs and I have spent so much time looking at my dream machines in Lowes that we probably could have paid for them by now in gas and time!
So, so glad that y’all feel free to share your own experiences — and to disagree with me ;). I realize that ours is not the same decision that everyone else would make, esp when it comes to energy usage.
Just to clarify, my point #4 was comparing the energy savings of a basic top loader and the “Energy Star” top loader. I am not questioning the efficiency of the HE machines, but we had already made the decision not to spend 2K on the set. So, looking at the lower price point machines — the top loaders — that was the conclusion we were making. It didn’t pencil out to pay $150 per machine to get a fancier top loader. I apologize for any confusion I might have caused.
One thing not discussed is water and detergent savings. A front load washer uses 1/3 the water and detergent that a top loader does.
Great point, Mike. In my defense 😉 I already use less than the soap companies tell you to use.
Okay- well I am going to have to respectfully disagree with you on this one :). Our washer died 4 years ago and we researched and splurged on a HE machine. I think we paid $1100 for our washer. It is huge and does about two times what our previous large capacity washer could hold. As for efficiency, our water bill is about half of what it was before we purchased the HE machine. Electricity was harder to measure, but there was a decrease. We use less detergent in our machine as well and the clothes come our very clean. Even though we spent twice as much money on our machine, I know we have made up the difference in fewer loads, and lower water and electric bills. Our water savings the first year was almost $500.
I have no idea how long our washer will last, so I guess only time will tell if we actually made the best decision. :).
Great job taking so much time and research in purchasing your appliances. Many people don’t think twice, run out and buy the first set they see and charge it to their card!
Toni