How To Save Money On Home Appliances
Image Source. Licensed under Creative Commons.
A lot of us overspend on home appliances. This can include the initial purchase price, as well as running costs such as maintenance and energy bills. To help save you money, here are just a few tricks that could have you spending less on your home appliances.
Shop the sales
Many appliance stores have regular sales on. These can be great times to grab bargains on appliances. The January sales is a popular time for massive appliance discounts – because few people have much money after Christmas, retailers often have to offer much better deals to attract customers in.
Read reviews
Online consumer reviews can often tell if an appliance is reliable. Unfortunately, many of the cheapest appliances are less reliable, which can lead to frequent and expensive repair costs in the future. Save yourself money in the long run by reading reviews and only choosing an appliance that has good customer feedback.
Consider the energy rating
Most appliances come with an energy rating from A to G. Appliances that are graded A are the most efficient and are the ones that will save you huge amounts on your energy bills. It’s worth noting that fridge freezers can go all the way up to A+++ – if you’re buying this type of appliance you may not want to settle for an A.
Look out for online freebies
There are many sellers online giving away free appliances on sites like Gumtree. Whilst these appliances tend to be older (and therefore less reliable and less energy efficient), the fact that you’re paying nothing for them up front means that you’ll still likely save yourself money compared to buying a brand new appliance. A condition of these freebies is that you usually have to pick them up yourself from the seller – this means having a vehicle big enough to pick up the appliance.
Know when to repair, when to replace
When an appliance breaks, you need to weigh up whether it’s cheaper to repair or replace. Some repairs can be so costly that you may as well as buy a replacement. You should also consider the appliance’s lifespan. It may be worth splashing out on central vacuum repair on a home vacuum system that’s only been installed 10 years ago (these systems can last 20 years), however it may not be worth getting a dishwasher repaired that’s 10 years old (these appliances usually only last 9 years).
Don’t extend your warranty
A lot of appliances will come with a year’s warranty. After this period, the seller may try to tempt you into paying for an extended warranty. These are rarely worth paying – whilst it does mean that your appliance will be repaired for free, the overall monthly warranty payments are likely to come to a much higher cost than were you to pay to get it repaired. Few warranties also cover the full amount of repairs.
Use your appliances less
You may also be able to save money on your appliances simply by using them less. Consider measures such as only washing full loads instead of half loads in your washing machine or letting frozen foods defrost before cooking them so that you use the oven for reduced periods.
Tia, and TipsfromTia.com is trying to keep you looking good and
feeling good, from the inside out. If you’ve got a problem or a tip email me! Be sure to Like and share on Facebook or Follow on Twitter or Instagram.