Repair? Replace? Rejoice?

Appliance-wise this house needs a 'new everything.' Most of our appliances are old. I don't know whether to fret, rejoice that they've lasted this long, replace them, or take bets on which one conks out first.

If I'm taking bets, the 'favorite' is the air conditioner. It quit last fall during the final hot spell. We should have replaced it then instead of applying a bandage. It just seemed stupid for its warranty to expire while it sat idle for 6 months, so we decided to wait. This spring it still worked,and the old rustbucket still keeps the place cool, though not very efficiently.

Speaking of rust, the dishwasher's bottom rack has it. I work around it by not putting dishes in the rusted corner. The unit has already outlasted its life expectancy. Should I invest $100 to replace the rack, or save the $100 to apply to a new unit? I can't decide.

Our refrigerator's icemaker was problematic from Day One, so we don't use it. I wish we had all the freezer space the useless icemaker occupies, and didn't have to sacrifice another shelf for ice cube trays. I wish the gasket around the 'fridge door wasn't scarily hot to the touch. I wish we had a different 'fridge, but this one keeps our food cold. It stays.

Last up are the washer and dryer. Like the A/C, these were new with the house. If they were kids they'd be halfway through college, and at far less expense than real kids. I just hope the little rascals make it to graduation, because when we replace them we also have to replace the damaged floor underneath them (our floors are a 'whole 'nother blog.')

Appliances aren't built to last. It's called 'planned obsolescence.' It's considered good marketing practice to build products that people need to replace regularly. The practice is not illegal. It's not considered evil except by, you know, customers. But we don't count, it is the shareholders that the companies need to please. (Also a 'whole 'nother blog.')

It can be computer boards that burn out (and cost more than a new appliance), irresistable new features, or discontinued support ("We don't sell water-filter cartridges for refrigerators that old! As for those vacuum cleaner bags you asked about, try the museum.")

Have manufacturers sped up the failure rate? Or were quality standards tossed overboard when we shipped our manufacturing jobs to China? Either way, consumers lose. Without the manufacturing jobs, less of us can afford to replace our appliances and they break down faster that ever. (Oh noes! Sounds like another blog!)

So upon reflection, I'll rejoice that our appliances have lasted this long, and won't replace them until they break beyond repair. Good thing. Getting new appliances bought and installed takes lots of time, and I don't have it; too many blogs to write!