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My mom's fridge gave out on Thanksgiving morning
The compressor went quiet around 7 AM, right as we were prepping the turkey in her Chicago apartment. We had to scramble to borrow cooler space from three different neighbors to save everything (which was super awkward to ask for). I ended up having a really blunt talk with her that afternoon about setting aside money for appliance replacement, not just repairs. Has anyone else had to navigate the 'your stuff is old and needs replacing' talk with a parent?
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susan4884mo ago
My Aunt Carol in Cleveland had a hot water heater give out on Christmas Eve a few years back. She tried to fix it herself and I ended up driving an hour to help her drain the basement at midnight while the rest of the family watched a movie. That whole experience taught me that some talks are just better than repairs in the middle of a holiday. I get what @carr.xena says about old stuff lasting long, but at some point the risk of failure during a big meal or cold snap just isn't worth it. My mom still uses a microwave from the Reagan years and I'm honestly scared to touch it. Have you thought about setting up a small fund with her now, even fifty bucks a month, so she feels more in control of the choice later?
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carr.xena4mo ago
My dad's 25 year old furnace is still going strong. Sometimes fixing the old stuff is the smarter money move if it still works.
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black.jordan4mo ago
Yeah but you gotta watch the efficiency on those old units... my heating bill dropped by a third when I finally replaced my 90s furnace. The repair costs add up too, had to fix mine three times in one winter before I called it. Newer models just run so much cheaper and quieter, it's a real difference.
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