Monday, April 17, 2006

Disposable or Not

I have always been the type to throw something away and go out and buy a new one. This works for things like: mowers, weed eaters, tools in general and sometimes cars. This Spring I've made some uncharactistic decisions that may have saved me some $$$ believe it or not.

1. My mower wouldn't start and since it was one I bought used 3 years ago I thought about sitting it curbside and buying a new one for less than $200. Well, my friend Billyv and I tampered with it in March cleaning out the fuel filter area and actually got it to working pretty good. Savings of at least $150.

2. My gas grill is about 8 years old. One of the cheapest they offer and it has moved 3 times. I've replaced the burner 3 times and just recently the burner was going bad and the wheels were falling off. My wife suggested buying a new one. A new entry level gas grill would be about $125. I went ahead and bought a new burner, new wheels, and new ceramic briquets. I spent about $50, but it cooks meat just as good as a new one. Savings at least $75.

3. Lawn keeping season is upon us and since I mow my yard and 3 others I really need a decent weed eater. The shield broke on mine last fall and I used it a few times this season and have cuts and scrapes on my shins to show for it. Just recently it quit working on me and I just knew the time was right for a new one. Then I realized my 10 year old extension cord was bad and the weed eater actually still works. So tonight I got online and looked up what it would cost to replace the shield. $8.22 versus paying at least $45 for a new electric weed eater. Savings of about $35 or 350%. Now I just have to follow thru and order the part, or check the lawn care place nearby to see if they can get it for me for around the same price.

It feels good when you avoid making a new purchase and are able to prolong the life of something that you own.

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