My first Whirlpool was my Grandma's - I'm sure 30 years old. My old boss taught me how to replace the pump, told me if I could pass accounting, I could fix a washer. That's been my mantra ever since - until the tub rusted out on the last one and flooded the laundry room.
Same with the dryer - my husband kept fixing until the tub was depositing rust stains on all the clean clothes. Making sure to leave the new ones open to dry out so it doesn't happen again.

I look at all this appliance replacement as part of "aging in place" instead of down-sizing. My husband has been doing little wiring jobs to make sure everything electrical is "just right" as well. Also have gotten gutter covers that actually work, added lighting to dim areas, put safe step stools with hand holds on both floors of house (to discourage my tendency to climb on unsafe surfaces), added an upstairs vacuum to limit hauling heavy things up & down...

Sue