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Downsizing, To Move or Not to Move? That is the Question
At some point as we age, we will have to make a decision about leaving our homes and downsizing. Maybe in our own town or to another town. Maybe to smaller home, condo, apartment, or assisted living/senior community.
When the time comes to downsize, seniors can struggle with a multitude of emotional, physical, and financial challenges.
How do you make an informed decision about when to downsize?
What tips do you have to share?
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Whirlpool is the brand that gave out after 3 years. I currently have a Frigidaire which is working fine. I do not know if both brands are made in the U.S. That's a good point to check out when buying appliances.
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1 ReactionI had a Kenmore washer for over 30 years, I believe made by Whirlpool. It even was totally submerged in dirty water during a flood. Cleaned it up and it worked fine! After a second flood we gave up and bought a new washer.
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1 ReactionI chose a Whirlpool, my fourth - the first was sold with our old home in 1983, the second was put into this home in 1973 when built, replaced with another )Kenmore by Whirlpool) in 1995 - now this. Manufactured at the Amana plant in Iowa. The US made appliances are mainly made there, and are hard to get now because they have had several Covid shutdowns and apparently are having a hard time getting some parts delivered due to Covid & tariffs.
My microwave is also Whirlpool, it's predecessor lasted 22 years without a repair. Our very first was an original Litton, serial number #156 purchased in 1972, and lasted 26 years before the dial timer died!
2 years ago we had to replace both washer (1993 - 2018) and dryer (1981 - 2018) they were whirlpool too, but I wanted the old style "agitator" washer, and ended up with Speed Queen commercial models - rated for 15,000 loads - more that I hope to do in my remaining lifetime. My figuring was if they can withstand the abuse of the laundry room in our Texas home, they can handle me.
My sister and sisters-in-law have gone through multiples of every appliance in the time I have had mine, should have sent them looking for me - it's not that I'm cheap, I just hate shopping & choosing, and I hate the waste of having to discard all that raw material - even if they do break it down and recycle part of it.
Keeping my fingers crossed for all these new things in my house.
Sue
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3 ReactionsMy 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
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3 Reactions@sueinmn Hi Sue,
You have been making some remarkable adjustments to the aging process. I especially like the idea of a vacuum on both floors and the safe step stools with hand-holds. I could use those as well. Thank you for some great ideas!
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2 ReactionsHi @sueinmn.......just untying the string around my finger to remind me to mention the warranty. Take a look at the motherboard and electronic/computer gear that is in the back. Just like vehicles, that stuff is the first to need repair. The mechanical parts seem to last forever. From one who learned the hard way.
Chris
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2 Reactions@joybringer, Sounds like quite an endeavor but one you managed successfully! A friend told me about 1.800.gotjunk a few years ago and I never got around to calling to see if they pick up in my area. Thank you for this reminder. It would be a great relief and assist for those items not given to charities or family/friends.
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1 Reaction@sueinmn When we bought this house last year, a previous owner used a wheelchair. There is a permanent concrete ramp from driveway to front door. the back door has three steps down to back porch. The floors are all laminate wood, except for kitchen and bathrooms, which are tile. The original bathroom had a heavy duty grab bar for accessing the original tub and another grab bar in the toilet alcove. For me, it's perfect. This is our retirement home.
Ginger
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3 ReactionsI’ve used 1 800 got junk many times in the past, but noticed earlier in the year their prices have really gone thru the roof. There are many junk collecting companies in my area, as I would imagine in other areas of the country. There is a company called junk king,and will try,them if I ever need that service again.
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2 ReactionsI have not used their services but, I can imagine with everybody working from home and alot of us not working it gave us a chance to start cleaning things out. Therefore with an abundance of work they can raise their prices because there are others out there that will pay what their charging. Goodwill didnt have very long lines before pandemic now there are days people wait for an hour to donate their goods. Good luck and keep up the good work. Have a blessed day dave
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