How long should things last?

[HawkinsHollow]

I think I am mosty pleasantly surprised how well things last around my place. I also enjoy fixing thigs/reengineering things to suit my needs. I was very lucky to get a bunch of old made in America tools from my dads garage that I expect to outlive me and serve my sons quite well for most of his life too.

Just did a reno/addition and buying appliances was one of the most stressful thing about the whole process. Fingers crossed I made all the right choices.

 

[Oaktree]

I would never buy an LG refrigerator,

Ours is an LG, we've had it 5-6 years now, it's been trouble free. Just a basic model, no icemaker, water dispenser, etc. I make ice the old fashioned way.
We do make sure to clean the dust off the coils once a year.

 

[grsthegreat]

I dont know, i have an LG front load washer and dryer, both 4 years old and absolutely trouble free.

My main refer and freezer combo is a GE Monograms built in 48” model. Installed in around 2000. Ive had to do some small repairs to the door ice dispenser only. Had to replace the electronic board 3 times now and the upper motor fan once about 5 years ago. But other than that is trouble free. My GE Freezer lasted 20 years and replaced it with 2 of the largest upright frigidare freezers i could find 3 years ago.

 

[Too many Kubotas]

My Burnham boiler's new circuit board only lasted one year.

At least the original hung in there for 12 years.

 

[Torvy]

Inflation hit hard August first… almost across the board everything the hospital buys increased 10 to 25%… never seen anything like it.

That's not inflation. Companies have decided that since the tariffs get the blame (rightly so) for some increases, they can increase prices and blame tariffs even if they are not affected by them.

Current inflation rate is only 2.7%

 

[Santa Craig Cringle]

That's not inflation. Companies have decided that since the tariffs get the blame (rightly so) for some increases, they can increase prices and blame tariffs even if they are not affected by them.

Current inflation rate is only 2.7%

Agreed. However, I still wince at the grocery store checkout when I see how little you get for a hundred bucks.

I still remember 30 years ago when $100 would fill a cart to overflowing with 2 or more weeks of groceries. My visceral response is ... that's how much stuff should cost. Mentally, my mind has trouble processing just how much prices have gone up and I almost always under-budget on groceries and household items.

 

[MossRoad]

... I make ice the old fashioned way....

You earn it.

 

[Torvy]

The only way for that to happen is with deflation. Ever since we went off the gold standard, deflation is virtually impossible over the mid to long term.

Iirc, there's only been maybe 2 or 3 quarters since then where overall prices dropped.

Look back into the 1800s and early 1900s. You would have double digit inflation for a year or two followed by double digit deflation for a year or two. Stability is the friend of commerce.

Imagine you are farming in 1880. Prices were up 20%. Your costs are up for planting...1881 comes along to sell and prices are down almost 6%, 1882 up almost 8%. The next four years, all down from 2-10%.

If you need a loan, deflation lowers your income, but not your debt. (Think the opposite of buying property as a hedge against inflation). Many farmers (then and now) bought seed with a loan using the harvest as collateral. Huge drops in prices wiped many out.

This, in part, led to people supporting income taxes. Tariffs were wildly inconsistent in terms of income generation and added to that volatility. Tariffs were good for those who had local markets, but brutal for those (like Ag) who exported a great deal of their products.

 

[MossRoad]

Yikes! We've been married 40 years and are on our 2nd washer, 3rd dryer, and 2nd refrigerator, and that's only because we left the old ones with the house we sold.
...

So now I'm wondering how long our deep freezer will last.

Unnecessary anxiety! Thanks fellas.

 

[Torvy]

So now I'm wondering how long our deep freezer will last.

Unnecessary anxiety! Thanks fellas.

Imma find you if my breaks now. We've had it since before 2000. Its been with us in 3 states in 4 locations. For 17 years it was in the garage in Texas...running a lot. In SD and WI, it was worked less, especially in winter. In the new house, I designed a spot for it indoors.