Week # 17: R & R (Rebate and Recycling incentive)

Southern California Edison offers an incentive for getting rid of an older refrigerator, and a rebate for purchasing a new energy efficient one. I debated on whether to count this separately from last week's entry, or wrap it together. I decided they should be separate entries for three reasons.

One, it was possible to purchase a refrigerator that did not qualify for the rebate, so that monetary gain was not directly tied to our price negotiations from last week. Two, the recycling incentive is connected to the old fridge, not the new one we just researched and purchased.

And three.... I still need 35 more entries to get to the end of the year.

Once the decision to purchase a new refrigerator was made, it wasn't difficult to find the rebate information.  We had references to it among the inserts in our electric bill, so it was on our radar. It's basically a $50 rebate to influence the purchase of energy-efficient appliances. Filling out a little bit of paperwork was the only little annoyance.

The other part of the equation is the incentive to get an older fridge off the grid. We called the program number, got an appointment, and within a few days two guys came and hauled off the old unit. A check for $50 is on it's way.

If you live in Southern California, are a customer of Edison, and are thinking about buying a new fridge or getting rid of the old refrigerator or freezer in your garage, click here for the information on the rebate and recycling incentive.

Rebate and recycling savings: $50 + $50 = $100

Total savings to date: $2,709.22

Week # 16: Take the Floor Model

It's time to replace our refrigerator. It's a hand-me-down from Trish's brother's family and we've had it for 11 years, so we think it's at least 15 years old. It certainly shows. The ice dispenser is always frozen, shelves are creaky (one has cracked), and I'm guessing the unit is an electricity hog, compared to new models.

I left this mostly up to Trish to figure out how to get a good deal on a good refrigerator. The end strategy: establish a relationship with the sales dude, and don't be afraid to take the floor model.

Trish started by looking at all the current features and models, settling on a style (bottom freezer and middle drawer), and then narrowed it down to a few makers and models, including Maytag. Once the model was decided, the objective then was to see if we could make a deal $100 better than what was commonly available. Lowe's, the closest appliance store, posted the retail price as $2294, and had it marked down for clearance at $2196, so we used that as our benchmark.

That sounds like a lot for a refrigerator, but we tend to run things into the ground, as with our current fridge, so I don't have a problem paying a little more for above average quality and features for something we'll undoubtedly still have 15 years from now.

Online searches showed the model posted anywhere between $2196 and $2600 (Best Buy). A check of other local appliance stores showed tags similar to or higher than Lowe's. Nearly all were out of stock for this model. So Trish went back and chatted up the salesman, who couldn't have been nicer. That's when we learned the model appears to have been discontinued so no new ones were available, but they had the one Trish had originally seen left on the floor for show, and offered a 10% discount beyond the "clearance" price if we took it home. 

Normally, we don't go for pre-owned or used items. Always have bought new cars. Just feels more comfortable. But... cognizant of this blog, we went back to Lowe's and struck up another conversation with Jose. The 10% discount already qualified us for blog-worthy savings, but Jose was feeling generous and offered ANOTHER 10% off the already reduced floor model price. I guess he sensed we were interested, and needed the floor space. So for $1788 plus tax, we acquired a fridge that appeared to be the equivalent of a $3000 Samsung version right next to it. And the reefer we selected DOES hold magnets, while the front of the $3K fridge is NOT magnetic, despite both having a stainless steel finish. Well, THAT clinched it, of course.

We have to live with the fact that the stainless steel in front is kind of an unintentional two-tone because of some large promotional stickers... but that will be covered with pictures and magnets within a couple of days anyway.

I'll count the savings based on the $2196 amount, since that's the "before research and negotiations" price that we could have paid without establishing the relationship with Jose and checking around.

Savings for settling for something a little less than new: $2196 - $1788 = $408

Total blog savings to date: $2,609.22