Buying home shifts priorities in shopping

You must remember this: A fridge is just a fridge.

But a buy is still a buy.

As the song goes, the fundamental things apply, as time goes by. And as time goes by, the fundamental things shift from a new pair of jeans to a new dishwasher, refrigerator and stove.

If you had told me a year ago that I’d be all excited about a new Frigidaire, I would’ve whacked you with an oven mitt and called you foolish. Then I bought a house with appliances that had seen better days.

I recently found myself strolling through the aisles at Sears comparing the efficiency ratings of refrigerators, weighing the merits of a four-burner vs. six-burner range, and running my hand down smooth stainless-steel dishwasher doors. (Yes, those were my fingerprints. Sorry.)

When I moved into my apartment two years ago, I had an oven whose temperature fluctuated more dramatically than a menopausal woman’s, and a circa 1942 Kelvinator refrigerator. My landlords solved the oven problem, but what I really wanted was a gas stove, and I vowed to get one when I had a home of my own.

You’d think I’d just be happy to have something that worked. Or at least to have a freezer that held more than three ice cube trays and a package of chicken breasts. But once you walk through the door of an appliance store, you start rationalizing in all sorts of absurd ways: “Well, if I’m going to spend $400 on a stove, why don’t I just spend $1,000 and get the one I like? After all, I’m going to have this thing for years.”

There’s a reason they put the superdeluxe, professional model Kitchen-Aid gas stove right near the door so it’s the first thing you see when you walk in. After looking at that, why would you want a piddly old range whose only “feature” is a clock? You immediately set your sights higher than they were before you walked in.

Which is why I recommend pre-shopping research. If you know what you want before you leave home, you may not be swayed by that sexy stainless stove. I didn’t do my research. I knew I wanted stainless, but I didn’t know it added $200 to the cost of each appliance.

I ran into a co-worker at Best Buy who had just bought the floor model of a stainless Whirlpool side-by-side fridge, with water and ice in the door, for a surprisingly low price. I had refrigerator envy. I also had a budget. It looked like stainless steel wasn’t going to happen.

I schlepped back to Sears, where row after row of white refrigerators awaited. By the way, refrigerators are expensive, whether they’re brushed steel, white, black, almond or avocado. At this rate, a dishwasher would have to wait.

After settling on a refrigerator, I found a five-burner stove that would do the trick, so I went home feeling OK. When you’re shelling out more than $100 for anything, though, OK isn’t good enough. So I went to work the next day and discussed my plight with colleagues who had actually bought appliances before. Their overwhelming response was, “Go to Dunnett.”

I try to shop locally whenever possible, but I figured that appliances would cost significantly more there than at one of the “big box” stores. Plus, I had heard that Dunnett carried SubZero refrigerators and Viking stoves, the appliances of my dreams, and I knew those were way out of my league. But I heeded my co-workers’ advice and zipped over on my lunch hour.

I’m glad I did. The selection, service, and prices were all fantastic. Because of a special sale, I was able to buy a Frigidaire refrigerator, gas range (with all sorts of buttons and features) and dishwasher – in stainless, no less – for less than it would’ve cost me to buy a refrigerator and stove elsewhere. Plus, they deliver locally for free. And the whole transaction took about three minutes.

Not only did I feel good about getting a bargain, I felt even better about supporting a local business, something I consider fundamental to Maine’s downtowns. After all, they were built on small businesses.

As I said, the fundamental things apply, as time goes by.

Dear ShopGirl,

I am finally getting around to cleaning out my closets and was wondering where I should take some of my less frightening and more gently worn clothes for resale. It seems a shame not to make few bucks off of some of these items. So, which consignment and resale shops pay the most? Are there any that buy your clothes outright? Please advise.

– Heather R., Bangor

Dear Heather,

Good for you! Some people never clean out their closets, which means they have no room for new clothes. A shame, really.

To earn a few bucks toward those new clothes, the consignment route may be the answer, but “few” is the key word here. Still, money is money, and at the very least, you’ll get to know the area’s resale shops and their owners.

There are several local shops that take consignments, and as far as I can tell, they all pay about the same. But much of the price will depend on the quality and condition of the clothing and the demand of the shop’s customers.

In Brewer, Sylvia’s Resale Shop and the Unique Boutique both take clothing on consignment. Both pay the consignor after the items have sold, and both split the price 50-50 with you. Sylvia’s is always looking for new clients, but the shop is not accepting any new items until September.

American Retro in Bangor does consignment on an appointment-only basis, and the owner pays consignors upfront, so you won’t have to wait for your things to sell to make a little money.

This should get you started. Let me know how you make out, and, as always, happy shopping!

ShopGirl would love to hear from you. Send questions, comments or suggestions by mail to: Kristen Andresen, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor, ME 04402-1329; by e-mail to kandresen@bangordailynews.net or by fax to 941-9476.