If it ain't broke...don't replace it

If it ain’t broke...don’t replace it.

For the better, I have become very cheap. I have learned to live on a minimal budget, not because I really wanted to, but for a year or so of my life, I HAD to. I knew which bars had free food for happy hour and which bars had $1 drinks, so I could at least get out of the house, other wise I would loose my damn mind. I had some cavities that needed to be fixed, but no money. I am sure that many people have lived on a tiny budget, so I am not special; I am just giving you a glimpse into my past. Now, looking back it was good for me to learn how to live so cheap and on a budget. At the time, it was miserable. Now that I am back on my feet and able to buy hamburger buns to go with my hamburger, I am still living on that same cheap budget. I have this horrible fear of slumping back down to that broke state that I try to spend anything unless I have to. Here are two examples:
When I bought this house 3 years ago, I purchased a used washer and dryer for $175 for the set. At the time I was getting married in 10 months, so I was going to use this set for the time being and when we got married, get a new set. Three years later the bastards are still holding on, barely, but they are there. 1 out of 4 times the washer will quit mid-cycle and the water won’t drain, so we have to restart the cycle. This means we can’t leave the house for too long with the washer running, other wise there is a good chance our clothes will sit in water for way too long and the wash machine could overflow….again.
The dryer takes two full cycles to get our clothes dry: unless we are drying a shirt. Now, it did quit working a few months ago, but the place I purchased it from came and fixed it for $25.00. So, now I have a $200 set that has lasted me 3 years. I feel pretty safe in saying that I got my money’s worth out of them. So, until that wash machine quits working 100% of the time, they will gimp along, washing the clothes, little by little.
The BBQ grill is the other thing that is hobbling along. I love to BBQ, so the grill gets used 2 or 3 times a week. I have also had this grill for 3 years, which I guess is a year past its prime. The starter does not work, so I have to turn the gas on, which takes 5 minutes or so to get the gas flowing into the grill, then hold a long lighter and turn my head as I light it so not to loose all of my eye brows…again. The center piece under the grill has falling apart and catches fire every time, meaning I have to constantly move the meat around so the bottom does not flare up. I have long said that I need another grill, but as long as this one still lights, I am going to keep using it. Last month we were getting our deck re-stained so I had to move everything off the back porch. I decide that I can move everything by myself, which I later came to regret that decision. While moving the grill down the stairs, one stair at a time so to not have all the insides fall out, the one of the wheels gets stuck and the whole thing flips down the stairs. I must admit: I shed a tear. I knew she was a goner, she had her last fall. After the deck was done I gathered the grill up and all her pieces to see if she will light. I just knew that I was going to have to break down and by a new one. Emily was happy because she hates the ugly old grill. It is dirty and hard to use she says. Now, after 3 years of grilling, of course it is dirty, but that is what I love about it.
I get everything put back together, turn on the propane, and 5 minutes later I hold the lighter in the grill and cross my fingers. WALA! It lights. Now the top two smaller grills, no longer fit, but I have the main one! So, gimp along a little longer grill, you, the wash machine and the dryer are troopers! Don’t let Emily tell you any different!