Month: June 2016

Adventures in Damaged Appliances

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This morning we visited Northside Park in Wheaton so I could get some photos of the wildlife. I love this park so much!

Northside Park

We saw a Great Blue Heron as well as other birds.

Great Blue Heron

Afterwards we went to Lowes to buy a new dishwasher since ours finally crapped out last night. It was 26 years old so it was time. I did a little research online and Consumer Reports recommended Whirlpool so we went with that even though we didn’t get the specific model in their recommendation as it was $150 more. We didn’t want any bells and whistles – just a basic dishwasher like our old one.

The model we bought was on sale for $299. We brought it home and when Joe was getting ready to install it we noticed the side panel was cracked. And of course it wasn’t the side of the dishwasher facing the sink so you’d never notice it. Noooo, it had to be the side facing out where everyone walks past and it’s noticeable. Can we seriously not catch a break with buying damaged appliances? I know it’s only a cosmetic issue, but WTF?

Cracked Dishwasher

We didn’t want to take it back to Lowes since it was the last one in stock other than the floor model so I called Whirlpool and they are sending someone out on Friday to determine the part that needs to be replaced. Because me taking pictures and sending it to them isn’t sufficient. Even though they know exactly what piece it is and the model and serial number. Then of course they will have to come back to actually do the replacement. I feel like someone should pay me for my time and aggravation.

Taste of Wheaton

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After yesterday’s gloominess today was a ray of sunshine, literally. It was in the mid 70’s and other than how windy it’s been, it’s been a perfect day. At 1 pm we headed over to the Taste of Wheaton. We like going just to people watch, which is basically what we did for an hour and a half. We sat on one of the many benches near their stage, listened to music, and observed. We usually don’t buy any food because there’s not much to choose from considering it’s called the TASTE of Wheaton. Also, it’s bad enough the food is overpriced, but what really gets me is it isn’t anything exciting either. Plus more than a handful of booths were empty. Did the vendor just not show up or are they against working on Sundays like Chik Fil A? In any case, we left because I was getting hungry and wanted to go home and make lunch.

On the way back we stopped at Dunkin Donuts to try their iced green tea. I’m still not even sure they gave me green tea since it tasted like regular tea to me. I got it unsweetened, though, so maybe it’s harder to tell the difference between them. I’d like to try their peach iced tea at some point. I had forgotten it wasn’t just iced coffee that’s $1 from 2-4 pm. Oh, and I’m still nursing my Almond Joy iced coffee from Friday. The ice takes days to melt if you stick it in the fridge.

Rainy Day Saturday & Garage Sale Prep

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It rained all day yesterday and we didn’t leave the house. In the morning I pulled out all the toiletries, medications, etc. and organized them as well as labeled the box with all the first aid related stuff in the hall closet. Oh, and I documented what we have and its location in Evernote. I love using that app to track our stuff. Proof it would have helped – I found two unopened packages of floss. I just bought some recently not knowing we already had plenty.

I came across even more stuff to sell for our upcoming garage sale as well. On one hand I’m getting anxious that we haven’t just had the sale so we can get it over with (I’m not looking forward to it because I hate dealing with cheap people) but on the other hand I’m glad we didn’t rush into it since we’re still coming across stuff we’d like to sell. Case in point: today I went through all my purses and bags and am getting rid of a decent pile. It feels good pairing down our stuff!

I forgot to mention the Dollar Tree is a great place to get garage sale supplies. They have nice sturdy plastic signs that say Garage Sale in red on them and empty white space below to write an address or put an arrow. Friday we bought black adhesive numbers so we can put the street number in that space for the sign outside our subdivision. They also have price stickers. The package includes multiple round stickers, with standard prices on them. There are also some blank stickers as well as some that say “make an offer”. It will make pricing our stuff tomorrow easier.

After a productive morning we spent a good portion of the day playing the Disney Tsum Tsum game we’re both addicted to now. Then we watched Dirty Grandpa which was mediocre. J kept pestering me about seeing it but I think it had a predictable ending and seemed to only exist so the characters could throw around “creative” insults. That’s my take, anyway.

Cable & Internet

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We ran into a little snafu dealing with WOW so we’re not getting their services for the time being. We called Comcast today, however, to cancel our cable service. Once the rep realized I was serious (I also mentioned we’d be dropping the internet service soon), she gave us an offer that we couldn’t refuse – internet at the same speed we have now and digital economy basic cable for $60 per month for the next 12 months. Internet by itself? $80 per month. Yep, it costs more to NOT have cable. Crazy, huh?

We disconnected the DVR and brought it to the Xfinity store to swap it for a regular cable box. Their stores aim for an Apple Store vibe which is nice.

Xfinity Store

Waiting over 20 minutes just to swap equipment? Not so much.

Once we got home I checked our new channel lineup and it’s barely more than the local channels, plus a few cable channels like the Food and Cartoon Networks, and Comedy Central. No more FX or TBS though.

The great part is that we cut our bill by $50 per month which isn’t chump change. Once we get our DIY home security set up we’ll disconnect that and save an additional $40 per month.

On the way home we stopped at Dunkin Donuts because I wanted to try their new Almond Joy flavored iced coffee and get my free donut for National Donut Day. Why I didn’t ask for decaf is beyond me. Even though I only drank half my coffee I feel terrible. I should know better.