Selfish Mom

And now for my big appliance announcement

Jan 22, 2010 Product Review

Renovation Miscalculation

Three-and-a-half years ago, we were living in a condo with a huge balcony, new appliances and shiny granite counters.  We traded all that in for a run-down, four-story, 160-year-old brownstone a few blocks away.  We sold our condo for a big profit, enough that we thought we could renovate the whole house with fairly high-end everything, and get it all done in about six months.

Yes, we were that dumb.

We were able to get most of the top two floors and some of the bottom floor done before we ran out of money.  But our kitchen was still the disgusting, third floor, buggy, mousy, tiny, supposed-to-be-our-master-bathroom old rental kitchen from when the house was a duplex.  We had thought we’d only be using it for six months, maybe a year, max.  Even so, I had insisted on getting a new stove and fridge (I wish I had taken pictures of the old ones, they were impressively gross).  These were not nice appliances.  They were the absolute cheapest we could get.  But they were fantastic compared to the tile counters we couldn’t put food on (they were cracked, with grout falling out all the time), the cabinets with no backs that we couldn’t put food in unless we wanted to purposely feed the mice, and the floor I never, not once in more than three years, walked barefoot on.  And we had no dishwasher.

A few months ago I got completely fed up just setting foot in that kitchen, so I set up a temporary one downstairs, where the “real” kitchen would eventually go.  It had a stand-alone IKEA sink, two big IKEA wardrobes we had been using for storing games and books and stuff, and of course, still no dishwasher.  But at least it was clean, with brand new floors.

So, that was the kitchen we were going to use for years, until we could afford the ridiculously expensive custom kitchen we had been planning.  It was not a good plan, but it’s what we were going to do.

An Amazing Opportunity from Frigidaire

But then, on a whim, I applied for the Frigidaire Test Drive Campaign on Mom Central.  And I’m finally allowed to announce, after keeping it in since Thanksgiving, that I made it on to the Super Team!  I’ll be testing out six appliances from the Frigidaire Professional line of appliances, and sharing my experiences.

So, as soon as we found out that we would be getting a Frigidaire refrigerator, range, microwave, dishwasher, washer, and dryer, we decided to scrap our old kitchen plans and get something in place before the appliances arrived.  It wasn’t easy, but everything seems to be falling into place.  Our new cabinets are in, our counter should be installed next week, and the appliances will be here sometime in February (except for the washer and dryer; they’ll be arriving in May).

I’m so excited I can hardly wait.  Frigidaire has a new guarantee on their site that if you buy three of their appliances from a list of their time-saving appliances, you’ll save a minimum of eight hours a month on your household chores.  And you know I’m all about getting more me-time.  Since I spend way too much time washing dishes by hand, I’ll make that up with the dishwasher alone!  But I’m really looking forward to the other time-saving features.  And being able to organize my freezer.  And not having to use a Britta pitcher for water anymore.  And not having to fill ice trays anymore.  And not having to wait twenty minutes for the oven to pre-heat.  And not having to wonder what the microwave display says since ours has been broken for three years.

And did I mention, not having to spend about 90 minutes each day washing dishes?

Whoo-hoo!

Enter To Win Your Own Washer/Dryer

Want to enter to win some fabulous prizes from Frigidaire, all while helping raise money for Save the Children?

Frigidaire has teamed up with Jennifer Garner on Spin & Win, an online contest where you could win a prize from Frigidaire.  And every day that you spin the wheel, Frigidaire will donate $1 to Save the Children!  So bookmark the Make Time for Change site and visit daily – there’s a winner every day.

Good luck!

“I wrote this review while participating in a Test Drive Campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Frigidaire and received a Frigidaire Refrigerator, Range/Microwave, Washer/Dryer set, and a Dishwasher to facilitate my review.”

Originally posted on Selfish Mom. All opinions expressed on this website come straight from Amy unless otherwise noted. This post has a Compensation Level of 1. Please visit Amy’s Full Disclosure page for more information.

Tags: Frigidaire, Jennifer Garner, Save the Children