Microwave Madness

I finally got a new microwave! People kept saying, microwaves are cheap now, like $100. I spent $100 on my microwave 8 years ago, I hope they are cheaper than that now. I don't think $100 is that cheap.

I should have just gone out and bought one when the other one died a couple of weeks ago. It was perfect timing for the back to school sales. But then my sister said that she had an extra one that her daughter didn't need (she had a built in microwave in her dorm suite). Then her husband took it back to the store before she had a chance to send it to me but being the generous sister that she is, she sent me the $35 that she paid for it.(Thanks again sister!) I finally went out to Best Buy to buy one. I had checked the online prices a couple of weeks ago and Best Buy had the best price. Then before I left the house I checked the Best Buy ad again and there weren't any microwaves in the latest ad. That should have been a hint right there. I got to the store and there weren't any microwaves on sale. The cheapest one was $50! There was a marked down shelf with clearance or opened items and there were 2 microwaves there. One had a sticker that said "price in the last 30 days- $35" The marked down price was $42!!! I asked the salesman and he said that the $35 price was probably a mistake and the $42 was 10% off of the current price which was $50. I said the $35 was not a mistake, those microwaves were $35 within the last 30 days because my sister bought one for $35. He said, oh, that was probably for the back to school sale. He wasn't going to budge on the price so I left. That is the first time that I have seen a clearance item marked up instead of down!

Sears was across the street so I went there next. They had a similar microwave for $40 but the brand was Galaxy. I really don't like buying the super cheap off name brand when it comes to appliances. Also, I really wanted a black one and it only came in white. The next step up was a GE brand for $50 also in white. Then the prices jumped about $20 before they offered one in black. I decided to try Walmart just in case since I still wanted a black one.

Walmart was crowded as usual. I remembered why I don't like it there. Dirty floors, crowded parking lot, lots of people, it makes me stressed and tired. I found the microwaves and they had the same GE model as Sears except it was $4 cheaper. They also had a Sharp brand, .8 cu. foot, 800 watt for $55 and it came in black! The others that I had been looking at were .7 cu. foot, 700 watts so this Sharp was an upgrade on everything, size, watts and color. I was happy even though after tax I ended up spending $60 for my microwave. This one is a little lighter too and takes up a little less space. My last microwave was so heavy that it pushed my counter top down in the corner where it sat. It pulled the caulk away from the wall and I had to patch it.

I also got a tip from the lady at Sears. She said that her last microwave died after a power surge. I know I have a lot of power surges at my house which probably shortened my poor microwaves life. I need to buy a surge protector and maybe I can keep this microwave from an untimely death.