The Refrigerator Journey

 

When I came up with what I saw as a brilliant plan, everyone I know thought that I was absolutely nuts.  

I had a nice big major-brand-name refrigerator/freezer.  It was only a few years old, in great shape, with lots of cubic foot capacity, had an ice maker and everything.  But, for me, the ice maker was the deal breaker. That ice maker took up 25% of the space in a freezer that was already a bit too small while the refrigerator portion was so big that I'd forget stuff that got pushed to the back and I wasted fresh foods often.  The huge fridge also cost a lot in terms of electric power usage, too.

After ruminating and grumbling about the fridge for a couple of years, I had one of those Light Bulb Moments that point out exactly what should have been painfully obvious in the first place:  what I really needed was more more freezer space, less fridge space.  

I followed that leap of logic with a leap of faith:   I sold the fridge for the low price of $125 because I just wanted it out of the house by that point.  Then I bought a very good used counter-height dorm fridge for $40 at a church yard sale.  And I work-bartered at a pawn shop for a very good used medium-size chest freezer (it was the best fit for my small kitchen) so that cost nothing but my time.  What I ended up with was a fridge and a freezer and $85 (which I spent on food).

Result:  

I no longer waste foods in the fridge because it's too small to lose anything in there.

I eat better meals because I have to plan ahead since there's no room to store stuff.

I save money by buying food on sale and freezing it.

I can cook meals in advance so I'm prepared when I don't have time or energy.

I can bake six loaves of quality bread once a month that I can store in the freezer.

I have discovered that some things (like tomatoes) taste better stored at room temperature.

And my electric power bill has gone down by about $20 every month.

People still shake their heads when they see that I haven't got a "normal" fridge.  They totally don't get it.  But it works!  For me, it really works.  And it's one of the best things I ever did.

And there is one other future up-side to my refrigerator plot.  When a large fridge breaks down, it costs over $125 just to get a service repairman to come out to see what is wrong.  It's only after that $125 that the repair costs start mounting up, and they can be high.  If my  little fridge breaks down, I can buy a brand new one for about $150 or I can find another used one.  If my freezer breaks down, I can buy a brand new one for about $400 or I can find another used one.

As far as I can see, it's wins all around.  
And that's more than Good Enough!