The Hunt

There are definitely some side effects to having older GPS models.  Yesterday, I set out on a mission to find a washer and dryer.  We still have the big white van, and we thought it would be a good idea to buy a set while we could still haul them.  I started out by going to an Appliance Discounters store.  Supposedly they carry "scratch and dent" appliances, and that's what I was really interested in.  I'm not picky when it comes to laundry...I want something that will get the job done and not cost me an arm, leg, and my first born child.


Anyhow, I did a little research, found out that the appliance store has 3 locations and 2 of them were equal distance from our new home.  I jotted both of the closest addresses down "just in case."  I put the address into the GPS for the first store and started on my way.  I got on the highway and was excited about "touring" the suburbs.  Well, roads are changing all the time, and my GPS isn't.  Sidenote: I think that the GPS should come with lifetime map updates at no additional cost!  If you're going to spend $200 or so on it, that's the least the company could do for you. End rant.


So I was on the highway and the GPS said that I needed to get off at Exit 32 A.  Well, I pass exits 29, then 30, then 31.  I get to mile marker 32 and see no sign for Exit 32 of any sort.  Ok, no problem. I just get off at Exit 33C.  The GPS wants me to turn around and get back on the highway.  Ok, I can play that game.  So I do.  But I know there isn't an Exit 32 A.  So I get off at an exit that I recognize as a major street name.  I know that I have to go South, so I just drive south.  Eventually, the GPS will change and get me to where I'm going...I just tweaked it to go where I wanted it to go.  Now, you have to picture this as I'm driving in the big white van.  As I'm driving, I'm going through neighborhoods with lots of stop lights...not the easiest path to take in this ginormous van in the city.  It's also hard to merge on a dime...you have to plan out where you can merge.  (I have a small car, which is great for merging!)  Anyway, about 40 minutes later, I get to where I need to be.  It was only supposed to take 20 minutes, but no problem.  I have all the time in the world.


I get to the store, go in, and talk to a very lovely woman.  She was really nice, which I was grateful for.  She showed me a couple of sets of washers and dryers, both which were way more expensive than I wanted to spend.  However, they were both under the budget that my husband had given me.  You see, I'm a tight wad.  I hate spending more than I have to, and I love a good deal.


I talk to my husband and my mom on the phone, and they both thought we could get a better deal elsewhere.  Ok, at this point I'm a little overwhelmed. Buying a washer and dryer is a big expense.  I don't like purchasing "big" things without talking to Tyler first, and most of the time I want him to look at it and make sure he's gonna like it.  He was at work, so I had to buck up and keep looking.  I did stop and pray about it because at this point in our lives, I didn't feel like God wanted us to pay $700 for a set.  I put the address of the second store in the GPS and off I went to the St. Charles area.  I thought that they might have different shipments, but I was wrong.  I kinda felt like I wasted my time.  They guy that helped me there was equally as nice, though.


So I came back home and ate some lunch.  I decided to get on Craigslist and see what I could find.  I'm always leery of getting scammed, but I think people can really find a good deal sometimes.  I found several sets that were more in my price range, and particularly one set stuck out.

• It had been lightly used for a year, then put in storage.
• They were selling because of a military move.
• The ad had good spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
• They were trying to sell it fast.

So I e-mailed them from the listing.  Not more than 5 minutes later, I got a reply!  The lady was super nice.  She was very polite in answering my questions.  I called my dad (because he's very knowledgeable about things like this), and he wanted me to make sure the washer had been drained before it was put in storage.  So I asked the nice lady all my questions and she was quick to reply.  I thought, "Maybe this is an answer to my prayer!"  We made arrangements to meet last night to look at it after Tyler got off work.

We left our apartment around 5:40 (in the middle of rush hour).  We had a total of 13.8 miles to drive, all highway.  After getting on the highway, we quickly decided to take back roads.  Please excuse our dirty, bug splattered windshield. :]

We went through a quaint little town.  We said we might come back to go eat on their main street because it was so cute (and people were everywhere!).  We made it to the storage unit that we were meeting the people at.  It took us 40 minutes to get there!  Lesson learned...don't go anywhere during rush hour. :]

The couple was really nice.  He's in the military and being stationed in Germany next, so they couldn't take the washer and dryer with him.  Tyler liked him right away because the guy was wearing a "Smith and Wesson" t-shirt. :]  A gun is the way to my husband's heart. 

We loaded them up, and took them home.  It only took 20 minutes to get back, and we were hungry by then.  We stopped at a Qdoba to eat and ate outside on their patio.  It was a beautiful evening!  God has been very gracious to give us the warm weather.  I love it.

Oh and because this is my blog and I can, here's a picture of the awesome quesadilla that I had.  The guy "hooked me up," in the words of Tyler.  It was huge.

I had called my parents on the way back to let them know that we had bought a washer and dryer.  They both asked how we were going to get it up to our apartment.  My reply was quick, "I'll pretend I'm a man."  And that's what I did.

This is our "first Craigslist purchase smile."  Or lack of, in Tyler's case. :]

And, yes I did help carry them in!  We didn't even drop them, which is good because they look brand, spankin' new.