LOL, last month my Whirlpool direct-drive washer from 1992 finally broke after I way overloaded it. Wife was quick to point out how old it was but I took it apart and found a broken $12 coupler, bought one fixed it. The new Whirlpool's are only $320 for a basic machine and they have belt drive and flimsy construction. Can't blame the manufacturer, people just throw out appliances anymore, why not make them as cheaply as possible so in 3 years it will be gone anyway. Meanwhile my '92 model, which cost $350 in '92 has a cast-iron transmission and a motor twice the size as a new one. Washer for life IMO.
Indus
Lifer
- May 11, 2002
- 16,601
- 11,406
- 136
Fuck my dad's washing machine broke twice in the last 2 years. The first time I replaced the part but then it broke again and was leaking. I tried to fix it but it was just rusted. Blah.
The expectation was one pair of shoes being bought, there were several pairs being bought and they were ALL very expensive.
I was kinda shocked when she gave me the receipts but she was so happy and it's only her birthday one time a year.
Get a piece of sheet metal and fix it, get new bearings and fix it, get a new motor and fix it. My washer is from the 50's and I'll keep fixing it until it electrocutes me to death (it's a 380V three phase monstrosity) which it has tried to do several times already.
Can't help it, if I can fix it I really have to fix it and if I can't I'll buy a new one and still rebuild it even if it means replacing everything just so that damn machine didn't beat me.
Cast iron transmission? I sincerely doubt that because that would break on the first spin cycle. Cast iron is real brittle and prone to rusting which is exactly what you would NOT want in a washer.
You'll want a belt drive since that will work the best and be the quietest while lasting the longest. These types of belts last for 100 000 miles in some cars without problems, your washer won't get up to those mileages in a lifetime.
boomerang
Lifer
- Jun 19, 2000
- 18,883
- 641
- 126
A little over a year ago we moved 1500 miles south. We only brought what we could fit in our two cars. Everything else was sold, given away or donated and some was thrown away.
It didn't make financial sense to move the furniture especially because the new house wouldn't be done for three to four months. We would have had to pay to move it, store it and move it again. We bought all new.
When we did the snowbird thing we learned we just didn't need a lot of stuff. In the new house we have closets galore but very little in them. Big change for my wife but that's how I lived prior to getting married.
It didn't make financial sense to move the furniture especially because the new house wouldn't be done for three to four months. We would have had to pay to move it, store it and move it again. We bought all new.
When we did the snowbird thing we learned we just didn't need a lot of stuff. In the new house we have closets galore but very little in them. Big change for my wife but that's how I lived prior to getting married.
Indus
Lifer
- May 11, 2002
- 16,601
- 11,406
- 136
Get a piece of sheet metal and fix it, get new bearings and fix it, get a new motor and fix it. My washer is from the 50's and I'll keep fixing it until it electrocutes me to death (it's a 380V three phase monstrosity) which it has tried to do several times already.
Can't help it, if I can fix it I really have to fix it and if I can't I'll buy a new one and still rebuild it even if it means replacing everything just so that damn machine didn't beat me.
Wahh I just bought a new GE. Maybe I'll do the sheet metal thing next time. I figured 26 years is a good run for a machine.
Weakling.
I'm just kidding but yeah, I'd probably have fixed it even if after the work it was heading for the scrappers.
I'd have looked it in it's ugly fucking face after I'd have fixed it too and yell "THIS IS WHAT YOU GET" and then proceed to disassemble it angle grinder style.
Proper lifter shoes are expensive and $800 is the lower range. I really prefer to lift barefoot but my current gym doesn't allow it so I have to go for the next best thing.
OTOH I save on straps, belts and crap that people who don't actually want to lift the weight splurge on.
woolfe9998
Lifer
- Apr 8, 2013
- 16,242
- 14,244
- 136
I assumed you meant multiple pairs.
When I mentioned that my wife has 80 pairs, I didn't mention that they cost an average of about $400 apiece, and that's considering she usually gets at least 50% discounts. Some of her shoes are over a grand. It's ridiculous. I don't get why anyone needs that many shoes, but she's never been able to explain it to me in a way that makes sense. I guess it's the whole Mars/Venus thing.
Also, strangely enough, this appears to be an issue more with American women than women abroad. I just read an article that says in the UK, women actually spend less than men on clothes.
imported_tajmahal
Lifer
- Jul 9, 2009
- 10,759
- 2,086
- 136
El Merendero in La Verne Ca.
Good Mexican food is one of Gods blessings. No mater where you stand on political issues.
urvile
Golden Member
- Aug 3, 2017
- 1,575
- 474
- 96
Consumerism.....with forced upgrade cycles and products designed to break or degrade after a given period of time. Be it phones, graphics cards or otherwise it potentially creates a lot of waste.
I recently upgraded my TV and ended up giving my old one away because at this point my previous one isn't worth shit. I have given away computer parts and/or sold them depending on how relevant they still are. In the end it all ends up as a big pile of e-waste.
Crazy right? This is how corporations like apple and nvidia keep ticking over.
after a given period of time. Be it phones, graphics cards or otherwise it potentially creates a lot of waste.I recently upgraded my TV and ended up giving my old one away because at this point my previous one isn't worth shit. I have given away computer parts and/or sold them depending on how relevant they still are. In the end it all ends up as a big pile of e-waste.
Crazy right? This is how corporations like apple and nvidia keep ticking over.
There are still plenty of dudes that care about fashion and buy a lot of it. My current employee is one of them. He gets excited about pay day because he can go get a fresh outfit and a new pair of jays. Hes an idiot not going to last long.
.... No they aren't. I haven't set any Olympic records or won any medals, but I've squatted and deadlifted over 600 lbs in a pair of Do-Wins that I'm sure cost me less than 200. I don't lift that heavy anymore, but I'm guessing I got a solid decade out of two pairs.
I furnished my first home with almost entirely free stuff. I was mil, so a lot of mil folks moving to new bases tend to offload crap for free to whoever has the willpower to move it, and between myself, and my two roomates in a rental home we were in, we scored so much free crap that they then left behind when *they* left to Korea/wherever. This was 8 years ago.
The list as follows:
Two TV's, 'broken' (one Projector fixed by cleaning off a projector lamp, one Plasma by replacing three capacitors for ~$1). Still have the plasma, projector sold.
Three couches, one I still have, rest donated.
Two love seats, since donated.
TV stand, shelf, coffee table, writing desk, first two since donated.
Bookshelves, still have.
Dresser, armoire, still have dresser.
Bedframe (still have), bed (donated).
Two computer desks (still have), two computer chairs (still have, not actively in use)
Expandable dining table w/chairs (still have)
Misc dishware including plates, glasses, silverware, pots, pans... I had to buy a few items for the kitchen, but not many.
Misc kitchen appliances, coffee maker I just replaced this weekend, a few blenders, old crock pot, etc.
Modular shelving units, probably ~300lb worth of those square wire paneling things, still in use.
A few jackets, still have.
Washer/dryer, still have, a bit rusty at this point but I'll probably die before they do.
Push lawnmower, weedeater, still have/use. Riding lawnmower I sold.
A car, sold.
There's probably a few more things I've forgotten about in the misc moves I've done, but that's more than enough to furnish an apartment with, at least to start with, for pretty much anyone. It's shocking how much people throw away. Check out craigslist for free stuff, I've been trolling there lately, a LOT of people throw away perfectly good furniture.
13Gigatons
Diamond Member
- Apr 19, 2005
- 7,461
- 500
- 126
I think more the point is, some people are far more inclined to throw something functional away because it isn't 'new'. It doesn't mean everyone in $country is that way, but one could argue that $country as a whole is that way. The US (as are most 1st world nations) is very consumer-driven now.
Atreus21
Lifer
- Aug 21, 2007
- 12,001
- 571
- 126
Kids mean you end up with more stuff, and then as they outgrow toys/clothes etc it's easy to let that all accumulate.
My wife's home realty business generates huge amounts of paper, I'm trying to convince her to go paperless as some of the law offices and title companies she deals with have. (As with many businesses, you have to keep things on-hand for years for legal reasons, but typically you never need the papers and they just build up somewhere).
On top of that, I have hobbies that tend to build up "gear": musician that plays out live, and home aquarium enthusiast
Finally, my wife and I both have a touch of the "hoarding instinct". Obviously there are people that have this to the point of illness--I've walked into a couple houses where there were narrow pathways between stacks of "stuff" (including garbage)...same stuff you see on the "Hoarders" tv show. The heart of this is: you don't want to throw away anything that might be "useful", whether to you or someone else. It feels like a positive feeling--hey, I don't want to put this useful thing into the landfill! So you end up (for example) with leftover electrical parts from some repair done on your house from fifteen years ago. You don't know what the doo-dads actually are, but they look in great shape! Multiply that times every extra thing you've ever gotten.
One thing that has helped is finding a recycling center near me. That way I can with a clean(er) conscience throw away old chemicals. Check your garage, a lot of that stuff has expiration dates. Bottom line: if you haven't used it in 6 months/a year or so, it probably isn't worth keeping around.
One horrible thing about having too much stuff is that you can't find things when you need them. So you buy it again, and maybe again.
My wife's home realty business generates huge amounts of paper, I'm trying to convince her to go paperless as some of the law offices and title companies she deals with have. (As with many businesses, you have to keep things on-hand for years for legal reasons, but typically you never need the papers and they just build up somewhere).
On top of that, I have hobbies that tend to build up "gear": musician that plays out live, and home aquarium enthusiast
Finally, my wife and I both have a touch of the "hoarding instinct". Obviously there are people that have this to the point of illness--I've walked into a couple houses where there were narrow pathways between stacks of "stuff" (including garbage)...same stuff you see on the "Hoarders" tv show. The heart of this is: you don't want to throw away anything that might be "useful", whether to you or someone else. It feels like a positive feeling--hey, I don't want to put this useful thing into the landfill! So you end up (for example) with leftover electrical parts from some repair done on your house from fifteen years ago. You don't know what the doo-dads actually are, but they look in great shape!
Multiply that times every extra thing you've ever gotten.One thing that has helped is finding a recycling center near me. That way I can with a clean(er) conscience throw away old chemicals. Check your garage, a lot of that stuff has expiration dates. Bottom line: if you haven't used it in 6 months/a year or so, it probably isn't worth keeping around.
One horrible thing about having too much stuff is that you can't find things when you need them. So you buy it again, and maybe again.
I wont brag. I have bought a tone of home automation things. Every room now has a A-Dot, and 2 rooms have G-Home mini. Every room has a wifi switch as well as outlet plugs.
Do you realize how easy it is to now say "Alexa, turn off the house"? Everything turn off, front door locks TVs turn off. If its warm, I can tell her to turn down the air. If I have a question, google will answer. If I cant find my phone, Google will make it ring even if its on vibrate.
Its all superfluous and I love every bit of it.
Does this even things out a little?
cytg111
Lifer
- Mar 17, 2008
- 26,588
- 15,910
- 136
Bitek
Lifer
- Aug 2, 2001
- 10,676
- 5,239
- 136
Generally I think more space you have, more crap you will have to fill it.
Only when space is tight are we forced to have to make choices.
Not only that, throwing away, donating and repairing stuff is very time consuming. When your time is more limited than money, it's easier to just buy new stuff than spending time on the old.
As I've gotten older, richer, busier, I don't have the time to mess with things like I used to.
Occasionally I find some project that went unfinished. It's like a museum piece of my old life. I have to smile on the things I no longer care about, yet spent considerable time fussing over. The stuff I used to do to try to save a few bucks when I didn't have many. Now I barely have time to bother to throw it in the trash.
How many years have it been since I wandered into FS/FT?
Only when space is tight are we forced to have to make choices.
Not only that, throwing away, donating and repairing stuff is very time consuming. When your time is more limited than money, it's easier to just buy new stuff than spending time on the old.
As I've gotten older, richer, busier, I don't have the time to mess with things like I used to.
Occasionally I find some project that went unfinished. It's like a museum piece of my old life. I have to smile on the things I no longer care about, yet spent considerable time fussing over. The stuff I used to do to try to save a few bucks when I didn't have many. Now I barely have time to bother to throw it in the trash.
How many years have it been since I wandered into FS/FT?
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