My refrigerator stopped working. Like most emergencies, this did not fit into my time frame or financial budget. However, like it or not, this was a problem I had to deal with now and not later.
Like any problem, the first thing that was required was an assessment and evaluation. I had discovered the outage before my food spoiled or was totally unthawed and was able to transfer most of it to a little refrigerator in my garage. The rest went to one of my friend’s freezer. Now I had to assess the damage and evaluate the options available to me.
Whenever I consider solutions to problems, I get as much input and information from as many sources as possible for comparison.
I took time to talk with a number of friends regarding their experiences with fairly new refrigerators. Mine was a good brand and was only ten years old. The refrigerator in my garage was over 35 years old and still working beautifully. Were appliances just not lasting anymore? What I learned was that other people were also experiencing appliances that “wore out” at an earlier age than in the past. Part of that was due to the electronics rather than the mechanical parts of today’s appliances. It didn’t make me too happy.
So what were my options and what were the pros and cons of each? I could call a repair man or purchase a new refrigerator. Repair men are not cheap. If the problem was too costly to fix then I was out the money for the service call as well as the purchase of a new refrigerator. I talked with a reputable repair man and asked his input. While he could not give me any direct answers without actually coming out, my conversation helped me to think about purchasing.
So I began the process of comparing new models, both on line and in the stores. After gathering as much information as I could, and praying about it, I gave myself a few days to “sleep on it” – time to simply allow my brain to think about my options.
In the end, I chose to buy a new refrigerator and cancelled the repair appointment. Because I had given myself time to think about my options, I was at peace with my decision.
In today’s high power marketing, it is important to base our decisions on needs rather than just wants. Explore your options and evaluate carefully. With any problem or situation, assess and evaluate your needs, take time to get information and compare prices and options, and make your decision based on prayer and necessity rather than desirability.
Marlene Anderson