4 Great Ways to Save Money on Appliance Purchases

We all want to save a little green on our next big appliance purchase. Whether you’re upgrading for style (stainless looks great!), to save energy, or because your dishwasher just up and quit, here’s four great ways to save money on your next purchase.

Buy Used on Craigslist

If you’re buying an appliance to replace a broken one and you’re working with a tight budget, Craigslist is a great place to look. At any given time, there are hundreds of used appliances for sale, most at least 50% off retail. We’ve bought a refrigerator, washer, and dryer with good experiences, and our friends bought a refrigerator and a stove. Why is Craigslist great? Because at any given time, someone in your community will be upgrading a 3-year-old appliance to a brand new one, and you’ll like save more than a few hundred bucks upgrading. Want to know how much to pay? Here’s our rules: 1-2 years old: 50-60% of retail; 2-4 years: 40-50% of retail; 4-5 years: 30-40% of retail; 5+ years: 10-30%.

… or Get a Coupon

If you prefer new appliances to the used variety, make sure you pick up a coupon before purchasing. Almost all major retail stores offer online coupons for at least 10% or more. One Project Closer keeps a current list of Sears Coupons (including appliance coupons) that’s a good place to start. They also feature a number of ways to pickup a 10% off Lowes Coupon.

Install it Yourself

Whether you buy it from Craigslist or from a retailer, you can save $50-100 bucks by installing the appliance yourself. Installing a refrigerator is little more than plugging it in, and in if has a built in water dispenser, hooking up a single water line. Washers and dryers are similarly easy to install. Perhaps the most complicated appliance to install is a dishwasher, which requires only three hookups. Check out Home Construction Improvement for their instructions on installing a dishwasher.

Borrow a Truck and Haul away the Old One

Perhaps the simplest way to save money on appliance purchases is to haul the old appliance away yourself. Most districts will allow you to dump appliances for free. Many will recycle key components of a broken appliance before sending the remaining parts to a landfill. Hauling an appliance away yourself will save between $30-60 bucks.