8 Ways To Save Money On Kitchen Appliances

The kitchen is an appliance-heavy room. It's difficult to imagine a kitchen without at least a stove and a fridge. Beyond that, you can have appliances as large as dishwashers to as small as electric can openers. What you need for your kitchen is directly tied to how much space you have and how often you use your kitchen. If you aren't whipping up whole meals daily, you're most likely going to need less from an appliance than someone who is. Knowing your needs before shopping for a replacement appliance, or even buying an appliance in the first place, is one of the best ways to save yourself a lot of time, hassle, and money.

Considering it's recommended that you replace smaller appliances every three to five years, while larger appliances like dishwashers should last between 10 and 15, you will eventually need to do some smart shopping. Appliances (even small ones) are not cheap. Once you've answered the crucial question of style, shape, and size, that's when you'll need to turn your eyes towards the budget. Everyone wants your money, be they installers, retailers, manufacturers, or even data brokers. Thankfully, there are ways to save money when it comes to your kitchen. From cost-saving measures before you buy an appliance to how you can best utilize them in your kitchen to save yourself money going forwards, your appliances don't have to be the money pit they sometimes feel like.

Everything seems to be a "smart" object these days. There are smart toothbrushes to track your hygiene habits, smart speakers to help change the volume of your music depending on the background noise level, and smart cars that let you know when you haven't been checking your mirrors enough. While some connective functions can be helpful, the more features that a product has, the more expensive it is going to be. These features not only cause a huge surge in price, but they also may not provide the quality of life improvements they claim to.

When purchasing a kitchen appliance, the cheaper options are going to be '"dumb,'" as in not a smart device. Anything without Wi-Fi connectivity, Bluetooth-enabled monitoring, or a touch screen is ostensibly a "dumb" product these days. However, a dumb appliance will fulfill its function without adding a dozen extra fees to your overall bill. This goes for more than just smart features as well; do you need an oven that also functions as an air fryer? Do you need your coffee pot to be able to automatically brew at the same time every morning? These are questions you should ask yourself as you look over why an appliance seems so much more expensive than it should be. Getting a stove without a clock or built-in timer can save you a few dollars. Sometimes the best way to save money is to get exactly what you need, without any additional frills.

A good salesperson knows the fastest way to make money is to limit your chance to do research. Whether you opt to go online or make the time to go in person to various stores, the sales teams want you to lock in on how good their deals are and not think about their competitors. Comparison shopping is as old as retail itself. Identifying which store is going to give you the best deal and which ones are full of hot air is far and away one of the most important skills you can pick up as a consumer.

Let's say you're in the market for a new stove. After deciding between gas or induction, you'll then have to actually buy the right model. A smart salesperson will ask how much space you have, if you have an aesthetic to match, and what features you're looking for. They may even ask what kind of budget you're working with. You'll want to push back and get more information than you give. Sure, you may be tempted by the sleek models online, but if you had done the right comparison shopping, you would have found the perfect stove at the local appliance shop. Don't be afraid to walk away — the harder the salespeople push, the more likely it is that the deal they're offering will still be on the table if you return.

It's a fact of life: If a brand has made a name for itself, it will start to charge more. This is true from groceries to appliances to tools. If you were to compare two refrigerators with the same dimensions and functionality, save that one was an LG and the other was an off-brand appliance, the one with the recognizable name would most likely cost quite a bit more. When there are lists and lists of generic items that are just as good as the name brand floating around online, it becomes clear that a name is just that — a name.

You may argue that buying a name brand comes with a certain guarantee of quality. This is not always the case. Just because a brand is known for quality appliances does not mean that every one of its models is created equal. While a name brand may come with a more robust customer service team, that also means it comes with a larger legal department and that getting an appliance replaced or repaired becomes a real hassle. At the end of the day, the money you save going for the off-brand alternative appliance is a lot more desirable than an extended warranty, especially since it always feels like a product won't break until the warranty expires anyway.

Energy efficiency is good for more than just the environment. While it may be noble of you to adopt a low-energy lifestyle in order to cut down on your carbon footprint, the more practical application to your day-to-day life will be reflected in your monthly energy bill. The lower overall cost of an energy-saving appliance is among the top reasons to purchase an energy-efficient appliance, with helping the environment being a huge plus. A lot of the larger appliances for sale these days come with big yellow stickers attached that will give you a rundown of their energy efficiency, sure, but you can start smaller, too.

Any appliance that you plug into an outlet will use a certain amount of passive energy, even while it's not actively being utilized. Toasters are a good example of this. Not only can you find a toaster to suit any budget, but you could optimize that budget by getting an energy-efficient toaster. It beats remembering to unplug the dang thing every morning. The same goes for coffee makers and microwaves. An energy-efficient appliance helps keep the passive use of power to a minimal level, and the more efficient appliances you have, the more spare change starts to stay in your bank account each month.

Second-hand stores get a lot of guff for simply being what they are. There is this pervasive idea that buying used goods has the same implications as rooting around in someone's garbage. If you've ever stepped foot into a Savers or a consignment shop, you'd know how incorrect that idea is. Some of the highest quality items can be found in second-hand stores. It served the first owner well, and it can do the same for you. You can find appliances big and small, and the only additional cost to you would be transportation and installation. If you were planning on saving that money anyway, it's a win-win.

If you're nervous about buying a second-hand model or simply want someone else to install your appliance for you, you could also look at discontinued appliances. When a model gets replaced, the stock of the previous one is usually given a steep discount. It is easier to find these discounts at local appliance shops or overstock outlet stores. Have no fear; if the product was discontinued for a safety reason, the stores will not sell it to you. Thus, if it's still for sale, the reason it was discontinued is that it was simply replaced with a newer model. Rest easy, and make use of the store's delivery and installation policies while still saving big on the bulk of the price.

Not to sound old-fashioned, but people made do without electricity for thousands and thousands of years. In fact, the prolific use of electricity in and around the private home is only about 150 years old. Before we had electricity at our beck and call, people were still able to cook and keep their kitchens clean. If you're really looking to cut down on the amount of money being used on kitchen appliances, start asking yourself which of the electric appliances you could replace with a little bit of time and elbow grease.

If you were to ask your grandmother how to make any number of the classic cookies she grew up with, you can bet that dough was hand-beaten. Electric mixers are a wonderful invention for saving time and against repetitive stress injuries, but when it comes to saving money, a wooden spoon and a whisk are cheaper than a stand mixer. Another appliance to replace is the dishwasher. You can wash your dishes by hand, and restocking on dish soap and scrubbers is still going to be cheaper for longer than buying a new dishwasher. If you find the more manual lifestyle works for you, you could expand the concept even further by picking up a French-press coffee pot or switching from an electric kettle to boiling water on your stove. There are a multitude of ways to cut back on power in your kitchen that saves on the bills and reduces replacement costs.

The best friend of a smart and thrifty shopper is the outlet store. While an outlet store may not have the same consistent stock that many big box retailers have, it does have discounts. Lots and lots of discounts. Outlet stores are where overstock or outdated items end up when the major retailers are done with them. It's a win for you, since you're sometimes shopping for big ticket items for up to 50% off. On top of that, outlet stores often come with return policies, installation services, and delivery, so some of the hassle of shopping at second-hand or thrift stores is dealt with.

Outlet stores and liquidation stores are not only a smart place to shop for otherwise expensive items. It can also be fun, like a scavenger hunt. Since you never know what you're going to find on the shelves, each new discovery is a little bit of a win. Outlet stores are even a big draw for avid thrifters looking to stock their kitchen with everything from glassware to appliances. The only advice you should take when shopping at these discount retailers is don't wait. If you see something you like, unlike when dealing with pushy salespeople, buy immediately. There is no guarantee that the item that has caught your eye is going to still be there when you return.

Okay, you've bought your appliance. Fantastic. You budgeted perfectly, and you found the right model with the bells and whistles you needed. Worth it! Except ... now there's a delivery fee. Then an installation fee. If we're talking about a fridge, the low end of the installation fee is going to hover around $130. The more people who have to work on the installation, the more expensive it is. The longer the installation, the more money you spend. If you've bought a new fridge and need the old one removed, you won't believe how much it costs to get it all installed.

The best way to avoid these extra fees is to be prepared to transport and install your own appliance. One of the many nice things about living in the modern era is the absolute glut of online tutorials at your fingertips. You can easily find a how-to guide to install the exact make and model of whatever appliance you've purchased. Of course, take your safety into consideration. If you're not confident you can safely install a gas stove, please leave it to the professionals. That being said, with a calm, confident approach to installation, a helpful tutorial, and a willingness to troubleshoot, you can save hundreds of dollars on an already expensive buy.