We moved into our "new" home a few months ago and are slowly replacing the items we sold or gave away before moving to Rio Bend. One large purchase we needed was a washer and dryer. Actually, I did purchase a set right after we moved since those appliances can be catagorized as a "necessity", so I found an older, used set on Craigslist for $150. It wasn't the prettiest to look at, but they seemed to work fine. My biggest problem was that our laundry room is so small there was really no room for a hamper or much else, in order to keep the door closed, so after using them for a few months, I was able to turn around and re-sell them on Craigslist for what I got them for. We were without a washer/dryer for a few weeks while I searched for a stackable gas unit in our price range. Having the washer/dryer out also gave me the opportunity to re-paint the laundry room which was greatly needed. Ironically, the night I was re-painting was the night we received a call to see if we would accept placement of our 2 foster sons, ages 2 and 4. That's another post for another time...
I was determined to find a washer/dryer last weekend if that's all I accomplished, so I checked out Craigslist and a few used appliance stores and other than one non-responsive listing, I found a listing advertising a 2 family garage sale and it listed a stackable washer/dryer. No price, pictures or phone numbers, just an address and time....so I headed out not really sure what to expect. At that point I was willing to take an electric, but was really hoping for gas. I got to the garage sale and there is was, in the corner with a $100 sign on it. I asked if it was gas or electric, and the young man said he wasn't sure, and that it was in the house when they recently purchased it, and since they didn't need it, they were selling it. I quickly paid for it and called Jeff so he can borrow a truck to pick it up later. After a good cleaning I was SOOOO happy to realize this was a like-new GAS unit that retails for about $1300 at Sears!
After finding deals like this, who would pay retail for any large purchases like this? We're trying hard to completely get out of debt and live within our means - we truly believe that debt is a burden and distracts us from doing the things we should be doing. I love listening to Dave Ramsey and we are even attending his live event in January! If you've never listened to Dave Ramsey, find out what time/station his show airs by visiting his website at www.daveramsey.com. 
