Planned Failure

From Investopedia:

Planned Obsolescence
A manufacturing decision by a company to make consumer products in such a way that they become out-of-date or useless within a known time period. The main goal of this type of production is to ensure that consumers will have to buy the product multiple times, rather than only once. This naturally stimulates demand for an industry's products because consumers have to keep coming back again and again.

Products ranging from inexpensive light bulbs to high-priced goods such as cars and buildings are subject to planned obsolescence by manufacturers and producers.

New Stove!

In the 11 and one half years that Jen, Oni,  The Amazing Bob and I have lived here in Valhalla, we’ve burned through two washers, two dryers, two dishwashers (on our third of each now) and four ovens (numero cinque is in das haus now). We’ve had to replace one fridge and one furnace. We’re now on our THIRD water heater. This is between our two houses, not just TAB’s and mine alone, mind you and thank Bast. Those scary numbers also include the ones that came with the houses when we bought.

What in the name of all that’s holy and convenient (redundant?) is going on!? I don’t recall my parents ever having to replace the stove or fridge (granted, we didn’t stop our near constant moves until I was 14. I left home five years later so, quite possibly, I missed something). Jen, who went from cradle to college under the same roof, tells me her mother had the same stove for 35 years.

It’s true, we bought the less expensive models on all of these failure babies. Why? Are we cheap? Fuck no! We simply couldn’t afford the pricier models.

Obviously, had we known that we’d be buying again and again, so damned frequently, we would have waited, saved up and bought the bigger bucked item. We just thought ‘well, we’re getting fewer bells and whistles with this model but that’s fine AND we can have hot water for showers, clean clothes and hot food now versus later.’

The corporations get rich while the poors constantly scramble to just get by.

No one told me that appliances are like shoes -- you get what you pay for. I used to always buy feet gear at Payless or places like that until it finally clicked ‘yeah, the shoes don’t cost much but the heels break off within half a dozen wearings AND my feet hurt all the damned time.’ Now I wait. I buy only what I need and I buy it once. And yes, lavender suede driving mocs were a need not want. OK, not just a want.

TAB and I had stove four (for our house) delivered and installed this past Friday. This time, we shopped at a local family owned appliance store versus Lowe’s or Home Depot and we chose a Consumer Reports recommended brand. Between the range, delivery and installation we paid around $200 more than for our other short lived buys.

So far, we’re loving it. The oven, when set to 300º actually IS 300 º. The stove top has more more than two levels for the flame -- not just medium and high.

Hopefully this baby will live longer than a pet hamster in a house full of cats.