The WorkGroup

If you’re looking for small household appliances, and have a specific brand, price range and model number in mind and don’t want to wait, don’t read the rest of this article. Go spend lots of money on your appliance.

However, if you want to get a household appliance really cheap, here are a few tips to getting really cheap used appliances. If you have a little time to look, and don’t mind going through a few steps first, you can get great appliances without forking out a lot of money.

If you live in an urban area, the first place to look is thrift stores. People bring their appliances to thrift stores for a couple reasons; either they don’t use them at all, or they’ve upgraded them. Thrift stores therefore, tend to have a lot of obscure appliances. However, if you’re looking for a bread machine, food processor, George Foreman grill or any number of other appliances, visit your local Salvation Army or Volunteers of America store.

My wife and I recently decided we want a crock pot. I’d prefer a crock pot and deep fryer combo, but I’ll settle for separate appliances. I’ve gone to a couple thrift stores, but I’ve been picky. The first one I found was overpriced at $8.95. You should never pay more than $5 for a good used crock pot. The second one I found had the old fashioned plug. I want my soup or chili to cook all day, and not have to go through all the hassle of burning the house down to cook the soup. This highlights one important aspect of thrift store shopping though… you don’t get instant gratification, which is the enemy of anyone who wants to live cheaply.

Another great place to get used appliances is at garage sales. You’ll find the same kind of stuff there, and if you’re not looking for anything specific, you’ll find it. If you hit a garage sale at the right time you can usually barter for a cheaper price.

Another reason that people sell, donate or throw away their appliances is because it’s missing an important part or two, and think the cost for appliance repair is prohibitive. If you’ve got an opportunity to buy a name-brand appliance that’s missing one or two parts, think about how much you’d pay for that appliance in full working order knowing you can get the parts for it.

I’ve been looking for a bread machine for a while, and there’s tons of them for sale at any thrift store. Bread machines suck unless they have double rotors to knead the bread. I found a Zojirushi double rotor bread machine, easily worth $200 or more, but it was missing the kneading blades, but I bought it anyway.

When I brought it home, I looked up the brand name and model number, and googled them in along with the word parts, and instantly found what I was looking for. The kneading blades ended up costing far more than I paid for the machine, but when all was said and done, I had a top of the line bread machine for under $50.

Along those lines, if you’ve got an appliance that you like but can’t use because its missing some parts, see if you can find the part online before you toss it. There are a number of online merchandisers who sell household appliance parts at reasonable prices. Chances are, you’ll be able to find what you need far cheaper than the replacement cost. If the parts are too pricy, then go ahead and toss it.

Take a good look at your kitchen, and imagine the appliances you’d like to have there. That way, with time and patience, you can equip your kitchen for far less than you might think possible.