The Best Time to Buy a Refrigerator
Looking to buy a new fridge? Read more to learn the best time to buy a refrigerator is, plus a few useful tips when buying one!
No household can survive without a refrigerator and for very obvious reasons. If you don’t have a fridge, where will you store your food? How will you keep them safe if it’s not at the proper cool temperature? Questions like these emphasize the importance of a fridge, so it’s important to own one and make sure that it’s in its best working condition.
But what happens if your refrigerator is on its last year? Just like any appliance, your fridge only has a limited time when it is useful or working at its maximum. Accountants would call this “useful” life which refers to the amount of time an asset contributes to the business. In this case, the useful life of a refrigerator is around 13 years. The best refrigerator can have a longer lifespan which extends up to 17 years.
A Few Tips On Buying A Refrigerator
Before going to the store to buy a new fridge, here are a few tips to make shopping for one a little easier and lighter on the wallet.
- Plan ahead
Though you may be tempted to use your old refrigerator until it’s old and gray, this isn’t the smartest thing to do because older models tend to use a lot of energy. In turn, this makes you spend more on electricity. What you can do to avoid this and still save on your fridge budget is to know the approximate time your fridge will have served its purpose. If the useful life is 13 years, then you might want to start budgeting for a new model 2 years before.
- Research on the most efficient models
It’s best to always do research on the best and most efficient refrigerators before you actually go to the store. This not only guides you which one to get, but it also helps you avoid getting tempted by sweet-talking salesmen. You don’t want to fall into the trap of buying something cheap but with poor quality.
- Know what you really need
Sometimes, you will encounter fridges so advanced that their prices shoot up the roof. If you don’t have the budget for this, then might as well stick to the basics. Buy only the kind of fridge you need. For example, you don’t need a two-door fridge with a built-in water dispenser. These additional features will only just cost you more. Make a list of the basic things you need in a fridge and look for models that are best in those requirements.
- Check for warranties and customer service
Don’t forget to also check on the warranties and other services the brand can give. It’s important to have a warranty on your fridge so that you can still get to fix it when there are defects on the appliance. Moreover, other services like maintenance can also increase the lifespan of your refrigerator. Ideally, you want to buy from a manufacturer that has a good reputation for refrigerators and who is known for great customer service.
When To Buy A Refrigerator
Now that you have done your research and have enough money to buy your dream fridge, it’s still important to know when to buy a new refrigerator. Just because you can afford it, doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be wise in getting the best deals out there. So, when is the best time to buy a refrigerator?
- Spring
Spring is one of the best times to buy a new refrigerator because fridge manufacturers release their new models during the summer. In most countries, the month of May would be the ideal month when you buy a fridge because of markdowns initiated by stores making way for the newer models. You’ll notice that a lot of last year’s models become discounted.
You might have heard that stores give sales on appliances during September and October, but this isn’t the case for refrigerators. These two months are actually true for the other appliances because the Christmas season is when new models are being rolled out.
- Weekdays
Unless it’s a holiday weekend, weekends aren’t an ideal time to buy a fridge because stores and malls want to take advantage of the foot traffic they get during the weekend. So to get a better deal, it’s recommended that you try buying a refrigerator during the weekdays. Yes, this means that you might have to go to the store during your lunch break, but at least you get to save on your fridge purchase!
- Holiday Weekends
So not all weekends have expensive refrigerators. In fact, there are holiday weekends when you can get the best deals. Take, for example, Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Columbus Day. You can even get a lot of discounts during Black Friday which isn’t technically a weekend.
- January
You would think that after Christmas, the sale season goes away. But this isn’t true for appliances. January is the month when stores, although not trying to reach last year’s quota, are trying to dispose of their older models. There are times when manufacturers and brands roll out new products during the new year to create a good impact on the coming year. That’s why you can still find great deals during this month even if the season of sale is over.
- End of the Month
And lastly, it’s also worth checking out month-end deals because a lot of products are subject to quotas. This means that when stores are trying to reach the quota for a certain refrigerator (and other appliances), they have to lower the price so that it becomes appealing to customers. However, there are some stores that don’t have a monthly quota. Instead, they have quarterly or yearly quotas. So, it would be beneficial to you if you check refrigerator prices every once in a while.
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Throughout the year, there will be a lot of chances for you to get great deals on your new refrigerator. The trick is to know the best time to buy, compare models, and to create a budget in advance. In that way, a new fridge won’t create a big dent on your savings.