My refrigerator is so small, I just can't fit everything in it. I would like to buy a new one, and use the old one in my canning kitchen.

Does anyone have any thoughts on brands, sizes, common price ranges etc...? I will probably look at Lowe's and Sears today, just wanted to get some input form everyone??

-- Melissa (cmnorris@1st.net), November 23, 2001

Answers

Melissa-I bought a new refrigerator Early NovLast year-I got it from Lowes and got a really good Buy-free delivery/hookup even. It was a "barebones" model-no icemaker/drink dispencer though the salesman tried despertly to sell me the fancier model. If you have cash its a great deal- it was the best in this area. Watch Lowes finacing though-apparently you have to get a Lowes card and the interest is "free" for so many months (3?) then it zooms to something like 21%

Its cool enough here at night that I just pack leftovers in an ice chest and set it on the porch. I pack a little ice in it during the day The only time I need extra Fridge space is durng the Winter Holidays so this works out well.

-- Kelly in Ky (Ksaderholm@yahoo.com), November 23, 2001.

My advice is to buy the biggest you can afford. One never had too much refrigerator space, IMHO. We don't have any fancy stuff on ours either.

-- Ardie (ardie54965@hotmail.com), November 23, 2001.

Melissa: You might try going to Pryers Auctions we have picked up anything we wanted at very reasonable prices..For instance Two craftmatic beds for 110.00 and they really work great..Ialso got a practically new Singer Sewing machine for $1.00 which included the cabinet to go with it..In fact there is one tomorrow at his auction centerat 10.00am...I'll call you and tell you how to get there.Radar

-- Robert Smith (snuffy@1st.net), November 23, 2001.

Whatever you buy, remember to sweep/clean the coils off behind/under the fridge at least one if not twice a year.

-- Cindy (S.E.IN) (atilrthehony@countrylife.net), November 23, 2001.

Good advise Cindy. Something I often forget!! I have a Sears side by side refrigerator with ice maker. I love the icemaker but I will never have another side by side. The freezer is too small to put anything very wide in and the refrigerator is so deep, things "get lost" in it. I hate it. My next one will be a regular old refrigerator, self defrosting with icemaker but without the dispenser. I do love Sears appliances, they have always given us good service. No need to purchase their extra waranty though.

-- Barb in Ky. (bjconthefarm@yahoo.com), November 23, 2001.

Melissa, we just moved and rather than ship our fridge, we bought a new one. The old one we had we had gotten early on in our marriage, and because I had a chest freezer, we bought an "all fridge" -- one without a freezer compartment.

Never again. Do you know how difficult it is to find ice cube trays and ice cream containers in a chest freezer when there is ANYTHING in it? Not to mention the few times that my DH put soft drink bottles in to get cold quick then promptly forgot them, leaving them to freeze and explode!

The new one we just bought is the type with 1/4 separate freezer compartment at the top, and 3/4 fridge at the bottom. It has clear plastic drawers for the crisper and meat/cheese compartment and the extra-wide shelves in the door to hold the gallon sized jugs of milk. It also has tempered glass shelves for easy cleanup, and if anything DOES tip, it doesn't run through everything on the shelf below! It's a Frigidaire -- and I love it!

-- Tracy (trimmer31@hotmail.com), November 23, 2001.

I don't know how long refrigerators are supposed to last without being repaired or serviced, but we got a Sears Kenmore 12 years ago, have moved 6 times since then; 2 of those times everything went into storage for several months. We have never had any trouble with it at all. But then, Tom is a certified refrigeration technician, so he probably prevents things from happening and I haven't noticed:o)

I second the advice on the freezer part. We had a large stand-up freezer at the time we got the fridge, and so assumed we wouldn't need much freezer space. We got the most fridge for the least freeze, and then our big freezer died! It was years before we could afford another big freezer, so I struggled with a little bitty freezer for a long time.

-- Cathy N. (keeper8@attcanada.ca), November 23, 2001.