Before I begin, let me just preface this request with what has been the MOST expensive summer of my life to date.
We own a 100 acre farm in rural Ontario, as well as a loft in downtown Toronto.
I decided to retire in March 2010, and my partner is retiring in October 2010.
I was at the farm, and the septic alarm went off one afternoon. Cha-ching. This occured about June. They're still replacing tanks, and digging parts of the yard. It cost as much as a small Buick, but needed to be done.
Then, after a week of that, our BBQ exploded. I knew it was time to replace it, but really wanted a good grill that would last a long time, so we kept putting off the purchase. Windows were shattered, some stonework was damaged, nobody was hurt, and I got a Napoleon.
A week after that I noticed a leak in the freshwater pressure tank. 2 days later the entire basement had flooded, and there was a hole in the tank. Along with replacing that, I figured time for new pump, water softener, and water treatment filters, since everything was like 20 years old.
Okay. Bear with me, there is a point to this story. The following week, my in-laws were en route to the farm, and I went to get some vodka (to prepare for the visit) from the freezer, and it was warm. It was a Kenmore dreck fridge, which as it turns out was exactly one month to the day when the warranty ran out.
I asked my partner to come with me to pick out a new fridge, he didn't want to come, so, giving me carte blanche to get what I've always wanted, a Sub-Zero. I figured it's easier to ask forgiveness than permission.
Upon our retiring, we traded in our Land Rover (big mistake) for a new convertible, figuring we will be wintering in Savannah, Georgia. So, we bought a new car last month. We were parked in a nursery, and some kid backs in to the car.
Here's where I need help. I get back to Toronto, and attempt a load of laundry in our Whirlpool ThinTwin, which isn't big enough to fit queen size sheets in, I have to break them up into 2 loads. Anyway, upon the rinse, the machine made a whiny, nasal noise. I tried again today, and it made a much more subtle noise, similar, but only during the rinse drain. If we hadn't spent so much money on other stuff, I would run out and buy new, proper, machines.
Where I need your help is, we're not sure if we're keeping the loft, but I also don't want to spend money on costly repairs. The unit is about 8 years old. Should I get it fixed? Can I fix it? Should I buy new, and just afford Mac n'Cheese for lunches and suppers for the balance of the year? HELP!