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Last night we went over to my Grandma’s to have Chicken and Waffles- my favorite! If you haven’t had it, it’s basically chicken with gravy served over waffles.
While we were there we were talking while Grandma made dinner. Someone commented that Grandma’s waffle iron was great. She replied that it was a wedding gift– 58 years ago! Now my Grandma has been making this dish several times a year for as long as I can remember. I’m sure she also uses the iron to make breakfast waffles. I can’t believe this thing still works! I have wedding gift appliances that have died and it’s only been five years!
This incident got me thinking about the things we spend our money on and the life expectancy that they have. I cannot imagine that any of my appliances will be working in 50 years. There used to be an expectation that things would last- they had to. I think we view things as much more disposable in our consumer driven culture.
While things will break, I have learned that spending on quality items usually means they will last longer. While it seems counter-intuitive when you are trying to save a buck, sometimes it does pay to spend a little more. I applied this concept to my wardrobe awhile ago but I think it also applies to appliances. Buy less stuff but make sure it is of high quality and well loved. And maybe, if you are very lucky, you will also have something that lasts 58 years.
My beautiful Grandma with her 58 year old waffle iron.