I recently heard a pundit comment that most major appliance purchases these days are “duress” purchases. That means that the old clunker quit working and you need to go get a new one NOW.

Of course, the old one only quits when you’re trying to scrape together the cash for junior’s tuition, you just found out you owe the IRS thousands in taxes, and your insurance company rejected the claim for your facelift. I hate it when that happens!

So here are three ways you can avoid appliance duress, and live the life that you’ve always wanted.

1. Don’t wait! Shoot your tired old refrigerator now and put it out its misery. Seriously, waiting for disaster to strike when you’re least able to handle it makes no sense.

2. Calculate how much you’ll save (versus how much you’ll spend) by acting now. You know that if your old washing machine is  more than just a few years old it’s gobbling up gas and/or electricity to heat the water and make all that noise. Don’t forget to consider the money you’re spending on clothes that are wearing out too soon because that rattle trap you call a washing machine is beating the heck out of your delicates. The point is that these savings are real and will help pay for your new appliance.

3.  Set up a Christmas Club for your new purchase. It’s a monthly deposit into a separate savings account to build a nest egg for your dream kitchen. Call it Martha’s Appliance Account. If your name’s not Martha….well, you can figure it out.  If you can’t put away the entire amount before duress or desire hit you on the head, you’ll at least have a good start.

I could go on, but most of you are already on your way to Universal Kitchen and Bath Center to escape Appliance Duress. For the rest of you…take 2 aspirin and call me in the morning.

Call or visit Universal Kitchen and Bath today for relief from Appliance Duress. 888-439-9795, 12050 Ventura Blvd. Suite B-105, Studio City, CA. 91604