Proactive Fridge

6/15/25 Buh-bye, old fridge

Without warning, our fridge croaked. Greg was out of town; alone, I had to live out of a cooler for several days while I waited for a replacement to be delivered. It was the hottest week of the year (of course it was – that’s when fridges break).

That was 15 years ago, and I recalled the inconvenience vividly. When that now-15-year-old fridge started giving me signs of its impending demise, I knew it would happen on the hottest day of the year (this summer is expected to be a sizzler). Inquiring about the possibility of repair, I was told it was already past its life expectancy and probably didn’t have much longer, even after repair (which would have cost $1,000). 

I had never really liked that fridge. Without the luxury of time, I had only a few in-stock models to choose from then, none of which was ideal. For example, we didn’t want or need an ice maker (the space isn’t plumbed for that), but the old Whirlpool came with one, so we lost some freezer space to an unused function. I didn’t like its modern “invisible” door pulls; I like old-school handles. It made a lot of sporadic, loud, clanky sounds that often startled me. Finally, the space in that old fridge was poorly designed, and I was constantly cursing as I shuffled things around just to accommodate the space. Good riddance!

6/16/25 New fridge (Not crooked as wonkily sketched!)

In proactive rather than panic mode, I had many more options this time. The new GE model I chose is a bit smaller in capacity, since I don’t need as much space now. That means it’s shorter, making it easier to reach things I store on top. Slimmer and shallower, it also fits better into the very limited space available for a fridge.

It was very satisfying to clear out the freezer and fridge with the same scrutiny I used to downsize and declutter the rest of the house. You know what I’m talking about: Those condiments I tried that I didn’t really like but didn’t want to “waste,” even though I had no intention of using them again. And the stuff that gets pushed to the back of the freezer with stalagmites of ice growing on it. And oops – I forgot about that. Out they all went.

Then when the new fridge came, I could arrange and organize and use the spaces more efficiently. And my fridge will never be as clean as it is today!

Floating!

The most impressive part of all? Watching the Albert Lee Appliances crew haul away the old fridge and bring in the new – all without the appliances ever touching the floor! Wearing a harness supporting the bottom of the fridge, two men “floated” it down my two flights of stairs safely and efficiently. (My jukebox movers would have had an easier time had they used that method!) I obviously don’t purchase large appliances often enough – I had never seen that before! (If you’re curious, check out the short video I posted onInstagram.)