Broken Washing Machine

A few months ago, our washing machine quit working.

My first thought: "Yay! Let's go buy a new one!"

After discussing it with my practical husband: "Let's fix it."

Remember the step-down method illustrated with Pizza Friday? Here it is again with the washing machine:

If you would normally... buy a new washer (about $200 to $1000+),

try...calling a professional to fix it (about $150).

If you would normally...call a pro ($150),

try...buying the part and fixing it yourself ($45).

If you would normally...buy the part and fix it yourself ($45),

try...buying a roll of duct tape and rigging it ($5).

If you would normally...rig it with duct tape ($5),

try...washing your clothes by hand ($0).

Just kidding about the duct tape and washing by hand, but the point is that there is almost always room to "step down."

Our local discount appliance store charged $45.99 for the part, so I looked on eBay and found it for $21, including shipping.

Tips:

• Buy the "New Fix-It-Yourself Manual: How to Repair, Clean and Maintain Anything and Everything in and Around Your Home" by Reader's Digest Association, which is available used for as little as $6. It's simple explanations and illustrations make virtually any household repair feasible.