YES! BRING IT ON!!!!!!!
I have two questions for you.
1. Speaking of coffee...our last batch of Coffees of Hawaii Maululani Estate is disappearing in record time, and with all our expenses over the next few months (new fridge, anyone?), I need a, ahem, less expensive brew. Any recommendations for a good medium roast that won't break the bank?
2. Speaking of fridges...in the new house, the dishwasher and microwave are stainless steel with black accents. We have to buy a refrigerator but are hesitant to buy stainless because we've heard such nightmares regarding keeping it clean. Black would look fine in the kitchen as all the accents (cabinet knobs and trim) and cooktop will be black. Any experience with either? Also, we're thinking freezer-on-bottom. We definitely don't want side-by-side, but we've never had a freezer on bottom. Can anyone tell us about pros and cons of that?
Thanks for your help!
Today, I am grateful for my awesome readers who are so encouraging in this new adventure. Your prayers are very appreciated!
I can't help on the coffee, but I do have an opinion on the fridge. :-) We have an upside-down fridge with freezer on bottom. The freezer has drawers, which are easy to use and much better than our old freezer-on-top version. The fridge contents, which you use more often, are at a much more user-friendly level. As for stainless steel vs black - I don't find stainless steel difficult to keep clean. We have brushed stainless steel appliances (fingerprint resistant) and a bit of stainless steel polish every now and then does the job (not hard work). Black would be fine, unless it is shiny. Shiny would pick up fingerprints and would drive me crazy. ;-) Good luck with these wonderful decisions!
ReplyDeleteGoodmorning!
ReplyDeleteCan't help you with the coffee, no fancy stuff in my small town store.
I hear you about the stainless steel. I love the look but hate the fingerprints. We bought new appliances a couple of years ago and I got a finish called "silver mist", in the showroom it was the only ss one in the row with no fingerprints. Magnets stick to it, and it looks just like ss but isn't and cost half. My sister has a big fancy ss fridge, and she couldn't tell the difference. Got the stove, dw and microwave to match, all Frigidaire. If they won't match your existing ones, I say go black with a textured finish. Trust me, you will HATE the fingerprints on stainless. Especially with kids.
My sisters fancy fingerprint-covered ss fridge however, has a freezer on the bottom with split "french door" top. I have to say I love the style, she can fit more in the freezer and no more leaning to get the milk. Bonus is 2 doors to keep all the smaller stuff organized, which open wide for big trays. Hope this helps!
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ReplyDeleteI'm an avid Starbuck's fan. When I can afford it, I buy a pound of it (around $9 at SB's). But, if you are near a Costco, what I stock up on is their Kirkland brand that's roasted by Starbuck's. I have to drink the decaf version but here's a link to their caffeinated one:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=10251130&search=kirkland+decaf+starbucks+roast&Mo=3&cm_re=1_en-_-Top_Left_Nav-_-Top_search&lang=en-US&Nr=P_CatalogName:BD_823&Sp=S&N=5000046&whse=BD_823&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=Text_Search&Dr=P_CatalogName:BD_823&Ne=4000000&D=kirkland+decaf+starbucks+roast&Ntt=kirkland+decaf+starbucks+roast&No=2&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&topnav=bd&s=1
Never have owned a stainless steel fridge but my younger daughter had one and really disliked it - hard to keep clean. She just bought a Kenmore white one (they probably come in black) with the drawer on the bottom - and she LOVES it. Very handy, she says.
First of all Congrats!!!
ReplyDeleteWe have a black 3-door fridge. LOVE IT, but black is just as hard to take care of as the stainless so get what you like best. I have to wipe my fridge doors about every other day.
Also try scratch and dent stores. You can get REALLY good deals and the dents are usually not bad. Worth a look...
We have a black one and it does look fine with our one stainless steel appliance, the stove/oven. However, as far as finger prints go, on my black shiny fridge, they are never ending! A new/different one is so on my 'wish' list. Freezer on the bottom I desire, and the french doors on top! A friend has that and I drool over her fridge and how it just works in her kitchen, which is the same as mine. I will have to look into the brushed version that someone else mentioned and remember to go to the scratch and dent to check out options!
ReplyDeleteGood luck and your "new home" is gorgeous, I might have to buy it if you don't ;)
Our fridge has the freezer on the bottom -- LOVE IT. It's SO much easier and more convenient to find things in the fridge when they're at eye level. Our freezer has a single pull out basket and one shelf and it holds a tonne.
ReplyDeleteIt's also stainless and I love it. Fingerprints aren't that much of an issue. It needs to be wiped occasionally with a damp cloth (we've never used any kind of cleaner), but honestly, I'm not obsessive about it and it's fine. I was worried too, hemmed and hawed when we were buying our home over what I wanted. But when we decided on this one which came with stainless appliances, well, the decision was made. And I really do love them.
I have always had freezer on the bottom fridges - makes so much sense. You open the freezer less, so less bending (unless that's the only exercise you get).
ReplyDeleteMy new fridge is the stainless steel kind. Yes - you do get the finger prints - but a spritz of WD40 (don't know the American equivalent, but could ask some friends) once a week does an amazing job!
Sorry, I am not a coffee drinker so I am no help on that issue.
ReplyDeleteI do have a freezer on the bottom refrig. It has 2 doors on top, so I guess a French door model. I love it and will never go back to a side by side. I was a little worried about it being big enough since it is smaller than our previous refrig. It has not been a problem at all. I find that since it is easier to see what is in there I am less likely to have things lost in the back and stuff gets tossed much sooner. No more fuzzy green stuff growing in some plastic container buried behind a ton of stuff. As far as ss or black, have you looked into getting a refrig. that allows you to put in an insert to match your cabinets? We did that and I love the look. Just blends in with the rest of the cabinets. Not sure of the cost since it has been a few years since we re-did our kitchen. Just another option to think about.
Great sentiment - thanks for my morning smile :)
ReplyDeleteNothing too specific from me other than than saying I have friends who have the freezer on the bottom and love it. As for fridges if the OCD can handle it check out the "dented/damaged" fridge section. You can get great discounts - just look for the dents on the sides or back that will be hidden when the fridge is in place so nobody would ever know - other than you of course.
I may have the same fridge as Michelle. Freezer on bottom, drawers, fingerprints not a problem (but I don't have kids). Also, it is from New Zealand, where they "get" the idea that fridges should be flush with counters; not sticking out a few inches! That's actually why we chose it. Make - Fisher & Paykel
ReplyDeleteI have a black fridge, black microwave, and both my stainless range and dishwasher have black accents (we got them all at the same time - can you say volume discount?) because I wanted black. I refer to my fridge as the Darth Vader fridge sometimes.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a big problem with our stainless items, a good wipe with some vinegar/ammonia does the job, and I love how the black looks.
We also have the french door fridge with freezer on the bottom (and water inside). I love it that way. LOVE.
Millstone Coffee is one of my go-to coffees, if you can find it in your area. Melitta brand is another favorite substitute. Both are reasonably priced too.
ReplyDeleteAs for appliances - I always dreamed of a stainless fridge with freezer on bottom and french doors - until my sister purchased one! I hate it, hate it, hate it. First - bending down and over the freezer is one of the worst things for my bad back. Because the ice cube trays are down there... it's easy for the doggie to sniff and stick his nose in, every time the freezer drawer is pulled open (think Daisy). Additionally, I am short (under 5'5") and reaching the top and back of the fridge is sometimes awkward and difficult for me. The stainless is difficult to keep clean and this is with just adults and teenagers - no small children. I don't think the bottom freezer gives you the max in freezer space although it is supposed to be a little more economical to operate because cold air drops. I also understand that a side-by-side gives you the most freezer space, unless of course you have a separate extra freezer. So I guess you can tell from my comments - when it comes time for me to purchase a new appliance, I will have difficulty making a choice too.
No matter, isn't this a nice dilemna to be in? I wish you a smooth house move and I can't wait to see more pictures. Sincerely, Beverly/kraftyaunt@hotmail.com
Regarding the fridge- we recently bought SS applicances and while we were changing things out, decided to go with the French style- freezer on the bottom type. We basically made this decision based on looks- we thought that kind looks neater. Well, looks can be deceiving, can't they? I must say I do not like this style functionally (but continue to like how it looks!). I miss having more freezer space- you get less with this style. That wouldn't be a problem with another fridge in the basement or garage, but alas, a fridge won't fit through the doors to the basement (tried it) and our garage is not large enough to accomodate one. So, I'm out of luck freezer space wise and I don't like that. Also, you can't "stuff" the bottom portion or the top shelf won't close properly. With my side by side, as long as you could cram the conents such that the door closes, you were good to go. Not so with my new bad boy. Bottom line for me: love the outside but not the inside. I'm super vain, though, I guess as I don't regret the decision to buy that style :-) As far as stainless steel vs. black, I can't help you too much. We went from white to SS and white always looked dirty and had to be wiped frequently. I have to wipe my SS as much as I did my white so it does not seem like an extra work and SS sure looks better than white.
ReplyDeleteJacob sure will miss having Nick close by. I don't blame you for leaving our subdivion for the one you're moving to (Jacob told me which one and it's so pretty- one of my best friends lives there so I'm out that way quite a bit). The house is gorgeous! We 're refinancing at a great rate and fewer years on the loan so we will be in the 'hood for awhile longer. Nick will have to come out and visit us.
Sorry I can't help with your coffee situation, but I do have an opinion on the fridge. We have a ss french door version, and I love it. (We even bought a second one at the scratch and dent for our second refrigerator.) As far as keeping the ss clean, I just wipe it with my soapy dishcloth when I do the dishes and dry it with a towel. I have also heard to use WD40 or even Pledge, but haven't tried either one.
ReplyDeleteNo matter what you decide, check out the scratch and dents. Ours was an overstock and had absolutely no damage to it, so you may get lucky since you have some time to keep checking back.
Enjoy your clean carpets!
We have a upside down fridge and love it, it makes more sense to me to have what you use most at eye level. Our fridge is white which doesn't help you at all but the finger marks on the small part of our dishwasher that is brushed stainless drives me mad.
ReplyDeleteCan't help you on the coffee front, but a thought occurs, as you are both coffee drinkers is there something else that you could give up so as to keep your favourite brew which you both obviously adore.
I WANT a freezer on the bottom! So much more practical. But my place is too small and there's no room to pull out the drawer, so I had to pass it up. :(
ReplyDeleteI think black would be fine, too. The only advantage I see to Stainless is you can't cover the front with magnets, so it LOOKS clean, even when it's not. :)
No opinion on coffee. Sorry.
We have a black, textured (not shiny) top freezer fridge. We like the idea of a bottom freezer model, but didn't want to pay the fairly significant higher price for one. Our old fridge was a shiny black side by side. We hated both the shiny and the side by side.
ReplyDeletefreezer on bottom is a good thing; just make sure that there is a rolling shelf or there will be too much stuff piled on top. we have side by side on top of the bottom freezer -- it was the only model we could find that fit in our space and it works fine as the top is one big space with half doors.
ReplyDeletedon't know about stainless, but maybe you could train the kids to clean it every hour. HA HA
Congrats ont the new home! We just recently purchased new appliances. (It's a bad thing when the lettuce freezes, but the milk is warm!) We bought a freezer on the bottom, french door on top model. I was a apprehensive about a freezer on the bottom, but I LOVE it. I am in and out of the fridge more than the freezer. I can store larger items in both areas. and heat rises, so a fridge with a freezer on the bottom is more efficient. I am only 5'1", but our fridge section has pull out shelves which makes it easier for me to get items. We went with basic white ~ so no thoughts on stainless vs. black. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your move, Susan! It looks like you'll have a lot of fun in your new place! We have a Kenmore bottom freezer fridge with the french doors above. I like the whole set-up, the french doors mean that we can open only half at a time. Although, to be honest, the kids usually open both sides wide to find whatever they're looking for - and it hasn't stopped them staring blankly into the fridge waiting for something to leap out! The freezer on the bottom is a drawer, with a pull out wire shelf on top, which worked well until my younger kids started leaning on the door when getting things out! I like my fridge, I just don't think it will last as long as I'd hoped!
ReplyDelete