How I saved over $1200 on new appliances

Through redesigning our kitchen a few dozen times, I've tried to keep in mind that it's not just for me. It's for The Roommates, it's for guests, and, maybe, it's for another family down the line. 

To that end, we've tried to pay attention to bang for the buck come resale. There are a few things that buyers want in kitchens and if you've ever watched an episode of House Hunters or Property Brothers where someone's complaining about a lack of stainless steel and gas in a kitchen, you'll know that one of those things is updated appliances.

Personally, I usually give such statements a mental eye roll because brand new appliances don't have to cost you a fortune - here's how to save your hard earned dollars using my hard earned tricks. 

Let's start with a baseline for those of you like The Roommate who really like numbers.

A range can, well, range in price from about $350 for a small electric to over $15,000 for a large gas range. 

$351 or $15,668

A new refrigerator ranges in price from under $400 to well over $10,000 and, no, I haven't typo'd any of these numbers. 

The fridge on the left costs a budget friendly $293.40 while the fridge on the right weighs in at a whopping $23,575.

While I doubt you're ever going to get the fridge on the right for the price of the one on the left, here are my tried and true steps and tips to saving money when buying new appliances.

1. Figure out what you want and what you need. Do you have a big family and need lots of fridge space? A french door with freezer pullout is going to be your best option for both space and energy efficiency. if you're a gourmet chef, this isn't the time to choose an electric range because it's a couple hundred bucks cheaper than gas.
2. Figure out your budget. The average upscale kitchen renovation tops $80,000 (this is another conversation for another day) and most estimate that appliances are about 20% of the associated costs. Whoa. That said, these are an investment in your home so remember that price generally correlates with quality and choose what best fits your needs within your budget. 
3. Reuse. Know that you can get new or pretty darn close to new appliances at your local Restore and/or Craigslist. For me, this isn't really realistic because I A) wanted a matching appliance suite and B) am not in town often enough to snap up the great deals that pop up once in a blue moon. If this is your chosen route, expect to save 40% or more on retail but to also put lots of time into finding the right thing for your home.
4. Hunt the bargains. I'm a big fan of the Sears scratch and dent outlets because it's not uncommon to find a new appliance with a small, out of sight scratch for 40% off (although you may need to negotiate a bit to get your price or be prepared to walk away). If you're on a timeline, this is an excellent option.
5. Bundle. If you're shopping for a fridge, dishwasher, range and microwave, that's a lot of money a salesperson and their manager don't want walking next door to the competitor. Use that leverage to negotiate a lower price for keeping all of your business in one place.

For me, the best option was a mixture:

• First, I watched for the big home improvement store sales around major holidays like Memorial Day and Thanksgiving. For my fridge, which retails for about $1,800 all said and done, I waited until it was $700 off during Black Friday sales and got free delivery and install. 
• Said stores often also do price match/beat which you can use to your advantage with a little homework and a bit of luck. When shopping for our kitchen's eventual dishwasher, I found the matching dishwasher for $200 less at a competitor. If it's in stock in both places, big box home improvement stores will match that price and take an additional 10% off. If you're looking at a $600 dishwasher, that's again about 40% off. Always aim for free delivery and install too as those costs can eat into your bottom line.
• Use credit card cash back to lower prices even further. For both of these transactions, I used a credit card that gave me substantial cash back. For the fridge, I completed the purchase online through the card's website redirector and, for the dishwasher, my purchase happened to coincide with a cash back bonus promotional period with the retailer. *This tip comes with my soapbox warning, however, to use these cards wisely. If you put $1,500 onto a credit card with a $18% interest rate with 5% cash back and pay it over 6 months, you'll end up spending $71.30 in interest. That leaves you with a net of $3.70 in cash back. If you just paid the minimum, it would take about 10 years to pay off and you'd pay double the purchase price in interest. 
• Finally, my last tip is the exact opposite. If you're working with a smaller retailer, try working your deal in cash. If they don't have to pass on a percentage to the credit card company, they're more likely to pass on a bit more in savings to you.

For us, the retail cost for our appliances was about $3,047 (not including tax, delivery or installation) and we ended up spending $1787.14 for a total savings of 1,259.86 or over 41%. That's roughly equivalent to the plumbing and electrician costs for the kitchen when it's complete.

So there you have it, use these tips too and let us know how they work for you!