You see, I was all set to be the proud owner of an avocado green refrigerator which would of course need a little cleaning once we installed it at the rental house. Unfortunately, what I found was not circa 1970's, but circa 1940's to 1950's. Here is a picture:
I checked the inside and it seemed to be working fine, but I have a golden rule when it comes to rental houses I own - I will not rent out something that I wouldn't live in myself. Therefore, when I knew I would never live with this refrigerator if I had a choice in the matter, I couldn't bring myself to force someone else to live with it.
The trip was still worth the time. The house being sold (after the contents was cleared out) was built in 1884. It must have been built by a family with a lot of wealth for the time. It also must have been absolutely beautiful in it's day. There was a wrap around porch and then as you entered the front door a spiral staircase which lead to the second and third floors. On the first floor, there was a parlor with an ornate ceiling. (This ceiling compares to the ceilings I saw in a mansion I toured in New York State along the Hudson River - I believe the mansion belonged to the Vanderbilts or one of their early 1900's contemporaries.) The parlor had a fireplace with marble inlay. There was also a living room with another fireplace. There was a dining room off of the living room which could hold a family of 12 easily. Then there was a kitchen - nothing to write home about. The second floor was the most impressive with five bedrooms, three of which had their own fireplace. Wow! This home, with some loving restoration, could make a great bed and breakfast. Lots of peace and quiet out on the 400 acres which comes with it.Anyway, here are some additional pictures I took of the house and one of the auction crowd:
It did take me almost three hours to decide I was not going to bid on the refrigerator. I was pretty upset with the auctioneers that they were taking so long to get to the item was I originally most interested in, but in the end time to have the time to think was a gift.
So today's lesson in frugality is - don't take it too far. If you don't feel comfortable that you are making the right decision for you, don't do it.
By the way, I did visit my local H.H. Gregg store this evening and was able to pick up a new Frigidaire Refrigerator for $399 plus tax. It was under $500, so I still feel okay about the purchase.
Until next time a frugal moment hits -
The Frugal Queen
