Phew!

Minor crisis averted. While I was on my mini blog break, we came very close to a little financial set back. While canning our pickles {which I will share with you soon}, our stove sparked a few times and then stopped working. Uh. oh.

My hubs tried the breaker switch, we tried the stove again. It made strange noises. Panic set in. Really? We actually have to run to the store to buy a new stove just like that?! The hubs got online did some quick research to figure out possible solutions. Found out a repair man will NOT be worth the bill, especially if a new stove will be in order anyway. He did some quick price comparisons online for local stores while I gathered up the kids. Twenty minutes later we are at store #1 and the sales lady is seriously talking me into a really great stove. Double oven? Oh yeah, that sounds great. Expandable burners? Really?! That'd be handy. A warming area you say? Yes, I do believe I do need all of those things. Problem is? The price tag. I gave my hubs the warning that if we didn't get out of there in the next 30 seconds, she was going to talk me into a stove I didn't even know I wanted until I walked in there. He took the hint and directed us straight to the car, casually blaming our little man as the need for our quick escape. Haha! Gotta love having the kids to blame! ;)

In the car ride to the next store, we logically made our decision to stick to the plan. A plain, no extra frills stove. We didn't need any of that stuff before then, why would we suddenly need it now? Just because the option is there, doesn't mean it's worth the extra money to have it. We aren't working this hard to get out of debt to back slide over a fancy, unnecessary feature on a stove!

Ten minutes later, next store. Cheapest online. Found the plain Jane stove without anyone trying to talk us into the $1,200 stove that we had NO business buying right now. Whew! Thirty minutes later we are walking out of the store with $700 less in our checking account, a delivery date and time set for 2 days later, a half started pickling process and a non-working stove. Interesting turn of events, right?

Fast forward to delivery day. Really nice men bring in the nice, clean new stove that suddenly I'm VERY excited to have. Nice men plug it in. Delivery men state the problem: power source is the issue.

Uh. Okay, let me call the hubs, he deals with this stuff. Call the hubs, tell him the situation, he says we'll have to look into this when he gets home 8 hours from now! After talking some more with the delivery men, they decide to try the breaker again. Okay, I say. Remember: I'm not the expert on this stuff, how should I know how to solve these things?!?!

Nice man comes back in from switching the breaker. New stove works.

Wow. Wait a minute.

If the NEW stove was doing the exact same thing as the OLD stove, we don't have a stove problem, we had a breaker switch problem.

Um, you're going to need to take that stove back out with you.

Well, ma'am, you have 7 days to decide.

What?!?! Genius, they make me keep the stove installed ALL day for me to use and fall in love with, so much so that I'm considering NOT returning the new, clean, pretty stove.

Parents and hubs get the old stove back in place to try, now that a second breaker switch had been flipped and voila! Old stove works. But it's dirty and ugly and I don't like it as much any more.

Then reality hits. $700! Yeah, I actually DO need that more then the new stove. We're trying to get out of debt, remember? Turns out I had NO complaints about my old, perfectly fine, working stove until a new updated model showed up to take it's place. Hmm. Contentment. It's tricky to find again after being tempted with something "better." After a good scrub down, my old stove is looking good as new {and with $700 back in the bank, it looks even better}.

That night I gave the wonderful store a call back, told them the situation. They very efficiently set me up with a pick up day. A couple days later the new stove was back to the store where it belonged and our money was back where it belonged too.

Phew!