Our home warranty saves us money, AGAIN!

Sometimes people say "when it rains, it pours!"

In addition to our air conditioner failure, the top rack of our dishwasher was not exactly cleaning dishes. By that I mean, after a wash cycle somehow the dishes on the bottom rack were spotless while the dishes on the top rack were in the same (if not worse) condition of "dirty" when the wash cycle began.

After researching possible root causes and attempting to fix the issue on our own (which did not make any result in spotless dishes), we decided to wait things out to see if the dishwasher would just start working again after a few wash cycles.

Needless to say, weeks later the dishwasher was still not cleaning all the dishes.

We called our home warranty and were connected with a company that works on our brand (Bosch) of dishwasher. Our home warranty sent a service request to that company and also gave me their number. After not hearing from the company within 24 hours, I called the company myself. Still no response. So, I called our home warranty back and we were approved to contact an out-of-network vendor to work on the job. We found a local Bosch repair company and quickly made an appointment. After arriving yesterday, the technician was able to diagnose the failure within minutes -- something about a broken water valve. The technician then called our home warranty to explain his findings and they approved him to do the work. The repair was made. Total cost? $183.28. We paid $75.

Do I need to ask why don't you have a home warranty yet?

A few home warranty pointers...

We've learned over the years with our HSA home warranty that failure with something in our home does not immediately mean call and report the issue. Let me explain... sometimes issues can be repaired with simple quick fixes by homeowners. For instance, a few months ago when our air conditioning was acting funny, we rinsed the water pipe (the one between the unit and the drain) to ensure a clog in the pipe was not the reason for the air conditioning failure.

After trying to remedy the issue ourselves and waiting to see improved performance, it is THEN after seeing NO improvement that we phone our home warranty. The fact of the matter is, we have to pay our deductible (which for our policy is $75) each and every time a technician comes out (even if there is no issue to be found).

Discount YOUR Drinks at Chuck E Cheese and McAlister's Deli!

If you like to drink soda, tea, etc. when eating out, you can save by going green with Chuck E Cheese and McAlister's Deli.

Chuck E Cheese

When joining family to play ski ball a few months ago, I decided to spend the extra $0.99 to get a special Chuck E cup. Then, during our most recent visit I brought along my cleaned cup and told the cashier I wanted to use it to hold my drink (thinking I was being environmentally friendly). Surprisingly, the cashier explained that after the initial $0.99 investment, with the reusable Chuck E cup refills are FREE!

I love finding unadvertised discounts!

(Pardon the teeny, tiny photo!)

McAlister's Deli

Tonight we joined family for a birthday celebration at McAlister's Deli. Instead of paying almost $2 each to enjoy McAlister's famous sweet tea, we spent $6.99 for one their new Tea Tumblers which came filled with any drink of our choice (we got sweet tea of course). My hubby and I shared the tumbler and got unlimited sweet tea, and now we have a reusable cup, and will receive all refills at $0.99! (By sharing the cup and getting the tumbler, after our next visit the cup will start paying for itself.)

If you go to Chuck E Cheese and McAlister's consider going green by getting their special cups which comes with special savings!

Why don't you have a Home Warranty yet?

Before buying a home, I heard several horror stories about homeowners who had to lay down thousands of dollars to repair something in their home. Luckily, we have chosen to continue the 12 month home warranty policy underwritten by the seller of our home, which has prevented us from paying full-price for several costly home repairs.

Instead of shelling out hundreds of dollars a year in home repairs (our 70-year-old-plus home has had several unprecedented issues during our inhabitance including leaking bathroom plumbing, air conditioning and furnace failure, broken dishwasher components, and water pressure issues) a few hundred dollars underwrites year-long coverage (which can be paid monthly or once a year depending on the company you go with) and then each time we have a service technician out to assess the situation, we pay $75. And, as long as the issue is a mechanical failure or due to a defect (see specific definitions on active policy) the issue gets repaired and we keep our money (beyond the $75 deductible) in our pocket.

A recent example...

With the summer heat and recent switch to A/C, we were surprised to find the thermostat reading much higher than what it was programmed to be. We contacted our home warranty (HSA) and were connected with an in-network vendor quickly (essentially you call the home warranty and they link you with a business that they work with and have approved). The vendor came out and assessed the issue. We only paid our deductible of $75 for a $500 dye test/recharge! This repair alone is worth the benefits of having an home warranty.

In the home buying market? Ask for a home warranty!

Have you been living in your home for years and you don't plan to buy a new home soon? Don't worry, many home warranty companies offer individual families the ability to purchase their own policy.

A little research and a few hundred dollars might be worth your sanity and decreased financial stress.

iPhone 4 at 50% off!

You know that feeling of excitement you get when you uncover a GREAT discount? Like, when you get to the cash register and what you thought was already on clearance for a mere $5 ends up scanning for $1?

That's the same kind of feeling I got when my husband figured out how to upgrade his first generation iPhone (which now had broken speakers on the fritz after 4 years of use) for an iPhone 4 for $104.89 (including tax + shipping).

How?

The answer is really easy... buy from the refurbished area of AT&T.com.

Thanks, hubby!