Meditations on a Recession.

Like many folks, we are hunkering down a bit in this economy. We are in as stable a position as we can be in these uncertain times. Trish works for a bank, but it isn't being hit by what's going on very much at all and she just got a raise, but we are cutting back. The credit cards have been shredded, and we are just paying them down. Any excess is going into a new joint savings account. Yes, we know that runs counter what is needed in this situation, but it works for us.

The thing is that this account isn't for long term savings and we have not stopped buying or planning to buy, we are just saving up the cash first, as we just did for a new KA stand mixer. Still the current state of affairs makes us unsettled.

As I reported a little over a month ago, our beloved 6 Qt, has been ailing - the head was pulling off the neck. Now, it could have been something that simple that needed to be tightened, or it could have been something that broke. We bought it, a refurbished model, about 7 years ago or so and it has taken at least one walk off the kitchen counter. With the loss of local repair shops and my lack of knowledge of the inner workings of such a device, we started shopping for a new one.

We appreciated the web postings and e-mails giving us advice pro and con for various options (and there are pros and cons for all options these days), but we settled on a new 6 QT at a great price and with some great incentives including no shipping or other charges. It also works with our existing grinder stuffer attachments. It arrived quickly.

Then I got the testicular diameter to crack the lid on the old one. There were three connecting bolts - one out of reach without removing the motor, two I could kind of get to. I tightened them and it fixed the problem. I tried a soft "Italian" bread, a stiff multi-grain bread, and grinding pork butt for Salume. It worked just fine.

In the past we would have said "oops", opened the new toy, and given the old one to a family member or friend, sold it, or kept in in reserve for those times when a second mixer would be a godsend.

But this isn't the past, and the box stood unopened for a couple of weeks at the top of the basement stairs, serving as a convenient perch for stuff we needed to remember to take downstairs. And we contemplated.

After the incentives were deducted, the real cost was about $150 less than the actual cost - under $200, some of which was nice but not essential. Still, it was an an output in excess of$300 at a time we are watching our costs.

So, we decided to return it. I called, got a return authorization number, and downloaded the return form. But, when I was filling out the return for I noticed that there was a 15% restocking fee. Combined with shipping costs it was $75 lost.

So we contemplated again.

And we opened the box.

The old one? It now lives with another dedicated food nut. Our friend Andrew is forming a new home, and this was our housewarming gift. I will teach him how to use it well.

Selah!