Performing 24/7, 365 days of the year, fridges are the crucial quiet achiever of the kitchen.
Yet they are also the most under-appreciated appliance so, when they stop working unexpectedly, both food and budgets can also rapidly suffer.
With so many areas of the US having hot summers, it’s difficult to imagine how early generations kept food cool in such seasons without trusty electric fridges.
But humans managed quite well without these appliances, using Mother Nature and other options to preserve and cool food, including ice houses, and later, ice boxes; underground cellars and storage pits.
Of course, there was also a lot less manufactured food that needed preservation in such times as well.
Nevertheless, fridges as Americans know them today only became regular kitchen appliances in the US in the late 1920s, following the world-changing invention of the first domestic electric fridge in 1913.
But make no mistake: the first fridges were a luxury item for most homes, priced at around $6,000 to $13,000 in today’s currency.
Today, a new fridge purchase will still strain the hip pocket of buyers with most brands needing an average budget of $1,500.
With most of the price depending on the style, brand and size of the fridge, you can pick up a basic top or bottom freezer-fridge at the lower end of the market for around $500 to $1,000.
Side-by-side fridges, comprising one side with a freezer and the other a fridge, will meet the $1,500 average price, or even higher.
Those keen for a French door fridge, where the upper fridge features two doors with a freezer door underneath, should expect to pay around $2,000 to $4,000, or again, even higher.
Don’t forget to consider delivery and installation fees as well, plus the cost of removing the old fridge if possible.
Make sure you measure the size of the old fridge before buying a new one, to ensure it will fit into the available space.
While looking at the old fridge, also determine which details and style that would be great to enjoy (or not) in the new appliance.
The good news for new fridge owners, especially given the cost, is that these appliances have a very long lifespan.
Think 10-20 years if treated correctly and carefully, with the average being around 15 years.