5. Update your appliances.
Wrong! Modern American appliances are crap.
Keep that old beater 25 year old washer and you will be happy. Plus, you will be filling the landfill with fewer crappy American appliances as they break down on you every couple of years — good for the environment and the purse.
The old Maytags, GEs , washers and dryers lasted forever. However, the new Energy Star appliances use much less electricity and are quieter.
For example, I replaced my 1980’s Hotpoint side by side fridge with a bigger French door Whirlpool and my electric bill went down $20/month. Do not buy the ice maker through the door models. They are the #1 thing that fails on fridges.
I replaced the old Whirpool Dishwasher with a new Kitchenaid. The old Whirpool we used to program to run at night because it was so loud you could not hear the TV in the next room. The new Kitchenaid you can not hear it running if you are standing next to it.
I replaced the washer with a Fisher Paykel when the Maytag died after 25 years. This is a top load direct drive motor with no belts. When it goes into the spin cycle it sounds like a jet engine. The clothes come out slightly damp. This reduces drying time($). Also, it uses less water. This is a concern to me because I am on a well and septic/leach field. The sulfate soaps are what causes a leach field to eventually fail. Leach fields cost about $12K to replace around here.
However, when the 30 year old GE dryer finally died I bought a another old Maytag dryer from a friend that just bought new ones. I took the back off and cleaned out the lint with my shop vac. I sanded and repainted the top. It looks brand new. It will probably last another 20 years.