Cyber Monday Deals
One of my favorite things to do is to shop Amazon.com on Cyber Monday. They have some of the best deals available on items for decorating your house. They also offer free shipping if you order $25 or more.
Here are a couple of things that I picked up this morning! Both are Christmas presents–one for me and one for a friend!
The first purchase I made was my Christmas present. Now usually we are VERY frugal about buying things, but this has been on my want list for years. My sweet husband saved all year long. We waited and waited and waited and FINALLY it was put on sale! Look!
Not only is this item on sale for $242.99, BUT there is a $30 rebate so I am getting a Kitchenaid Mixer for $212! I am so excited! This is my biggest purchase this year, and I am so grateful that my husband wanted to bless me with this item. He is so sweet!
I snagged Country Living Magazine for a friend who loves this magazine but cannot afford it every year! They have a special right now for only $10!
So what are buying today? Did you find any great deals on Black Friday? Send me the photos and I will post them on the blog to showcase those great bargains!
I love my Kitchen Aid! I told my husband that if the Kitchen Aid died, we would replace it right away. It is the one appliance that I won’t live without any more!
I bought my KA when I was fresh out of college, with my college grad. money given to me by relatives. I love it, and would find it hard to live without, too!
But, unfortunately, the KitchenAid mixers of today are NOT the KA mixers of yesteryear, even from 20 years ago when I bought mine. They have some plastic parts inside, and are just not made as sturdy anymore. Now, if you’re not planning to make whole wheat bread products with it, or large batches of cookie dough, you may be okay. But, if you are wanting to make whole wheat bread with your KA, you will most likely be very disappointed in how your mixer performs.
I’ve had some friends disagree with me, but think about it: When I bought my KA mixer in 1990, it cost $225, and that was a very good sale price. Twenty years later, the identical KA mixer still costs around $225, but now they are made in China, and not as solid as they used to be, whereas my 20-year-old machine was made in the U.S.
A dear friend who works with food constantly (www.gnowfglins.com) and is really into healthy eating and living gave up on her KA that she had been so excited to purchase (about 5 years ago). It could not mix/knead whole wheat bread dough. The whole machine was rocking and making a horrible noise even though it was generally fine with mixing other less dense doughs. KitchenAid graciously agreed to exchange her machine (over a year old, so out of warranty) for a new machine, which they did.
She prayed about it and decided that she was going to sell her brand new KA to someone else without even taking it out of the box, which she did.
Then, she turned around and used that money to help with the purchase of a Bosch mixer (Bosch Universal Plus with Blender Model: MUM6N10UC) and has used it at least 3 times per day for the last 5+ years, with absolutely no problems. It can handle up to 15 POUNDS of bread dough, no problem.
Yes, the Bosch Universal or Universal Plus is more expensive than the average KitchenAid. But, it has a lengthier warranty, and has a better reliability rating.
I don’t own a Bosch, and I don’t sell Bosch machines. I have nothing to gain by suggesting that people consider a Bosch instead of a KitchenAid. Maybe you’ll have to set aside money for another year and combine to be able to afford a Bosch. I don’t know…I would! But if my KitchenAid dies some day in the future, I will be buying a Bosch instead of a KitchenAid. That’s sad, because my mom is still using her KA that she bought in 1981…and it still runs really, really well.
It is very sad that KA/Hobart has chosen to cheapen some of their products and rely on their past reputation for an excellent product, while their newer products may not be all that good. I personally think they have diversified too broadly by making a million gadgets and appliances these days, and are relying on factories in China to make products that are supposed to be very durable.
Just my two cents!
Julieanne, I had the EXACT same problem as your friend had with my Kitchen aid. I wanted one because my grandma had one which had been passed on to my mother, but I also was disappointed when I got my Kitchenaid and when using it to knead ww bread (even used kitchenaid’s recipe) and it blew the motor after only 3 months. I ended up going through 3 kitchenaid mixers in 18 months, each time the motor died they sent me another one right away, which was awesome, they have great customer service, but I finally decided to just sell the last one they sent me and use the money to buy a Bosch. it works much better for ww bread making and I have had it for 3 years now and have not had any problems. One of the guys from kitchenaid’s customer service told me that the reason the newer ones do not last is the regulations the US has placed on mixers, they have to have a safety feature where if your hand gets caught in the hook it will wear out the motor, whereas the older machines do not have that safety feature and will just keep going. That guy himself said he has an older kitchenaid.
That kitchenaid stand mixer is perfect for what I was looking for. My mother has been needing some new utensils for cooking and I happened to be shopping for her when I stumbled across this page. I guess if she likes the gift I will have you guys to thank for it. Keep posting more kitchen ideas if you can so I can get the perfect gift.