Our dishwasher was not functioning well. Repeated repair attempts had extended the life a bit but dirty dishes after each wash was the motivation to finally replace it.
We selected a washer that made sense for us (hard food disposal!) and had decent reviews.
Awesome Maytag Dishwasher with hard food disposal.
There was a fancy one for $598. Let’s assume we would have it installed for us rather than attempt to get the thing in ourselves.
The Numbers
Below are actual quotes from the site we purchased The Awesome Dishwasher (rhymes with West Guy).
| Fancy Stainless Steel Version – Installed | Fancy Stainless Steel Version, DYI | |
| Base price | $494 | $494 |
| Installation | $139 | $0 |
| Install Kit | $29 | $29 |
| Haul Away | $15 | $0 |
| Totals | $677 | $523 |
So $154 more for the installed version. That is 30% more for the same functionality.
The Time
This might seem like a waste of time as I am wholly unqualified to install a dishwasher. And despite daily practice my ability to even use one has come into question (hence the hard food disposal). It would take a pro 1 hour. It took me two hours on a Saturday and another two hours on a Sunday. Since we took our time I was able to clean up all the junk under it, test it multiple times for leaks and line it up just right under the cabinet. The previous, professionally installed one, was a miniature leaning tower of Pisa.
And I didn’t have to wait for a contractor and can do it in the morning. 4 hours to save a measly $154. That is only 38 bucks an hour! Based on this calculator that is $79,040.00.
This is looking better already.
But wait – this is tax free money. I don’t have to earn that $154 which would have taken $215 in gross income (before taxes, withdraws, sales taxes and mystery fees). Now we are bumped up to $53 an hour.
The Adjusted Savings
That is better. $53 an hour equates to $110,000 annual salary.
Of course your salary takes priority but if you were going to spend a lazy afternoon with a non-fiction book you can have just as much fun watching a you tube video of how to install a dishwasher.
Change Your Mind Set To Make The Grade
Paying for private school means changing your mind set on seemingly small things. You can do this.
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