Laundering Money

I get very bored when researching purchases. Whether it’s a new DVD player, a car, a washing machine, a computer peripheral, a mobile phone, a camera, a memory card or a new video game, I never just go out and buy something. Days, sometimes weeks of research, are required before deciding which brand and which model to purchase. Reviews, discussions on on-line forums, brochures, magazines… Many forms of documentation are consulted in the name of finding the right item to buy.

This is more a personality trait than a conscious decision, so I can’t even claim that I enjoy such investigative work. No, it’s more the dread of buying the wrong thing and regretting it later. Wrong might mean missing an important feature, being saddled with a poor user interface, being overpriced, being a soon to be replaced model, or any number of other things.

Some items are just essentially dull; it’s very hard to become excited about them. Nevertheless, dull doesn’t automatically equate with cheap, so no less research is necessitated prior to a purchase. After all, having to replace a dull but expensive mistake would be even more irritating than replacing a more appealing expensive mistake.

The most recent example of this was in deciding which washing-machine and dryer to purchase. We ultimately opted for the W 2888 WPS washing-machine and T 4888 C dryer, both manufactured by Miele. Miele is really the only name in washing-machines and dryers, as far as I’m concerned. They’re expensive, but second to none in terms of quality, energy conservation and silent operation. It’s no coincidence that virtually every house we viewed whilst looking for a place to buy had Miele washing appliances.

Sarah’s favourite feature is that the plastic front panels of the two machines contain absolutely no text: all programme selections are displayed on the LCD screen and the interface’s language is user-selectable. Sarah feels quite strongly about being able to do her washing in English!

For my part, I can’t get too excited about washing machines and dryers, but I do have to respect the engineering that allows a drum to spin at thirty revolutions a second, plus the fact that the firmware of these machines can be flashed to make them aware of new types of fabric that have yet to be invented. Yes, these days, even your washing machine can have its firmware dynamically updated. Apart from that, I just hope they clean and dry my clothes without knackering them.

That’s the beds, the car, the washing-machine and the dryer taken care of. We still need a couch, plus a dining room table and chairs, just to have the basics covered. Moving to a new house is so much work!