Going Without vs. Making Do – Broken Oven

Apparently I have cleaned my stove to death.  J 

A week ago Saturday I went to wipe a smudge off the clock on my stove and the oven knob fell off.  The plastic piece that holds the knob onto the control panel had snapped in half.  I don’t even really remember touching it.  Anyway, I got online to see about ordering a replacement and found one right away.  Problem! 

It looked exactly like the item I held in my hot little hand only it didn’t include the plastic shaft that holds it onto the stove.  ???? 

Upon further research I discovered that that particular piece is integrated into the motherboard of the control panel and the only way to fix it is to replace the motherboard.  “What the….?  You have got to be kidding me!”  No joke. 

The new motherboard has the shaft in metal now instead of the original plastic one – smart thinking!  And a $125.00 price tag to boot.  Without it I can’t turn on the oven.  Now the dilemma: 

·         Repair the stove or replace the stove?

·         It is 12 years old and I have certainly used it – a lot!  If this part goes, what’s next?

·         Will it start to nickel and dime me from here on out?

·         Doesn’t it make more sense to put that money toward a new stove?

·         New stoves are expensive so I would have to settle for an affordable model as opposed to getting the stove of my dreams (dual ovens) in the future when I can better afford too.

·         I still haven’t replaced the TV – but I guess eating is more important than watching the tube.

·         I can’t bake bread! – well, yes I can, my bread machine bakes – duh.

·         I can’t sell the old one or even donate it to someone in its present state.

·         I can’t buy a new stove for $125.00

·         I like my stove, actually.  Even though it is hard to keep clean because I have rubbed all the finish off over the years from cleaning it.

·         I don’t like sending big things to the landfill.  I really don’t like it.

·         I can afford to fix the stove in a couple of weeks.  I would have to put a new one on credit.  Even with 12 months same as cash it is still a monthly bill I don’t need right now. 

I have mulled this one over and over for several days, weighed the pros and cons and decided I will most likely fix the old one.  At least then when I get ready to replace it I can list it on Craigslist and recoup some of my investment.  So in the meantime, we will make do. 

I have a toaster oven, a microwave, a slow cooker, a grill and dutch ovens.  My mother lent me her larger toaster oven so I can bake bread.  I don’t like the hole the paddle leaves in the loaf if I bake it in the bread machine and I don’t think it stays as fresh as long, for whatever reason. 

The upside is I can bake bread outside on the deck without heating up my kitchen.  We just learned, a couple of weeks ago, how to do pizza on the grill so we are covered there.  I now have an excuse to explore slow cooker baking and no excuses for putting it off any longer. 

I also have time now to sell some things on eBay and Etsy to add to my PayPal account so I can pay for my part without it affecting my regular budget. 

Any thoughts here?