May 8, 2009 | Pimp my kitchen
So, a funny thing happened about a month ago. I got an email inviting me to apply for a test drive program with Frigidaire, in conjunction with this new campaign they’re doing with some of their new appliances. It’s all about helping moms have more time for things other than chores, because they did some market research and discovered that—are you ready for this?—the average mom spends 200 hours every month doing household chores rather than doing things we love better. Like, shopping for shoes. (In fact, they’re so sure these appliances will give you more time, they’re guaranteeing it—buy three or more select Frigidaire appliances, and if you don’t end up having at least eight extra hours that first month thanks to their fabulousness, you can return them for free.)
I filled out the application and spent a long time deciding which of the offered appliances I’d most like to receive. On the one hand, the washer/dryer pair sounded positively sexy; on the other, my dishwasher is in the process of dying a slow and painful death. After a day of telling my husband, “But! High efficiency machines! And they’re red!” I sucked it up and applied to receive the dishwasher, because I’m all responsible and logical and stuff.
I also checked the box saying that I’d be interested in being on a special team that receives everything. I mean, why not, right? And then I promptly forgot about the whole thing. Until I got an email back telling me that I’d been selected to get an entire kitchen full of shiny new appliances.
(Feel free to scream loudly and dance around the room. That’s pretty much what I did when I found out.)
So buckle up, my pretties—I’m going to take you along on my Frigidaire adventure, and tell you how you can win new appliances, too!
Here’s what’s going to happen: I’m going to be receiving all sorts of exciting shiny things, here, and I’m going to blog about them now and then to let you know what I think. In all, I’ll be receiving a dishwasher, a flat-top electric range, an over-the-range microwave, a side-by-side fridge/freezer, and yes, the extremely sexy red washer/dryer pair that I hear holds some ridiculous amount of clothing at once and dries clothes as fast as it washes them.
Just to be clear, yes, I am getting an insane number of appliances for free in return for writing about them. However, even all those shiny things are not sufficient to put words in my mouth, so you will be hearing my honest opinions about these machines. Granted, my current sad little kitchen is filled with old appliances and it’s extremely likely I will love the new appliances with a fervor that borders on the unnatural, but if there’s something I don’t like, you’ll be hearing about that, too.
Now for the important part—why should you care? Well, because it may mean goodies for you, as well! The Frigidaire site now has a link to their brand-spanking-new site, My Motherload, where you can enter to win shiny new appliances of your own. Every day you can enter the Daily Dare for a shot at the same washer/dryer pair I’m getting (red! so pretty!), and if you enter the 5 Things contest by telling them what you’d do with an extra free hour each day, you’ll be entered to win the entire suite of appliances.
How cool would it be if a Want Not-er won? So cool! We could be appliance twins!
If you’re on Facebook, you may also want to go become a fan of Frigidaire on their Facebook page; I’m not sure what all they’re planning to do there, but I’m guessing there may be some promotions folks can get in on, that way, and who are we to miss an opportunity for savings?
Needless to say, I’m so excited about this opportunity I could just… just… um, I could just kick my cruddy old dishwasher! Also, I could start saying things to my husband like, “You know, all of those stainless steel appliances are going to make this old vinyl and crummy old cabinets and cheap counter tops look even worse….” (He is so lucky to be married to me, y’all!)
This is going to be fun.
May 8th, 2009 at 9:47 am
Wow, Mir! This is extremely cool! Congratulations! I won’t apply because we rent, so we don’t really have anything to DO with new appliances. (That, of course, is not to say we wouldn’t LOVE them!) But congrats to you, and good luck to all those who do enter!!!
May 8th, 2009 at 9:47 am
My ice maker just died. Right as the weather gets warm. Need new fridge. And my washer and dryer? Don’t get me started…they are going the way of the ice maker. Off to sign up!
May 8th, 2009 at 9:52 am
Wow! That probably helped you out with the week you were having.
May 8th, 2009 at 10:04 am
YAY! You really did hit the motherload.
Cheers to you and Frigidaire.
May 8th, 2009 at 10:06 am
Congratulations! That must have made your week! See, lemons into lemonade! And I cannot wait to hear what you think. I am moving! Into my very own teeny tiny house, and I absolutely covet that sexy washer and dryer.
May 8th, 2009 at 10:10 am
Oh MAN. Our fantastic repair guy said that we have maybe two years left for our fridge. This is great!
May 8th, 2009 at 10:10 am
OMG Mir! I’m so happy for you!
May 8th, 2009 at 10:16 am
That’s amazing! When do you get your new things? And you’re absolutely right – since you’re saving so much on all the new appliances, a kitchen make-over is called for. (Shiny, retro dining table aside…)
May 8th, 2009 at 10:17 am
Wow, that is too cool!
May 8th, 2009 at 10:17 am
Wow. I wish the site had something other than the washer/dryer up for grabs as alas, I can’t have my own in my condo. Or maybe I could try to win them, if the condo people could stick coin boxes on them?
May 8th, 2009 at 10:18 am
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh, that’s pretty cool, I guess.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
May 8th, 2009 at 10:18 am
How exciting for you! Enjoy!
May 8th, 2009 at 10:24 am
If it can’t happen to you, it’s nice when it happens to someone you “know”. Or read their blogs every day. Whatever. Yay for you!
May 8th, 2009 at 10:25 am
AWE-SOME!!!! Mir! I’m so excited for you! All the dishwasher struggles! Now this! YAY!!!!!!!
I’ll pop over and see what’s cooking with Frigidaire. Lucky for me I just got a new washer and dryer last summer that I’m madly in love with. No disappointment here. But the kitchen appliances – that dishwasher sounds splendiferous!
May 8th, 2009 at 10:26 am
Congratulations, my friend. Looking forward to coveting all of the shiny new stuff headed your way
May 8th, 2009 at 10:27 am
oh congratulations! i think you totally deserve this – i can’t even count how much money you’ve saved just our family. take all the money that your work has saved for your readers – and you’d still have money left over after buying all these shiny new appliances!
May 8th, 2009 at 10:27 am
What a wonderful thing Mir!!! With 3 kids (actually 4 when I count the hubby), I’m off to sign up. Maybe, I can get lucky (to win new appliances).
May 8th, 2009 at 10:31 am
Oh, heavens… I’m so jealous, but so happy for you!
May 8th, 2009 at 10:33 am
OMG, Mir! That is SO EXCITING!!!!! I can’t tell you how happy I am for you! (Also, didn’t we all TELL you that the grumpies had to end sometime? Don’t look now, but I do believe there is a whole parade of unicorns flying out of your butt. Or, you know, something.)
May 8th, 2009 at 10:36 am
LOL! I am every bit as excited as you, but so jealous that you got to review them ALL! I’m on Team Range/Microwave. Yippeee!!! I can’t wait to kick that old range and microwave out my back door.
May 8th, 2009 at 10:44 am
Dude….I am seriously jealous.
It’s a good thing you tell me I am pretty all the time.
May 8th, 2009 at 10:46 am
I’m so happy for you!!!
(And just the teeniest bit jealous. I saw that red washer/dryer set the other day…delicious!)
May 8th, 2009 at 10:51 am
I am so happy for you! You go good everyday and it was bound to come back to you! (I am a tiny tiny bit jealous
May 8th, 2009 at 10:56 am
holy snot!! that’s beyond awesome! congrats, mir — enjoy your new shiny things.
May 8th, 2009 at 11:02 am
i am so very excited for you!!
yay for you!
May 8th, 2009 at 11:09 am
Well, that should get rid of the crabbiness! Yeah for you!
BTW if there were one appliance(s) I could not part with it would be my xl capacity front load washer/dryer. They have changed my life. Seriously. I would wash dishes the rest of my life by hand if necessary to keep them.
May 8th, 2009 at 11:11 am
How cool!
I covet a new washer dryer. We have Maytags that came with the house, are probably at least…. 25 years old (if not older, I don’t remember), and work fine. And when they break? Dh figures it out and fixes them…. for pennies, of course. I remember a time when I’d diagnose problems so we could fix them. Now, what with my bad attitude about fixing vs New! Shiny! I just say ‘it’s not working’ and leave it at that.
May 8th, 2009 at 11:15 am
I am thrilled for you, Mir. You’ve been through some really rough times. I’m really glad to know that you’re getting some of what you deserve in life. You’re an amazing woman.
Enjoy!
May 8th, 2009 at 11:18 am
WOWZER!!! How fun! I look forward to living vicariously through you !!
HAPPY!HAPPY!
May 8th, 2009 at 11:21 am
Oooh! Lucky lucky lucky!!! I just registered at mymotherload. I’m waiting for my confirmation e-mail. You better believe I’ll be entering every day!!!
May 8th, 2009 at 11:22 am
OMG!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!! THAT IS SO GREAT!
May 8th, 2009 at 11:26 am
Do they come with extended warranties?
May 8th, 2009 at 11:36 am
Frigidaire rocks! My side-by-side fridge is 11 years old and going strong : )
May 8th, 2009 at 11:37 am
Yippee, woo hoo, fantastic! I see you swooning over the new appliances!
May 8th, 2009 at 11:38 am
Yahoo
May 8th, 2009 at 11:47 am
That’s fantastic, Mir, and you completely deserve it. But you’re right, those lovely appliances are going to make the rest of the kitchen look shabby, so you’re going to HAVE to redo the rest of the kitchen.
Tell Otto to look at it this way: the appliances are the most expensive part of a kitchen remodel, so you’ve already slashed the cost of a new kitchen by more than half. Also you can tell him that he’d look very, very sexy installing new cabinets for you.
May 8th, 2009 at 12:08 pm
Yee haw! And I’ll bet you’re feeling loads better now.
May 8th, 2009 at 12:21 pm
Congratulations!
May 8th, 2009 at 12:32 pm
Holy canoli, you hit the mother load (pun intended). congrats! that is awesome. I mean, the chores still suck, but shiny new red appliances? They make me smile.
May 8th, 2009 at 12:34 pm
Super cool! When we remodeled our kitchen 3 years ago, we went with Frigidaire stuff – we’ve had a small problem with the dishwasher (gasket doesn’t stay sealed, requires silicone application ~every 6 months). Everything else has been wonderful (side-by-side fridge, gas range, over-the-range microwave). Although we went with Kenmore for our washer/dryer that died a year later (in blue, hubby wouldn’t agree to the red).
May 8th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
Mercy Mir that freaking rocks! Congrats!!!!!
May 8th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
Yay, Mir!! Very happy for you. And nice to hear a lilt of excitement in your voice.
May 8th, 2009 at 2:10 pm
C*O*N*G*R*A*T*U*L*A*T*I*O*N*S
May 8th, 2009 at 2:12 pm
is it ok to say i’m sooo jealous !!! and very happy for you!
May 8th, 2009 at 2:19 pm
I just squealed for you!!!! How very cool!!!
May 8th, 2009 at 2:20 pm
Congratulations!!! I’m on Team Washer/Dryer and so excited to be a part of this amazing group of women!!
May 8th, 2009 at 2:31 pm
It’s because you’re so pretty
How cool!
May 8th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
Congrats Mir! Cannot wait to hear about your experience with the washer/dryer…
May 8th, 2009 at 2:51 pm
Congratulations!
May 8th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
My word, that is SO exciting for you! I’m going to give it a shot, too.
May 8th, 2009 at 3:50 pm
wow that is soo awesome, couldn’t have happened to a nicer lady. Congrats!!
May 8th, 2009 at 3:52 pm
I am SO excited for you! Have a blast, and I do believe you will be honest about how well/or not – they all work, and work and work!
May 8th, 2009 at 4:08 pm
just signed up! woohoo!
May 8th, 2009 at 4:35 pm
Very cool! Huge congrats!
May 8th, 2009 at 4:56 pm
Congrats! Congrats!!!! You soooo deserve this!!!
Hope you enjoy all your new goodies 
May 8th, 2009 at 5:02 pm
That is so awesome! Enjoy!
May 8th, 2009 at 5:13 pm
OMG that is SO AWESOME.
I think I spend significantly less than 50 hours a week doing chores.
May 8th, 2009 at 6:06 pm
Yaaaaay! Congratulations. Who deserves this more than you after all you do for everyone else!
May 8th, 2009 at 6:59 pm
PS:
As a cheap (uh, highly frugal) renovator/redecorator of several kitchens over the years, I think you really could pull off a magnificent redo of your kitchen without spending a lot. Really. With those gorgeous appliances, If you’re willing to stay with laminate countertops and vinyl or (way cool these days!) linoleum flooring, hire someone, or do-it-yourself, to give those cabinets a good paint job, and you’ll have yourself a showplace. That’s what that lady on Decorating $ense on HGTV does all the time — $for under $500!” When I was a single Mom, I had a redecorating budget of $100 a room and somehow managed to pull it off with paint and remnant fabric — though admittedly the kitchen cost more. Back then, I used peel-and-stick tile, but check out that new product Flor, very stylish. For a great-looking, fresh kitchen for less, it’s worth a try! Good luck!
May 8th, 2009 at 8:18 pm
Squeee! So happy for you:-)
May 8th, 2009 at 8:35 pm
holy wow! That’s so amazing! Enjoy the fabulous new appliances.
May 8th, 2009 at 9:39 pm
wowza! Congratulations! I’m so happy for you, that’s fabulous!
It’s nice just to read about it after a long week, can’t imagine actually receiving them!
May 8th, 2009 at 9:44 pm
That’s some cat
Enjoy all of your new time and thanks for turning us on to the contest
May 8th, 2009 at 10:14 pm
Wow, what an awesome prize to win! Congratulations, and thanks for sharing the information with us!
May 9th, 2009 at 1:39 am
For all the deals you’ve sent our way, this is your just reward. Enjoy all those shiny/red appliances!
May 9th, 2009 at 8:12 am
WOW! That is super fantastic! You go, girl!
May 9th, 2009 at 10:07 am
wow, Mir! That’s awesome!! What fun!
May 9th, 2009 at 10:22 am
Congrats! I applied and didn’t make the team, so I know that there were (literally) hundreds of bloggers on the list. You deserve this perk! You work very, very hard. Besides, you’re so pretty you must have pretty appliances to go with all the beauty in your home.
May 9th, 2009 at 11:07 pm
Lucky you! I keep seeing those very sexy red washer/dryers on TV…oh, they would look so nice in my laundry room!
May 10th, 2009 at 7:13 am
Too cool! Congratulations!
May 10th, 2009 at 4:24 pm
It could not have happened to a nicer person. I love your shared knowledge (and deals!) Congrats!
May 11th, 2009 at 11:55 am
How cool is this! Well done, Mir!
May 11th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
[...] Consumer and technology brands have been dabbling in social media for a couple years, but lately it seems like there’s a new BIG campaign aimed at bloggers every week, if not every day. Consider the mom blogging segment. In the last month alone we’ve had Hanes ComfortCrew trip to Disney, Let’s Fix Dinner from Stouffers, a Disney-sponsored mom blogger weekend at DisneyWorld, HP’s NY meet-up with Dara Torres and just last week, the launch of Frigidaire’s Motherload promotion. [...]
May 11th, 2009 at 7:13 pm
Congrats! I can’t wait to hear all about them.