I had an impromptu lesson with my students the other day that I never expected to give. I showed them the receipt from my washer repairs and asked them to figure out how much the guy made an hour. Given what I was charged, which was $100 for labor alone, the man makes $200 an hour, factoring in transportation time. My total bill for fixing the washing machine was $130. Sickening!

I wouldn’t have had to pay that much to get the darn thing fixed if I could have had some help from the manufacturer. I found the part that I suspected was broken for only $18, but with no manual, no online or telephone support or anything like it, I ended up having no choice but to call the appliance repair guy, who apparently is one of the wealthiest people in our community thanks to people like myself and the general lack of repair manuals for appliances.

On another note, I’m trying to decide whether or not to buy a Mosquito Magnet. It’s actually pretty much a no-brainer. If I don’t get one, the back yard and front porch will go unused yet another summer. The mosquitoes are simply vicious around here, and I don’t want to have to slather on toxic chemicals every time I step outside into the yard. For what it does (kills zillions of the little buggers), it is totally worth the price. So I need to budget for one this month.

Fortunately, unlike the washing machine, if you need mosquito magnet repair, there is all sorts of support. You can chat online with an expert, call a toll-free number 24/7, get a list of dealers, find a manual…you won’t have to spend $130 getting someone to make a house call if there is an issue! That’s definitely a big factor in this decision. That, and not being covered with big red welts this year.