What the dealio, guys? Remember how we mentioned a few times that we’d like to upgrade to an energy efficient front loading washer and dryer sometime down the line when we saw a killer deal (we heard they pop up around February since new models are often introduced then)? Well, one found us a lot sooner than we expected. Yesterday actually.
We were walking through Lowe’s on Saturday when we noticed a sign that said 10% off all appliances. Not much of a deal, but enough to make us take a detour through the appliance section for fun. And while we were in that shiny-new-appliance-induced-euphoria, we noticed a big sign on an energy efficient Whirlpool Duet washer & dryer set that said $898 for the pair (marked down from $1198). Not a bad deal but not an earth-shatteringly amazing one either. But boy were they beauts.
We knew we liked Whirlpool Duet front loaders (they’re what we had for over three years in our last house). And they’d work in our new laundry room since they’re stackable. So we asked a salesperson if the 10% off offer that we noticed was valid on top of the posted $898 sale price for the pair. No dice. Since they were already labeled as an “in-store special” there weren’t any added price cuts they could apply. So we called it a day and went home.
The very next morning (Sunday), as if by fate, John got an email saying all Energy Star washer & matching dryer sets priced over $397 each were 20% off for a limited time (hooray for signing up for the Lowe’s mailing list when we moved). So we figured that it was worth calling Lowe’s to clarify if we could use the 20% coupon on the $898 set we had seen. Although in all honestly we went into it assuming they would say no…
… which they did. Boo.
Then we noticed that on lowes.com the exact same washer & dryer were marked down to $399 each ($798 for the set instead of the $898 in-store sales price we saw earlier). And it appeared as though the 20% email offer that John received would work on top of that online sale price. Score. But we’d always rather purchase things from our local store than order them online, so we called the store back and explained that we wanted to order the set online for $319 a pop thanks to the additional 20% off the $399 sale price that we found online, but we’d be happy to come in and order directly from the store if they’d honor the $638 grand total…
… which they did. Yay.
Why the change of heart when we mentioned ordering them online? If Lowe’s is anything like my old days in retail (I worked at Express on 34th Street in Manhattan for a few years during college) they’re working to personally hit a sales goal in each store every day, so they’d much rather you go through them than order something online since it’ll boost their daily numbers. Plus they’re probably allowed to honor online prices if you print out and bring them those e-promotions and show them what you could get on their website (although we did have to speak to a supervisor on the phone before getting the all-clear).
So that’s how we practically bought one and got one free (saving almost 50%) when it came to a new Whirlpool Duet front loading washer & dryer. We plan to stack them in our laundry room in the place of our existing not-front-loading-or-energy-efficient current set so we save a bundle when it comes to water and electricity (plus they’re a lot more functional thanks to the front loading washer capability along with the extra internal space and other brand-spanking-new features).
And while we’re on the subject of saving energy, guess how many clams our new set will cost to run per year according to the Energy Star tag? Fifteen bucks. A year. For all those loads of clothes and cloth diapers that we’re doing these days. Actually it’ll probably be around $9 for the year because their $15 estimate is based on eight loads of wash per week, and we usually get by with about four to five including Clara’s cloth diapers. You know how there’s that crass term for people who are obsessed with celebs? Star effers? Well we’re Energy Star effers. They’re just so much better than the old electricity and water wasters of the past- like the older stackable washer and dryer that we inherited with the house.
Speaking of those, since they’re still in great working order, instead of sending them off to a landfill we’re hoping to sell ’em on craigslist soon since we have to wait a week or two for the new dryer to come in and get delivered. And if nobody bites on craigslist we’ll donate them to the Habitat For Humanity ReStore (they do pick-ups, which makes things even easier). And we promise to share pics of the new ones (possibly with Clara playing Vanna White) when they arrive. Have you guys scored any after-holiday appliance deals? Or convinced a store to honor an online deal with some over the phone eyelash batting?
Psst- Thanks to a few smart commenters, we just learned that we can get a $75 rebate from the VA government for buying an Energy Star appliance thanks to this link, which would take our total down to $563. Squeeeeeeeee!
Jenney says
If only I needed a new washer and dryer! What a steal!
I have found out that Target does not honor their online prices though; I found a great deal on a Canon camcorder ($100 off the retail price!) and when I took the print out to the store, no amount of sweet talking could convince them to sell it to me for that price. Too bad for Target, I ended up ordering it from Amazon and got free shipping and no sales tax.
Melissa @ SassyMommy says
Wow… what a great deal! We still have the old school ones… So really the new ones save water and energy? I guess I realized the energy but the water? Our town is famous for insainly high cost for water (I shutter when I think of our water bills when we moved in and had to start an entire new lawn of sod and seed). Maybe they are worth checking out.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Melissa,
Oh yes! Especially front loaders (which don’t have to fill with gallons of water like top loaders do). When the wash runs you can look through the window and see how little water they actually use! And they all have to be rated by the government to boast the “Energy Star” label, so if you see that sign you know they really do save energy and water!
xo,
s
Emily @ Merrypad says
WHOA. What a steal – and they’re beautiful!
Angela says
How funny. We just bought the SAME set at Lowes. And the pedestals were also buy one, get one free. So we got a great deal on a set and two pedestals! But I didn’t know about this online thing…..think it’s worth going into Lowes and seeing if they’ll refund us any?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Angela,
It had language like “not applicable on prior sales” so I think if you already bought them they won’t apply the additional 20% off- but you did get that free pededstal! Super deal!
xo,
s
Kristi @ Addicted 2 Decorating says
What an amazing deal! I’m definitely in the market for a new washer and dryer. My tiny little condo has a tiny little closet to house the washer and dryer, and I don’t even think a full-size washer/dryer would fit in there. The one I have now is so tiny that I can wash about two of my big fluffy towels at a time. No joke. It’s pathetic. And the heating element in the dryer just went out. So, it’s decision time. Do I spend money to repair these sadly outdated things that fit the tiny closet? Or do I try to find new ones? Seeing your shiny new front loaders makes me want new ones myself!!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Kristi,
We would call around/google to see how much it might cost to repair your existing ones and do some searching for some newer options with the same small footprint and compare the cost to repair vs. replace them. Good luck!
xo,
s
Laura says
That is an AMAZING deal!!! Congrats!
I have a Whirlpool front load washer and I love it.
I’m a little leary about selling on Craigslist and having people I dont know come to my house. How do you deal with that? Do you have any tips?
I would love to sell my bedroom set.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Laura,
We’re always sure that we’ll both be home when the person is arriving and we do things during the day when it’s light out and everyone in the neighborhood would hear us scream. Haha. That sounds so paranoid. We’ve never had an issue, but having the phone close (I usually hang out in the background with the baby and a cell phone while John does the exchange) keeps us feeling the most secure. You can even email a relative/friend with the time and name and phone number of the person who’s coming if you’ll feel better having that info out there in the universe. We usually get a vibe of the person through phone calls (if they’re asking a lot about the item and haggling about the price, etc- that reassures us that they’re truly interested in that item). I guess a big red flag would be someone who seems more interested in if you’ll be home alone or where you live than about the item they’re about to buy. Since you’re just as anonymous as the person buying from you, they don’t know if you’re a cop or if you live with your bodybuilding boyfriend, so we would recommend not spilling too much info (like I’m a young female student who lives alone). But again, we’ve used craigslist about 50 times without any issues, both in NYC and here in Richmond.
xo,
s
Rebekah says
I love my Whirlpool Duets, too! I got mine used but like new from Craigslist about a year ago for $850. So great deal on yours!! I’m sure you will inspire others to call their local Lowes and ask for the same deal!
Carmen says
We purchases the Whirlpool Duet last April and I absolutely love them. Our previous washer and dryer were over 15 years old and the new ones cut my laundry time in half! That alone was worth the price to me. I also have only purchased detergent twice since then, another great money saver. Unfortunately, we did not notice a significant difference in our water bill, however, we attribute that to the rate increasing steadily over the last year:( I think you will be very happy with your new purchase. Great deal!
pam says
AWESOME deals!!
Cait @ Hernando House says
That’s a great deal! We got our Whirlpool Duet Sports from the Sears Outlet for a similar price about a year ago and LOVE them.
Lisa says
Awesome deal! We need new ones too. How would one get their hands on the coupon?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Lisa,
We would recommend signing up to be on their mailing list (we did that when we moved and the promotion popped up in our inbox yesterday morning).
xo,
s
Diane says
Great deal!! I got a deal on a wireless printer from Best Buy on Cyber Monday. The printer’s normal price was $149 but the store honored the online price of $99 and then I recycled my old printer for a $50 credit. Final price was $49!! And I love the convenience of a wireless printer!!
Jennifer @ Milk & Honey Mommy says
John and Sherry,
My mother always said (and still does) “it doesn’t hurt to ask.” All I can say is “work it baby!” That is a very sweet deal.
Jenee says
That is awesome that you scored such a deal on that set!! We have the Whirlpool Duet with steam and we have the pedestals too. Actually we bought ours at Sears and got the pedestals for free! It was during their friends and family sale. I think we ended up paying around $1000 with tax. You definitely got a better deal, but we love them!!
Julia M says
We are renters and enjoy front loader stackables as well! However, the washer is on the bottom and it takes all of my (very weak) strength to get the clothes up to the dryer. Do you have to put the washer on the bottom?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Julia,
We do have to put the washer on the bottom (it’s heavier so that’s the rule) but in our old set-up both the washer and the dryer were at that same low height (under a counter that we installed) so it was even more bending before. The stackable placement might just be an upgrade for us when it comes to all that bending!
xo,
s
Christine says
GREAT job! Yes, this happened to my hubby and I when we moved into our house 2 months ago. In the store (HomeDepot) our dream beyond dreamy energystar dishwasher was $798 discounted online to $337.20 and online it even excepted our 10% off “new homeowner” coupon (those coupons are the best). We printed it out and ordered it in the store the next morning.
Jenny @ Words On Wendhurst says
Wow, that is an awesome deal. :-) So happy for you. It’s much nicer to do laundry in a pretty little area with nice machines. What color machines did you get?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Jenny,
We went with the white ones again since those were the ones on sale. Even though colors would have been fun…
xo,
s
Adrienne says
Here’s another way you can get an almost instant discount–order gift cards from Plastic Jungle (or another gift card reseller). Their gift cards are discounted from 5-18% (I think Lowes is around 8%). I don’t get kickbacks from Plastic Jungle (there are other gift card resellers, but that’s the first one that came to mind). My sister just bought her first house and is looking for a washer and dryer and I suggested this method to her.
Sarah says
Wow, what a great deal on the Duets! I bought mine more than two years ago for much more than that. Totally jealous of your deal!
Angela says
I actually got a HUGE deal from Lowe’s just 2 weeks ago. They had a KitchenAid mixer on sale for $181 (down from $250) but then were running an extra sale until 12/25 which made it $145 and there was a $20 mail in rebate. I was also able to pick it up at my local Lowe’s in Richmond saving on shipping costs. All said including tax I got a brand new KitchenAid mixer for only $132! A savings of over 50%!!! Yay!
Erin says
Gorgeous!
I’m using your post as motivation to my husband to “keep our eyes peeled” for deals like these – considering the fact that our dryer currently burns our clothes on the lowest setting, and our washer won’t drain the water out of the basin unless you select the “cold/cold” setting (which is what we use most of the time, but would be nice to have options!) Wish me luck!
Do you guys happen to know the benefit (if any) of a dryer that uses gas as opposed ot electric to dry clothes? Our current dryer uses gas, but or old one used electric – until we moved into this house, I’d never seen a dryer with a gas line hooked up to it before…not sure if we’re saving/losing money with this particular setup –
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Erin,
We did notice on the Energy Star sheet that a dryer that uses gas appears to be slightly cheaper to run! But perhaps as a trade off, they seem to cost a bit more in the up front. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Meredith says
My parents just bought a front-loader washer/dryer set from Sears yesterday for almost half off as well.
I am always shocked at how much stores will often knock off the total just by my parents asking what their best price is. Also, my dad asks for a senior citizen’s discount for EVERYTHING. I even remember him asking (and receiving one!) when he bought me a wakeboard as a birthday present in high school!
annabelvita says
Love the picture – although to my British eyes the washer and dryer look almost obscenely large! Do you know what the appliance to the left is? (Or is it just a cart?)
Also – have you ever thought about a combined washer/dryer? What was your thinking against that?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Annabelvita,
They look extra big since they’re sitting up on pedestals (those babies are extra and we’re going to stack our units so we didn’t get those). As for the thing next to them, it’s just a rolling laundry cart I think (we got one from Target for our old house for $19). As for a combined washer/dryer, they’re not really very popular here in the states (we actually haven’t ever seen one at Lowe’s, Home Depot, etc) so they’re very hard to find (or find a deal on) which is why we didn’t consider one. Perhaps because most people have the space for two since that has been the standard so long here in the states, there aren’t many companies who are making combined models for our region? It’s a shame because they sound like real space savers!
xo,
s
Danyell says
Your Blog is beautiful !
Janie says
What a great deal! Your dryer isn’t included in the energy star rating and annual usage, though. They don’t give them any stars because they’re such energy hogs.
Now that you have several empty rooms, have you considered hanging your laundry on racks in the spare or guest rooms? It saves energy, makes things (especially diaper elastic) last longer, and adds valuable winter humidity to the house.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Janie,
We line dry and air dry whenever we can- especially those cloth diapers! And the dryer actually has a no heat “eco” cycle that spins them very fast to air dry them, so we’ll be using that whenever we can as well!
xo,
s
keri says
i think that’s the way it should be – if that’s the price online, that’s the price in store!
i had a friend who was a manager at dick’s sporting goods – who was always frustrated because DSG actually uses a different company entirely for their website (so you are at dick’s sporting goods.com but you’re not actually shopping them) – totally different prices and items. does anyone else know of other companies like this?
Ryan says
Pottery Barn does this. I worked at PB Kids and they wouldn’t honor online or catalog prices in the store because they are a separate division. Those divisions are actually connected to the outlet stores, so whatever isn’t sold that season in the catalogs and online goes to the outlets. I’m sure this is fairly common practice. That’s not to say exceptions weren’t made when people were persistent about it ;)
Rachel says
What an awesome deal! We have some old but functional machines in our rental and have discussed springing for a new more efficient pair that we can take with us. It’s times like this that make me wish I was not in grad school so that all that money we put away for tuition could be used for deals like this!
Ami @ beyondpeasandcarrots says
good deal!!! Congrats :)
Jany Claire says
My best friend just bought this exact set a few days ago. Not sure if she got the deal that you guys did BUT I must say that I definitely have front loader, energy efficient ENVY! She’s over the moon about it especially since she’s been doing coin-op laundry for 14 years! (She and her fiance just purchased their very first home.)
Angela says
I just got the SAME Whirlpool set a few days ago! And also the matching pedestals (buy one, get one free deal going on on those right now, too:). We thought it was an incredible deal all in all. But I didn’t know about the online prices or the 20% off coupon on energystar. Would you mind passing on that coupon code? I want to see if Lowes will work with me on a refund!!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Angela,
There wasn’t an actual coupon code, just a promo email that was sent to John for being on the mailing list. There seems to be similar language on the top of this page on their site though, so maybe this is the same deal?
http://www.lowes.com/pl_20+Percent+Off+Energy+Star+Washers+and+Dryers_4294795391_4294937087_
Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Erin says
Sweet find, guys! What a deal on the pair!
We recently bought our KitchenAid dishwasher at Lowe’s. With a little haggling, we were able to get them to price match a Black Friday deal at Best Buy, plus deliver for free and haul away the non-functioning one. This knocked about $110 off the price, plus it removed the hassle of a dump run, the disposal fee, and a 40 mile round trip drive to pick it up when the new one arrived in store. I love Lowe’s for appliances!
Jessica @ How Sweet says
Wow – that is a great deal. I have never been a fan of the front loaders because I always forget to throw something in and can’t do it midcycle!
Alisa says
Oh how I love discount stacking. Good find!
Shannon says
You’re absolutely right about asking for a manager to match the website pricing. I actually work at a Lowes, and the stores should ALWAYS agree to honor the online pricing. Good news is, if you order something online, and the in store price is actually less they’ll always charge you the less of the two prices.
The only way you could’ve gotten a better deal would’ve been with an employee discount. :) What do you think? Are either of you up for a part-time job?
YoungHouseLove says
Hahaha, well it’s practically our home away from home, so never say never…
xoxo,
s
Jill says
I don’t remember the exact price, since it’s been about 5 years now, but we got a super deal on our washer and dryer from Lowe’s! There was a similar sale situation to yours…but then when we got there, they only had a white washer and a black dryer…since our laundry is in our basement, that was not a problem, but they knocked it down another $100? because they didn’t match!
Lauren says
Wow, do I love hunting for a good deal!
Holly says
Love the duet! We have the front load duets but I believe ours is a model down from the one you just got. Needless to say we looked in Sears the other day at the next model up with the fancy shmancy LED screen and the cutest little noise when you move the button. Yea I want those now. So when we move I will get them =)
I love how pretty they make everything look. Right now they are in the basement BLAH but in the next house in Richmond, VA I will make sure its on a top level =)
amy says
We recently purchased a top loader washer and gas dryer from Lowe’s – the Maytag Bravos (same as the Whirlpool Cabrio). They are both Energy Star rated as well. The washing machine is a high efficiency washer. It does not have an agitator.
I spoke with many people before purchasing the new set, including a few repairmen. They suggest the top loading high efficiency washers because it is cheaper to fix them if something was to go wrong. The front loaders are very expensive to fix and are more common to have something go wrong with them (in their experience/opinion).
We chose a gas dryer as well. It’s about $100 more to buy them, but they are much cheaper to run. The best part about the dryer is the sensor cycles. It will sense how much wet stuff is in the dryer and how long it will take to dry, adjusting the heat and time on its own. No more guessing.
Carole says
what a great deal! I was pretty sure it wouldn’t take you that long to replace the current washer/dryer, esp. given that you’re cloth diapering.
I love the laundry room in the picture, those cabinets are gorgeous!
Mandi says
WOW what a great deal. Now that was some clever shopping!!
Angela says
So you didn’t use a promo code? But online they are listed as $399 and the 20% off doesn’t seem to automatically apply to that price?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Angela,
There wasn’t a promo code, just a coupon with sale language in John’s inbox. So we just called the store and asked if they would honor both the online price and the inbox promo (we printed out the page with details about the 20% off promo and took it with us). It specified that it couldn’t be combined with the 10% off but the store agreed that it should be usable on the $399 washer and dryer since they’re Energy Star, a matched set, and over the $397 price that was specified on the promotion. It’s definitely an ask-the-manager store-to-store call, but we’re SO glad they went for it!
xo,
s
Vorpaks says
Oooooo… so pretty and shiny! You guys did good!
Katie says
My husband and I both have small cars, mine is a 4 door, his is a 2 door. Our biggest problem with buying big items is the tow away! We bought a new lawn mower yesterday and crossed our fingers that it would fit in the back of our car, it did. First time for everything. We have friends with trucks but hate bothering them to go out of their way to come help us! We have rented trucks from Uhaul for a whopping $60 (after gas and mileage). I know you guys have a car too, what do you do with big purchases like this? We hate having 2 cars and hope to invest in a small truck or SUV soon.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Katie,
We usually wait for free delivery promos (which is usually going on at Home Depot and Lowe’s) and occasionally borrow John’s sister’s SUV or even rent a truck from Home Depot or Lowe’s (they’re around $20 for an hour, which is great if you’re just picking up something big and hauling it home). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
jordan says
you guys did it again!!! one of the (many) things that i LOVE about YHL is how you are so great at answering comments. It truly feels so personal! However, I cannot imagine the feat of keeping up with that and curious if you would (understandably) think about giving that up in the future.
megan says
I worked in retail for years and you are right, we will do anything to make a sale for our store. Plus, its nice to buy local (even big chain stores) because it proves to the stores that they need sales associates, which keeps people employed. Great job at scoring such a good deal. We scored a few years ago on a bedroom set by paying cash. And we talked them into free delivery…and we lived 30 miles away!!
annabelvita says
Yeah – not many people have combined washer dryers here either, just thought it might be the sort of space saving solution you guys are into, but it makes sense they’d be more expensive as they’re rarer.
I think in general all our appliances are smaller than yours thanks to smaller houses (most people have a washing machine under the kitchen counters) and I’ve never heard of pedestals before!
Thanks for answering and happy new year.
Katy says
When I got married, we registered for a cookware set and the individual pieces at Bed Bath and Beyond. We figured no one would buy the whole set but if we did receive the pieces, we would be able to return them and buy the whole set. When the time came, I didn’t have one of those coupons handy. I spoke with a manager and asked if she would still give me 20 percent off so I could buy the set that day. Worked out well for us because we got a $50 discount on some super nice cookware.
Madelaine says
I have heard alot about the front load washers smelling and developing a mildew problem that can cause major issues with the gasket (which can cost major bucks to replace). Did you experience any of these problems? Have you heard of this also? We will need to replace our old, but free, models soon-ish and am debating what to go with when the time comes. Any advice is most welcome. Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Madelaine,
We had heard of this but never had an issue with ours in over three years of use. And since we’re going with the same maker (Whirlpool Duet) we’re not worried about it. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Diana says
This is a slightly off-topic question, but still about washers and dryers. I remember reading that you cloth diaper Clara; have you found that to be difficult at all with a front loader, especially an energy efficient one?? I have heard from friends that they can never get enough water to fully clean and “de-stink” their diapers in a front loader. I have a top loader, so I do not have a frame of reference, though I did CD my little one.
If you already posted about your cloth diaper routine and I just missed it, I am sorry!
Congrats on the great find! They look great!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Diana,
Clara’s almost 8 months old and we have never had a single issue with stains or smells. Our diapers still look like new after every load.
xo,
s
Felicity says
That’s an AMAZING deal! It almost makes me wish we needed new appliances, but thankfully I love ours and the moving company had no problem moving them from FL to VA with us last year.