"Help me, I'm Poor! ..... and Ignorant about Appliances!"
Long story short: I am a high school teacher and a recently divorced mom of young twins. I must be very strategic with my spending, and I must make sure to utilize every cent (actually zero cents--who am I kidding) I have. After years of unstable housing, we are finally about to have a home. Yay! Because of this, I need to purchase a few household items. That's why I am here; I need your advice and expertise, please!
I'm in search of a few appliances for my home: specifically a dishwasher (standard size?) and a laundry washer/dryer set. I am a mom of two, and we live an active life with dogs, cats, sports, etc. I don't need anything industrial, clearly, but what would be a good brand and, like, capacity(?) for these appliances?
I am a firm supporter of "too broke to buy cheap", which boils down to I believe in spending a little bit more on something if I know it will last me longer, especially if it is BIFL material. I would rather BIFL and eat the cost of it early, rather than buy something bottom tier several times over before finally upgrading. I am looking for the "Subaru" of item recommendations; something reliable, long-lasting, nothing too flashy/unnecessary, and will have as respectable a reputation as the "carabiner lesbian reliable" reputation that Subaru maintains (my Subaru fob has sunflower macramé--read that as you will). I definitely don't need a Ferrari, but I also don't want a to end up with a lemon, or worse a PT Cruiser. I just want a reliable item that will be stable and solid for the next few years so I have one less thing to worry about! Okay, can you guys help a sister out? Thank you!!
(p.s. and totally just for extra credit: Do I search by appliance brand or by store, like Lowe's, Fred's, etc.? Do certain stores have better deals? Are warranties a rip off? I'm truly illiterate when it comes to these things, and I really never want to be in this position again, so anything helps. Thanks again!)