I’m Wearing My Dumb Consumer Shirt Today
I must be a dumb consumer. Really. Because when small appliances break my first thought is that I’ll just buy a new one. I have had a home coffee roaster at my house for several years and it broke slightly less than several years ago. I was going to buy a new one but something always prevented me from buying the new one. However, today I got to the point where I actually called to see what parts to repair it would cost. Would you believe $18.00? A new one is easily $70.00, but the repair parts are simple to repair (with a screwdriver or two) and the savings is way too big to ignore.
So, take off your dumb consumer shirts and burn them. Throw them in the trash. At least hang them up and don’t put them on very often. Look at what’s broken, and if you’re not sure, find out if anyone you know is willing to help you trouble shoot the problem, and hopefully fix it (my neighbor helped me with some of his electical tools so we could pin-point the roaster’s issue). There is no need to have the consume, destroy, replace mentality, despite what the marketers tell you.
Embrace the fixit mentality. Think about the actual costs involved, and if you don’t know, do the research. If your time is money, figure out what its worth. Some tiny appliances can be replaced cheaply, but some are a little more high-end and should be repaired if possible. Some repair places make it hard to repair for less than the cost of a new item, but sometimes you can do it yourself, in which case: do it yourself. I believe smart consumer shirts are available, but you’ll have to hunt because most retailers don’t want you to have one 
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