Should I replace it?

At the end of last week our electric can opener stopped opening cans. It made a rather pathetic hum with zero action. It has clearly broken. I can't complain. It came into my life over ten years ago when my partner moved in to live with us. He had owned it for many years before that but it didn't get too much use because his ex-wife prefers to use a manual tin opener.

For the past 10 years it has sat in my larder giving intermittent service as required. I prefer it to the manual tin opener and for added measure the magnet top part holds the lid up once the can is opened which seems a very safe and useful feature.

The thing is this. Do I replace it? There are some things that have to be replaced. Last year it was the washing machine, dishwasher and vacuum cleaner. These are things that I don't want to live without. I understand that for years people managed very well without a dishwasher and I didn't have my first one until after child number four was born, but once I had one there was no turning back. These items are used daily and will continue to be replaced when they break. They save hours of manual labour and do a better job that I would do, especially the washing machine and vacuum cleaner. But a tin opener?

Its not as though it does a better job or that it saves time but I do like it. It saves my hands when it is a tough tin and thoughtfully holds the lid in place after the tin is open. A quick search on the Internet reveals that I can replace the tin opener for just $25, and it is the same opener. Maybe there are some hidden upgrades that I am unaware of or could it be that it is a simple device that works so well it didn't need to be upgraded. It is the same make and looks exactly the same as our old one. The same can't be said of my vacuum cleaner or washing machine.

I don't open tins every day of the week and sometimes I may not open a tin for a whole week. But for a mere $25 I can have an electric tin opener in the larder for those occasions when I do need a lid removed from a tin, a tin without a ring pull. Apparently at this particular well know electrical store you pay less when you pay cash. However I seriously doubt that when the cost is only $25 there will be much of a discount.

Sometimes its the little things in life that make a difference and who would of thought that for me one of those little things would be a tin opener?

love
Sarah