And the winners are...

Me, Samsung & Sears! Win, win, win!

Stopped off at Sears on the way home Friday to check out the two brands I narrowed it down to; Sears' Kenmore Elite and Samsung.

Was able to get the #1 Washing Machine as declared by J.D. Power & Associates and the matching Dryer for what I consider a great price!  Samsung Steam models (both) for less than the cost of the Sears' Kenmore Elite non-steam versions.

Yeah, got the pedistals (which were $50 a piece cheaper than the Kenmore ones) and yeah, got the warranty on top of that too but negotiated that and was able to bring that price down by $170.  There's two 'after-sale' rebates I can apply for that will decrease the price of the washer by an additional $100 and the other will refund me the delivery & take away costs so they netted to zero.

Important thing is I think I got a good deal on a top of the line purchase... delivery is scheduled for Tuesday... watch out, you won't recognize me...I'll be wearing clean clothes!

Still, an expensive week nonetheless.