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Jeanne
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We are in the market to buy a new refrigerator. We went out looking a couple of times and are now totally confused. There are so many choices-freezer on top, bottom or side by side. My kids all want the side by side so they can get the water and ice on the door.
I'm not sure there is enough room to put large trays or turkeys etc and the freezers don't look very big. When I was looking at the freezer on the bottom I realized some of my children would not be able to reach the food in the fridge.
What does everyone else use--do you have enough cubic feet? What do you like or dislike about your fridge?
Thanks for your help!
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Jeanne
mom to 9 (21,19,17,15,12,10,6,4,8 months
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Bridget
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I don't know if this helps you much since I haven't done it, but here is my dream plan. I would get an all fridge and an under-the-counter ice maker for the kitchen. Then have an upright freezer either in the kitchen or handy near by. We just don't go in the freezer nearly as often as the fridge.
We have a side by side and the fridge part is too small. The little kids make huge water messes with the water in the door as well.
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materdei7
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We have the frig with the freezer on the top, and lots of room with the one door for the food. Then we have a seperate full upright freezer in the garage for the big
Costco freezer stuff. It works ok, we just barely have room for the 9-12 1/2gallons of soymilk that we drink.  But plenty of room for those trays of Lasagna etc.
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Erica Sanchez
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My vote is for the refrigerator on the bottom, freezer on the top model. Everyone I know with a side-by-side says there just isn't enough room for platters, large bowls, etc. Good luck!
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Elizabeth
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I loved our freezer on the bottom model and now Sears has a freezer on the bottom, armoire style refrig on top that my appliance repair man says is the one to get.
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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JennGM
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I'm watching this discussion, because we are looking for a new fridge. I have the top freezer bottom fridge model and really dislike it.  I can't find anything in the fridge, and there is no room in the freezer. 
We are looking at the side-by-side. I did see a Wide-by-side by Maytag, but I'm not sure they got the kinks out. Consumer Reports only big negative about side-by-sides is that they can't hold large platters or pizza boxes...but I generally don't put those in my fridge. It's those little things that get lost way back in the fridge! My two little veggie and fruit drawers just don't hold enough.
But maybe "the grass is always greener on the other side"? 
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Jeanne
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| Posted: July 21 2005 at 1:04pm | IP Logged
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Elizabeth,
What style of freezer on the bottom model do you have and what features do you like the most about it?
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Jeanne
mom to 9 (21,19,17,15,12,10,6,4,8 months
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
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humanaevitae
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After 3 years we still like our side by side frig. However I have two upright freezers in the basement (one for pork and the other for beef!). As far as congestion- it helps me to always put food in the same spot. Ex- butter on 2nd shelf to the right. This way I always know where everything is and what I am running short of. I think if I had those wide shelves, everything would get pushed around and to the back. This way I have more shelves to seperate items. Would a turkey fit? Sorry-I've only ever defrosted one during the winter when we can use the garage.
Although I have a smaller family (4 kids), I always have a full shelf open for leftovers.(what's that?!) I also have enough room for all the gallons of milk, juice, and lemonade. I will admit that we are a heavy condiment family too.
I must say that I love the ice cube maker but have a love/hate relationship with the water dispenser! I like that the kids drink more water a day and that a chair isn't always left beside the sink BUT I'm one crabby mamma if I step on a water puddle in my socks!
You mentioned earlier that if you purchased the freezer on the bottem model, some children couldn't reach the food. I think I would like that! My toddlers like to help themselves and I can't keep the fruit drawer stocked.
We ended up buying the side by side for clearence issues but I also just don't like to bend down! However, make sure you bring specific pans or milk jugs with you when you look at a model. One salesman assured us that milk jugs would fit on the door of a specific model only to find out he was wrong!
Happy Hunting,
Nicole
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Elizabeth
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We don't have a freezer on the bottom anymore. It was in our other house. I think it was an Amana but I need to check with dh.
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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MacBeth
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I have a Whirlpool freezer-on-the-bottom type, and there is ample freezer room. Great fridge, and the freezer is fast!
We had a side by side when we moved in, leaving our freezer on bottom Amana at our old house. Missed it so much, we replaced it right away.
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Molly Smith
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We have a Kitchen Aid freezer on the bottom style. It's about 5 years old, though, and I know they've improved a lot. My in-laws bought a freezer on the bottom style last year (I don't know the brand) that does have a water dispenser on the inside--it's very cool!
The only thing I don't like about mine is that, because it is cabinet depth, you cannot put a big platter or large pizza box in it.
My sil has the armoire-style freezer on bottom. It does look cool. I'm not sure the advantage except that maybe it's more energy efficient since you wouldn't have to open the whole fridge if you knew which side something was on.
My dream is to have a full size fridge with a full size freezer right next to it. My cousin has this and it is the most awesome thing I've ever seen! I don't really have the room without a major overhaul of my kitchen. But I can dream...
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saintanneshs
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I'm with Elizabeth, Macbeth and Molly...Freezer on the bottom all the way!! 
Ours is a GE we bought from Home Depot 2 years ago. We're tall people here and the fridge is just the right fit for us (rarely bending over to get in the freezer compared with tons of fridge use). Originally I wanted a side-by-side (had always dreamed of having the neat little water and ice dispenser at friends' houses) but abandoned that dream when my mil got a side-by-side and my kids kept making messes with her dispenser. Dh talked me into the freezer on the bottom model and it is wide enough to hold LOTS in the fridge and in the freezer. As far as kids not being able to reach things on higher shelves because the freezer's on the bottom...I consider that a temporary blessing! We put the sippy cups on the bottom shelf on the door and the kids are able to get a drink but stay out of everything else.
We also have a backup freezer-on-the-top model in our back porch which holds all of our frozen summer fruits & veggies since our other freezer is full of meat, ice cream & breastmilk!!
Have fun shopping!
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teachingmom
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The best gift I ever bought myself is our 6 month old Kenmore side-by-side refrigerator. I LOVE it. The ice and water in the door is a huge help--everyone but my 2yo can help themselves to ice water. And they rarely have spills. (Way less often than when we had a Britta water filter container in the fridge for ice water.) I know for a fact that everyone around here is drinking a lot more water due to the convenience of having it in the door of the refrigerator, so we are healthier than we were a year ago!
My one caveat (and it's a rather big one) is that I agree with you about the freezer space. When we bought this fridge, we were planning to move the old basic one to our basement and use it for extra freezer storage. The extra fridge space also allows me to buy more gallons of milk at a time, thus making for less trips to the store. With both freezers, I am in good shape for most Costco trips. If I only had the side-by-side one, I think I would be worse off than I was with my old basic freezer-on-top Maytag.
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Elizabeth
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Our freezer on the bottom was an Amana. Great fridge. I miss it. I would never, ever buy a GE appliance again  . And the repairman heartily concurs. He says that GE means "Go Elsewhere."
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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4Real Forums : Mothering and Family Life
Topic: refrigerator
