VALLEY WEEKEND : Buying Reconditioned Items Brings Big Savings : At H & M, major appliances come with warranties. There are steep discounts on new models as well.

It’s happened to all of us. Just when the checking account is at an all-time low, a major appliance dies. It’s not like we can do without a fridge or stove until the budget is healthier.

That’s when many shoppers discover how much money can be saved by buying reconditioned appliances. The key, of course, to finding a good source is to locate a good repair service, and H & M Appliances is just that.

Reconditioned dishwashers and trash compactors at H & M sell for about half of their new prices and come with a one-year warranty. Over 1,000 reconditioned appliances, starting at $100, have been thoroughly checked by technicians.

Then they are steam-cleaned and sanitized with a water / chemical mixture heated to 280 degrees. Most of the reconditioned appliances come with a 90-day parts and labor warranty; a one-year warranty may be purchased for about $42.

Recently, a 4-year-old Maytag washer and dryer that sold new for around $1,100 was reconditioned and put on the floor at $375 for the set. A reconditioned General Electric stove was marked $150.

H & M owner Haim Tamsut, whose wife, Natalie, lovingly refers to him as a genius, recently purchased 50 apartment-size GE refrigerators that, when new, each sold for $600. All have been reconditioned, steam-cleaned and waxed and are marked $239.

There are some excellent buys on new appliances as well, with some of last year’s models particularly good deals. A Whirlpool stackable washer and dryer that retails for $900 is $599; a new 22-cubic-foot GE refrigerator that you would pay about $900 for at many stores is $499.

All new appliances come with a one-year warranty for parts and labor. The business’s card states “sales, service, parts,” so you know H & M will repair your appliance even if it was purchased elsewhere. A service call is $32, which is included in the one-year warranty.

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Weekend Super Sale: When a good resale store stages a big sale, any bargain shopper worth her black belt is there. So it is with Jean’s Stars’ Apparel, one of the Valley’s top consignment stores, whose sale starting today cuts prices 50% to 80% on almost everything in the store. That’s apparel and accessories, ladies.

Owner Janet Snyder puts it this way: “It’s positively like stealing.” Sizes are 4 to 12. Jean’s is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. The sale continues to the end of the month. Jean’s Stars’ Apparel, 15136 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, (818) 789-3710.

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DETAILS

* WHAT: H & M Appliances.

* WHERE: 18510 Sherman Way, Reseda.

* CARDS: American Express, Discovery, MasterCard, Visa.

* HOURS: Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

* CALL: (818) 705-2240.

* FYI: 90-day parts and labor warranty; about $42 for a one-year warranty.