1. Take the Kiplinger quiz

Kiplinger surveyed industry experts, trade associations and retailers to find out just how long you should expect home appliances to last — take their quiz and see how well you do when judging the lifespan of the things in your home. Check out their slideshow “Save $50 A Day: Utilities + Home Improvement” for more ideas.

2. Watch the video

iVillage posted a video from The Green Guide earlier this year to walk you through evaluating whether you should repair or replace your appliances.

3. CARE: Compare, Ask, Read, Evaluate

Lowes.com offers a ton of tips on how to get the most from your appliances including a series of articles on extending the lifespan of your dishwasher, your range, your refrigerator and more. The very first step is to CARE:

• compare the cost of repair to the cost of a new appliance — take into consideration energy savings a more modern appliance might offer
• ask an expert about the problem you’re having to make sure you know the extent of the issue and the repairs entailed
• read the manual to see if the issue is a common one, and also to check what is covered by the warranty and for how long
• evaluate the problem to see how much time and money a repair would cost you.

For more on whether to replace or repair, check out Consumer Reports’ repair-or-replace timelines.