Before making a big-ticket purchase, it helps to learn your options.

When you first set foot in a showroom filled with hundreds of appliances boasting various bells and whistles, it’s hard to know which features are most important.
To make the shopping experience a bit less harried, Real Simple put together a guide to what really matters when getting a new washing machine, refrigerator, dishwasher, range or microwave.
Source: The Arizona Republic, 5/10/08