Living without a microwave is not something I planned on.

Growing up, my mom bought a microwave as soon as they were reasonable priced. The behemoth took up half the kitchen counter, but it saved her lots of time.

One of the first joint purchases Michael and I made was a small microwave for our tiny apartment galley kitchen. When it started failing, we replaced it with a $10 microwave from Goodwill.

About two months ago, I used it in the morning to heat water for tea. At lunchtime, I went to nuke some soup. I was surprised that the light came on and the timer counted down, but it didn’t heat.

I asked my friend, Candace, to keep an eye out for one when thrifting. Michael and I have come across a few on subsequent thrifting trips, but they are either too expensive – why pay $30 used when a new one is $40 – or too old – if it has faux wood grain sides, it’s ancient.

While I have missed having a microwave, I’ve learned to live without it. It improves my memory by having to remember to take meat out of the freezer to thaw the night before I need it. It also helps me cultivate patience since it takes more than a minute to make a cup of tea.

I’m not saying I’ll never buy a microwave again, but for now I’m happy relying on my stove and toaster oven.