I've needed a new central air for a while, but I've made do with a bedroom window AC and just sweating during the day. Every paycheck might have been my last and I would rather have food and mortgage money in the bank than a working AC.
I had to get a new AC unit this year for reasons of health. I need it to breathe. But I’m not taking a vacation. I’m not replacing the garbage disposal. Everybody I know is cutting costs to the bone.