While it’s wonderful that we’ve moved beyond the Stone Age of appliances, some of the more complex features available around the house today may make you long for Alice Kramden’s icebox. Why? The latest array of choices can be expensive, as well as intimidating. Before you plunk down your cash, take a measure of your life. Assess your needs, habits, and budget as you read through this glossary of options, then communicate them to your salesperson. Sometimes what you don’t choose can be as important as what you do.

Study this guide and you’ll feel good about talking shop with your salesman. Also, beware: Damaged goods miraculously sneak their way into homes. “Before you sign for your new unit, always inspect it thoroughly,” says Mo Ramjohn, a salesman at Prisco, an appliance retailer in White Plains, New York.