I have had a garbage disposal in every house I have been in for 35+ years of renting/home ownership, the only one we have ever had die was at our current home and it was 28 years old when it died and not a very good one in the first place. Replaced it with a 1hp InsinkErator Evolution Excel which comes with a 7 year warranty where if anything happens to it in 7 years they come out to the home and repair/replace it for free. A disposal is probably THE most reliable appliance in the home, I'am sure the next owners of this home wont have any problems for another 30+ years more than likely. As for "flies" never had a disposal draw flies and don't see why they ever would unless you leave food just crammed down it but that has nothing to do with the disposal that it YOU. "smells"? rarely if ever, I always let my disposal run for a minute or two with hot water running and I squirt a bit of dawn dishwashing liquid in it, foams up and cleans everything clean as a whistle, also I use fresh lemons a lot in cooking so about once a week or so I run a lemon peel through it, stays smelling fresh. There really aren't any cons to a disposal.

I got the sink installed, it took longer then I thought it would. Getting the old one out was a piece of cake. The granite double bowl sink fit perfectly but mounting clips were a nightmare. I thought I could use the one I had taken off the old sink but plastic portion had crack. I got new ones but they didn't work neither did any of the mounting clips I bought. After wasting a day on this I finally called Swanstone and they sent me the ones I needed. I had been told that most people don't even bother with them, they just use the silicone to keep in place. I had put the silicone on first as instructed so it was already sealed by the end of the first day. I tried to use the clips that Swanstone sent me but after spending 45 minutes on one clip. I ended up using the silicone on the underside to make sure there were no leaks from the counter. Day two, I finished hooking up the lines and trying to seal the basket strainer drain and disposal flange. You'll not allowed to use plumber putty on anything just silicone which does take time to dry. Not being the patient type, tried to rush the process and ended up having to the whole thing over. Day 3 was hooking up the garbage disposal and the rest of the pvc plumbing parts. I can't tell the number of trips I made to the hardware store for parts and to have some of those parts cut for me because I suck at it. The last headache was the p trap that kept sliding down when it filled with water. I thought I got it until I ran the dishwasher and it leaked again. So I used teflon tape and really tighten it, so far so good. I did get a waste king garbage disposal that didn't work with the nice disposal flange I had gotten because it was an ez mount and not a 3 bolt that I had expected. Thank goodness, I found this out before I had bother to install the sink or it would have been a really big mess. I did have to replace the Opella with Trim to the Trade but it turned out much nicer. For the main sink, I got a commercial grade oil rubbed bronze sink strainer drain.

I like mine, but don't think it's a big deal either way. If you don't use it much, then why put one in. As to disposing of soups? (well, first of all why not eat them or freeze the leftovers)--it's not a big deal--all your wife or you have to do is set a collander in the sink, pour in the soup, and dispose of the solids that are left. It's not like it's a big hassle either way. Resale? a garbage disposal is nice to have, but I don't think anyone is going to consider a $200 appliance a deal-breaker if they love the house otherwise. Many won't even think to look for one, really. And--if you decide to--you could always install a cheap one when you decide to sell. Maybe discuss with your installer, if it would be possible to align things so it would be easy to install one at a later date if you change your mind. Personally, while I love having a disposal, myself, I wouldn't hesitate to buy a house without one, IF the house was otherwise perfect--a disposal is such a small thing when it comes to a house purchase. And there are a lot of people who DON'T like them, don't want them--so they'd be very happy. Why don't you informally keep track of things for a week or so and see how much you really do use the unit. If it's rarely, then go ahead with your plans and skip the disposal.

My husband and I were just discussing this the other day, if we had it to do over again, we wouldn't. I don't really cook the kind of meals that need a lot of "disposing" and my garbage is picked up twice a week. I don't think it is worth the sometimes smelly unpleasantness. It probably is more likely to smell if you hardly ever use it, as in our case. I only got it because I replaced the one that went on the fritz after 16 years. I should have just ditched it then and could have gotten a different kind of sink but that's a whole other story. I also don't like how much room it takes up under the sink.