Vacuum Rant

Two weeks ago my vacuum decided to die on me. Consequently, this mom of four has gone without for 2 weeks. I cannot even express properly how much I love vacuuming. It's not that the task itself is all that fun, but the result is fabulous. Whenever I clean a room, it is not clean unless it is vacuumed... so I'm going NUTS. Yesterday, I had the brilliant idea to use our wet/dry vacuum to get the carpets vacuumed. So, today I'm trying this experiment. The brilliance of my idea has somewhat faded as my back is protesting. I vacuumed 3 bedrooms and the hallway this morning. The hunchback stance is not comfortable, but the result is well-worth the pain.
There has got to be some way around all this, but short of having a windfall of money... I will be without a vacuum for awhile.
I need to figure out which vacuum to buy when the money does come, but I'm torn. I've heard excellent reviews from Dyson owners, but I worry that these two have a limited amount of run-time because the casing in plastic.
For some reason, vacuums only tend to last me a year. Granted, I do vacuum ALOT. Yet, it's frustrating to spend about $130 every year on a vacuum that will poop out at the most inopportune time. This is what first makes me wonder if it would be worth it to wait till I can afford a Dyson. Maybe someone will buy one of my paintings before my art show closes. Then, I can buy a vacuum.
In addition, I've found used Dysons on craigslist, but I worry if vacuums only really have a shortened life-span, if this will simply be another headache.
My mil told me to call a vacuum store and ask what they recommended for me. I will do this once we have the funds because right now it would be futile to shop around without having anything to show for my work.
So, I sit here with the knowledge that my living room, 2 more bedrooms, and playroom must be vacuumed and my back is trying to argue that it's too painful.
GRRRR!!!!!!
At least I will be able to claim that my home is clean once I get this task done. This might seem odd, but I do seriously only consider a room clean if I have finished the job with a vacuuming.
*sigh*