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A boring thread for boring people

Don't say I didn't warn you, this is a thread about electricals!

HOW in the hell do people afford the electrical goods they need? Over the last two days our hoover ran out of expensive, elusive hoover bags and then when I trekked out to find some it packed in anyway, the washing machine decided to piss itself all over the kitchen floor, the engine-thingy on the fridge has gone AND WORST OF ALL the remote stopped working this morning :mad: :crying:

After watching my boyfriend's cousin make an arse out of so-called "repairs" I called a few professionals but it seems as though getting something fixed would cost even more than buying new ones. Where is the sense in that?

There is no way we can afford to buy any of the above, to be honest, though maybe I can stretch to new batteries for the remote. How do people afford to buy stuff they need and still eat anything other than Tesco Value bread? Do I need to put some tights on my head and take our local Currys out under the cover of darkness? Advice please, I've got a stresshead on.

Oops, maybe this should be in Home, Law & Money :chin: but nevermind...
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Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I get Mrs MoK to sell her body on a regular basis. Obviously we are living on Tesco value at the moment ;)


    Seriously, we have a rota of replacement (for want of a better phrase) of each of those items (and others) so that we are permanently saving for them but they tend never to get too old to start failing with expensive repairs. All, that is, with the exception of the washing machine and we took the advice of a repair man and bought a really reliable one. We've had it nearly 14 years and it's broken twice and cost about £50 in total to repair.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I get Mrs MoK to sell her body on a regular basis. Obviously we are living on Tesco value at the moment ;)

    :razz:

    I know that quality and all that is key, but basically when we moved into this flat not so long ago there were some electricals here and others were kindly donated by friends of ours so we've pretty much scraped the bottom of the goodwill barrel there. Obviously if and when we start accruing our own swanky array of plasma tvs and ice crushing freezers they will all be top of the range, but since we have such a collection of shit at the moment I feel like chucking it all out of the window.

    It's the washing machine that's really making me want to scream, I hate being a grown up and want to move back with mummy and daddy and their expensive, reliable appliances and toastie maker.

    /tantrum

    bunglenutter - I can't believe you mentioned the 'D' word, it's enough to send me into a frenzy. I stare longingly at them when I'm in town, all I want for Xmas a bagless vacuum cleaner :grump:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Make friends with the right people.

    So far i have mates who are: plumbers, electricians, builders, painter & decorators, lawyers, computer techies and doormen/bouncers :p
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    icey wrote:
    Make friends with the right people.

    So far i have mates who are: plumbers, electricians, builders, painter & decorators, lawyers, computer techies and doormen/bouncers :p

    Not very helpful *shakes fist*

    I prefer to surround myself with artists, poets and deep thinkers. Though I do like to keep the doormen on side, too :p
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    icey wrote:
    Make friends with the right people.

    So far i have mates who are: plumbers, electricians, builders, painter & decorators, lawyers, computer techies and doormen/bouncers :p

    It's a good point.

    I would add that it takes time to be in a position to do what we do, when we started out we had much teh same problem. Patience is probably your best friend at the moment.

    Whenever a couple starts out, they look at what their parents have and think that is what they should have. They forget that, in most cases, their parents started with noting too.

    Our first place was furnished, I had a 15 year old car, we had no phone and I was earning about £10k. Now we own all the stuff in our house (no credit), I have a 2 year old car and earn over £40k. It's taken time, it's been hard but we've got to a point where we are much more secure and have less worries...
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    You can use the wonderful world of debt to finance your electrical goods. Or hope that most of them don't suddenly stop working all at the same time.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    briggi wrote:
    Don't say I didn't warn you, this is a thread about electricals!

    HOW in the hell do people afford the electrical goods they need? Over the last two days our hoover ran out of expensive, elusive hoover bags and then when I trekked out to find some it packed in anyway...

    Its not the 70's why don't you have a bagless :razz:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I havnt read the first post yet.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    everything happens in three's as they say!

    at least when you replace something you'll know it hopefully won't need doing for another while.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    HIT wrote:
    I havnt read the first post yet.


    :confused:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I have a tescos value hoover!! It works fine and was about £14. It was an emergency buy once, but theres nothing wrong with it tbh.
    As for washing machine. You might find a bargain in the classifieds at the back of your local paper or maybe if theres a charity shop that specialises in electricals and furniture and that sort of thing. Theres one of those up the road from me and i got several things from there including a washer dryer and a dishwasher in the past, and they were perfect.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Also try freecycle or something similar for a washing machine, people give all sorts away.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Also try freecycle or something similar for a washing machine, people give all sorts away.
    :yes: http://www.freecycle.org/
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    my_name wrote:
    Its not the 70's why don't you have a bagless :razz:

    Bagless hoovers are shite. Dysons are especially good at being chronically unreliable.

    Our hoover was £25 from Tesco, our dishwasher was bought out of GWST's bonus at work, and the fridge and washing machine were bought out of the in-laws debit card.

    They do a Tesco Value hoover and a Tesco Value microwave now, its great.

    It's when your central heating packs in in February you need to worry:)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    my_name wrote:
    Its not the 70's why don't you have a bagless :razz:

    :razz: I know, I know.

    I feel like a street urchin being on here talking about all this shit. Are those Tesco Value hoovers alright then? I'd be very suspicious of them, though if other people have had good experiences (SCC?) then maybe we could go down that route temporarily at least. Do they have bags, then? I always get pissy about hoovers with bags because they always seem to stop making my specific brand of bag and then I'm stuck with a fucking useless hoover ARGH. I guess Tesco would make bags for their own hoovers though :p

    We do have those electrical/furniture shops here, there's a damn good one right by our flat which we've had a shedload of furniture from. I'm just wary of buying electricals, though I suppose they test them for faults etc.

    I'll look into that freecycle website. I think I'd feel dead cheeky but I suppose that's the whole point. I hate not having the money to spend on these things and I'm terrified of getting into debt on account of it, just won't do it. I'd rather not wash my clothes/hoover the floor/change the channel for months on end.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Kermit wrote:
    They do a Tesco Value hoover and a Tesco Value microwave now, its great.

    The microwave is just about the only thing that works. Even the bed's falling apart, it's like living in Fagin's den or something (but without the stolen goods, for now ;) )
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    There is an Oxfam Home in York, you could try there.

    I had better responses lined up for this thread, but my laptop crashed and I lost the will to live. Also, other people have replied with better responses than me :razz:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    theyve got a reusable bag!!
    Basically its a little cloth thing. It doesnt hold that much, maybe 3 or 4 hoovers worth, and then you empty it into the bin and put the bag back. Quite cool really. It could do with a bigger capacity, but hey, its value. Ive found it fine. Nmm thinks its fine too btw.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Dysons, in my experience, are fucking good.

    What about one of those sweeper things with the twirly brushes?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Our (and by that, I mean my parent's) Dyson has an insurance thingy on it, I don't think it was very much and it gets repaired for free/very cheaply. Which was great when it fell down the stairs...

    Buying a Dyson was a huge investment for my mum and dad so they paid the insurance thing on it and it's paid off really. So if you go for a Dyson in the long run, you could try something like that.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    theyve got a reusable bag!!
    Basically its a little cloth thing. It doesnt hold that much, maybe 3 or 4 hoovers worth, and then you empty it into the bin and put the bag back. Quite cool really. It could do with a bigger capacity, but hey, its value. Ive found it fine. Nmm thinks its fine too btw.

    Right, the reusable bag settles it then. I just hate the expense of shelling out for new bags all the time, not bothered at all if the capacity isn't great (though ask me again in a few weeks' time). I think I'll go down there in the morning and see if they've got one. I can't clean the living room carpet with a brush again, it nearly killed me this one time... I'm definitely more of an ugly sister ;)

    I'm going to look out on that freecycle for a washing machine and/or fridge, very helpful indeed that is, the Newcastle one looks to have quite a high and fast turnover of items! :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Get a twirly brush sweeper.

    carpetsweeper.jpg
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    They are SUCH hard work though! We used to have one in our old house, what a nightmare. Almost as much work as the lawnmower equivalent.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    They are SUCH hard work though! We used to have one in our old house, what a nightmare. Almost as much work as the lawnmower equivalent.

    People these days :grump:

    Those lawnmowers were great. We didn't have a flymo, we had a cool green push lawnmower (then a cool petrol one).
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I know, I'm so lazy :p

    As for lawnmowers, we have an orange flymo thing but my mum is reluctant to let me use it after what happened to the washing machine :o
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    As for lawnmowers, we have an orange flymo thing but my mum is reluctant to let me use it after what happened to the washing machine :o

    Its all just an excuse to evade doing housework, isn't it? :p
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Garden work :p

    Don't worry, I'm "allowed" to hoover, wash up, cook etc. She thinks I'm going to electrocute myself by mowing the cable :rolleyes: As if she is great with a mower - she is the reason we have a 3 legged frog living in the garden!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    briggi wrote:
    Over the last two days our hoover ran out of expensive, elusive hoover bags and then when I trekked out to find some it packed in anyway, the washing machine decided to piss itself all over the kitchen floor, the engine-thingy on the fridge has gone AND WORST OF ALL the remote stopped working this morning :mad: :crying:
    Money :chin: but nevermind...

    When I left home I had a dustpan and brush, a sink and some lux flakes, a concrete shelf in the larder and a tiny portable black and white which I had to turn a dial on to change channel!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    You sound like my parents haha, they have this little game they play called "LUXURY" where they both claim they had the hardest childhood. Needless to say, that's why I daren't go to them with these problems, I'd never hear the end of it ;):p

    I try very hard to appreciate what I've got but it's difficult when everything you've got keeps falling apart or dying on you. I'm getting excited about my trip to Tesco tomorrow now, how very sad.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I'm quite lucky - I trained as a mechanic but worked in PC hardware repair for a few years. Most domestic appliances fall somewhere between the two :).

    I guess that makes me more boring than most, huh? ;)
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