Driving myself up the wall about purchase choices

[Bubblemilk]

Please, please tell me how I can make significant purchases without days and days of online research. I am looking for a new buggy for a 13.5kg 3 year old to last for another year or so. I am also looking for a new hoover, bike lock and shed. For over a week now I have been researching these items and I am not any closer to making a decision we have a healthy budget for the items but I really don't want to buy twice.

I can't help but think I need to see the item in person to decide but neither do I want to spend all my Sunday shopping (in person or online and where even stocks a wide range of strollers and hoovers anymore?).

Mostly I need advice on making a decision and sticking to it. If you have no problem making swift decisions please tell me how to do it?

Deff see a buggy in person if you can. I curse the one we have every day which I bought unseen in lockdown and is shit.

Bike lock - just buy an Abus, they’re all good.

Can’t advise on hoovers or sheds I’m afraid!

Ooh you’re a maximiser like me. A good tip DH has for me is saying ‘if it’s under £X it’s not worth the headspace thinking about, just buy it’ and it’s true. If the lock isn’t quite what you were after you’ve lost a few quid and just buy a new one. If the pushchair isn’t suitable a year down the line swap to something that is. With hoovers you get people evangelical about two main brands but I would personally be happiest with a plain old Henry.

For bike locks, Kryptonite are good.

Trouble is with buggies and hoovers at least, you could ask on here and get long threads naming every brand imaginable with people equally rating them all as 'the one you must get' and 'totally shit, I want it to break so I can justify a different one'.

Go into John Lewis or any other shop that has buggies and try a few out, it's much easier to make a choice when you've tried it, same with bikes, some things just aren't designed to be bought online.

Bike locks I would look for a cycling forum and look for brands recommended by the people who are more knowledgeable that me.

Hoovers, I go to curry's and see what offers they have on, pick them up to see how heavy they are then buy which ever is on offer and easily moveable.

Would a which subscription help? You could just buy one with a high rating from them and you should be ok.

Is it worth getting a buggy for a 3 year old? Will they get much use?

Hoover - Miele c3 is brilliant

I can be like this. Part of my problem is we don't have lots of spare cash so I feel like it's a more critical decision.

Personally for the buggy I'd get a second hand one from someone local.

I have a miele cat and dog which has done good service.

No idea on bike lock. Our bikes are not worth much so just use a cheap one with a code so it's easier for the kids to use.

Can you buy the same as a friend if it helps?

Yes, for the bike lock, it does rather depend on whether you're locking up a 20 YO shopping bike outside a shop for 5 minutes, or want your £5k ebike to be safe when someone breaks into your garage to steal it after they followed you home from the trail centre to find out where you live.

I use Which for most things. You'd have to try out buggies and as a PP said the bike lock depends on the bike, what you do with it and the level of insurance you have.
Watch a few videos of people stealing bikes - most locks can be snipped off with bolt cutters and almost all the rest with an angle grinder. It depressing!

Shop like a bloke. First item you see that is adequate & within your budget: that's what you buy.

ps: since all bikes can be broken into, go for something that slows thief down, 2 part locks are good like that. Adequate not optimal.

@Brogues Never heard the term maximiser before but having looked it up, that is totally me! It's exhausting, I struggle so much with decision making (I have anxiety too)

All I want is a new vacuum. Can I manage to buy one? No. This has been going on for about a year now. It’s called crapitis.

Buggy - Mclaren
hoover - miele
shed - get one built, flat packs fall apart quickly
bike lock - whatever has most good reviews on Amazon

for buggy and Hoover buy whichever model is on special offer

I think that's a good way of looking at it. Otherwise you just get blinded with choice and it isn't actually helpful.

I have had Dysons, Miele Cat and Dogs and now have two Sharks - one upstairs and one down. I have learned that I prefer uprights, I don't want to buy bags, I want to be able to take it apart and clean every school hols, I want to be able to do the stairs with the cleaner either up or down and cordless, though convenient aren't powerful enough.

I would pick up a cheap buggy off Facebook marketplace for a three year old.

I wouldn't buy a new buggy for a 3 year old.

I've recently bought a new Shark vacuum and I've never known such strong suction. It's brilliant.

I bought a bike lock for my daughter last year. I can't remember what sort but went to my bike shop and bought what they recommended at the amount I wanted to spend.

Can't help on sheds. I've been looking for one for about a year and am no nearer finding what I want!

Bike lock - is it an expensive bike left all day every day at the train station or a nothing special bike which you want secured while you nip into a shop?

no bike lock will stop a battery powered angle grinder so spend enough to deter the opportunist thief with some small bolt cutters.

kryptonite used to offer compensation if the lock was defeated but double check!

hoover , are you using it everyday ? Do you have pets. Assume they’ll all do the basic job of hoovering so look for the extras that make sense to you.

Dont look for them all at once. Choose one, set a time limit on research say 30 mims. Execute purchase. Breathe
For a couple of days and then move on to next on the list.

If this is tough. Use an hour say to shortlist 3. Present options to DH spend ten mins discussion to choose and move on.

Having multiple on the go at once is allowing you to flit from one to the other and not make progress.

Treat it like a business decisions and take emotion out of it.

I'm the same...I spend so much time researching and reading reviews and get stuck!
Buggy...unless your child has some extra needs and likely to need one for longer than usual I'd get a second hand one off FB marketplace locally. Buggies are ridiculously expensive and 3 yr old is unlikely to use one for long.

Hoover... Miele all the way. We have a second hand one but it still out performs our brain new rechargeable one.

No idea on bike locks !

Shed.. unless your dh is great at building, get one that is delivered and assembled.. makes life easier, and tbh a shed is a shed.. maintaining, staining etc is what keeps them good.

I've just spend a week staring at tumble dryers ..debating the merits of fast drying v economy v cost.... when actually... I just need one asap!

Get a Which subscription if you live in the UK.

I too overthink purchases. My dm laughs at my antics - all the research I do.

I concur with the suggestions to get a Which subscription - very helpful for these sorts of decisions and good value

Do you actually NEED any of these things immediately right at this very moment? I find that a bit of urgency usually helps with my decision making process. If I'm dithering, it's usually a sign that I don't need it.

So, when the hoover died the day I moved house and there was crap everywhere, I just went to Tesco and got a Henry. Does the job, still going strong 3 years later.

The shed ended up on its side and half way across the garden last winter after the storms. Our kitchen was a shit tip full of bikes and gardening tools. I got the shed that had the best reviews on B&Q that would be delivered within 48 hours.

If you're over thinking all of this so much, ask yourself do you REALLY need this stuff?

Bike lock - look at silver and gold standard bike locks, depending on value of bike. All bike locks are not the same.

And buy bike insurance from Bikmo.

Peace of mind is priceless.