To ask why everything is so f**kin' expensive?!

[MummyStruggles]

Just that really?

And, also, there's ALWAYS "something" that needs to be bought or replenished i.e new pillows and duvets for the whole household! Grrrr!

Meant to be a lighthearted thread but you know, I get really bloody stressed about it!

Anyone else?

@ThumbWitchesAbroad Adair’s are constantly emailing me with 50% offers, add it 10% offfor linen lovers it’s cheaper than the uk and nicer and better quality than M&S for the same price

IWannaSeeHowItEnds

that sounds a mare in the kitchen. I'd leave the bathroom tiles though, no biggie there.

"For big duvets it’s better to get a laundrette to do it as a service wash as domestic machines are not usually big enough, especially the dryers"

Or just buy the "four season" type duvets, where you clip together two smaller ones to make a larger one. That way you can separate them to wash in an ordinary domestic machine, saving the trouble and expense of a trip to the laundrette, where the machines aren't usually that good anyway.

I thought we were talking about saving money by washing downcasteyes, not finding an excuse to buy new bedding?!

Though some new duvets are so cheap that there may not be much difference between buying new and paying for a wash if your launderette is expensive.

OP - if you buy a really good quality pillow and use an undercase/pillow protector that you launder every couple of months, your pillows will last a lifetime. Same for duvets. Just don’t buy synthetics.

My duvets last years, they get washed and given a good shake on the line in the summer. Pillows last longer with pillow protectors on, mine are thick cotton ones but we also have quilted cotton ones for the sweatier heads.

I make everything last as long as possible, hate just replacing good stuff for a more fashionable one.

However the house is a money pit. Just when I think I have it fixed, something else will break or leak, things that have to be repaired properly or replaced because they are beyond all hope.

For kitchens: do not buy built in appliances. They just don’t last as long as freestanding appliances and they cost more to purchase and install and are harder to maintain. Freestanding kitchens are the way to go.

Some of this is about priorities in spending too.

I have a friend who lives in a big house and who has a good income. Her kitchen is from the early 1980s and looks it. Most of it is functional because it was probably a quality kitchen when installed, but there are a couple of parts which are very shabby. Another friend asked her why she doesn't get a new kitchen as she can afford it, and she replied that she just didn't notice it and wasn't even slightly bothered by it and imagines she'll have it for another 10 years at least. I know it's different because She could afford a new one tomorrow if she wanted it, but she basically is never looking for ways to spend money and just isn't interested in stuff. I bet her pillows are ancient and she doesn't have any sense of needing to get new ones, and perhaps that is partly contributing to her having enough money for new school shoes if one of her boys suddenly needs a new pair. I know a lot of it is down to basic income to start with, but it does also come down to spending habits too. One person who says they really need new wimdows, or pillows or shoes or a carpet or an upgraded phone or a new dinner set or a new sofa, whilst another just carries on with their existing versions of those products.

Wash the pillows annually and use pillow protectors (wash those monthly).
Take the duvets to the dry cleaner annually use a mattress protector (wash monthly).
Dye the stained sheets. You can get really good Dylon dyes which go in the washing machine, you just run the machine on empty with detergent once or twice afterwards and it’s fine. White sheets should dye really nicely. Just pick a dark shade that works with your room.

I have a clapped out old kitchen but it’s serviceable so it’s staggering on. The dishwasher broke last month so we are hand washing for a while until I get round to replacing it.

Pricey holidays come at the expense of other spending options.

I do sympathise about kids’ stuff though, shoes in partic. It’s so annoying when you fork out and they grow out of them so quickly.

I'd love to take my duvets to the launderette to be washed, but our launderette closed down about 20 years ago and is now 4 flats.

I then used to drive 10 miles to get the duvet washed, but that launderette closed down too. There are another 2 within a 15 mile radius, but neither of them does service washes and they don't seem to have staff, either.

Outside of cities, launderettes and service washes seem to be a thing of the past.

The trouble is it can be cheaper to buy a poor quality new duvet than get a good quality one dry cleaned or machine washed at the launderette. A cat weed on my goose down duvet and it cost £20 to have it cleaned (or possibly £25) - I could have bought a new synthetic duvet for less and 'saved' but actually that duvet would probably need replacing in a couple of years whereas my cleaned goods down will last another 20 in all liklihood - and unless cats keep peeing on it,month need cleaning very frequently. If though I had been hard up and finding £20 for cleaning was difficult, I might have been forced to pay £10 for the cheaper duvet which over time woukd need replacing fast and long term have spent more on it. That's the thing though, if you're hard up you're forced to buy the cheapo version because it's what you can afford and in the long term it costs more. People always say buy a good quality version but forget that if you're hard up you simply can't. The answer is to try and wait and save up if you possibly can and get out if the habit of feeling you need the new version immediately. It's not always possible though as sometimes things really do need replacing immediately....but often not as much as people think.

Oh I meant to say something about pillows too - the pillow we bought for DS1 when he moved into his own room had an expiry date on it for 2 years later! It's not any kind of special pillow, just a boggo foam one, as far as I can remember - but a 2 year expiry seemed a bit ridiculous. Nothing wrong with it 4 years further on!

I mostly use feather pillows, not sure why DS1 got a foam one. They're harder to wash but still do-able.

It's impossible to have a sensible discussion on here about things like this as it just descends into a competition about who can live on the most minute about of money possible.

But yes I agree, this month we did replace a couple of duvets, the boiler is due a service, a couple of months ago the gutters needed clearing, a couple of school trips pop up. And the last pillow I washed turned into a big hard solid lump.

Things do seem more expensive, but I agree with the PP that some people just buy new stuff when it seems less than perfect.

My DH is a spender and I’m not. He’ll moan about being ‘poor’ - we aren’t poor, we have more than enough money to live on without having to visit food banks or wear too small clothes - but when his phone contract runs out, he wants the newest phone on the market. It’s crazy.

I grew up in a house where you made do, until something was in the bare bones of its arse, and I’m exactly the same now.
I won’t let the house get scruffy, or let DC be in dirty or stained clothes, but they will wear things until the no longer fit and I stain remove them ASAP to reduce the risk of them setting and not budging.

For the PP talking about duvets and that sort of thing, check Sainsbury’s discounted home area around this time of year. I got a wonderful KS feather and down duvet last year for £20, It’s unbelievably warm! I got a lightweight one online after getting an e-mail from Martin’s money tips and that cost £9 with £2.99 postage.
Perfect for in between seasons and the summer when you still like a duvet.

M&S outlets have beautiful bedding in store which is cotton and so very soft for £20-£30 for a KS. We’ve had ours for 5 years and bought a new one to have a change a few months ago. Great quality!

We have a Dyson that was handed down to us and it’s broken once, but if you find a specialist who replaces parts you don’t need to buy a new one. It’s lasted 5 years with us and a few before that.

I think the most expensive things are household bills. We changed to Bulb for our energy supply a few years ago, and that did help, I’m looking forward to getting a digital meter to help control costs too.
We always change car insurance suppliers as renewal quotes are ridiculous.
We do most food shopping online as we don’t buy stuff we don’t need then, and I meal plan mostly, we do sometimes get fed up though so we have some wastage.

With you tube it's possible to find videos to fix nearly anything nowadays and parts can be bought over the internet.

My DH is pretty handy and can repair most things.

I'm old enough to think that a lot of things are much cheaper.

When I hit adulthood in the late 1970s petrol was over £3.50 per gallon at today's prices, and we needed a lot more of it. An 'economical' car did nearly 30mpg and a cheaper-to-buy older one used a lot more. Nowadays I'd expect over 40mpg on even the cheapest car. My bus fare to school was about 14p each way in London, today it would be free! Clothes were really expensive - no school uniforms from Tesco; I wore entirely secondhand (actually 3rd, 4th or 5th hand) until I got a Saturday job and saved up to buy for myself.

But I agree that the things we take for granted these days do add up: a new phone every few years compares poorly to taking a handful of coins to the local call box occasionally. As a young adult eating out was a treat, maybe once a year, and takeaways, even only drinks, just didn't feature. We all shared flats or houses into our 30s. In fact, that's why I have many of my dearest friends - they are people I met through shares. Daily showers/baths, whole changes of outfit daily. A whole range of footwear for every possible occasion. Considered essential nowadays, but not when I was younger.

@freetone we used this gate for a narrow door way. It may work for you?

www.argos.co.uk/product/7646924?cmpid=GS001&_$ja=tsid:59156|acid:444-797-0832|cid:596683589|agid:28645056925|tid:pla-408674305848|crid:96088332925|nw:g|rnd:5451532264706196908|dvc:m|adp:1o3|mt:|loc:1007079&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIyqmu1tP14QIV7r_tCh1rswlKEAQYAyABEgJiZvD_BwE

" I agree that the things we take for granted these days do add up: a new phone every few years compares poorly to taking a handful of coins to the local call box occasionally."

You need the phone if you were claiming UC The odd phone call wouldnt cut it Youd be sanctioned. So sometimes the expectations are coming from on high.

inews.co.uk/news/uk/universal-credit-jobcentre-dwp-smartphone/

Man on Universal Credit says he was told by Jobcentre he had to get a smartphone to search for a job
Arthur Chappell said he already had a tablet and a laptop

My DF always ranted on about false economy and it’s stuck with me. I don’t buy cheap shoes because I know they won’t last. My DC thankfully seem to maintain the same foot size for 10-12 months so it’s fine buying branded school shoes (and I admit, I usually buy a size up plus an insole so they last even longer). I buy them second hand vans, converse, nikes, doc martens etc which are usually in great condition. Don’t bother with cheap trainers because I know they’ll be dropping apart in no time.

Also wanted to say that Henry hoovers are shite.

I bought a MacBook after getting burned too many times with shit Microsoft laptops as well. MacBook is basically made of steel and has outlived all of my previous laptops by a long stretch.

Buy cheap...buy twice.

I saw some nice looking trainers for dc1 which were a tenner. The sole came off after one wear.

Stuff always seems to need more money throwing at it. My car brakes last week, new discs, then this week it’s the biggest needs more school shoes, I’ve got to buy some more foot cream (I’ve run out and I’m in agony whilst I wait for prime to bring some), the baby needs new pjs as his old ones were tumble dried by daddy and have shrunk! Yes in the grand scheme it’s “only a few pennies per use” but it’s annoying when you’ve just spent a fortune on something big, then you have to spend a fair bit on cheaper things and never be able to buy a new sofa (we have one from my mum and dad - over 30 years old!)

Right I think I've destroyed my pillow trying to machine wash it 😂

Re the 200 quid hair thing-I don't know what that poster gets done, but I thought I should point out that some types of hair are more pricey to maintain than others, plus if you get colour it adds up.
You can wash a duvet at a laundrette if you can spare the time. Doesn't need to be a service wash.

If you wash and tumble feather pillows or duvets at home (or even down jackets), stick a couple of tennis balls in the drier - it fluffs up the down a treat and stop things getting lumpy.