Things that are impossible to find but really shouldn't be.

[HairyShins]

I want an affordable hard back A3 notebook with lined paper that is thick enough to write on both sides. It needs a pen holder. Not too thick or thin and not spiral bound. Not ugly.
I've been looking for months and can I find one?!

What things are you searching for that really shouldn't be this hard to find?

@ToWhere

Plain bog standard rubber hot water bottle without the cover. Looked in The Range, B&M and Home Bargains. There were loads of fluffy things before Christmas but already have the covers.

Savers have them for about £2.

[quote Chesneyhawkes1]@FFSjustLTB Decathlon trail shorts are like this. They do baggy shorts, tight shorts and a capri.

Front zip pocket for keys and big rear zip pocket that takes your phone. Then little gel pockets too [/quote]
Brilliant. Thank you. I'll have a look.

An 8inch chef’s knife with a wooden handle. Ideally, plain wood and not highly smooth polished one. I had one bought, surprisingly in Boots many years ago but it got lost during a move and haven’t been able to find a satisfactory replacement since. I see some occasionally - but either costing a fortune (around £100 and above) or in sets. Mine was average price and still excellent blade and proportions.

Even my 82yr old Dmil looked at me funny when I was going on about how hard it is to find Spray Starch, I was raised to starch shirts especially, even my kids know to starch shirts…..I’ve found Tesco and Home Bargains to be quite good. But I always grab a couple of cans just in case.

Fresh bay leaves. I haven't been able to get any anywhere for over a year

Mine are holiday related (desperately hoping to be able to go somewhere warm this Summer):

1. A travel review website that allows you to select things you do want, things you want to avoid and budget then gives you suggestions for destinations and accommodation that might be suitable. And not one run by travel companies who seem to insist that every location is 'great for families' even when it's actually full of bad night clubs and drunk brits.
2. Package holiday websites that allow you to select in advance what 'extras' (eg. taking a suitcase!) you want and then show the full price for the full holiday in the search list. I am fed up with having to click through to 'book', thinking I've found an amazing deal only to find that the real cost is twice as much.

Fat free from age frais when shopping in Aldi. It’s used in loads of Slimming meals to replace cream but they don’t sell it. Or low fat sauces in Aldi. Like low fat sweet and sour, or low fat bolognaise sauce. So I still have to go to Asda after an Aldi shop or wait another week to make my carbonara!

assets.sainsburys-groceries.co.uk/gol/7953360/1/640x640.jpg

For whoever wanted Lightly Salted Doritos - we sell them in Sainsburys - only big bags though

@Jacopone a friend has this one and says it's amazing! www.procook.co.uk/product/procook-nihon-x50-chef-knife-20cm-8in?gcshp=1&fo_c=1344&fo_k=275a43c336e08d23dd32bc02d038ecbc&fo_s=gplauk&gclid=Cj0KCQiA0eOPBhCGARIsAFIwTs4UMPz1rX7ZMs4TRU0MteWyI6PpOWllauGXKRGa1hNSDnEicJaH3QgaAp9nEALw_wcB

Comfortable pretty underwear made if cotton, wool or silk - in other words NOT man made fibres
Warm trousers for the city not those country hiking type things
Plain black tailored city shorts for women
Blouses that fit and don't gape at bra level
Trainers that are not garish colours

I am fed up with having to click through to 'book', thinking I've found an amazing deal only to find that the real cost is twice as much.

That is maddening!

I remember dad ranting once about "the sun" holidays (yep sun reader don't get me started!) I think they're advertised as "£9.50" and they're never even cheap as a general holiday! Total con

Blouses that fit and don't gape at bra level

Omg yes! Women have boobs shocker!

I find it's particularly a problem in that a blouse design fits proportionally well on slimmer women - inc bust - but the larger sizes DO NOT account for the fact that larger women have bigger boobs!!

@WeirdlyKind thank you, Different shape handle but I may try it as I do prefer wooden handles over any other materials.

We did a Sun holiday in 2019- worked out to be quite expensive. Was also pretty miserable - 4 days in a tiny, basic caravan (with no heating!) at the end of September. It came to £144 for a long weekend - I'd only paid £240 (directly to Haven) in the May for a much nicer caravan, for seven days.

@Roxy69

Names of sheets etc on the tags. Can't tell you how many times I've bought sheets and hated them. I have one now, it's really good but I have no idea what it is now that I want to buy more. All it says is Dunelm. Aaargh.

Missing the point on the thread here but also sizes on sheets! The amount of times I've had to unfold a fitted sheet to work out if it's a double or a king size

Re sheets, I'm still sad that ikea stopped selling the gasspa sheets. They are so soft and wash beautifully, and the ones that replaced them just aren't anywhere as good!

Yes, the Sun hols are a rip-off, much easier to get a cheap deal direct. Also different areas of the UK have different school hols -I used to book for when our kids were off but the locals in the hol area were back at school. Saved a fortune.

The tradesmen debacle - I get people from local FB groups, turn up every time & are amazing. Got a brilliant plumber, handyman, electrician, locksmith etc when we moved to a new area, from these groups. I just asked for recommendations & people are only too happy to pass names & numbers on from good folk they've used.

Now my whine.. pitted tinned prunes, please? I used to get them from Tesco, but they've 'been removed', sigh.. I have IBS and oddly, my tum will tolerate prunes whereas I can't have apples etc! The non pitted ones just do NOT taste the same, and it's 2022, we don't tend to buy seeded grapes any more, so why do prunes still have stones? I've bought the more expensive brands in plastic jars / bottles, they aren't the same either.. :-(

@muddyboots

A grate for our open fire that lasts longer than two years before it disintegrates. Apparently they're all made from cheap Chinese metal and you can't pay more for quality.

Have you tried a reclamation yard?

@CuntyMcBollocks

Fresh bay leaves. I haven't been able to get any anywhere for over a year

Can you just buy a bay tree? Excessive possibly but they're regularly in aldi for under £20 and pretty easy to look after

Not RTFT so sorry if this has already been but a pack of tights which is so packed that you dont have to unravel every single pair just to get at one pair

Haven't RTFT but Wilko is good for A6 non-ring-bound notebooks with decent quality paper

A pack of five ordinary fitting underpants that aren't high rise/low rise/high leg/bikinis/shorties that look pretty, fresh and clean, are not made in a sludgy colour, are mainly cotton and do not have an itchy lace waistband that irritates your skin all day.

Summer tops that are not see through!

Netflix or similar streaming service that can cope with multi-lingual viewers and an expat audience!

Oh! Multipacks of everyday stockings. You used to be able to get them in most supermarkets at a similar price to a multipack of tights. Every now and then I'd pick up a couple of packs with my groceries. Pretty much all gone now. I don't want to fork out for fancy ones for everyday wear, so I'm trawling charity shops for house clearance hosiery now. It's very depressing.

Slim fit round neck white t-shirts that aren't so long they could double as a dress, aren't see through and have cap or at least small sleeves.

Thought I'd cracked it with Lands End, but they really lose their shape with washing and end up huge.