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Very OT - what is your "sod it" purchase limit?
My view of expensive was set some decades ago so I have to think around it.
You can spend an awful lot of time on line trying to find a slightly cheaper item, and comparing prices and specifications. There must be a point where it isn't really worth spending the effort. My rough limits a £9.95 for almost any small item. Sod it, just buy. £25 for a slightly more substantial item. £50 for a more substantial item (e.g. cheapish charcoal BBQ). After that I struggle, but I tend to use the current price of a supermarket shop for comparison. For example, if I am happy to shell out £100 for a week's food including a bottle or two of wine and a bulk purchase (say a 6 pack of tinned tomatoes) then in the great scheme of things any other purchase in this range isn't worth costing as a once in a lifetime purchase. I suppose £99.99 is another break point for tools and stuff. Not that I get to spend a lot out shopping at the moment. I'm pricing up bed risers (dodgy knees) and wondering if I should go for the £25 or £36 option. Meal for two prices? (As far as I can remember.) Anyway does anyone else have a yard stick for measuring time and effort put into research against the cost of an item? Cheers Dave R -- AMD FX-6300 in GA-990X-Gaming SLI-CF running Windows 7 Pro x64 -- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus |
Very OT - what is your "sod it" purchase limit?
David wrote
My view of expensive was set some decades ago so I have to think around it. You can spend an awful lot of time on line trying to find a slightly cheaper item, and comparing prices and specifications. There must be a point where it isn't really worth spending the effort. My rough limits a £9.95 for almost any small item. Sod it, just buy. £25 for a slightly more substantial item. £50 for a more substantial item (e.g. cheapish charcoal BBQ). After that I struggle, but I tend to use the current price of a supermarket shop for comparison. For example, if I am happy to shell out £100 for a week's food including a bottle or two of wine and a bulk purchase (say a 6 pack of tinned tomatoes) then in the great scheme of things any other purchase in this range isn't worth costing as a once in a lifetime purchase. I suppose £99.99 is another break point for tools and stuff. I dont work on dollar numbers, too logical for that. Not that I get to spend a lot out shopping at the moment. I'm pricing up bed risers (dodgy knees) and wondering if I should go for the £25 or £36 option. Meal for two prices? (As far as I can remember.) Anyway does anyone else have a yard stick for measuring time and effort put into research against the cost of an item? I'm not convinced that there is one. And to muddy the argument even more, I now realise that I will never spend my vast accumulated wealth before I die, so it makes sense to buy whatever makes my life more convenient and enjoyable. |
Very OT - what is your "sod it" purchase limit?
"David" wrote in message ... My view of expensive was set some decades ago so I have to think around it. You can spend an awful lot of time on line trying to find a slightly cheaper item, and comparing prices and specifications. no you don't it should take around 30 seconds There must be a point where it isn't really worth spending the effort. My rough limits a £9.95 for almost any small item. Sod it, just buy. really 90p would be my limit £25 for a slightly more substantial item. £50 for a more substantial item (e.g. cheapish charcoal BBQ). again far too high but are you talking about purchases that you can easily back if the item is not as described, or ones where sending it back may be a faff For me, the biggest problem with looking for cheaper sources is the risk of a dodgy retailer selling me a counterfeit product and then making me jump through impossible hoops for a refund. I happily pay 10, 20% more to avoid that. But wont pay 300% more Different prices for a *genuine* better product is another matter entirely (in terms of how much effort I'm prepared to put in to evaluate that) After that I struggle, but I tend to use the current price of a supermarket shop for comparison. For example, if I am happy to shell out £100 for a week's food as I spend circa 30 pounds, family of 4? Or do you shop in Waitrose? including a bottle or two of wine well I don't do that and certainly not *every* week and a bulk purchase (say a 6 pack of tinned tomatoes) 1.35 for 4 how's that a bulk purchase? then in the great scheme of things any other purchase in this range isn't worth costing as a once in a lifetime purchase. agreed but are you spending too much on your supermarket shop? I suppose £99.99 is another break point for tools and stuff. Not that I get to spend a lot out shopping at the moment. I'm pricing up bed risers (dodgy knees) and wondering if I should go for the £25 or £36 option. As above. The ease of return would be my deciding point here Meal for two prices? Nando's (change from 20 quid) or your local fine dining restaurant (in excess of 200)? (As far as I can remember.) Anyway does anyone else have a yard stick for measuring time and effort put into research against the cost of an item? If you insist on costing your time at anything approaching a "wage" you are never going to be able to get that value back from the saving made on the purchase but OTOH, if you don't shop around for a deal now and again, you will run out of money unless you have an unlimited amount |
Very OT - what is your "sod it" purchase limit?
"Rod Speed" wrote in message ... And to muddy the argument even more, I now realise that I will never spend my vast accumulated wealth before I die, so it makes sense to buy whatever makes my life more convenient and enjoyable. but that's still no reason to left rogue retailer rip you off Oh how it grates when I let that happen to me |
Very OT - what is your "sod it" purchase limit?
On 17/02/2021 01:07, Rod Speed wrote:
I will never spend my vast accumulated wealth before I die, Vast accumulated wealth eh? What time does your alarm go off? |
Very OT - what is your "sod it" purchase limit?
On 16/02/2021 20:54, David wrote:
My view of expensive was set some decades ago so I have to think around it. You can spend an awful lot of time on line trying to find a slightly cheaper item, and comparing prices and specifications. There must be a point where it isn't really worth spending the effort. My rough limits a £9.95 for almost any small item. Sod it, just buy. £25 for a slightly more substantial item. £50 for a more substantial item (e.g. cheapish charcoal BBQ). After that I struggle, but I tend to use the current price of a supermarket shop for comparison. For example, if I am happy to shell out £100 for a week's food including a bottle or two of wine and a bulk purchase (say a 6 pack of tinned tomatoes) then in the great scheme of things any other purchase in this range isn't worth costing as a once in a lifetime purchase. I suppose £99.99 is another break point for tools and stuff. Not that I get to spend a lot out shopping at the moment. I'm pricing up bed risers (dodgy knees) and wondering if I should go for the £25 or £36 option. Meal for two prices? (As far as I can remember.) Anyway does anyone else have a yard stick for measuring time and effort put into research against the cost of an item? Cheers Dave R I'm cheap as well ... |
Very OT - what is your "sod it" purchase limit?
On 16/02/2021 20:54, David wrote:
My view of expensive was set some decades ago so I have to think around it. You can spend an awful lot of time on line trying to find a slightly cheaper item, and comparing prices and specifications. There must be a point where it isn't really worth spending the effort. My rough limits a £9.95 for almost any small item. Sod it, just buy. £25 for a slightly more substantial item. £50 for a more substantial item (e.g. cheapish charcoal BBQ). Oddly enough it makes a huge difference as to what the item is. I bought some envelopes from amazon - with postage almost a fiver.! could have got them for 2.50 in the stationers, but that's a 10 mile drive and a walk from the car park... When it comes to a tool that will let me do a job myself - example being a horrendous labour charge to swap out my old water softener, versus a day and a few bits of copper pipe and a replacement gas cartridge for my ****ty, but usable blowlamp...I think I added 45 quid on top of the softener price and it took me a day and a half and a bit more to fix the last little leak...its still a no brainer. I did also baulk at £2000 labour to make curtains when I bought a sewing machine for £50 - a total no brainer in that context - and did the whole job in 6 weeks of lockdown a bit at a time I didn't baulk at the £1000 material cost. That was simply the best price I could get Perhaps running a business makes cost benefit analysis second nature. You want a result.. 1. What will it cost? 2. Is the result even worth the cost? 3. If it is, can you reduce the cost? 4. What is the impact of reducing the cost on other costs? 5. How much time and money have you spent arriving at this decision? (When I were a 'prentice, nuts bolts washers and screws were 'free issue' . Every 'prentice worth his slat over time acquired a toolbox full of every screw imaginable imagining they were getting something from 'management' for free. When I ran my own business I realised that there is a limit to how much e.g. A4 paper any employee CAN filch, and so I adopted the same policy. The cost of being an arsehole was not worth the few pounds a month benefit and the office manger's time and the bad feeling) If I apply those criteria to e.g. an oil purchase - well my neighbour spends two days getting 2p a litre off his oil and irritating all the oil companies. That's £20 on a thousand litre delivery. Two days to make £20? Really? If I want to make £20 I can just not buy a bottle of gin this month. Or not drive 40 miles. After that I struggle, but I tend to use the current price of a supermarket shop for comparison. For example, if I am happy to shell out £100 for a week's food including a bottle or two of wine and a bulk purchase (say a 6 pack of tinned tomatoes) then in the great scheme of things any other purchase in this range isn't worth costing as a once in a lifetime purchase. Exactly. My boiler is flaking. a new boiler would be £2-3000 installed. to get it fixed will probably be less than £100. But a new (condensing) boiler would save me perhaps 10% on my fuel costs - which are maybe £2000 per year. Payback in ten to fifteen years? I won't sodding live much longer than that and will have to move out due to general senility or death then, anyway. .. I suppose £99.99 is another break point for tools and stuff. again look at the job cost. I was hiring a tile saw at about £10 a week for over a month when I realised I could buy one for £40...no brainer. OTOH I have used BIG angle grinders - concrete saws and stone cutters - just twice in my whole life. No point in NOT hiring them. I use my crappy cheap chinky Wickes cordless screwdriver/drill all the time. Excellent value for money. The mains drill I use a lot less as I do the angle grinder I finally bought last year. Almost not worth having Not that I get to spend a lot out shopping at the moment. I'm pricing up bed risers (dodgy knees) and wondering if I should go for the £25 or £36 option. Meal for two prices? (As far as I can remember.) Anyway does anyone else have a yard stick for measuring time and effort put into research against the cost of an item? Yes. It's called cost benefit analysis. What does saving the money cost you in other - or even cash - ways? taking 10 days to save £1000 on a car purchase is probably worth it. Driving 20 miles to the 'cheap' supermarket to save a fiver is probably not. During my divorce I was staying with a friend without a lot of money. I eventually understood why, when he freaked out because I filled the kettle halfway instead of 'just enough' I calculated the difference and put a 2p coin down on the worktop. "There. I've paid for it, for today" He purported to be an engineer, He was supposedly able to Do Sums.But he never thought to apply them to daily life Cost benefit analysis doesn't set a fixed sum on what is worth worrying about, because you have to do that in a holistic way. Hard driving doesn't just burn fuel, it wears out tyres and brakes as well and there is an overall lifetime cost to doing it. It's also huge fun, and fun is worth paying for, up to a point Costing your time also enters in. Many of us are retired. our time is free but we still can look at it in different ways. I spend about a day a year plus ten minutes every few weeks reviewing my investments, since they are the largest source of income I have. That time represents several thousand pounds a year difference. I cant be arsed with chasing the best electricity deal that at best might net me £100 a year. Part of CBA (cost benefit analysis - the opposite of can't be arsed!) is prioritising what you spend your time on. Save the big sums first. When you are being paid £1000 a day to be on time, you buy petrol at the nearest petrol station. When you have no income, you buy at the cheapest. -- I would rather have questions that cannot be answered... ....than to have answers that cannot be questioned Richard Feynman |
Lonely Obnoxious Cantankerous Auto-contradicting Senile Ozzie Troll Alert!
On 17/02/2021 01:07, Rod Speed wrote: I will never spend my vast accumulated wealth before I die, LOL!!! Amazing how it's always millionaires (of all people) that end up as pathological trolling assholes on Usenet! BRUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!! -- "Who or What is Rod Speed? Rod Speed is an entirely modern phenomenon. Essentially, Rod Speed is an insecure and worthless individual who has discovered he can enhance his own self-esteem in his own eyes by playing "the big, hard man" on the InterNet." https://www.pcreview.co.uk/threads/r...d-faq.2973853/ |
Very OT - what is your "sod it" purchase limit?
On 16/02/2021 20:54, David wrote:
My view of expensive was set some decades ago so I have to think around it. You can spend an awful lot of time on line trying to find a slightly cheaper item, and comparing prices and specifications. There must be a point where it isn't really worth spending the effort. There is also a matter of principle in not being ripped off. I will always spend 10 minutes on an on-line comparison site when I get an insurance renewal quote. Even if the price increase on the renewal appears insignificant compared to the previous year I have found that other companies have better offers. I don't spend time debating a price with a company that cannot be bothered to offer their best competitive deal in the first place - I will just change to an alternative company. I will always check for alternative energy suppliers a month before my contract ends, although I'm now just starting my 3rd year with my current supplier who seem to be close to the top of the list for cheaper energy (for MY usage)[1]. I will spend more time, and maybe a long time, on-line checking that a product is suitable for my needs without considering the price and only then spend a short time researching for the going price rate. I have very little brand loyalty and don't believe that something purchased decades ago is representative of the same brand today. I have given up buying cheap power tools and over the past few years any replacements have been Dewalt and Makita and have found them much better made and give better results. I'm in the fortunate position where I don't necessarily have to worry about the price of food and can buy what I like but I do use Lidl and Farmfoods at times, the latter who have some branded goods that I use regularly and usually at prices 30% cheaper than Tesco/Asda, especially if buying £50 worth at a time with the 10% discount vouchers. It's actually more convenient to go to my local Lidl than travel further to one of the major supermarkets and then spend an hour searching through their massive warehouse buildings for the items I want. For cheap items on Ebay I will pay more for someone who has UK stock rather than the item coming from China 4 weeks later. Sometimes its not the time on line searching for the cheapest price but the time taken to make sure that the item may actually be in the UK. Sometimes you have to read the negative reviews to see the many customers complaining that the short delivery times and UK stock claims are bogus. [1] When checking some of these energy auto switch sites recently they suggest that their algorithms take into consideration price AND high scores for customer service. My current supplier is only average for customer service so presumably wouldn't be near the top of these switching sites list. If bills are accurate based on monthly user supplied meter readings and most things can be accomplished on-line etc. who needs the "hand holding" customer service? -- mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk |
Very OT - what is your "sod it" purchase limit?
On 17/02/2021 10:01, alan_m wrote:
On 16/02/2021 20:54, David wrote: My view of expensive was set some decades ago so I have to think around it. You can spend an awful lot of time on line trying to find a slightly cheaper item, and comparing prices and specifications. There must be a point where it isn't really worth spending the effort. There is also a matter of principle in not being ripped off. The real questin is, which is the rip off? Case in point. My staff wanted laptops and said they could get them cheaper than my normal supplier - 20% cheaper. We got two. After trying to send them back they ended up on a shelf in the storeroom and were there when I sold the company. neither ever worked a damn and one blew the serial port of a machine it was connected to. My supplier was always 15% more expensive on other stuff, but he was just a mile away and never failed to take anything back under warranty. we were in the business of rolling out ten thousand and up installations, not penny pinching on supplier prices. My insurance company is not the cheapest, but they have always coughed up any claims and can speak to humans And I have so much no claims that its hard to see how much I could save scrounging around I will always spend 10 minutes on an on-line comparison site when I get an insurance renewal quote. Even if the price increase on the renewal appears insignificant compared to the previous year I have found that other companies have better offers. I don't spend time debating a price with a company that cannot be bothered to offer their best competitive deal in the first place - I will just change to an alternative company. I will always check for alternative energy suppliers a month before my contract ends, although I'm now just starting my 3rd year with my current supplier who seem to be close to the top of the list for cheaper energy (for MY usage)[1]. Again for what actual return? And at what risk? I will spend more time, and maybe a long time, on-line checking that a product is suitable for my needs without considering the price and only then spend a short time researching for the going price rate. That is another issue entirely I have very little brand loyalty and don't believe that something purchased decades ago is representative of the same brand today. I have given up buying cheap power tools and over the past few years any replacements have been Dewalt and Makita and have found them much better made and give better results. Again I have found that many brands that used to be good are now **** and many cheap chinese knock offs really work well. My wickes wobble sander was crap. My wickes portable screwdriver is fab. I'm in the fortunate position where I don't necessarily have to worry about the price of food and can buy what I like but I do use Lidl and Farmfoods at times, the latter who have some branded goods that I use regularly and usually at prices 30% cheaper than Tesco/Asda, especially if buying £50 worth at a time with the 10% discount vouchers. It's actually more convenient to go to my local Lidl than travel further to one of the major supermarkets and then spend an hour searching through their massive warehouse buildings for the items I want. My food costs are probably less than 10% of my total outgoings. I am not sure I give a **** about knocking 10% off them I go to waitrose because its the closest, it has bags of parking the staff are endlessly helpful, and really given what I buy the prices are not that much of an issue. I sometimes go to tescos for items waitrose don't stock. For cheap items on Ebay I will pay more for someone who has UK stock rather than the item coming from China 4 weeks later. Sometimes its not the time on line searching for the cheapest price but the time taken to make sure that the item may actually be in the UK. Sometimes you have to read the negative reviews to see the many customers complaining that the short delivery times and UK stock claims are bogus. That I agree with. delivery time is part of the product. Conversely sometimes I am in no hurry. [1] When checking some of these energy auto switch sites recently they suggest that their algorithms take into consideration price AND high scores for customer service. My current supplier is only average for customer service so presumably wouldn't be near the top of these switching sites list. If bills are accurate based on monthly user supplied meter readings and most things can be accomplished on-line etc. who needs the "hand holding" customer service? -- The lifetime of any political organisation is about three years before its been subverted by the people it tried to warn you about. Anon. |
Very OT - what is your "sod it" purchase limit?
The Natural Philosopher laid this down on his screen :
I did also baulk at £2000 labour to make curtains when I bought a sewing machine for £50 - a total no brainer in that context - and did the whole job in 6 weeks of lockdown a bit at a time HOW MUCH! I needed some vertical blinds adapting - I paid £10 for a zig-zag capable sewing machine, at a car boot sale. Our older/ancient machine, was just getting past it. |
Very OT - what is your "sod it" purchase limit?
On 16/02/2021 20:54, David wrote:
My view of expensive was set some decades ago so I have to think around it. You can spend an awful lot of time on line trying to find a slightly cheaper item, and comparing prices and specifications. There must be a point where it isn't really worth spending the effort. My rough limits a £9.95 for almost any small item. Sod it, just buy. £25 for a slightly more substantial item. £50 for a more substantial item (e.g. cheapish charcoal BBQ). Normally working, so there is a calculation on how much ye are losing per hour by not working. Then have that hourly rate lost by doing some unearthly task - so drag out an Excel sheet. i.e. I used to have an hours lunch break, ate a Tesco sandwich. If I have a 2 minute lunch break, a sandwich from Harrods cost the same. People that eat Harrods sandwiches have a productive working life and reach the grave quicker ... -- Adrian C |
Very OT - what is your "sod it" purchase limit?
The Natural Philosopher used his keyboard to write :
I cant be arsed with chasing the best electricity deal that at best might net me £100 a year. I'm in a similar financial position, except I can and do - It takes me a just few minutes. It makes me £100 better off over the year, for the investment of just a few minutes, whilst sat idly watching TV. This year I saved £150 on my bill. |
Very OT - what is your "sod it" purchase limit?
"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message ... On 16/02/2021 20:54, David wrote: My view of expensive was set some decades ago so I have to think around it. You can spend an awful lot of time on line trying to find a slightly cheaper item, and comparing prices and specifications. There must be a point where it isn't really worth spending the effort. My rough limits a £9.95 for almost any small item. Sod it, just buy. £25 for a slightly more substantial item. £50 for a more substantial item (e.g. cheapish charcoal BBQ). Oddly enough it makes a huge difference as to what the item is. I bought some envelopes from amazon - with postage almost a fiver.! could have got them for 2.50 in the stationers, but that's a 10 mile drive and a walk from the car park... When it comes to a tool that will let me do a job myself - example being a horrendous labour charge to swap out my old water softener, versus a day and a few bits of copper pipe and a replacement gas cartridge for my ****ty, but usable blowlamp...I think I added 45 quid on top of the softener price and it took me a day and a half and a bit more to fix the last little leak...its still a no brainer. I did also baulk at £2000 labour to make curtains when I bought a sewing machine for £50 - a total no brainer in that context - and did the whole job in 6 weeks of lockdown a bit at a time I didn't baulk at the £1000 material cost. That was simply the best price I could get Perhaps running a business makes cost benefit analysis second nature. You want a result.. 1. What will it cost? 2. Is the result even worth the cost? 3. If it is, can you reduce the cost? 4. What is the impact of reducing the cost on other costs? 5. How much time and money have you spent arriving at this decision? (When I were a 'prentice, nuts bolts washers and screws were 'free issue' . Every 'prentice worth his slat over time acquired a toolbox full of every screw imaginable imagining they were getting something from 'management' for free. When I ran my own business I realised that there is a limit to how much e.g. A4 paper any employee CAN filch, and so I adopted the same policy. The cost of being an arsehole was not worth the few pounds a month benefit and the office manger's time and the bad feeling) If I apply those criteria to e.g. an oil purchase - well my neighbour spends two days getting 2p a litre off his oil and irritating all the oil companies. That's £20 on a thousand litre delivery. Two days to make £20? Really? If I want to make £20 I can just not buy a bottle of gin this month. Or not drive 40 miles. After that I struggle, but I tend to use the current price of a supermarket shop for comparison. For example, if I am happy to shell out £100 for a week's food including a bottle or two of wine and a bulk purchase (say a 6 pack of tinned tomatoes) then in the great scheme of things any other purchase in this range isn't worth costing as a once in a lifetime purchase. Exactly. My boiler is flaking. a new boiler would be £2-3000 installed. to get it fixed will probably be less than £100. But a new (condensing) boiler would save me perhaps 10% on my fuel costs - which are maybe £2000 per year. Payback in ten to fifteen years? I won't sodding live much longer than that and will have to move out due to general senility or death then, anyway. but today's £100 repair will probably not be the last |
Very OT - what is your "sod it" purchase limit?
"Harry Bloomfield"; "Esq." wrote in message ... The Natural Philosopher used his keyboard to write : I cant be arsed with chasing the best electricity deal that at best might net me £100 a year. I'm in a similar financial position, except I can and do - It takes me a just few minutes. It makes me £100 better off over the year, for the investment of just a few minutes, whilst sat idly watching TV. This year I saved £150 on my bill. if I saved 150 quid on my gas bill they'd be paying me |
Very OT - what is your "sod it" purchase limit?
On 17/02/2021 10:42, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
My insurance company is not the cheapest, but they have always coughed up any claims and can speak to humans And I have so much no claims that its hard to see how much I could save scrounging around It is well known that being loyal to an insurance company will cost you! As a "new" customer 20% discounts are often available and with the big players when they are losing market share they offer better deals. If you happen to be looking when these better deals are available then you could end up paying 30% less than your renewal quote- even with maximum no-claims. I don't necessarily look for the cheapest headline price but what is included in the quoted price. I will always check for alternative energy suppliers a month before my contract ends, although I'm now just starting my 3rd year with my current supplier who seem to be close to the top of the list for cheaper energy (for MY usage)[1]. Again for what actual return?Â* And at what risk? Often the saving can be 10% than staying with your existing supplier, even if they offer another (fixed) price deal. I don't see any risk with the companies I've chosen in the past 5 years and even if the company goes bust the Ofgen will automatically transfer you to another supplier with the option of you changing again without any penalties. My current energy contract has no exit fees for ending the contract early. -- mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk |
Very OT - what is your "sod it" purchase limit?
"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message ... My insurance company is not the cheapest, but they have always coughed up any claims and can speak to humans And I have so much no claims that its hard to see how much I could save scrounging around Basic English Comprehension and Reasoning Ability Test. Question 1. Based on the above two statements, does "The Natural Philosopher" a) make lots of insurance claims ? or b) make no insurance claims ? Please answer using only one side of the paper. michael adams .... |
Very OT - what is your "sod it" purchase limit?
On Wed, 17 Feb 2021 12:37:21 -0000, "tim..."
wrote: "Harry Bloomfield"; "Esq." wrote in message ... The Natural Philosopher used his keyboard to write : I cant be arsed with chasing the best electricity deal that at best might net me £100 a year. I'm in a similar financial position, except I can and do - It takes me a just few minutes. It makes me £100 better off over the year, for the investment of just a few minutes, whilst sat idly watching TV. This year I saved £150 on my bill. if I saved 150 quid on my gas bill they'd be paying me Once upon a time, they DID pay me. It was in the days before OFCLOT -or whatever they are called- deemed standing charges a requirement and my energy company gave me a dual-fuel discount in the form of a quarterly rebate off my quarterly bill.. ....except for those particular months, nobody was home and no energy was used. Nick |
Very OT - what is your "sod it" purchase limit?
On Wed, 17 Feb 2021 11:56:06 +0000, Harry Bloomfield, Esq. wrote:
The Natural Philosopher used his keyboard to write : I cant be arsed with chasing the best electricity deal that at best might net me £100 a year. I'm in a similar financial position, except I can and do - It takes me a just few minutes. It makes me £100 better off over the year, for the investment of just a few minutes, whilst sat idly watching TV. This year I saved £150 on my bill. The last really profitable calculation I did was five years ago. I instantly became £200 a month better off - by resigning and taking a pension. With - as it turned out, and I was expecting - better inflation protection. -- My posts are my copyright and if @diy_forums or Home Owners' Hub wish to copy them they can pay me £1 a message. Use the BIG mirror service in the UK: http://www.mirrorservice.org *lightning surge protection* - a w_tom conductor |
Very OT - what is your "sod it" purchase limit?
On 17/02/2021 09:05, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
If I want to make £20 I can just not buy a bottle of gin this month. Or not drive 40 miles. very wise if you have a JLR, it might not make it |
Very OT - what is your "sod it" purchase limit?
On 17/02/2021 12:37, tim... wrote:
"Harry Bloomfield"; "Esq." wrote in message ... The Natural Philosopher used his keyboard to write : I cant be arsed with chasing the best electricity deal that at best might net me £100 a year. I'm in a similar financial position, except I can and do - It takes me a just few minutes. It makes me £100 better off over the year, for the investment of just a few minutes, whilst sat idly watching TV. This year I saved £150 on my bill. if I saved 150 quid on my gas bill they'd be paying me How much is your daily standing charge for gas though ? |
Very OT - what is your "sod it" purchase limit?
tim... wrote:
"David" wrote in message ... My view of expensive was set some decades ago so I have to think around it. You can spend an awful lot of time on line trying to find a slightly cheaper item, and comparing prices and specifications. no you don't it should take around 30 seconds Ebay - 'Item in UK' - 'sort by price' - 'buy it now' Scan down the list until you find something suitable, job done. (although you do have to skip past the listings with options priced 99p-£1000 where 99p gets you a piece of used belly fluff) I don't bother with sites that don't have functioning sorting or filtering (hello Amazon). Sometimes the item is available cheaper from another place (especially if not a consumer-focused thing, like some DIY tools and materials) - do a general web search for it before buying on ebay. Where I've got a more substantial collection of bits needed I'll go direct to Toolstation, CPC, local BM, plumbing supplier, etc. really 90p would be my limit About £2-3 for me (which is mostly postage anyway). but are you talking about purchases that you can easily back if the item is not as described, or ones where sending it back may be a faff For me, the biggest problem with looking for cheaper sources is the risk of a dodgy retailer selling me a counterfeit product and then making me jump through impossible hoops for a refund. I happily pay 10, 20% more to avoid that. But wont pay 300% more Different prices for a *genuine* better product is another matter entirely (in terms of how much effort I'm prepared to put in to evaluate that) In this bracket the price of shipping it back makes things not worth returning if you have to pay £5-10 postage. However the other hassle of returns is that you still don't have the item you wanted - no good if you're planning to do a job and you can't do it. Particularly a problem with shipping being disrupted as it is at the moment, things taking a week to arrive can be problematic (Amazon next day shipping has been handy as a get out of trouble card for this as it actually delivers on time). I do stare a lot at specs to make sure I'm getting something with a good chance of working - more time upfront but generally fewer mistakes. Time invested upfront means jobs can be done in a timely manner, not postponed for having the wrong bits. Theo |
Very OT - what is your "sod it" purchase limit?
On 16 Feb 2021 20:54:18 GMT, David wrote:
Anyway does anyone else have a yard stick for measuring time and effort put into research against the cost of an item? I tend to be sniffy about own-brand stuff - then about ten years ago I bought some B&Q own-brand laminate flooring. How can they get that wrong? Quite easily it seems. It didn't/doesn't lie flat. Fortunately it's in a room that I don't use that much, otherwise I'd have gone to the trouble of ripping it out and replacing it. (Do like Tesco Finest range though.) |
Very OT - what is your "sod it" purchase limit?
On 17/02/2021 16:42, Peter Johnson wrote:
On 16 Feb 2021 20:54:18 GMT, David wrote: Anyway does anyone else have a yard stick for measuring time and effort put into research against the cost of an item? I tend to be sniffy about own-brand stuff Some respected names of the past are effectively own-brand stuff. Brand names are bought and sold and used as a badge on no-name far east items. -- mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk |
Very OT - what is your "sod it" purchase limit?
On Wed, 17 Feb 2021 01:22:12 -0800, Owain Lastname wrote:
On Tuesday, 16 February 2021 at 20:54:22 UTC, David WE Roberts (Google) wrote: I'm pricing up bed risers (dodgy knees) and wondering if I should go for the £25 or £36 option. Free from social work occupational therapy? Or £10 https://www.roov.co.uk/home-decor-ac...niture-risers- pukkr Owain Nope - wrong size and shape. Cheers Dave R -- AMD FX-6300 in GA-990X-Gaming SLI-CF running Windows 7 Pro x64 -- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus |
Very OT - what is your "sod it" purchase limit?
On 17/02/2021 11:56, Harry Bloomfield wrote:
The Natural Philosopher used his keyboard to write : I cant be arsed with chasing the best electricity deal that at best might net me £100 a year. I'm in a similar financial position, except I can and do - It takes me a just few minutes. It makes me £100 better off over the year, for the investment of just a few minutes, whilst sat idly watching TV. This year I saved £150 on my bill. well as I said and I don't think anyone actually believed me, my investments are returning about 30%-40% pa and that's what I spend tome on. Ok it probably wont last - but Donald trump and then the democrats,. Brexit and covid 19 have been massively good for certain parts of the global market and that's where I am. https://www.trustnet.com/fund/price-...&subUnits=5,30 pick any five from the top 30... -- "The great thing about Glasgow is that if there's a nuclear attack it'll look exactly the same afterwards." Billy Connolly |
Very OT - what is your "sod it" purchase limit?
Andrew brought next idea :
On 17/02/2021 12:37, tim... wrote: "Harry Bloomfield"; "Esq." wrote in message ... The Natural Philosopher used his keyboard to write : I cant be arsed with chasing the best electricity deal that at best might net me £100 a year. I'm in a similar financial position, except I can and do - It takes me a just few minutes. It makes me £100 better off over the year, for the investment of just a few minutes, whilst sat idly watching TV. This year I saved £150 on my bill. if I saved 150 quid on my gas bill they'd be paying me How much is your daily standing charge for gas though ? 24.99p |
Very OT - what is your "sod it" purchase limit?
On 17/02/2021 12:34, tim... wrote:
"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message ... On 16/02/2021 20:54, David wrote: My view of expensive was set some decades ago so I have to think around it. You can spend an awful lot of time on line trying to find a slightly cheaper item, and comparing prices and specifications. There must be a point where it isn't really worth spending the effort. My rough limits a £9.95 for almost any small item. Sod it, just buy. £25 for a slightly more substantial item. £50 for a more substantial item (e.g. cheapish charcoal BBQ). Oddly enough it makes a huge difference as to what the item is. I bought some envelopes from amazon - with postage almost a fiver.! could have got them for 2.50 in the stationers, but that's a 10 mile drive and a walk from the car park... When it comes to a tool that will let me do a job myself - example being a horrendous labour charge to swap out my old water softener, versus a day and a few bits of copper pipe and a replacement gas cartridge for my ****ty, but usable blowlamp...I think I added 45 quid on top of the softener price and it took me a day and a half and a bit more to fix the last little leak...its still a no brainer. I did also baulk at £2000 labour to make curtains when I bought a sewing machine for £50 - a total no brainer in that context - and did the whole job in 6 weeks of lockdown a bit at a time I didn't baulk at the £1000 material cost. That was simply the best price I could get Perhaps running a business makes cost benefit analysis second nature. You want a result.. 1. What will it cost? 2. Is the result even worth the cost? 3. If it is, can you reduce the cost? 4. What is the impact of reducing the cost on other costs? 5. How much time and money have you spent arriving at this decision? (When I were a 'prentice, nuts bolts washers and screws were 'free issue' . Every 'prentice worth his slat over time acquired a toolbox full of every screw imaginable imagining they were getting something from 'management' for free. When I ran my own business I realised that there is a limit to how much e.g. A4 paper any employee CAN filch, and so I adopted the same policy. The cost of being an arsehole was not worth the few pounds a month benefit and the office manger's time and the bad feeling) If I apply those criteria to e.g. an oil purchase - well my neighbour spends two days getting 2p a litre off his oil and irritating all the oil companies. That's £20 on a thousand litre delivery. Two days to make £20? Really? If I want to make £20 I can just not buy a bottle of gin this month. Or not drive 40 miles. After that I struggle, but I tend to use the current price of a supermarket shop for comparison. For example, if I am happy to shell out £100 for a week's food including a bottle or two of wine and a bulk purchase (say a 6 pack of tinned tomatoes) then in the great scheme of things any other purchase in this range isn't worth costing as a once in a lifetime purchase. Exactly. My boiler is flaking. a new boiler would be £2-3000 installed. to get it fixed will probably be less than £100. But a new (condensing) boiler would save me perhaps 10% on my fuel costs - which are maybe £2000 per year. Payback in ten to fifteen years? I won't sodding live much longer than that and will have to move out due to general senility or death then, anyway. but today's £100 repair will probably not be the last I think it is actually going to be nearer £200. apart from the flame sensor, the oil pump was deemed leaking, and then the motor suddenly wouldn't start and needed a new capacitor. Hmmm So after 19 years about half of it has now been replaced with new. I think in all in the last two years its cost me about 500. As long as the heat exchanger doesn't pack up it should do another 19 years ok There was a bit of teeth sucking about the motor as diesel had, he said, spilt on it, but he didn't have a spare or I am sure he would have fitted it.,:-) Well TBH I dont mind if I have been slightly gulled. New stuff to replace 19 year old stuff is fine... Caps and oil pumps and water pumps and flame sensors do wear out and that boiler has hardly ever been serviced in its whole life. I reckon it will do another ten years. Not so sure I will... -- Of what good are dead warriors? €¦ Warriors are those who desire battle more than peace. Those who seek battle despite peace. Those who thump their spears on the ground and talk of honor. Those who leap high the battle dance and dream of glory €¦ The good of dead warriors, Mother, is that they are dead. Sheri S Tepper: The Awakeners. |
Very OT - what is your "sod it" purchase limit?
On 17/02/2021 12:37, tim... wrote:
"Harry Bloomfield"; "Esq." wrote in message ... The Natural Philosopher used his keyboard to write : I cant be arsed with chasing the best electricity deal that at best might net me £100 a year. I'm in a similar financial position, except I can and do - It takes me a just few minutes. It makes me £100 better off over the year, for the investment of just a few minutes, whilst sat idly watching TV. This year I saved £150 on my bill. if I saved 150 quid on my gas bill they'd be paying me If I saved £150 quid on my gas bill I'd be phoning the police, because I don't have gas! I could probably save £150 on my oil bill by wearing a vest and a double jumper and gloves for a month -- New Socialism consists essentially in being seen to have your heart in the right place whilst your head is in the clouds and your hand is in someone else's pocket. |
Very OT - what is your "sod it" purchase limit?
On 17/02/2021 13:01, alan_m wrote:
On 17/02/2021 10:42, The Natural Philosopher wrote: My insurance company is not the cheapest, but they have always coughed up any claims and can speak to humans And I have so much no claims that its hard to see how much I could save scrounging around It is well known that being loyal to an insurance company will cost you! As a "new" customer 20% discounts are often available and with the big players when they are losing market share they offer better deals. If you happen to be looking when these better deals are available then you could end up paying 30% less than your renewal quote- even with maximum no-claims. I don't necessarily look for the cheapest headline price but what is included in the quoted price. I get a large loyalty and no claims bonus, I pay about £250 a year. I think my car tax costs more Last time I tried to get quotes at best I could knock £20 off that Often the saving can be 10% than staying with your existing supplier, even if they offer another (fixed) price deal. I don't see any risk with the companies I've chosen in the past 5 years and even if the company goes bust the Ofgen will automatically transfer you to another supplier with the option of you changing again without any penalties. My current energy contract has no exit fees for ending the contract early. well yes, so on my whatever it is £100 a month electricity bill I will save £10 Big ****ing deal I do check that oil prices aren't through the roof, but again its small money to be saved. there is a market price for oil and a few percent only is available I guess if I worked hard at it I might save £500 a year: Out of around £20,000 it cost me to be in this house eating well and warm. My big costs are the mortgage, the council tax, the car, the house insurance and general maintenance that has to be done. Fuel, electricity and food are pretty trivial compared with those... I have enough money to stay here until I am too gaga to run the place and then I'll sell the half that I have left and move somewhere warm with cheap servants :-) -- New Socialism consists essentially in being seen to have your heart in the right place whilst your head is in the clouds and your hand is in someone else's pocket. |
Very OT - what is your "sod it" purchase limit?
"Andrew" wrote in message ... On 17/02/2021 12:37, tim... wrote: "Harry Bloomfield"; "Esq." wrote in message ... The Natural Philosopher used his keyboard to write : I cant be arsed with chasing the best electricity deal that at best might net me £100 a year. I'm in a similar financial position, except I can and do - It takes me a just few minutes. It makes me £100 better off over the year, for the investment of just a few minutes, whilst sat idly watching TV. This year I saved £150 on my bill. if I saved 150 quid on my gas bill they'd be paying me How much is your daily standing charge for gas though ? half my total bill |
Very OT - what is your "sod it" purchase limit?
"Peter Johnson" wrote in message ... On 16 Feb 2021 20:54:18 GMT, David wrote: Anyway does anyone else have a yard stick for measuring time and effort put into research against the cost of an item? I tend to be sniffy about own-brand stuff - then about ten years ago I bought some B&Q own-brand laminate flooring. How can they get that wrong? Quite easily it seems. It didn't/doesn't lie flat. Fortunately it's in a room that I don't use that much, otherwise I'd have gone to the trouble of ripping it out and replacing it. (Do like Tesco Finest range though.) on the odd occasions I have tried such up market supermarket meals couldn't tell the bleeding difference |
Very OT - what is your "sod it" purchase limit?
The Natural Philosopher formulated the question :
On 17/02/2021 10:01, alan_m wrote: I'm in the fortunate position where I don't necessarily have to worry about the price of food and can buy what I like but I do use Lidl and Farmfoods at times, the latter who have some branded goods that I use regularly and usually at prices 30% cheaper than Tesco/Asda, especially if buying £50 worth at a time with the 10% discount vouchers. It's actually more convenient to go to my local Lidl than travel further to one of the major supermarkets and then spend an hour searching through their massive warehouse buildings for the items I want. Lidl is the one we use most and just a ten minute walk away. It is co-located with a Home Bargains, both quite new and a much older Tesco. We generally prefer the Lidl offerings, only going in the others when we cannot find something in Lidl. My food costs are probably less than 10% of my total outgoings. I am not sure I give a **** about knocking 10% off them Do you live on beans on toast? At a rough check - Our food purchases represent around 35% of our regular bill spend each month. G + E + W, C Tax, broadband phone. |
Very OT - what is your "sod it" purchase limit?
tim... submitted this idea :
if I saved 150 quid on my gas bill they'd be paying me No, I saved £150 off my dual fuel bill, for this year. |
Very OT - what is your "sod it" purchase limit?
"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message ... On 17/02/2021 11:56, Harry Bloomfield wrote: The Natural Philosopher used his keyboard to write : I cant be arsed with chasing the best electricity deal that at best might net me £100 a year. I'm in a similar financial position, except I can and do - It takes me a just few minutes. It makes me £100 better off over the year, for the investment of just a few minutes, whilst sat idly watching TV. This year I saved £150 on my bill. well as I said and I don't think anyone actually believed me, my investments are returning about 30%-40% pa and that's what I spend tome on. Ok it probably wont last - but Donald trump and then the democrats,. Brexit and covid 19 have been massively good for certain parts of the global market and that's where I am. https://www.trustnet.com/fund/price-...&subUnits=5,30 pick any five from the top 30... I have less income now than the minimum wage by a huge margin. So I use my time to save money. I cook, do DIY, sew, mend, repair and in general live the way my postwar parents taught me, and their Depression era parents taught them. On a shoestring." The Natural Philosopher From little acorns, as they say. michael adams .... |
Very OT - what is your "sod it" purchase limit?
On 17/02/2021 18:35, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
On 17/02/2021 12:34, tim... wrote: "The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message ... On 16/02/2021 20:54, David wrote: My view of expensive was set some decades ago so I have to think around it. You can spend an awful lot of time on line trying to find a slightly cheaper item, and comparing prices and specifications. There must be a point where it isn't really worth spending the effort. My rough limits a £9.95 for almost any small item. Sod it, just buy. £25 for a slightly more substantial item. £50 for a more substantial item (e.g. cheapish charcoal BBQ). Oddly enough it makes a huge difference as to what the item is. I bought some envelopes from amazon - with postage almost a fiver.! could have got them for 2.50 in the stationers, but that's a 10 mile drive and a walk from the car park... When it comes to a tool that will let me do a job myself - example being a horrendous labour charge to swap out my old water softener, versus a day and a few bits of copper pipe and a replacement gas cartridge for my ****ty, but usable blowlamp...I think I added 45 quid on top of the softener price and it took me a day and a half and a bit more to fix the last little leak...its still a no brainer. I did also baulk at £2000 labour to make curtains when I bought a sewing machine for £50 - a total no brainer in that context - and did the whole job in 6 weeks of lockdown a bit at a time I didn't baulk at the £1000 material cost. That was simply the best price I could get Perhaps running a business makes cost benefit analysis second nature. You want a result.. 1. What will it cost? 2. Is the result even worth the cost? 3. If it is, can you reduce the cost? 4. What is the impact of reducing the cost on other costs? 5. How much time and money have you spent arriving at this decision? (When I were a 'prentice, nuts bolts washers and screws were 'free issue' . Every 'prentice worth his slat over time acquired a toolbox full of every screw imaginable imagining they were getting something from 'management' for free. When I ran my own business I realised that there is a limit to how much e.g. A4 paper any employee CAN filch, and so I adopted the same policy. The cost of being an arsehole was not worth the few pounds a month benefit and the office manger's time and the bad feeling) If I apply those criteria to e.g. an oil purchase - well my neighbour spends two days getting 2p a litre off his oil and irritating all the oil companies. That's £20 on a thousand litre delivery. Two days to make £20? Really? If I want to make £20 I can just not buy a bottle of gin this month. Or not drive 40 miles. After that I struggle, but I tend to use the current price of a supermarket shop for comparison. For example, if I am happy to shell out £100 for a week's food including a bottle or two of wine and a bulk purchase (say a 6 pack of tinned tomatoes) then in the great scheme of things any other purchase in this range isn't worth costing as a once in a lifetime purchase. Exactly. My boiler is flaking. a new boiler would be £2-3000 installed. to get it fixed will probably be less than £100. But a new (condensing) boiler would save me perhaps 10% on my fuel costs - which are maybe £2000 per year. Payback in ten to fifteen years? I won't sodding live much longer than that and will have to move out due to general senility or death then, anyway. but today's £100 repair will probably not be the last I think it is actually going to be nearer £200. apart from the flame sensor, the oil pump was deemed leaking, and then the motor suddenly wouldn't start and needed a new capacitor. Hmmm they managed to overcharge for all the parts. £280 -- "When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him." Jonathan Swift. |
Very OT - what is your "sod it" purchase limit?
On 17/02/2021 19:04, Harry Bloomfield wrote:
The Natural Philosopher formulated the question : On 17/02/2021 10:01, alan_m wrote: I'm in the fortunate position where I don't necessarily have to worry about the price of food and can buy what I like but I do use Lidl and Farmfoods at times, the latter who have some branded goods that I use regularly and usually at prices 30% cheaper than Tesco/Asda, especially if buying £50 worth at a time with the 10% discount vouchers. It's actually more convenient to go to my local Lidl than travel further to one of the major supermarkets and then spend an hour searching through their massive warehouse buildings for the items I want. Lidl is the one we use most and just a ten minute walk away. It is co-located with a Home Bargains, both quite new and a much older Tesco. We generally prefer the Lidl offerings, only going in the others when we cannot find something in Lidl. My food costs are probably less than 10% of my total outgoings.Â* I am not sure I give a **** about knocking 10% off them Do you live on beans on toast? No. I have a massive mortgage thanks to the ex, and a massive council tax bill, a lot of maintenance thanks to the ex, a massive oil bill thanks to the size of the house.. £3500 a year on food is not a big ticket item £18,000 a year on a mortgage is.... At a rough check - Our food purchases represent around 35% of our regular bill spend each month. G + E + W, C Tax, broadband phone. You lucky man -- "When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him." Jonathan Swift. |
Very OT - what is your "sod it" purchase limit?
It happens that The Natural Philosopher formulated :
£3500 a year on food is not a big ticket item £18,000 a year on a mortgage is.... Ouch, my sympathy. |
Very OT - what is your "sod it" purchase limit?
The Natural Philosopher pretended :
I get a large loyalty and no claims bonus, I pay about £250 a year. I think my car tax costs more £220-ish per year, via a national broker. Always the best quote from them by a large margin, but when it does creep up, I just suggest to them that they find another, better quote for me. They have never failed to find better. Strangely, everyone I have recommended to the broker, has found them to be the highest quote for themselves. |
Very OT - what is your "sod it" purchase limit?
Adrian Caspersz expressed precisely :
I used to have an hours lunch break, ate a Tesco sandwich. If I have a 2 minute lunch break, a sandwich from Harrods cost the same. People that eat Harrods sandwiches have a productive working life and reach the grave quicker ... Does your calculation include the long drive there and back to collect the Harrods sandwich? It might take me many hours of driving.. |
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