These days, if I need ( rather than want) something I just buy it. And my needs are very few and far between. I spent the day in Leeds yesterday, letting the train take the strain. My objective was to sort out a new tv, and after reading reviews I had narrowed the choice down to two brands and two sizes. I visited the new JL, Richer Sounds, Superfi, Curry's and an independent. Decision was made, but because of the unusual tv support, in addition I need to buy a larger glass stand now. More expense, but good advice from Richer Sounds. Just need to measure up before committing myself.
I did consider a new white shirt for a wedding next Saturday, but after looking in the usual places couldn't find anything for a tenner or less, so won't bother unless I find something in Age UK! I was with a female friend, and she was very disappointed with the price reductions in several stores.
It was a cheap day out. I can be a tight beggar!
And no drink was taken. Most unusual
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Apart from a bike review (see thread in motoring) I;ve shifted to an all Ecco shoe fleet - the latest was a discounted boot from Rohan;s sale. £40.00 off. My wife thinks she married a centipede.
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Suspect that like RP I'll pick something up in Rohan sale, probably a couple of shirts. But most of the stuff I like is in their 'Souk' clearance section year round.
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Not "sales" in the usual sense but I had my eye on an LG 49UH770 LED HDR tv about 10 days ago on the John Lewis website, priced at £699. I found it had dropped to £649 on the 27th. so I selected a delivery date, ordered and paid for it. Today it is £599 and it was easy to get the billing changed. I didn't think their "not knowingly undersold" policy applied to their own prices. (£549 next?)
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>> I didn't think their "not knowingly undersold" policy applied to their own prices.
Two or three tears ago when I was in the market for a TV, JL told me that their prices are reviewed / adjusted almost on a daily basis.
They gave me an assurance chitty that the price quoted was the maximum price and was valid for 28 days unless it was reduced in price and if so that was what I would pay.
( Tesco price was £200 more)
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I have very recently bought off a very decent ebay trader, several items that they have obviously sourced from John Lewis. The reduction stickers were still well attached and the packaging was still pristine despite the handling that had obviously taken place. Some have been 'moved on' and one or two retained. Excellent, but not startling value, but items that a first hand warranty would have shown no benefit so worth buying if you have a need and/or a source of disposal.
When it won't retail it gets dumped, but often to someone/company who can take thousands of pounds worth and it will/may not appear in the shop. (I do so hate the word STORE).
Night night.
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A Danish centipede at that.
Edit - Tusindben apparently.
There you go...
Last edited by: Runfer D'Hills on Sat 31 Dec 16 at 11:43
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I bought a box of Christmas biscuits half price in Wilkos - all of 87p. The first item I've bought in a sale for years.
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>> A Danish centipede at that.
>>
>> Edit - Tusindben apparently.
>>
>> There you go...
>>
As long as you are not a Human Centipede. (qv the film of that name if you have strong stomachs :-) )
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I've taken a leaf out of my daughter's book (she's the sensible one in the family, don't know where she gets it from), and avoided the sales. She's convinced me that it's cheaper to buy things at the best price when I need them, than to go searching for bargains when I don't.
On Tuesday I did stick my head into JLP in Cambridge on the way back from an exhibition I was dragged to at the Fitzwilliam museyroom (the one that doesn't keep the priceless vases on window sills any more).
The mountains of "special purchase" stuff specifically bought in for the JLP sale reminded me that it is all about shaking money from the pockets of the unwary and I made off, clutching my wallet.
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I bought 2 x 2.5 kg bags of white potatoes at the Crumlin branch of Tesco's for 20 pence a bag.
Does that count?
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Bought my annual cheap frames - for bees and a couple of cheap hive boxes and some wax foundation. Compared to normal prices I saved about 40%..
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Aged folks bought a 55 inch curved 4k TV from Currys in the sales. I don't think it was a bargain but they liked it.
What is so silly is that they loved the picture but have a standard def Skybox with no intention of upgrading.
Currys even sold them three HDMI connectors at £69.99 each!!!!!!!!
Thieves!!!!
I have got some perfectly good ones from the local independent PC store for £5 each and will be taking the expensive ones back to Currys tomorrow if they are open and giving them a piece of my mind! Not that they will care!
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Got 2 large chickens for a quid. Bargain i reckon.
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Nah i bought the garlic ones. They fell off a french wagon. ;)
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>> Got 2 large chickens for a quid. Bargain i reckon.
Going cheap I'd say.
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>>Thieves!!!!
Fools and their money are easily parted.
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>>
>> Currys even sold them three HDMI connectors at £69.99 each!!!!!!!!
>>
>> Thieves!!!!
>>
>> I have got some perfectly good ones from the local independent PC store for £5
>> each and will be taking the expensive ones back to Currys tomorrow if they are
>> open and giving them a piece of my mind! Not that they will care!
>>
I'll hold yer coat :-) Depressing they still get away with this obscene rip-off. Fiver is about top whack for a HDMI cable, I usually get mine from Toolstation.
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There are some rubbish cables around. If I was buying for or advising a potential victim I'd go for Amazon Basics.
I'm not particularly technical but my working assumption for HDMI is that it will either work or it won't, being digital. There are however different standards so the best chance of it working with all commanded functions is to have the latest. Still under a fiver. amzn.eu/0v8mIep
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Last year we had the kitchen extended, now "Wifey" wants new units installing (2 x double cupboard/drawer units + 2 x wall cupboards) to match existing kitchen (new in 2005). had a look about whilst the "sales" are on, only to find that our colour (high-gloss Dark Green) has been discontinued. So thought about just changing the fronts of the existing units to match what we eventually fit in the extension, just changing the fronts will come to £1000 even at sale prices!, going to be almost better option to have complete new kitchen fitted! - Bah! - some happy new year already!!
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When we had our kitchen done recently I toyed with doing something like this.
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-REPLACEMENT-HIGH-GLOSS-KITCHEN-DOORS-/322013952650
Or of course, people put entire kitchens that are virtually new on there for ten pence quite often, because it's the law now in the UK that new house equals new kitchen these days, so virtually brand new ones get auctioned off.
Might not be your thing, but worth a squizz perhaps.
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Thanks for the idea! - will "Squizz" later, these are what we're looking for, but finding them is another thing! ;-)
tinyurl.com/zg2p8hh
Last edited by: R.P. on Mon 2 Jan 17 at 13:54
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>> Thanks for the idea! - will "Squizz" later, these are what we're looking for, but
>> finding them is another thing! ;-)
Can we bring back the death penalty for posters who don't use tiny.url?
tinyurl.com/gpcdzns
Obsessed? Me?
(no need to repost the 291 character link though !)
Last edited by: R.P. on Mon 2 Jan 17 at 13:55
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Tinyurl isn't necessarily a panacea. Some people like to see where the link is going (be embarrassing or worse if someone pretended it went somewhere interesting but actually put up a link to something naughty, whatever your definition of naughty might be on the Internet). Some folk actively object to supporting some news sites, for example, so won't want to click the link.
Also, you're a bit at the mercy of tinyurl maintaining the link for the life of your posting.
Having said that. I've not looked at posts from years ago to see if the the tinyurl link stil works.
Finally, in the spirit of "other listings magazines are available", there is of course a range of other providers who offer similar services, from Google onwards.
I do agree though, that unwieldy links are a bit cosmetically challenging sometimes.
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>> Can we bring back the death penalty for posters who don't use tiny.url?
>>
>> tinyurl.com/gpcdzns
>>
>> Obsessed? Me?
>>
>> (no need to repost the 291 character link though !)
>>
It was done deliberately, to show just how silly it looked. But I expect you had already worked that out.
Last edited by: Duncan on Mon 2 Jan 17 at 13:58
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Sorry - didn't realise it was that long till I'd posted it! - by the time I'd Tiny-ed it the edit had timed out! ;-))
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I was going to edit it without making a fuss !
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You can get special paint for kitchen units. Melamine paint I want to say? Used it on some in our old house. Worked really well. Maybe you could just buy a couple of basic units to add to the existing ones and then paint all the fronts to match? Treat yourselves to some new handles too if you feel so inclined.
That's what I'd do anyway and pocket the change. ;-)
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We did new doors and a few extra units where needed. Worked out much cheaper and less messy!
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£20 of paint and a Saturday afternoon could sort things out indeed.
Unless you're me, in which case that would lead to requiring new units, a new floor, a new set of clothes, a new carpet in the next two rooms and some new shoes.
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An artificial Xmas tree @ £25 instead of £55
Existing artificial tree bulbs failing one by one & no bulbs available - new tree is led
so failing bulbs should be a thing of the past.
We have a fir tree in a pot as well but it sits outside @ front of house.
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Bit like LED BMW lights lasting forever ? (well 4 years !)
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I've had three sets of outdoor LED bulbs fail. they've been fine in use but partially failed when I get them out the following year. It tends to be a section which has gone. Brand is Christmas Workshop, in case anyone wants to avoid them...
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I suspect it's the flimsy wiring rather than the LEDs that have failed. Either that or the wires aren't very pliable when folded or coiled back up when putting away because they're out in the cold weather and any soldered joints break.
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BMW were honest enough to say that it was a quality problem with internal wiring
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I bought a 55-inch TV one week before Xmas. It was not planned, no research was done. Just thought of buying it instantly and price seemed good. So simply bought it. I even managed to fit it inside the car (with a child in back seat and lots of other shoppings).
Checked the price today and still same price :-)
In last few years, I researched TVs many times and never ended up buying. This time zero research and just bought it.
Historically, I regretted inaction more often than wrong action. So I now believe sometimes just taking any action is good decision.
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>> On Tuesday I did stick my head into JLP in Cambridge on the way back
>> from an exhibition I was dragged to at the Fitzwilliam
The wonderful manuscripts? Had only 90 minutes in there; could have spent twice that.
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>> The wonderful manuscripts? Had only 90 minutes in there; could have spent twice that.
That's the one. I agree they were wonderful - c. 1000 year old illustrations that looked as fresh as if there were made last week, and the artistic quality of illustrations of that age surprised me too.
Many of them seemed to be from the original bequest in c 1816 IIRC.
The boss is the one with artistic sensibilities. She has taken herself off today to the Jazz Age couture exhibition at the Fashion & Textile Museum.
Last edited by: Manatee on Wed 4 Jan 17 at 15:02
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>> I can be a tight beggar! And no drink was taken. Most unusual
>>
On a promise me ol' mate? :-)
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Actually MD I was with the exex. So definitely not on a promise! One tries to be civilised in such matters, and the day out confirmed that we made the right decision. Following on from that I had a lovely email from the ex with condolences after the loss of my Lakeland ( which broke my heart more than either of them).
As for the sales, I have no intention of buying anything. It's been a virtually alcohol free holiday period, unlike friends who had 6 days in Cornwall at a smart condo and spent more than it costs me for a month in foreign parts.
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I got a new turntable for Christmas (but had to pay some money towards to it) so all I have recently been buying is more vinyl. Is just becoming a very expensive hobby and more annoyingly the turntable I wanted is now £40 less than what I paid before Christmas :(
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Heard on the wireless yesterday (R4) peops are buying vinyl even though they don't own a turntable.
Strange coves!
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>> Heard on the wireless yesterday (R4) peops are buying vinyl even though they don't own a turntable.
The new £5 note will suffice ;)
www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/37630555/how-the-new-five-pound-note-plays-vinyl-records
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Reminds me of when I was about 7 or 8 and we had an old radiogram which wasn't working.
I used to stick a record on it called The Angry Sea and turn the record around by hand while listening to the sound coming from the needle (pre stylus jobbie)
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>> The new £5 note will suffice ;)
>>
Expect the new more expensive stylus this year !
www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/23434198
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>> Expect the new more expensive stylus this year !
Will it be vegetarian friendly, unlike its cheaper brother ;)
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-west-wales-38250782
edited for apostrophe misuse
Last edited by: VxFan on Wed 4 Jan 17 at 13:55
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Which turntable, Rattle?
My lovely old Technics SL (I thought SL-1 but it's not in front of me and Google doesn't seem to know about an SL-1) is still great, but at 30 odd years old now it's beginning to be grumpy about responding to the play button.
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We've just returned from a week in the USA. I was aware that some shops over here are selling turntables and the vinyl LPs to play on them, but in America they are now selling retro cassette recorders and, yes, albums on cassette for use therein.
When CD players start being marketed as ironic and retro, I think I shall barricade myself into the house.
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I spent New Years Eve in Regent Street and Oxford Street among other well know shopping areas in the City and didn't buy a thing, didn't go into one shop or even look in a shop window.
It was between 2am and 5am and I wanted to see the Christmas lights, and the culture, as well as have time to park and look at the wonderful architecture above our heads.
We searched for the Chelsea drug store, the Camberwell carrot and walked along Carnaby Street as well as exploring Soho. I spotted Mornington Crescent, asked Ian to sing to me in Berkeley Square (he didn't) and explored Soho some other dubious areas where I can't remember the names!
It was fantastic and then we returned to the hotel for breakfast before trying to do a bit more in daylight.
I missed the different cultures we'd had time to stop and watch during the early dark hours though and finally we ended up at a luxurious Thameside apartment with a balcony opposite Chelsea for the night.
It was so foggy we couldn't even see the other side of the river!
It doesn't take much to please me and I'm very cheap to take on a couple of days away in London:)
Pat
Last edited by: Pat on Wed 4 Jan 17 at 14:30
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I know of a man who buys up 7" discs very cheaply in Southside, Chicago and sells them on at a big profit to born-again enthusiasts. I suppose these are people who have their own jukeboxes.
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A Project Debut SE3, it is essentially a Debut III but with a much better motor suspension, better cartridge (Ortofon Super OM10) and a full size platter. It is a UK (Henley Designs) design. For various reasons I could not stretch to the Debut Carbon :(
I am planning of buying a speedbox for it, and maybe if Brexit doesn't go horribly wrong buy an Ortofon OM2 Blue.
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Could you tell the difference between an Ortofon OM2 Blue and Ortofon OM2 Black? A big difference in price.
I know nothing about such cartridges.
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I haven't listened to them, but the general feeling from the forums is you need a very very good deck to make the black worth it. I think the most sub £500 decks the blue is the sweet spot.
I guess it would also depend on the system of the system. I have a Marantz PM6003 amp but using an old 1990 (second hand) Rotel pre amp as the phono stage as it sounds much better than the one in my PM6003.
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>> Which turntable, Rattle?
>>
>> My lovely old Technics SL (I thought SL-1 but it's not in front of me
>> and Google doesn't seem to know about an SL-1) is still great, but at 30
>> odd years old now it's beginning to be grumpy about responding to the play button.
>>
I have an acquaintance that could probably fix that.
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>> I have an acquaintance that could probably fix that.
Really, MD? Interesting.
Mods, if you would give MD my email we could perhaps chat offline, if he cares to of course.
Done
Last edited by: smokie on Mon 9 Jan 17 at 08:51
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I've sent you a message Squire.
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I want to buy less.
Our house is full of stuff in the process of clearing the loft it is going to take me ages.
I sold a old VW Beetle once gave the chap about 50 magazines VW motoring.Good luck.
Sheds need clearing also the carport it never ends does it.One day..;)
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Yeah I'm trying to buy less but I did just get a meat thermometer and some USB cables. :-) Oh, and yesterday we got a new set (18 places) of daily use crockery from Sainsburys for less than half price, and then used a coupon for your first grocery order to get a further £18 off.
I did the sheds during 2016 and also had a major clear out of the loft and disposed of lots of stuff, much of which had been kept for "sentimental" reasons. Not that we've stopped being sentimental, but some of the stuff has been untouched already for over 30 years so it's pointless keeping it another 30 years. We did keep some properly sentimental stuff but it won't reside in the rather inaccessible loft.
I was also persuaded to get rid of some old bits of furniture and furnishings etc which have been replaced over the years, but where I'd stuffed them up in the loft because they were "too good to throw away".
Not all went to landfill, I was surprised what demand there is for 2nd hand rather naff 70s style furniture on Freegle (ex Freecycle).
Garage next. I really can't see what can be thrown there as you never know when you might need a particular widget but SWMBO thinks she knows better :-)
Oh and I also eBay'd electronic goods which had cost me probably well over £1000 and most of which were in fine working condition. I netted £200 after all the fees and postage. I really dislike that way of disposal - too much effort and risk for too little reward.
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I know vinyl is supposed to be making a comeback, but I rarely use my old hifi separates. Still in perfect order.... a Linn Sondek LP12 deck, Naim amp, pre amp, power supply etc. Denton tuner, Arcam Alpha CD player, all on a SoundStyle table. Original boxes for most of the kit!
Must be worth something, but at the moment I cba advertising them
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I'll give you £50 and take them off yer hands guv, no use to you, all that old stuff wasting space. Not that I really need it, but you know, doing yer a favour like. Ahem.
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About 4 years ago I spent a weekend in Chester. I had a look in a hifi shop and was made an offer, subject to condition. Suppose I could have returned with the eqpt at another time but it never happened. I shall make it one of my New Year resolutions to dispose of the stuff this year.
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Bought in The Sales? Well not exactly.....
We don't have a share buying thread.
I am thinking of buying Lloyds Bank. What do you think? Yahoo finance chart here:-
uk.finance.yahoo.com/echarts?s=LLOY.L#symbol=LLOY.L;range=1y
The chap who writes "Diary of a private investor" in the Money section of Saturday's Telegraph speaks well of them, (Somebody Bartholomew?). But them as he holds them, he would wouldn't he?
Worth a medium term punt?
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Maybe, I wouldn't like to say.
But the market (or tat least the FTSE) is as high as it's ever been, so as a generality you need to consider whether it can continue to rise, and what, if anything, will prevent it.
Impossible to tell really, it's all just a gamble.
Now, if you'd taken the punt I called out back in Feb last year (tinyurl.com/zron5hl), Glencore have risen from 87p to 300p today. Wish I'd followed my own advice really, though I did get in and out within 1 day at a 10% profit. It could so easily have gone a different way though.
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Pity you didn't buy them a few months ago...
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I think Black Rock now have a 5% holding in Lloyds.
Don't ask me for advice... I made some awful decisions in 2016, and have now changed my method. If I can be in and out, make between 5/10% net within 6 months then I'm happy.
Yesterday I sold all my winners, except SGP, RBG, FUL & DEB ( new CEO could change their fortunes medium term) and it's never wrong to take a profit.
Don't look back... like buying flight tickets!
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I hold Serica Energy which I will sell early February and buy back.
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Your Serica Energy are up 21% today alone. Without knowing what you bought at, I'd be selling now!!
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I bought 4040 shares yesterday. My broker reckons the dividend is due to rise significantly and wasn't there an indication somewhere recently that there was a lot of cash to be returned to shareholders? So have a go but note that HSBC's yield is quite a bit higher just now.
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I sold HSBC at 621 in April 15...after a subsequent drop it took the share until last Autumn to recover, now at 660 ish. Happy to be out of banks though. They seem to get fined large amounts on a regular basis, with the regulator setting the fines based on what they can afford.
Add to that the unknown values of dodgy loans still swilling around (they've improved their capital positions by reducing basically good lending, it being hard to get the money back from bad),and what a housing market crash would do to some 'solid' balance sheets, and they are just too risky for me. Too big to fail, yes, but they are hostage to fortune.
That said I still have a bit of Barclays - not a large holding and I was so deep in the hole that it wasn't worth selling but it now looks as if I might finally get out of it level, then it's bye bye banks until house prices are sensible - which might of course be never.
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>> I am thinking of buying Lloyds Bank. What do you think? Yahoo finance chart here:-
>>
>> uk.finance.yahoo.com/echarts?s=LLOY.L#symbol=LLOY.L;range=1y
>>
>> The chap who writes "Diary of a private investor" in the Money section of Saturday's
>> Telegraph speaks well of them, (Somebody Bartholomew?)
James Bartholomew says that Investec are forecasting that the dividend will reach 7pc this year. Lloyds are "also emerging from a time when it has been vulnerable to endless fines".
Last edited by: Duncan on Tue 10 Jan 17 at 16:47
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>> Worth a medium term punt?
>>
If you have to ask, then it is not.
However, I have invested a large sum in Lloyds - some will be short term (less than three months, cashed in by 5 Apr 2016), some medium term (one year), and the rest long term (two to five years).
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I never put more than 2% of my total risk investments into one share. Generally, I don't buy individual shares at all except for investment trusts - ah, that's an exception to my 2% rule. I think I am at c 3% with EDIN which I have just cut down today after a good run, and nearer 4% with WPCT which is for the long term (or as long as long is when one is retired-ish).
My share picking has generally not gone as well as I would have liked - I don't usually mess up the buying, but human psychology makes selling well very difficult for non-professionals in my experience of me and others. People who buy and hold for a long time usually do best but many fail to diversify - I know a few who came badly unstuck, life-changingly so, after accumulating SAYE shares in the banks they worked for over decades.
Last edited by: Manatee on Tue 10 Jan 17 at 19:04
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When you say '' makes selling well very difficult for non professionals'' I assume you mean knowing when to sell. Most times the professionals haven't a clue either. In October I bought some KENV, sold them within the week and cleared 20% net. A speculative share so I didn't buy many, but since then they have doubled. I disobeyed my own rule never look back, but have just done so!
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I'm currently waiting with bated breath for the Supergroup half year results due this Thursday. I went to Leeds last week and after a hospital appointment called into the store and had a long chat with a member of staff, then an even longer look at their online sales platform before deciding to buy a third tranche.
Not recommending anyone buys of course. I only invest what I can afford to lose without materially affecting my lifestyle.
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>> I only invest what I can afford to lose
>> without materially affecting my lifestyle.
Are you sure you aren't talking about gambling?
Investing what you can't afford to lose (such as a pension) is the right thing for most people at one time or another. That's why we diversify (although it's not the only reason - it is a mathematical curiosity that the average risk in a basket of shares is lower than the average of the risk of the individual constituents) and why we don't always just aim for the highest return.
About half of what I and the boss plan to live on for the rest of our naturals is managed by me, and I'm not keeping it in deposit accounts:)
On the selling point - I'm sure I've told this scarring story before, but maybe 27/28 years ago I bought 10,000 Next shares at 16p each, and sold them quite soon afterwards at 27p. An excellent £1,000+ profit on a £1,600 stake.
I would be quite happy to own those shares now, even if they have just dropped from £70 to about £42 each.
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I consider my S & Shares self select ISA more a 'hobby' than serious investment vehicle. There is a five figure sum involved, but the risk is currently spread over about 15 shares, many of which are quite speculative. Over the past fortnight I have made around a dozen online trades, dipping in & out of various sectors.
My small private pension will be spent before I'm 65. Assuming I live that long. Living within the YDNP property values have risen considerably over the past 15 years, which is incredibly fortunate ( and lucky) for me, so at 65 I'll downsize to release equity.
Unless one of my PBonds does the biz! Between '97 and 2001 I made 48 regular payments into a S Widows policy, which even today is less than the amount I paid in, hence my total lack of any confidence in most financial professionals.
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>> '' makes selling well very difficult for non professionals''
I agree. It is due to human psychology - apparently to do with fear of loss
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0858qyf
if you don't want to listen to the whole lot, start at 21.35 to hear about "loss aversion".
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Instead of investing in shares, I have invested £39 in a pair of Clarks shoes in their 70% off sale.
Humph will be impressed though he will try and hide it.
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>> Humph will be impressed though he will try and hide it.
Successfully I expect.
I bought some Rockports, much the same, in the Amazon black Friday carry on. He can be secretly impressed by those too.
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For anybody needing a new Printer, (like me), just got a Cannon Prixma MX530 series (RRP £99.99) for £49.99 @ Curry/PCworld. May be a few left!
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Buy anything in the 'sales' ? - R.P.
