greent's mfw journey

Anna_Glypta

greent wrote: »

Finally, a part has broken on my Dyson this afternoon. Still usable. Off to check Dyson site now to see if they can just send this clippy part, rather than a whole piece....

That's 3 things just today... gotta be it for the month at least!!:D

Worth trying Amazon for the part as well - often they have equivalent parts for a fraction of the costs.

AG :-)

gallygirl

greent wrote: »

Not a good day other than that - Washer Dryer door wouldn't open this morning - called an engineer (£36 call out - deducted off any work to be done) - need new control fascia - parts had snapped off. Out of stock with the m'facturer (smeg) and not expected for at least a couple of weeks :eek::eek:

smeg indeed! Oh, you mean that's the make . Sounds like your reaction to a broken washer - quite polite under the circumstances:rotfl:

greent

Some more lovely items sold on ebay today - so another £50 OP made

And smeggedy smeg re w/m - m-i=l doesn't live far, but has a weeny w/m and I can't eb doing 2 loads a day there - so I'm gonna have to do some hand washing......!!!


DH has decided we NEED a new kitchen - our current one is ONLY under 5 1/2 years old - and cost just over £20K!! (Bespoke handmade real maple units, loads of granite (kitchen the size of a dbl garage) and some building wrk) Hmmmmm...........

greent

More ebaying - so another £50 OP made - yeay!!

Few more things still on at the moment - no bids at all, but lots and lots of watchers, so hopefully that will translate into some bids at least!! Quite enjoying the clearing out of rubbish and getting the money in, just hate listing it on ebay! Need another FLW next weekend to relist all the unsold stuff and add another half a dozen or so items

Some spending coming up this month - we own a BTL property and are having teh bathroom redone (was done only about 8 years ago but was a quick cash job and wasn't well done at all (but better than the previous one) Hoping this one's nicer. We need to do quite a lot of work on the BTL. I'd like to sell it, but prices have gone down, so DH wants to keep hold of it - but it's still worth more than we paid for it, so we've still gained - and a gain is only worth something when it's realised, after all. I just think it's more hassle than it's worth - we make a few hundred on it a year, and it's an annoying hassle for that little extra - I'd like to cash it in!

museumworker

Hello greent, I don't think I've posted on your diary before. What an amazing regular OP you make, as well as all the extras. Have you managed to talk your hubby out of the new kitchen yet though?

I noticed you have sold through NCT sales, I am considering doing so. Would you be able to give me some tips, especially in terms of what sells well/pricing/bundling etc? We bought some stuff from one yesterday, and I was really impressed in terms of organisation, seems fairly hassle free. Any advice gladly welcomed.

greent

Hi museumworker! Thanks for stopping by

I sell loads at NCT - I've been selling at them since DS2 (he's now 6) - with 4 children I have a constant supply of items! I got involved on the committee just before 2+ years ago and became treasurer within a few months.

Selling is easy - if your local NCT group is organised! If you've had a good experience as a buyer then hopefully you will as a seller. At our sales the best sellers are toys and equipment, especially toys in the pre-Xmas sale. I usually keep boxes and instructions for toys so I usually manage to sell virtually all of those - they are especially good for presents if boxed.

Clothes can be hit and miss. I find that really good labels will sell better on ebay (I sold a Monsoon dress for more than I paid for it in the shop's sale, for example) because people aren't prepared to pay the prices at what some see as a glorified jumble sale! (Gloucester isn't a wealthy city - I think good labels sell better at Cheltenham (next town to us) I will often bundle things like babygros/ vests up and sell - but they've usually done at least 2 (or more) children anyway, so I figure anything I get is better than nothing (most of my babygros after the first tended to be tesco/ sainsburys unless received as presents)

Definitely try and hang clothes up - I can never be bothered to look through piles of clothes at a nns, but will happily flick through the rails. I save hangers from knickers/ bras anything to use - ALWAYS take the hangers from a shop - ask for them if necessary! Ask friends for them - maybe even a freecycle request - someone will be getting rid of some.

Attach labels clearly.

Keep a record of what you take to the sale and tick off your sold tickets against it/ unsold items - you can tell if anything is missing. If it's a £1 top it's not so bad, but if it's a £10 something it makes a big difference - and branches have a timescale to get back with queries.

If your branch offers more commission for helping at a sale then definitely do so - you'll get a better feel for what sells/ how to price things that way - and make new friends along teh way!

Buy saftey pins when on offer - I sused to buy 2 packs when there was a sale (for attaching labels) at almost £/ pack - then I found some (cheap, low quality) packs of 100 pins reduced to 25p/ pack in a clearance bin in tesco - and bought all 8 packs. I also use other things to attach labels - old ribbon (those hangy bits inside jumpers which often get in the way are great as they are thin ribbon), old string etc - the idea is to make money and keep costs down

Ensure items are clean - and preferably ironed (check your local branch's policy _ I have seen items rejected for sale for being unironed) Expect to get unsold items back all creased though! I used to freshly wash things (creating loads of extra work for me) but now I just air them for a bit if they smell of loft (or febreeze them) - people will wash them, anyway.

Just because something hasn't sold, don't dismiss it. I've taken some things along to 3 or 4 sales before they've sold! I also sell clothes in bundles after an NNS, waiting for a FLW on ebay. Finally, I'll bundle things up into binbags and sell them to cash for clothes (they collect at 50p/ kilo) - I make very little from this, but it's all money coming in for very little/ no effort (no ironing required for c4c - just clean, wearable clothes) and is good for getting rid of wearable but not saleable clothes.

Hopefully that helps - just ask away if any more questions - that was quite a ramble, so possibly not very clear at points!


As to kitchen.... hmmm.... current spending plans are something like this:

• We have a BTL property and are surrently having a new bathroom installed (includes an overhaul of associated electrics and certification) - approx cost £4K!!!:eek:
• BTL property needs decorating throughout and new carpets (will be done as cheaply as poss - although I might pay someone to paint (hopefully someone like my cousin, if he's any good!)
• DH says BTL needs new kitchen (it just needs tarting up - we put a new one in 8 years ago - needs new paint, tiles and doors (tenant has wrecked them)
• After all that I really want to sell it whilst it's at its peak condition - but my m-i-l lives in it.......

OUR HOUSE:

KITCHEN & HALL plans

• new floor in hall/ downstairs loo (previous posts say that new flooring put in in Oct was unacceptable - but we never paid a penny for it) with new skirting (currently has none - lovely gaps at bottom of walls!) Will also need a plumber to remove and replace loo around the fitting of the flooring Piant hall/ stairs/ landing
• at the same time new floor in kitchen (hate the 5.5 year floor - large porcelain blacky/ brown tiles) - flooirng goes all way under units, so they will need to be removed (sob sob)
• new wall tiles (hate current ones and job was never finished)
• paint kitchen (never completed 5.5 years ago - have bare plaster in some areas)
• NEW BOILER!!!:eek::eek::eek::eek:
• Will need a new dishwasher (parts keep needing to be replaced on it now - 9 years old and fully integrated, so all work is more complicated) and new washer/dryer (again have had several parts replaced already - would rather a new one and sell this one for £50+) and new ss splashback (destroyed by cillit bang )
• Lovely new real wood units and granite top - hopefully offsetting some cost by selling our existing handmade maple units and granite tops on ebay/ similar
• new windows (2 of 3 panes each) and back door
• new door (fire retardant) to hall - inc architrave
• new skirting (natural wood to match units - last lot cost £200!!)
• underfloor heating in kitchen
• new radiator in hall and tall flat panel one on middle floor landing

DINING ROOM

• decorate (paint walls and ceiling)
• 2 new windows
• new french doors to garden
• new double doors (fire retardant) to hall (and change architrave)
• possibly new carpet and curtains.....

LOUNGE

• decorate (inc feature wallpapered wall (as we have at present)
• strip stone fireplace/ treat and protect
• new fire retardant door to hall (and architrave)
• possible new double doors to dining room
• new windows (3 large panes at front) 2 huge sliding doors at rear
• new suite
• new real wood furniture (as opposed to IKEA stuff we have at present, except for our lovely oak side tables)

That's not including some minor decorating upstaits, rotovating/ levelling and returfing back garden, rebuilding a garden wall, replacing some fence panels, relapying th patio (nasty slabs at present), removing patio at top of garden and replacing with a larger decked area, handmade railings in front garden, landscaping front garden, new lights in front and rear garden (we live in a plot set back from road - very dark, so we have movement sensor mini lightposts for driving onto/ off the drive), new front door. Oh - I forgot the playroom and office - new real wood flooring (with underfloor heating) new wndows - 3 HUGE ones between the 2 rooms and general decorating (and he'll then look at new furniture...)

Thankfully all the bedrooms and bathrooms are essentially done (until you look at changing the windows in these rooms....!)

Think I need a lottery win......:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Men!!!:rotfl:

Brodiebobs

wow felt tired just reading that lol...

greent

Brodiebobs wrote: »

wow felt tired just reading that lol...

lol - never mind tired - I feel positively skint!! :rotfl:

greent

Haven't had a target for a while (will achieve my MFiT- T2 target next month) What I'd like to achieve thsi year is to pay off sub acct 2(eminently do-able) and get sub acct 01 to 55K. Current balance between the 2 is £68250, so I need total reductions of £13250 in 8 months - £1656.25 net reduction in the balance per month... Hmmm... doable IF DH doesn't get his way on some of that spending above!!

CathT

Wow Greent that's quite a list! Sounds like you could be busy with all that. Great tips on selling at NCT's too, I've never been along to one myself but they sound brilliant for mums like ourselves.