Should I rent or buy kitchen appliances?

pinkie84 · 18 April 2011 at 2:54PM

Hi there,
I'm not sure I'm posting in the correct thread here, so please forgive me if I'm not...
I am about to move in to my first rental property alone. It is unfurnished, and has no white goods.

I have a decent job and in theory should be able to afford this sort of thing, but the move is an unexpected one (having split up from my partner) and thus I havent had a huge amount of time to save up. I've been pretty rubbish with money in the past and am paying off credit card debts, so dont want to increase them again if i can.

The rental is a long-term one, I intend to stay (circumstances allowing) for at least 2-3 years at the very least. So my question is, should i rent a cooker / washing machine (i already have a fridge) from a company such as Huges Electrical or buy a cooker / washing machine from somewhere like comet clearance or gumtree? I've tried freecycle and in my area there's nothing around.

Rental costs per month are between £10-£20 per appliance so I can see how this adds up, and with my monthly outgoings almost doubling, even this small amount is not great, however i dont think putting anything on my cards is a good idea, given how long I take to clear them.

Clear as mud hey? Can anyone help or advise on the best way forward?

Thank you for reading!

Culex · 18 April 2011 at 3:11PM

I've never heard of a cooker/washing machine, but I doubt it would be a good idea.

Can you imagine the mess it could make were it to bake one's underwear, or put one's Sunday lunch onto a rapid spin cycle?

pinkie84 · 18 April 2011 at 3:14PM

Culex wrote: »

I've never heard of a cooker/washing machine, but I doubt it would be a good idea.

Can you imagine the mess it could make were it to bake one's underwear, or put one's Sunday lunch onto a rapid spin cycle?

Ah yes, fair point.

A cooker. And a washing machine.
Very seperate things. I do not want a non-bio roast dinner! :eek:

tallyhoh · 18 April 2011 at 3:28PM

Is there a minimum term you have to rent For? is there just yourself?, if so I would be inclined to buy a cheap microwave and do my washing at the sink/laundrette while I saved the money to buy. Is there anyone by you that sells reconditioned models?

pinkie84 · 18 April 2011 at 3:31PM

The minimum rent is 12 months, and yes it is just going to be me and my dog.
I thought about the launderette, but with, say, a load a week, its going to be around £6 a time which means £24 a month in which case rental would be cheaper.

I'm not sure about reconditioned models. but i googled it and nothing came up in the vicinity...

Miss_Spud · 18 April 2011 at 3:52PM

British Heart Foundation now have shops selling second hand furniture & white goods. I don't know if they do a payment plan, where you can pay in installments, which maybe a cheaper option than using a renting company.

sophsnan · 18 April 2011 at 3:57PM

I have had reconditioned white goods before and they should still come with a 6 or 12month warrenty. What about ebay got a great freezer off there really cheap ?

josephine82 · 18 April 2011 at 4:16PM

I would definitely recommend the British Heart Foundation for refurbished goods as someone said above- I did this in my first rental property and got a washing machine for half the price of new and still got 12m warranty.

Could you not ask the landlord if they would be willing to put a cooker in? You never know, if you are signing a 12m agreement and are planning to stay long term they might agree to it.

clemmatis · 18 April 2011 at 5:16PM

Yes, reconditioned white goods are a good idea. Or a microwave, and a cheap table-top cooker (I have a DeLonghi one that's been wonderful) and the launderette.

FOURCANDLES_2 · 18 April 2011 at 6:11PM

Never rent an appliance , you need to buy a second hand one plenty in the local paper and buy a new one when you can pay for . I never buy appliances on tick either not worth it save up and make do with an old one for now if its a cooker buy a a halogen cooker the H cookers are in argos and cost around 40/50 quid perfect until you can afford a proper cooker.

muffin_man_7 · 18 April 2011 at 6:32PM

hi pinkie 84 a combination microwave or a mini oven with 2 rings on top and a grilll would be fine for cooking max cost £100 with either option it will also be a little easier to give other options if we had an idea how much you have available in your budget some things you can manage without for a while others you will need from the day you move in hth and enjoy your new place