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What would you invest £230 of homeware vouchers in?

CompBunny
Posts: 1,059 Forumite
Hello OS!
Hope you don't mind me picking your brains!
OH (now DH!!!!) and I got married last week! :T Yay, I'm a MRS to a wonderful man at last!
We've been given £230 of John Lewis vouchers by a very generous relative. We've been living together for nearly 8 years now, and have most house/kitchen things, but everything we do have is low quality student stuff. Our house is also TINY so can't get anything big.
I'd like to buy a clothes horse as we don't have one and a utensil pot that doesn't tip over :rotfl: as priorities, but could probably get these cheaper elsewhere if necessary. Everything else pots, pans, knives, towels, bedding etc are pretty much at the same level of tatty, old and "just about does the job".
Small electricals we already have are:
Kettle
Toaster
Breadmaker (£5 preloved bargain!)
Stick blender
Washing Machine
Tumble dryer
Vax Vacuum cleaner (which stinks of dog when I/DH use it..)
Microwave
Fridge/Freezer
We also already have some lovely cutlery and plates that my Mum gave us.
So with this in mind, what would you personally invest the vouchers in? We hope to start a family in the next few years.
We don't know where to start!
xxx
Hope you don't mind me picking your brains!
OH (now DH!!!!) and I got married last week! :T Yay, I'm a MRS to a wonderful man at last!
We've been given £230 of John Lewis vouchers by a very generous relative. We've been living together for nearly 8 years now, and have most house/kitchen things, but everything we do have is low quality student stuff. Our house is also TINY so can't get anything big.
I'd like to buy a clothes horse as we don't have one and a utensil pot that doesn't tip over :rotfl: as priorities, but could probably get these cheaper elsewhere if necessary. Everything else pots, pans, knives, towels, bedding etc are pretty much at the same level of tatty, old and "just about does the job".
Small electricals we already have are:
Kettle
Toaster
Breadmaker (£5 preloved bargain!)
Stick blender
Washing Machine
Tumble dryer
Vax Vacuum cleaner (which stinks of dog when I/DH use it..)
Microwave
Fridge/Freezer
We also already have some lovely cutlery and plates that my Mum gave us.
So with this in mind, what would you personally invest the vouchers in? We hope to start a family in the next few years.
We don't know where to start!
xxx
GC2012: Nov £130.52/£125
GC2011:Sept:£215Oct:£123.98Nov:£120Dec:£138Feb:£94.72
Quit smoking 10am 17/02/11 - £4315 saved as of Nov'12
Engaged to my best friend 08/2012:heart2:
GC2011:Sept:£215Oct:£123.98Nov:£120Dec:£138Feb:£94.72
Quit smoking 10am 17/02/11 - £4315 saved as of Nov'12
Engaged to my best friend 08/2012:heart2:
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Comments
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If you have low quality student stuff - use the vouchers to buy some better quality saucepans as these will last longer. You could always buy a utensil pot and a clothes horse with the money.0
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For me priorities are good knives, good frying pans and a decent chopping boards. I don't mind having other cheap stuff.Since starting again after beanie: June 2016: Child development DVDs, Massive Attack tickets. July: Aberystwyth trip, hotmilk nightie. Aug: £10 Hipp Organic vouchers, powerpack. September: Sunglasses. October: £30 poundland vouchers.0
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The best quality saucepans you can get your hands on. With the proper care they should last you a life-time. If there's any money left then bed-linen, and as eleanor73 said, good knives.0
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Thanks!
What sort of saucepans, knives, frying pans and chopping boards would you recommend?! The choice is just bewildering...we've always just bought the cheapest of everything, with the exception of one sharp Thomas knife we own from the recent Tesco promotion.GC2012: Nov £130.52/£125
GC2011:Sept:£215Oct:£123.98Nov:£120Dec:£138Feb:£94.72
Quit smoking 10am 17/02/11 - £4315 saved as of Nov'12
Engaged to my best friend 08/2012:heart2:
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My saucepan dream-purchase would be enamelled cast-iron like Le Creuset or Denby which can go in the oven as well as on the hob. They are heavy but as they are dual-purpose you could get away with buying fewer of them. Ditto a frying-pan. If it's cast-iron you'll never need to wash it if you season it properly, it will just need a wipe with some kitchen-paper after use. With proper care this will outlive you, so pay attention to who you will leave it to in your will.
I've got some Sabatier knives but I find they need constant resharpening, so I use my Kitchen Devils much more often. You only really need a couple: a cooks' knife or a paring-knife and a dual-blade bread-knife/carving knife. This really depends on how much proper cooking you are planning to do. Some households get away with one knife and a can-opener!
In my opinion chopping-boards are less important. Yes, you need a couple but they don't need to be top-quality/expensive. If you're not going to buy wooden ones it's best to have one you use solely for raw meat and another for everything else.
In my mind I've already spent your £2300 -
I would definitely buy all Circulon saucepans and fry pans, the ones with metal handles that can also go in the oven. They are brilliant.
I would also buy a stainless steel steamer. Potatoes boil in the bottom, whilst vegetables cook in the top, thus saving on elec/gas.
What about a slow cooker, I use mine several times a week. I use it for casseroles, chilli and spag bol. I double up on quantities and freeze for another day.
HTH
ps - congratulations:)0 -
If it were me I would buy a block set of Global knives...nope make that a couple of Global knives!0
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Best quality saucepans that will last you a lifetime
Best quality knives
Egyptian cotton bedding and towels which will last for many years.Blessed are the cracked for they are the ones that let in the light
C.R.A.P R.O.L.L.Z. Member #35 Butterfly Brain + OH - Foraging Fixers
Not Buying it 2015!0 -
Best quality bedding makes for a good night's sleep, so I choose a couple of sets of high count Egyptian cotton duvets, sheets and pillowcases.
A set of decent saucepans then. That should take care of the voucher.Member #14 of SKI-ers club
Words, words, they're all we have to go by!.
(Pity they are mangled by this autocorrect!)0 -
Thanks!
What sort of saucepans, knives, frying pans and chopping boards would you recommend?! The choice is just bewildering...we've always just bought the cheapest of everything, with the exception of one sharp Thomas knife we own from the recent Tesco promotion.
I have a copper bottomed Prestige stainless steel saucepan that is almost 40 years old - it is now nearing the end of its life as the copper is starting to delaminate. I have Prestige stainless saucepans that are more than 20 year old that still look pristine. If I need to replace pans I know which brand I'd look at first. Having said that, John Lewis have a range of special purchase stainless steel pans in that would be worth a look.
My cast iron frying pan was my grandmothers, good quality cast iron cookware is an investment. I'm tempted by the Lodge Combo but its not cheap at £100. I'm not a major fan of Le Creuset, however it appears to be a marmite type thing, I do know people who swear by them and who have been using the same set since the 70s.
Chopping boards, the best value chopping boards I know of are a friends WBP plywood offcuts which are 30 years use and go in the dishwasher twice a week. I use a couple of butchers blocks. If you don't want to go the wood route but cheap polypropylene coloured boards (different colours for, veg, raw meat, cooked meat) and bin them when they are severely scratched. Don't buy glass, it ruins knives.
Most of my kitchen work is now done with a three inch paring knife and an eight inch santoku (Japanese). The santoku gradually took over from a French style chef's knife. I find the slight curve to the blade gives me more control for fine slicing. I prefer stainless steel knives and am well aware you can spend a fortune. Try knives for feel - its more important than brand or anything else, how they feel in your hand, invest in a steel or grinding stone for sharpening (and learn to use them). My knives are sharpened everytime I use them (my father was a butcher, guess I just picked up his habits)
I hope this helps rather than confuses things further. Our biggest purchase from wedding presents last year was to replace the admittedly decrepit wardrobes. At the time we debated whether it was an appropriate use of the gift. But its something we use everyday, has made a difference in the ease and organisation of our lives and evokes a memory of the giver and the occasion on a regular basis.
And, my apologies I forgot, Congratulations0
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