The Nice People Thread, No.16: A Universe of Niceness.

PasturesNew

When I moved I kept some boxes "in case", packed flat ... just dug them out to see how many I've got so I can pack away some stuff that's clearly not going to be needed by me. I've got five for starters.

When I got rid of the last sofa I kept the cushions "in case" ... got those out and measured/photographed. Will flog on a FB .... again, no idea how much to ask for those, I was thinking they might fit somebody's sofa, but they might be better used as "garden scatter cushions" if somebody's having a BBQ and just wants to toss something down that's soft for people to doss on... might ask £5 for four. No point thinking they're worth more and having them here still...

The value of anything is a tricky thing isn't it.

Pyxis

PasturesNew wrote: »

The value of anything is a tricky thing isn't it.

Talkng of which, any more thoughts from anyone about what I could ask for the food processor when it comes?

I think I probably will sell it, despite the useful attachment, as I probably wouldn't use it much once the novelty has worn off, and I don't really have anywhere to put it. I have very little worktop space, and no space in a kitchen cupboard.


I mean, if you were thinking of buying a brand new unused gadget from a private seller, what's the maximum percentage of the lowest retail price that would tempt you?

PasturesNew

I am re-arranging the deckchairs ... as they say.

I've been upstairs thinking "sort something out", looked at what's there, touched a few things, then not had anywhere better to put them (e.g. an appropriate sized box), or simply worried that if I packed those items I might want them again .... or, like the old sleeping bag I've kept "in case" that I'm sure really should be binned, can't be binned as it "might come in handy packing/protecting something that I've not yet identified".

So all I've done is move a few things around, for no benefit or purpose.

Doozergirl

silvercar wrote: »

An undercoat of white will save you having to do many coats to cover the OTT colours in the right shade of grey. It would also be cheaper.

It's a myth. White is as hard, if not harder, to cover as any other colour, so you're doing the same job twice.

It's far easier to just paint straight over with the new, decent branded paint. Decent paint covers well, cheap does not, making it both tedious and not cheaper when you're using twice as much.

It's a shame that we go to the effort when we're selling. We're as guilty as anyone of that.

We're decorating the house (again) right now. It's only been 18 months since the hall, stairs and landing were done. This family really batters a house.

Doozergirl

Pyxis wrote: »

Talkng of which, any more thoughts from anyone about what I could ask for the food processor when it comes?

I think I probably will sell it, despite the useful attachment, as I probably wouldn't use it much once the novelty has worn off, and I don't really have anywhere to put it. I have very little worktop space, and no space in a kitchen cupboard.


I mean, if you were thinking of buying a brand new unused gadget from a private seller, what's the maximum percentage of the lowest retail price that would tempt you?

What type is it?

And do I need one?

I agree with silvercar. If you ebay it and start low, it will find it's level. I have always done this, made sure that the photos are really good and it's always worked for me, imo, looking at other completed listings.

I think the percentage does depend on the value. Something of high value may well fetch a higher % than something cheap. Half of £50 is £25 and ebay is a risk that may or may not be worth it. Half of £400 is £200 and it miggt be worth paying £300 for the sake of saving a nice £100. The popularity of the item is going to help the price.

Pyxis

Doozergirl wrote: »

What type is it?

And do I need one?

I agree with silvercar. If you ebay it and start low, it will find it's level. I have always done this, made sure that the photos are really good and it's always worked for me, imo, looking at other completed listings.

I think the percentage does depend on the value. Something of high value may well fetch a higher % than something cheap. Half of £50 is £25 and ebay is a risk that may or may not be worth it. Half of £400 is £200 and it miggt be worth paying £300 for the sake of saving a nice £100. The popularity of the item is going to help the price.

I've sent you a pm.

Basically, without the extra attachment, it retails around £300.
The extra attachment retails at around £100.

PasturesNew

Doozergirl wrote: »

It's a shame that we go to the effort when we're selling.

It's never a "one reason". For me, I'm simply rubbish at things. When I try to do/get something there's always a problem. When I try to do things myself I am useless and wish I'd never started. You don't end up with what you expected. I've a tiny/non existent budget, so it's easier to not spend the money than run the risk of getting it wrong.

I bought some drawers so I could "tidy things away". Almost built them OK, except the rail bit didn't fit into the drawer bit with the tiny screws they supplied, so I couldn't use those top drawers - and I "meant to" get round to buying/finding bigger screws ... then, for the rest of the drawers, I discovered they weren't deep enough to be used for anything meaningful... so I pushed the unfinished unit to one side.

I bought a "canvas covered wardrobe". I got all the bits out, started to put it together and "broke" one of the essential tubes, so I couldn't put it together - and I couldn't swear I was doing the right thing with the right part as the instructions confused me a bit... so that's stacked in the corner.

I bought some Ikea Albert shelves when I first moved in, thinking "great, I can put everything on those" - I built them OK, but then realised nothing fitted on them, they weren't as wide as would have been useful and it all looked a s0ddin' mess. I'd also planned to paint those at some point, but, having them standing there looking awful, I never had any enthusiasm for that (plus all the hassles of where do you paint them, how long will they be in the way before you're finished, etc)...

At one point I decided that I'd get some "boxes that fit the dimensions of these Alberts - to try to store things neatly/out of sight", but couldn't find any that were anywhere near a suitable or useful size.... so more time/effort wasted trying to find something that "works". Magazines show you shelves with boxes on ... reality of those is I bet they couldn't keep more than a four-pack of socks in each of those tiny boxes which are actually only for show.

I've also bought some regular "plastic storage boxes with lids", thinking I could "get organised", but they never ended up being the right size for the stuff I was trying to organise. e.g. if I thought "I can put towels in this one" I'd always end up with 1-2 left over ....

I've painted in the past, put it up and hated the colour. Then there's the brush washing - where do you do that, it's a faff, then where do you leave all the stuff between now and the next coat so you don't trip over it. I hate making decisions about colour, I'm rubbish at physically painting and I find it really brings on a black dog depression.

There's nobody helping, nobody to discuss it with, nobody offering to do any of it .... and it's horrible and daunting.

So it's easier to just not do anything, than get depressed because nothing goes to plan.

I did build the bed .... my god I was surprised at that!! But everything else I touch has come to grief.

I also now need to source those strange lightbulbs - and get a couple of lampshades. I've never bothered "for me".... but I have to now.

Pyxis

I agree with you about boxes never being the right size for everything in a category!

That's why one my 'plans' is to have built-in cupboards with adjustable shelves that all,the 'stuff' can go into.

Boxes just seem to take up more space.



Painting brushes........ when I did a bit of painting, I could never ever get the brushes properly clean, so in the end I just bought cheap ones and chucked them.

And or used rollers and chucked them. (Well, the pads).


I know, I know. But it was easier for me, especially as the brushes would all go stiff anyway!

PasturesNew

Pyxis wrote: »

That's why one my 'plans' is to have built-in cupboards with adjustable shelves that all,the 'stuff' can go into.

That was always my plan, but then there's the struggle of some decision making about "exactly what do you want" - and then finding/contacting people, waiting in for them, to get a quote, that you might then not be able to afford... so you google and find people suggesting all sorts of other ideas/solutions .... and then time's passed and you're really not sure now what you want, or if you can precisely describe it ... and can't guess what the costs might be.

But there's always next week ..... and it doesn't happen.

I've got alcoves perfect for boxing in. But then what... sliding doors? or open? or with a curtain? Adjustable shelves, cut to fit, or Ikea pax as a basis and get a little man to build those instead ... and is that what you want ... and what size slots/how high should the hanging rail be... and so on and so on.

Too much indecision and questions really. You never get "help" like on the telly where a show shows you somebody "designing" it with you... unless you've VERY deep pockets.

Just this morning I was thinking "so shall I get a little man to fit a top shelf up there, with a hanging rail under and a "curtain pole fixing" somewhere at the front, at the height that exactly matches voiles I can buy "in any cheap shop" ... and then I thought "no"....

If one could simply stand in front of the space, discuss the ideas, choose .... then walk away and it happens by magic, affordably, it'd be done. But life's not like that is it Unless you marry a joiner.

PasturesNew

I've just been "tidying the hallway corner". That'd become a mess.

Firstly I'd collected together all the "things I might want in the summer if I want to go out to a beach" ... so little tent, folding chair, couple of big towels, swimming shorts, swimming costume, rubber shoes .... only it hadn't happened and the weather turned nasty again, so it was all in the the hallway corner, with the "shopping trolley" that would've held it all. It had all been inside the trolley "ready/in case", except the weather turned and I'd wanted to use the trolley, so'd put all the stuff on the floor.

Then I'd cleared the boot of the car out yesterday, as I expected to sell that footstool, so had put that in there (ready for collection, or ready to drive off and deliver) ... but nobody's called. But that wouldn't fit in the boot unless I removed the 48 rolls of toilet tissue from the boot - which was in there as I didn't really have room in the house for it. So the loo rolls were also in the hallway.

I decided to use a big "ikea blue bag" to hold all the summer stuff so started putting that in there, except the folding chair's too big ... and I put the loo rolls under the stairs (as I'd cleared enough space to get the door open to there).... and the summer stuff went upstairs. But now the trolley's still downstairs in the hallway ... and the summer stuff's upstairs but the sun's coming out

Without decent storage, which really means a ceiling to floor wall to wall cupboard with wide shelving ... it's just a life of stuff being moved from A to B and B to C, then back to A ... and nothing's actually got "a home".

It all comes down to the inability to be able to get "all those little jobs done" by one person in, say, 1-2 days of working... because trying to find some random stranger that says they can do stuff like that, who is affordable, who turns up ... is beyond possible.

Years ago more of us would be in "settled communities" with locally known people who "did that stuff" ... now it's all internet posting on sites to try to get interest, from strange men with vans that are driving 20-30 miles just to "quote" ... and you fear the quote and wording your advert, so put it off....