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Make do and mend

A few events this week have made me think about my approach and indeed society's approach to repairing or replacing things.

Firstly, a student at my school broke their phone screen and was going to bin their phone until I suggested a screen replacement.

Secondly, the storm saw a patio heater break, but the spare part is the same price as the heater!

Finally, my ski jacket zip has broken. It needs replacing. I'm determined to get it replaced as the jacket is superb but am worried the cost will be prohibitive.

Are we now in a totally throwaway society? Or do you recycle/upcycle/repair?
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Comments

  • El_Torro
    El_Torro Posts: 1,714 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    My washing machine broke down a few months ago. It was here when I bought my flat 10 years ago, so it was at least that old. I didn't even bother looking into getting it repaired, I just bought a new one and got the seller to take my old one away. 

    So yeah, I'm guilty as charged. 
  • uralmaid
    uralmaid Posts: 360 Forumite
    Fourth Anniversary 100 Posts Name Dropper
    I am guilty. If something breaks then I just order a new one in most cases. Although recently the flex on my Shark vacuum cleaner got a break in it. I messaged them and they sent me a replacement free of charge even though it only had about a week till the warranty ran out. Last week our Shark handheld vac broke but I ordered a part which cost about £10 instead of just ordering a whole new vac so two good moneysaving outcomes.  
  • Savvy_Sue
    Savvy_Sue Posts: 46,899 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Finally, my ski jacket zip has broken. It needs replacing. I'm determined to get it replaced as the jacket is superb but am worried the cost will be prohibitive.
    Zip on DH's cardigan broke. I decided to head to the local Repair Cafe, but it occurred to me that replacement would be easier if I pre-bought the zip! Could either get too short, or too long: on advice from the haberdashery shop I bought too long, so it could be folded over at the top. Success.

    May be trickier to get a zip for your project, as it may be double ended. But worth a try. If no local Repair Cafe, dry cleaners may offer repairs, or we have several tailors and repairers in the city. 

    OTOH, DH has a pair of swimming trunks which I would ditch as they are very old and the entire back seam has failed. My concern is that if that's repaired, the front seam may fail next!
    Signature removed for peace of mind
  • Cherryfudge
    Cherryfudge Posts: 12,271 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    I've just repaired my husband's thick coat: the seams of the sleeve lining had split so I sewed them back. It's not perfect, but how often are the fashion police going to inspect the lining of his sleeves for even stitching? Then he mentioned the zip keeps separating so I went online to find a solution. Apparently as zips age, the slider often gets looser so it helps to close the sides of it together very slightly using pliers. I don't know if that's a long-term fix but it seems to work much better now.

    I also sewed up a tiny hole in a sock, but this is generally a losing battle. They are designed to be thrown away. :( 

    Other jobs we've learned as we go along: this morning the boiler went off and I remembered this is often due to pressure dropping. Youtube's my friend and a search there showed me exactly what to do. So we have a warm house again and no call out charge.

    It's worth at least trying to repair things: it saves a fortune, lets you keep favourites, is better for the planet and gives you self confidence (though sometimes it doesn't work, and there are certain repairs best left to experts).
    I think a bit of sunshine is good for frugal living. (Cranky40)
    The sun's been out and I think I’m solar powered (Onebrokelady)

    Fashion on the Ration challenge, 2025: Fabric 2, men's socks 3, Duvet set 7.5= 12.5/68
    2024: Trainers 5, dress 7, slippers 5, 2 prs socks (gift) 2, 3 prs white socks 3, tee shirts x 2 10, 6 prs socks: mostly gifts 6, duvet set 7.5 = 45.5/68 coupons
    20.5 coupons used in 2020. 62.5 used in 2021. 94.5 remaining as of 21/3/22
  • Katiehound
    Katiehound Posts: 8,065 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    There is indeed another thread-  Make do, mend & minimise.

    The problem with electrical items these days is the inbuilt obsolescence, they are not made to be mended! You will be lucky if they last too much past their warranty date. No, I am not joking.
    My dishwasher  went wrong about 2 months outside warranty so I finally contacted someone to repair it. When he heard the make of the item he said that it was not worth a repair (the part is a complete unit) but I could run it with the red light on. Worth a try..... and it works fine except it doesn't get any salt because it would use the whole amount in one cycle.

    If you are of a certain age the chances are you were brought up to look after belongings.
     My yellow Dyson 01 owes me nowt but it has had the odd small part (no longer genuine as Dyson no longer make them.) I see that model was launched in 1993 so mine is potentially 30 years old.
    Being polite and pleasant doesn't cost anything!
    -Stash bust:in 2022:337
    Stash bust :2023. 120duvets, 24bags,43dogcoats, 2scrunchies, 10mitts, 6 bootees, 8spec cases, 2 A6notebooks, 59cards, 6 lav bags,36 angels,9 bones,1 blanket, 1 lined bag,3 owls, 88 pyramids = total 420total spend £5.Total for 'Dogs for Good' £546.82

    2024:Sewn:59Doggy ds,52pyramids,18 bags,6spec cases,6lav.bags.
    Knits:6covers,4hats,10mitts,2 bootees.
    Crotchet:61angels, 229cards=453 £136.4spent!!!
  • Cherryfudge
    Cherryfudge Posts: 12,271 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    @Lord_Mattenly, I do agree that mending can only be taken so far, and safety has to be a factor in whether things are kept, hence PAT testing is required at work to keep people safe.

    I have strong reservations about using the cloth recycling bins as investigative journalism has revealed where a lot of textiles end up, and it's complex and not good news. However, I don't have a better solution apart from to slow my consumption of fabrics by buying as sustainably as possible and reducing turnover by keeping what I have in as good condition as possible. This is a changing scene and progress is being made but it's like turning the tide in the scale of things. Socks, however, are one of those things that just wear out and have to go! I mended the tiny hole because that pair is a favourite and not worn thin or anything. 

    @Katiehound is right about the other thread (I'm on it), but it's easy not to see an existing thread among so many. I'm also about to change phones due to the built-in obsolescence of my beloved iPhone. And yes, I'm hooked and my next phone will be an iPhone too, and yes, I've done all the things to extend the life of this one. At this point I have to say its time has come.

    We are at the same point with our washing machine as you are with your dishwasher Katiehound, except ours is ancient and doesn't owe us anything. It's getting very noisy and the local repair person won't touch it due to the age, so when it gives up, we replace it.

    All this doesn't take into account the whole money saving aspect of repair. If you have the funds to replace, it's a choice whether you do so or not, but not everyone can afford to buy new. For those who can't, it's not an ethical choice but a financial one. Then there's another sort of poverty: lack of skills to repair, which creates a dependence on buying new.

    I feel that for those who can 'pay the money and take the choice' it's about repairing if you feel that's ethically preferable (and safe) but for many, as the OP says, there's a lack of awareness that repair is an option, in which case sellers are just raking in money that people might want or need elsewhere.

    Talking of which, I've just been texted to say my new phone is ready to collect...
    I think a bit of sunshine is good for frugal living. (Cranky40)
    The sun's been out and I think I’m solar powered (Onebrokelady)

    Fashion on the Ration challenge, 2025: Fabric 2, men's socks 3, Duvet set 7.5= 12.5/68
    2024: Trainers 5, dress 7, slippers 5, 2 prs socks (gift) 2, 3 prs white socks 3, tee shirts x 2 10, 6 prs socks: mostly gifts 6, duvet set 7.5 = 45.5/68 coupons
    20.5 coupons used in 2020. 62.5 used in 2021. 94.5 remaining as of 21/3/22
  • tacpot12 said:
    I try to repair as far as possible. I've repaired all sorts of appliances; replacing elements in ovens, drums in washing machines, and motors in tumble dryers. I do the maintenance on my car myself and do simple repairs. Not long after buying the car (second-hand), the Ford dealer wanted £300 to replace the reversing switch on the gearbox - I got the part from Ford for £25 and replaced it myself - there is a lot of money to be saved by repairing!

    I'm currently fixing the door to my brick outhouse, the frame has gone rotten. The timber to build the frame is £25, the cheapest doorframe kit I can find is close to £60.

    My oven cost £69 from eBay. It came from a Charity and I bought it because it was identical to the old oven that failed. The benefit of doing so was not only did it fit exactly in the space left by the old oven, but the programmable timer worked the same way, so no one in the family needed to learn how to use a new timer.

    Two weeks ago, I repaired a slipped slate on our roof. Cost of the copper 'tingle' to do so was £1 from the local reclamation yard where they also sell second-hand slates. The aluminium ladders to do so were expensive, but they were bought in in the 1970s,  so they were worth the money as they have lasted at least 50 years.
     
    I've also just bought new door springs for the dishwasher for £15 (delivered). These are a doddle to fit. The dishwasher also came off eBay from a couple who had decided to redo their kitchen and they wanted their dishwasher to be hidden, so they were selling their nearly new Bosch one for £65!

    I've fitted a new SSD into my laptop so I can upgrade it to Windows 11. So I've got a Windows 11 laptop for £60.

    Most things can be repaired, but we have got out of the habit of doing so because of the convenience and relatively low cost that we can buy the (poor quality) replacement items for. The skills needs are readily learned via YouTube. The tools needed rarely extend beyond a good drill/driver with a comprehensive set of screwdriver bits, a pair of grips, an adjustable spanner and a hammer.

    The cost of parts can be an issue, but with some persistence, I can usually find what I need at a price that makes it sensible to repair the item, especially as new things have gone up in price a lot recently
    brilliant, well done!
    It's just my opinion and not advice.
  • Nebulous2
    Nebulous2 Posts: 5,501 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    I'm putting in a bathroom at the moment. I bought some bits from someone who bought it then changed his plans - unused. 

    The waste is a vortex one which screws in with two screws and they were missing. I contacted the company asking to buy two screws or for the spec so I could source them elsewhere. They sent me a new waste, about £50 worth and said the screws weren't available as a separate item.

    I simply don't understand it. 
  • Cherryfudge
    Cherryfudge Posts: 12,271 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    @Nebulous2, that's crazy! I hope they didn't charge you.
    I think a bit of sunshine is good for frugal living. (Cranky40)
    The sun's been out and I think I’m solar powered (Onebrokelady)

    Fashion on the Ration challenge, 2025: Fabric 2, men's socks 3, Duvet set 7.5= 12.5/68
    2024: Trainers 5, dress 7, slippers 5, 2 prs socks (gift) 2, 3 prs white socks 3, tee shirts x 2 10, 6 prs socks: mostly gifts 6, duvet set 7.5 = 45.5/68 coupons
    20.5 coupons used in 2020. 62.5 used in 2021. 94.5 remaining as of 21/3/22
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