Sunday 13 December 2015

Emergency fund to the rescue

Hello. I have been Christmas shopping, for myself. This is my present to me.

I've been expecting it, my current fridge freezer has been going a bit doolally over the last few months. The salad has been freezing in the salad drawer, and frozen soggy lettuce isn't nice. The thermostat has taken on a life of it's own, sending the temperature up and down willynilly, out of control. Now it has defrosted itself leaving a puddle on the floor, so it has to go.

I've still got the receipt for it, bought 8.5 years ago for £180. I was a bit dubious about buying an unknown make, but I had a height restriction at the time and it was the only one which would fit underneath a wall cupboard. Since then the kitchen has been renewed and that wall cupboard was taken out. Problem gone so I can have whichever one I like.

I have chosen the Hotpoint. There are plenty more expensive ones,  but I see no point in paying  extra for the  all bells and whistles version. I don't want a black one or a silver one, or a stainless steel one. I don't want an American one, or a water dispenser, or an ice dispenser.

I had some Tesco Vouchers saved up, and as they have a double up promotion on at the moment, it makes sense to use them on something I need. The price of the Hotpoint is £230, and with a reduction of £49, it makes it £181. I'm chuffed with that. Only £1 more than I paid in 2007.

Luckily I am in between yellow sticker shopping and was already using up what I had. I have been eating everything that has cost me the most money first, yesterday was the Quorn fillets, Quorn nuggets, and veggie burgers, followed by copious amounts of yogurt. There is very little left today, I have just eaten a portion of home made veggie stew, there was no bad smell, perfectly fine, and I haven't been sick yet, ha ha.. The half a tin of mixed salad beans stored in a mug pongs a bit so they have been chucked. My porch is not heated and quite cold, so a few bits and bobs will sit there for a day or two. They said 3 - 5 days for delivery, no charge. They take away the old one, no charge for that.

This is what my emergency fund is for, no worries about paying for it, the money is saved in the bank. Now I need to move the old one out of the way, and wait for the new one to arrive.

I'm off to the Christmas Tree Festival at the church in town in an hour, it finishes today and we have to dismantle our tree and take it away. Thanks for popping in. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday.
Toodle pip

24 comments:

  1. Well done getting a good price for the new fridge/freezer. We have recently had to replace the built in one we had and decided on a freestanding one instead. The old one was literally falling to bits also was too narrow and high for me to get to the top shelf without a struggle. We used our emergency fund too and are now building it up again.
    Enjoy your new purchase.

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  2. Good job! I have a little "dorm-size" fridge that sits on a cabinet so I don't have to lean to get into it, and a separate. small chest-style freezer. It's sometimes a challenge to fit things into the fridge, but every time I price a small "regular" refrigerator I decide I don't want one. Here the smaller models of appliances are often more expensive than larger ones...is that the case in Britain as well?

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    1. Yes definitely the case here in the UK. A smaller model costs more. Madness isn't it.
      I have a slim line dishwasher to fit in a restricted space and it cost as much as the full size model.
      I needed a dishwasher in the past because I couldn't stand or sit for too long washing up at the sink.

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  3. Good job on the emergency fund and I hope the new fridge lasts.

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  4. Nice! I rarely use Tesco so I never have any points but that is a good thing to save them for. I swear they don't make white goods to last anymore, on purpose so that you have to buy new every few years. I hope you get a good few years out of this fridge freezer
    Jane

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  5. Well done, you have just proved your point about having the emergency fund ready. No worry whatsoever in buying what you need as you need it! JanF

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  6. I also have a "dorm size" ( as Quinn calls it ) fridge ,that sits on my worktop. I don't have to bend down for anything. You just have to remember what you already have in there before picking up more groceries. Fine for 2 people. No freezer though.They have 2 big ones and a chiller in the shop across the road from me. So I don't need one.If I do buy anything frozen, just the odd thing, maybe if I fancy an ice cream, it gets used straight away. It suits me.

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  7. When I bought my fridge freezer I had no size constraints but like you did not intend to pay for bells and whistles that I did not need. My only criteria was that it had to be frost free, it makes life so much easier.

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  8. What is the difference between the UK model and the American model? I've read about it a couple of times and am curious. (And too lazy to do a search!)

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  9. I have been have trouble with things freezing in the salad drawers as well, it drives me nuts. We love Hotpoint alwasy realiable.

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  10. Hello.No debt=peace of mind...especially when an something breaks down.Very nice fridge for the price,Ilona which is so low compared to what things cost here.The best part is that it is all paid for.It's inspiring to see that.You are happy,content,self-sufficient, productive and generous.You truly do well and I am encouraged and glad to see that. Your a good teacher.On another note,I visited an alpaca farm yesterday.The owner makes everything she sells from scratch,right off their backs, into,skeins of wool,handknitted apparel,toy animals,mats,duvets and blankets.She also has eight little pet doggies(non-breeders)that captured my heart ,of course.I was amazed at her beautiful creative work.An interesting time and the rain held off till evening.Thankyou for sharing,bye for now,D.

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  11. I agree, no bells and whistles needed!!! I prefer a white fridge myself,,

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  12. Pleased you got a bargain Ilona, Its always good to have a little fund for the essential emergencies. Last friday I too had an emergency, the microwave started to smoke and I found a broken floor in the oven area, not good. I too got a deal with my nectar points and a managers £10 reduction and the large Russell Hobbs microwave only cost £30 cash, . Now saving points for any other emergency that might crop up.

    Danneke

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  13. I love those funds we have. I have all new uniform for child and school levies coming up. But as I have a fund which I pay some into each fortnight, it's not problem for us. The uniform will be second hand though...I won't buy new if there's no reason for it.

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  14. Well done Ilona.... we just got a new chest freezer - old one had gone crazy and was unreliable. Enjoy the excitement of your new practical money saving purchase. Must admit I walk past my freezer and just LOVE it!
    You are so right about emergency funds and being debt free.. the peace of mind is unbelievable! Enjoy. Cheers

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  15. Its really not worth going down the repair route anymore as it costs so much. We once had a fridge freezer regassed only for it to die again 7 months later.

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  16. Agree with you, a fridge that's reliable wins over one with all the bells and whistles every time.We have an energy effiency star rating here which is very useful too. Your price reduction is an added bonus ! AussieCheryl : )

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  17. A lovely and practical prez to you! The money you will save through freezing food will prove such an investment. Happy Christmas to you. Louise

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  18. We have a height restriction with a wall cupboard so made do with a tall fridge in the kitchen and a chest freezer in the garage. I made a mistake of no ice box in the fridge though so have to traipse across the garden for anything frozen. Will choose better next time!

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  19. Congratulations on your new fridge freezer.

    I agree with Jane at shoestringcottage that they don't make appliances like in the past. My previous refrigerator/freezer lasted 22 years. My current one is about 8 years old purchased for $300 with an energy efficiency rebate. It is working fine except the light in the refrigerator stopped working a few months ago. It is not the bulb and not the switch so I think it is the bulb socket. I looked online and it is not difficult except you have to turn the power off to fix it and my kitchen is pitch black without the lights on. So I've gotten used to the darkness inside the fridge.

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  20. I had the same thing happen last month, woke up to a big puddle on the kitchen floor and all mush in the freezer. Had to throw a lot out, I did not want to chance my family getting sick. We ate as much as we could of the food which was salvageable. Am enjoying the new one. You will love yours, I hope to see it filled with bargains!

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  21. Sensible purchase. I bought a new fridge freezer not that long ago and there was so much to choose from. A basic good quality fridge freezer is all that is needed. A salesman was trying to flog me one that you had to connect to the tap so you could get cold drinks from the fridge. It seemed to me that I could quite easily bottle tap water and place it in the fridge for when I need it. Didn't get the concept but the man selling it to me assured me that 'everyone' had this type these days. Haha. Debbie.

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  22. Can you tell me how long you have to 'spend' your Tesco vouchers ?
    I have them come through the door regularly but only have 3/4 weeks to use them and then they go out of date, so can't save them very long.

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    1. Hi Wean. The Tesco vouchers I spent are Club Card vouchers. They are valid for about two years. The vouchers you mean are only for a few pounds, and valid for a short time, it would be impossible to save them up to a sizable amount. I had £24.50 worth, which doubled up to £49.

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