Remembered to get myself some oven gloves while shopping last night. They'll do for the time being ;) Started to get my fridge, freezer, and cupboards stocked up now too :)
I put my desk/table together last night (we had a spare in storage), so I now have somewhere to sit. Also got the PS2 out the box (I forgot how tiny these new ones are!) and checked it worked (no time to actually play though), and my new monitor. It occurred to me that my whizzy new 20.1" widescreen monitor is now bigger than my aging 14" telly ;) Haven't used the monitor yet, as unfortunately they shipped it with a European power adapter. Under normal circumstances, I'd probably have a few spares kicking around, but not today. Nabbed one from work for the time being ;)
Anyway, I did today finally get around to ordering a microwave, having spent countless hours staring inanely (or insanely? ;) at them. I quite liked the look of the Samsung ones (feature-wise it sounded clever, and it was black, which I thought looked quite nice, and I think it would go with appliances of any other colour in the kitchen), but I don't think it looked practical to use for everyday things.
Took the KISS points from everyone on board (That's "Keep It Simple, Stupid"), and went for a nice "microwave-only" jobbie which comes without grill, convection oven, and kitchen sink attachment. I didn't want a white one as they're booooring. The stainless steel ones look like they'll be a bugger to keep free of finger prints... But I ordered one anyway.
So I ordered one of these li'l numbers from John Lewis, as recommended by Good Housekeeping magazine, don't you know ;) Was 'only' £124 including delivery, courtesy of a £15 off voucher I was able to 'locate' ;) That might sound a lot for a microwave these days, but given the amount I'm likely to use it, might as well go for a quality one ;) If it lasts ten years, that's only just over £12/year, which is well worth it in my book :)
My ever-lasting search for quality at a justifiable value/price-point continues... ;) (i.e. I'm a tight git, but I'm happy to spend money if it seems worthwhile ;)
Next on my list? Hmm, in the immediate future, I think I need an airer, or at least somewhere to things I wash. I haven't used the washing machine yet, and ought to give it an empty spin first just to give it a rinse out. I haven't got around to doing that yet, as I want to 1. Do that when I'm there, and 2. Not do it too late at night.
I also still need to file away a lot of food I've bought in the kitchen and make homes for everything. Then I still want to give everywhere a good going over with the vacuum cleaner (I nabbed our Dyson from home, as that was something my work clubbed together and bought us as a wedding present), as I think that would help the carpets look better. Again though, it's so noisy, I don't want to do that too late at night.
Oh, so busy! :)
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I think a stainless steel one sounds very stylish. You can start collecting bottles of cleaning fluid...one for the kitchen, one for glass, one for kitchen floor, one for shiny surfaces, one for bathroom...
ReplyDeleteSeriously, KISS is definitely the way to go. I've adopted it as my life's motto.
That took me back! My son (now 17) used to call Milky Way bars "Mickey Waves"!!
ReplyDeleteGlad you're starting to get the place sorted.
Zeb
ok so i am going to bust in on you're lil value world but what microwave is built to last like ten years??? like wha? haha...they are built to last day past the one year guarentee. If you buy one for 124 quid and then add on the service charge for the next year to get it serviced every year because of the saftey yeah which is about 42 quid a year then thas thas 42 quid a year extra you are paying every year but like if you get a 30 quid micro and throw it every year and get a new one.....bingo bango...cheeper.
ReplyDeleteyou can thank me later...haha ;P
Roses: Well, the often top is already stainless steel and was smeary, so I already had bought a stainless steel cleany fluid :)
ReplyDeleteI agree wholeheartedly with KISS :)
Anon1/Zeb: I used to call "Ribena" "Eye-eye-eye-eena" ;)
My sister had problems finishing after "elbow" and used to say "elbow-welbow" :)
Anon2: Well, our current one's lasted seven ;) I *think* my parents' one they have had longer, but I couldn't be sure of that. Bollocks to paying the extra guarantee and stuff ;)
Fine then... Call it five years... £24/year, still cheaper than your £30 ;) Plus, you don't have the hassle of trying to work out where you're actually allowed to throw the things away!
That... and it looks good ;)
There's a lot of variance these days in when it's "worth" paying extra. E.g. with printers, buy a £30 one, and I know someone who's gone through two in a year.
OTOH, DVD players, I reckon you're best off buying a random cheap one.
I think that microwaves are probably going to be in the "you get what you pay for camp" -- ask me again in five years and you'll see ;)
(Or not, as the case may be ;)
Glad you're settling in well :)
ReplyDeleteSorry to take sides here but i am inclined to agree with anon2 in that, my annual charge for getting my microwave serviced each year was £39:50 and the cost of a new cheap microwave each year is around £25.
ReplyDeleteA stainless steel one does sound and look very nice though and certainly sounds good value.
Dianne, it makes a pleasant change, you fence sitter ;)
ReplyDeleteIt hadn't occurred to me to get it serviced that regularly.
As I said, our current one is more than seven years old. It has never been serviced. Actually, I think Mrs M had it since before we moved in to that place, so that could put it at more than ten years old.
And we certainly didn't take particuarly good care of it ;)
Either way, it still probably works out cheaper than my shaver ;)
And more importantly, even if my arguments and logic are flawed, I don't care, 'cause I'm happy! :)
So there. ;)
Are you supposed to get microwaves serviced? Mine's 5 years old and has never been serviced and is still going strong steaming veggies and making lattes...
ReplyDeleteI have to say I agree with IM and choose which items are worth going for the cheaper option however I'm a style over function sucker for some things ...shallow I know...but in my defence i have an expensive, highly technical, totally geeky looking mp3 that is the biz
We have a Sharp microwave that is 9 years old and has never gone wrong, never been serviced. Our previous one lasted 10 years (twas a Toshiba), and the only reason we got rid of it was because it was larger than we needed/wanted. And I soooo wanted a green one. :o)
ReplyDeleteI think you've done the right thing - buying a quality one to start with and not pay to have it serviced. It will have come with a year's warranty anyway.
Zeb
Servicing is not something you pay for upfront like an extended guarantee, it's an optional thing you're supposed to do every year, as with boilers.
ReplyDeleteMicrowaves can leak around the seal as they get older which is extremely dangerous.
"A survey conducted among the Professional Service Associates, a group of microwave repair servicemen, indicated that over 56% of microwave ovens two years or older leaked levels of radiation 10% higher than the safety standards set by the FDA. More often than not, a simple adjustment was all that was needed to stop the leakage."
The source
I hope that link works.
I would regularly service any appliance where there was a possibility of radiation leakage in the same way i do a boiler where there is a possibility of carbon monoxide poisoning. Both of which are undetectable but quite lethal.
Hmmmm...my micky wave has never seen anything else but my dinner and it's over 10 years old. Perhaps its time for a replacement.
ReplyDeleteDianne, I have so many options available to me on that subject I don't know which to go for! ;)
ReplyDelete1. Eek! Radiation! I could be dying! DYING I TELL YOU!! Do you know anyone who's been trained in what to do in such circumstances!?
2. At least a microwave isn't silently killing you while your asleep. Or, if it does, at least it makes a happy "BING!" at the end of it :)
3. I can't believe you're daft enough to pay for that! Don't you see that by NOT getting your microwave serviced, you are slowly exposing yourself to tiny amounts of radiation, such that you eventually build up an immunity? ;) I'm preparing for World War 3 ;)
4. Wait a minute! Radiation... Leaking... I could become... SUPER MONKFISH! ;)