Ker-ching!

This is rapidly going to turn into a grumpy old man blog, if I'm not careful....

Now I've had to buy a new combi microwave. Had the last one eight years. First the turntable stopped going round. Ok, thought I, look up some spares on the net. Hmm, £17 for a new motor, and perhaps an hour or two's work - like heck am I pay £80 + £50 'parts' for someone in a shop to do it for me. I'd paid £250 for the thing in the first place. It should be ok to use without the turntable going round, right?

No.... two weeks of use later, (hey, this is 17 quid we're talking about here!) "Wheelie" - yes, she sometimes calls me that when she gets annoyed. "Yes miss?" "Belt up, I can't warm up my tinned chicken curry" (Blargh! Yuk!)

Sigh. Still, as my lass says, "It didn't owe us nowt"

Why a combi-microwave? A combi is a combination of a micro, a grill, and fan assisted electric oven. I eat when I feel like it, which isn't that often. But when I do, it's handy when my mob, fiends, and relatives are doing their thing with the normal gas oven and hob, to use the combi. Secondly, I'm a bit more careful of what I eat. To be fair electricity in the uk is more expensive - but it works for me.

We have a household principle (well, I have) that when we buy something expensive, Micro, TV, Cooker, Dishwasher ect, a couple of quid (£2) goes into a separate jar every week until they expire. In this case, £430 was in the kitty for a new micro. Interestingly, over time, the technology gets better, and prices drop.

So I was able to pick up a bigger, better, replacement - different brand, different make, for for £175. By my reckoning, that's £255 profit that can go back in the pot for something else.

So no 'extended warranties' needed, no bank interest charges, no overdraft charges, no credit card charges, no worries.

Good, eh?