Can the UK escape bankruptcy?

[peterperfection]

When stuff breaks I fix it if I possibly can.

The flip-side is that not everyone enjoys repairing stuff, would some people rather spend a few hours labour fixing something, or would they rather spend a few hours wage getting someone else to do it, or buying another on credit, then doing something with their time they enjoy.

Buying new stuff isnt all just rampant consumerism, some would rather have a new car, as the cost to them is worth more than the potential lost hours in breakdown and repair.

When you earn £10 an hour, maybe it's better to buy a new toaster for £30 then spend 3 hours trying to figure out how to repair it.

Very very sensible post.
Easier to do something 'you do' and earn a few bucks to pay a person to do 'something you dont do'.
TIME is the important factor . Cant put a price on those little chunks of our limited existence on this planet.
But- if you have the 'time' you can spread the load and 'almost ' enjoy fixing things- at your leisure.
We cant however- 'buy time' especially as we get older 'time' becomes precious.
Priorties then 'kick in'.
Family first- and everything else can wait .

 

[pred]

When stuff breaks I fix it if I possibly can.

The flip-side is that not everyone enjoys repairing stuff, would some people rather spend a few hours labour fixing something, or would they rather spend a few hours wage getting someone else to do it, or buying another on credit, then doing something with their time they enjoy.

Buying new stuff isnt all just rampant consumerism, some would rather have a new car, as the cost to them is worth more than the potential lost hours in breakdown and repair.

When you earn £10 an hour, maybe it's better to buy a new toaster for £30 then spend 3 hours trying to figure out how to repair it.

There in lies the problem - I would say yes it's better to work out how and spend 3 hours fixing it than spending 3 hours wages to buy new. You may use 3 hours of your time but you will still have your 3 hours wages in the bank for something else!

I know some people don't like mending things but throw away society ideals cannot go on for ever - do you know where most WEE actually ends up? In Africa dumped on nature rich areas. Whole areas have been devastated by the west dumping WEE which is reported as being recycled

Surely it depends on what you are going to repair, myself have thrown a few Black & Decker drills away, but in my garage i have a Hilti tl12, i've had it since the mid 70's, i think the carbon brushes have died a death, this will be repaired as i can get a pair for about a tenner, the drill is the Rolls Royce of drills and even now would put my new Bosch PBH240RE to shame, the carry case alone is in a class of its own compared to cheap imitations.

 

[joinerjohn]

The flip-side is that not everyone enjoys repairing stuff, would some people rather spend a few hours labour fixing something, or would they rather spend a few hours wage getting someone else to do it, or buying another on credit, then doing something with their time they enjoy.

Buying new stuff isnt all just rampant consumerism, some would rather have a new car, as the cost to them is worth more than the potential lost hours in breakdown and repair.

When you earn £10 an hour, maybe it's better to buy a new toaster for £30 then spend 3 hours trying to figure out how to repair it.

Not just in repairing stuff, At work this week they wanted a radiator cabinet for a rad 2m in length. I had a look in the sheds and the only one I could get that would fit, cost well over £140, so I bought a sheet of 18mm mdf and a couple of pieces of pre cut hardboard grille stuff, nipped home and got my tools and made one in a couple of hours. Still needs painting yet, but the cost of the materials was £25, labour was £17. Looks every bit as good as a shop bought one and serves the purpose it was built for.

 

[peterperfection]

The flip-side is that not everyone enjoys repairing stuff, would some people rather spend a few hours labour fixing something, or would they rather spend a few hours wage getting someone else to do it, or buying another on credit, then doing something with their time they enjoy.

Buying new stuff isnt all just rampant consumerism, some would rather have a new car, as the cost to them is worth more than the potential lost hours in breakdown and repair.

When you earn £10 an hour, maybe it's better to buy a new toaster for £30 then spend 3 hours trying to figure out how to repair it.

Not just in repairing stuff, At work this week they wanted a radiator cabinet for a rad 2m in length. I had a look in the sheds and the only one I could get that would fit, cost well over £140, so I bought a sheet of 18mm mdf and a couple of pieces of pre cut hardboard grille stuff, nipped home and got my tools and made one in a couple of hours. Still needs painting yet, but the cost of the materials was £25, labour was £17. Looks every bit as good as a shop bought one and serves the purpose it was built for. [/quote

Been there done that--heres a tip--'spray' the grill--it's a lot easier and no drips.

 

[ntb]

Well yes, I'm not going to waste my time repairing some far eastern tat. But I will strip it for anything useful. Waste not, want not etc. I've always been practical but I think part of it is an antidote to twenty something years of soul destroying corporate bull5hit with precious little but 'shareholder value' to show for it. I find it much more satisfying sorting problems for people, shoveling snow for elderly neighbours and making things.

 

[AronSearle]

The flip-side is that not everyone enjoys repairing stuff, would some people rather spend a few hours labour fixing something, or would they rather spend a few hours wage getting someone else to do it, or buying another on credit, then doing something with their time they enjoy.

Buying new stuff isnt all just rampant consumerism, some would rather have a new car, as the cost to them is worth more than the potential lost hours in breakdown and repair.

When you earn £10 an hour, maybe it's better to buy a new toaster for £30 then spend 3 hours trying to figure out how to repair it.

Not just in repairing stuff, At work this week they wanted a radiator cabinet for a rad 2m in length. I had a look in the sheds and the only one I could get that would fit, cost well over £140, so I bought a sheet of 18mm mdf and a couple of pieces of pre cut hardboard grille stuff, nipped home and got my tools and made one in a couple of hours. Still needs painting yet, but the cost of the materials was £25, labour was £17. Looks every bit as good as a shop bought one and serves the purpose it was built for.

/sexist.

Now ask most women, would they rather pay £140 for one to fit, or make it themselves.

 

[bhm1712]

That being said a radiator cover is hardly going to be the subject of planned obsolescence so buying one if your unable to make one is not really mass consumerism. Although radiator covers are a pretty wasteful device anyway.

 

[Norcon]

In the hard times ahead they won't be able to afford a radiator so they won't need a radiator cabinet.

 

[bhm1712]

Plenty of coal left in Britain. No need for hard times but I doubt we will ever see a return to mining For it.

 

[AronSearle]

Plenty of coal left in Britain. No need for hard times but I doubt we will ever see a return to mining For it.

If we pulled our fingers out our bums we could level half the housing stock and build decent homes, I'm still appalled to read that 8 million solid wall homes have no wall insulation at all, and about half of roof spaces have none or little insulation.

I mean even when insulation could be bought for £1 a roll people still didn't bother to buy it, maybe we need a bit of a crises to kick some bums.

 

[bhm1712]

District heating is popular abroad and I'm surprised we don't utilise it more here. It seems to be associated with council estates and poverty and yet is a great cheaper way of heating entire estates.

Near me the council has insulated an entire solid wall council estate at no cost to the tenants