Monday 4 February 2013

Preparing for the unexpected - or not in my case.

A lot of sensible frugal people prepare themselves financially for emergencies by putting a little away for such eventualities. Others are not in position to do so because they are already living on a shoestring. Yesterday I discovered why it is sensible to try and put a little away in a savings account for such emergencies.
I got in my shower, which is over the bath and what happened do you think? The bath cracked under my 13 stone 9 weight. Now, as you know, I was not overly fond of my bathroom, but I wasn't expecting to suddenly find myself in the position of HAVING to do it, and no, I hadn't got that emergency fund up and sorted yet. So I now find myself with a cracked sink AND a cracked bath. The cracked sink I have been getting away with because I am careful, but there is not much you can do with a cracked bath, the water just runs out.
So today I went pricing up new bathroom suites. The loo is ok, but in a particularly lurid shade of green and as a deal on suites means that you get a discount (also I can't face having a green toilet and white sink and bath) I have priced what I need to replace at approximately £350, inclusive of all taps and delivery. Not a bad price I have to admit, but not great when you don't actually have it. This includes a steel bath rather than acrylic.
Now I am faced with options. Option number 1 is of course to borrow the money by buying on a credit card or taking an payment plan. As far as I am concerned, this is NOT an option. I refuse to get myself in debt over it.
So option two is to see if I can do a temporary fix with a bit of gaffa tape regularly replaced and very careful cleaning after every shower.
Option 3 is to leave it and shower at my friends house where possible, have regular washes and save save save.
Having thought it through, I have decided on a mixture of option 2 and 3. It's a bit sad to have a gaffa taped bath but I can live with it. The real decision comes as to whether to buy, replace and make do, or to actually use the opportunity to fully do the bathroom, tiles, floors, the lot. It needs doing (even though i was hoping to have a couple of years to wait) and as I will do most of the work (if not all) myself it seems sensible to save for the tiles as well - flooring can come at the end another time. The problem with not doing the tiling at the same time is that it will need doing at some point and I have never thought that doing half a job then the other half at a different time pays, as you end up undoing half the first job.
Well, my hand has been forced and now I have a new and urgent project to save up for. Meanwhile, I hope I don't get too whiffy, haha.

25 comments:

  1. Might be worth checking on freecycle for a bath, yeah it'd look messy after slotting one in, but it'd give you the time you need to save up. Or even look for a whole suite, someone might be upgrading and ditching a perfectly good bathroom.

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  2. Rather than gaffer tape, how about bath sealant; without seeing the damage, I don't know if it would work.

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    1. The problem is that because it is acrylic, it is bendy, so the sealant would come apart instantly I trod back in the bath.

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  3. I think option three is a difficult one unless you 'pay' for the use of the shower.....people have a tendency to feel they are being taken advantage of.....
    And frugal people can look...well just mean if they rely on others....even if they are friends
    I use next door neighbours water to water my animals and they have refused payment.. However I make sure I pay them regularly with gifts, eggs, baking, pork out of the freezer and veg.... They also get a nice pressie at Christmas. If they go on a water meter then I would make alternative arrangements.
    To be honest for the cost of a cheap bathroom, I would put it on a card. Then destroy the card and make it a priority to pay it off.
    You have already made a good choice to pick an economy bath....

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    1. Yes, I had thought of that. Fortunately, because the reverse happened to them and I let them use my bathroom for a month while theirs was out of action, they offered to return the favour on the spot and I certainly wouldn't take advantage of them, only using it now and again. I am putting great thought into what's best to do and pricing things up properly. Meanwhile, I am experimenting with gaffa, haha

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    2. Remember if you have a flood, then you will have to fork out a great deal more!

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  4. Check out eBay!!!!! I bought a complete suite, and I mean complete, taps, loo roll holder and towel rail plus bath, sink and pedestal and loo for the princely sum of £1.04 (actually gave him a fiver as I felt flush - pun intended of course) and we installed it ourselves. It was in perfect condition, they just fancied a change. Photo's on my blog if you're interested xx

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  5. Stupid question, I take it you didnt have insurance? Baths etc count as fixtures, if you have a mortgage you will have house insurance which would cover the bath.

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  6. Some of the bathroom suppliers are quite cheap if you can find someone to fit it.

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  7. I agree with The Tightwads. My first thought was to check out ebay. Even if you had to hire a van for half a day to transport it( we did that when we bought our suite from ebay), it would still be a cheap option. Freecycle may also be an option. In the meantime could you stand in a big tub in the shower so that would catch most of the water?

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  8. Just make sure nobody gets downwind of you!

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  9. There are some silicon sealants that are quite flexible. I would check in a chandler's or yachting supply place. Big hardware centres might stock them too.

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  10. Have you got a leisure centre nearby. You could go for a swim once a week and make use of the showers. My sister and her husband do this twice a week, even though they have a shower at home.

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  11. Free cycle Ebay and insurance. To check out while washing and showering standing in a large bucket or plastic box thing. Good luck with the search.

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  12. Hehe, I would do the same as you. Options 2 and 3! But that certainly sounds like a bargain price for all that lot! I was worried it would be thousands, but I don't really have any idea about stuff like that!

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  13. Ouch! When we did out bathroom we got a full white quite of eBay inc steel bath for 195. With tiles and plumping and taps we came in way under 500. All fitted by us. That was new but there's lots 2nd hand on eBay too xx

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  14. Thats bad luck but I'd do the same as you, never get in debt!!! (apart from mortgage) I'd keep an eye out on gumtree, people renovating practically give away brilliant whole suites, taps and all. I got my inlaws a stunning whole kitchen once, fridge, dishwasher, worktops, sink taps, and cupboard doors for £300 just coz the new kitchen was arriving and they needed it gone! you'll need to look everyday tho, the bargains get snapped up fast! good luck and its winter you'll not be too smelly lol xxx

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  15. I was going to advise checking your insurance too.

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  16. Long time, no post. :) Apologies for that, but I do try to keep up with things. :) I'd second the Freegle / Freecycle / Free-anything within reach option, including council sites where they're ripping out perfectly good baths to replace them with wet rooms and showers. Even Facebook has pages for free giveaways now. Good luck with your search and, in the meantime, could you line the bath with a kids' paddling pool or similar or is the bath totally wrecked?

    Hope your dad is recovering well.

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  17. What terrible bad luck! I`d check e-bay and Freecycle, too.

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  18. I would try free cycle and eBay first

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  19. I would try free cycle and eBay first

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  20. A practical suggestion:

    - Take the front panel off the bath and use plumber's tape liberally to seal the split on the underneath.

    - Then put in a large piece of plywood or similar, underneath the whole of the area where the spilt is, and prop it up sturdily with bricks, wood or whatever you have, so that it is dead level with the bottom of the bath and supports it securely.

    - Then use more plumber's tape to seal the crack on the top surface of the bath.

    My guess is that this would do a turn for a while, until you have managed to acquire a new suite! Good luck...

    Jane

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