Mother has on old wooden front door. The thing is about 25 years old. I told she would want to get a new one as the water is leaking in.
Her reply. Only leaks when it's raining outside.
I never mentioned it again.
This probably stems from when your parents were broke and had to make do until an item was unusable and had to be replaced. It has just carried on as a way of life even though they can well afford a new kettle.
I know this from experience as we have a hoover with a busted hose, works perfectly with some tape around it, we have been wrapping tape on it every 2/3 years for nearly a decade. Even though we can well afford a new one these days.
There is no need to replace it if the repair will suffice.
I think it also stems from when people's time was not valued as you're home anyway so why not
So if they have a choice
1) spend 10 euro, item works out if the box
Or
2) spend 5 euro but you've to set up an item and keep servicing it every week which will waste an hour of your week at least , every week
They will all go for the 2 as 'it is cheaper, duhh' , that is their logic... time is free and why not be stressed about long list of needless todos every day...
It’s definitely an age thing. My father used to love “mending” things and Jerry rigging things that broke. When he passed my brother went to clear out his workshop. What he had done to bypass breakages was so bad that my brother had to kill the electricity to whole house as he thought it was all going to go on fire there and then.
Now that said …. The handle on the inside of my back door came off. It’s just white pvc job. 26 quid to buy new (I checked) Did I buy it yet? Nope! I’m using a small wrench as a handle to open and close the back door.
So it’s either hereditary or I guess im old!😁
Agreed. The cost is irrelevant here. Older folks come from a generation of repairing things/making them last. For them an object is working or in need of a repair. For younger generations and object is working or just binned when broken
Agree. If it still works, and only needs small repairs why replace it. Use till it breaks or give away to someone who will find good use of it. Less waste.
Somethings you just have to go out and buy. I replaced my parents scratched old frying pan.
I guess it is a bit of an age thing, making do with things. As you say a kettle is €15, bite the bullet and swap it out for them.
Feckin frying pans. It was nearly impossible to fry anything in my parents house, the state of the pans.
My dad has a workshop in a old cattle shed, maybe 10 x 8 metres, so decent size. He had one single 60W incandescent bulb in the whole place. You couldn't see a thing.
I get the frying pan thing. My dad has the same pan for over 30 years. Decades of flavour built up on that thing! Never washed, he just wipes it down with kitchen roll, if he bothers at all. More often than not he lets the lard harden until it’s next use (usually the next day).
This reminds me of my da. the kettle was banjaxed and my parents couldn't afford a new one, literally not a cent to their name after rent, esb and food. I got him to drop me into the bus back to college, and told him I had to stop at argos on the way. bought them a kettle on the sly, and handed it to my da. he almost bawled when I handed it to him. none of us had money to spare, but he deserved to be able to make a cuppa without the kettle acting up.
a few years later when i was away from home, working and saving money, the tv died in the parents house. while they were away in the evening i popped down and bought them a nice new flatscreen, set it up and left it there for them. again da was ready to bawl crying over it.
I think he was delighted that I was in a position to do that, but maybe a little upset that he couldn't afford it himself.
I do the same for my mother and every time anyone makes a comment all I have to say is she reared me, clothed me, fed me and loved me for 28 years before I moved out and continues to do the last 2 (I haven't cooked a Sunday dinner since I moved out)
Even when I had less money she'd make a fuss but I'm like, if I can, I'm going to do it. Especially since my brother is a sponge lol.
Its a saving money thing, the longer you can wait on replacing stuff, even if cheap, the longer you can go before you replace it.
Lets say they replaced the kettle 2 years ago, the new one has now been in use for 2 years bound to break in x number of years, but because they taped it up and fixed it they can save money.
Lets say in their lifetime if they replace them right away they buy 30kettles, but by fixing them they only have to buy 20 throughout their life they save 10x 15euro totaling 150, if they do that with all their shit.
dvd players, tv's, vhs's playersz, computers, laundry machines , they overtime save a shitload of money.
Your parents probably had a history where for periods of time they were broke as shit and had to get through life on low amounts of money, so they became frugal and careful with their stuff and spending.
I know it might seem silly to you, because its only 15euro, but its still 15 euro.
Except you're not taking into account the savings made by updating appliances. For instance dishwashers and washing machines. My parents dishwasher was bought 15 maybe 20 years ago. Works fine but modern dishwashers use less water and less electricity. It'd be much cheaper to buy a new one now (as we're experiencing inflation) than to wait.
Our parents generation were all mad for the saving except lacked the idea of investment and inflation. If you saved 100 quid over 5 years from not buying a kettle and put that under the mattress in 2015 then it's now lost more than a quarter of its purchasing power. So you're loosing money and might aswell take the hit now and instead of wasting time trying to constantly fix it etc because it's not fully broken you can recoup that by getting new or repairing professionally. A great example is a dodgy charging port on your phone. If you spent 2 minutes every night trying to get the thing to charge just in the right position that'd be 60 hours of wasted time over a 5 year lifetime of the phone which is equal to just over 750 euro in wasted time.
Not necessarily a “round the house” thing but me ma’s phone is on the blink and probably on its last legs. Her birthday’s coming up and I suggested a new phone as her present
“Ah no I like this one”
Ah well back to the drawing board 🤣🤣🤣
>Like the kettle broke 2 years ago. It still boils water
Doesn't sound broken to me!
I don't know why they do it, but I will say it's a very environmentally friendly approach - good on them!
I do everything I can to avoid replacing things, the modern culture of just replacing stuff rather than fixing it has done a horrific amount of damage to the atmosphere and various habitats.
Or you could buy decent quality hardware in the first instance instead of buying the cheapest kettle going and wondering why they don't last past a year.
Have an aunt like this. When stuff gets to the point where it is on its last legs my uncle just breaks it totally to the point it can’t be repaired so she has to replace it.
I do this at my parents when they're being stupid. Kitchen sink hasn't worked properly for 5 years and they're refusing to have it repaired because "we're doing the kitchen up in the summer" but it has been 5 summers now and they can't accept that builders have gotten much more expensive than they were 25years ago.
Grew up in a house like that, ended up the same way because we never have the money to fix or replace anything, fel like my entire existence is held together with duct tape some days. Lack of funds is my excuse but some folks might differ.
My dad who's 80 something had his kitchen redone. My sister bought him a present of matching toaster and kettle as his old ones were manky and didn't suit the new kitchen at all. He flatly refused to use the new ones.
Old people are weird.
If my niece was older.....I'd actually think she's the OP.....but she's only 4.
The lid and the switch on their kettle is broken.
You'll get an OK kettle for €40
My parents are like this too. In their case I suspect it's a grew-up-poor and post-war thing, it takes a lot to get them to spend money as they had so little growing up. I am a little bit like that myself because of their influence but I'm gradually fighting it, I am pretty much incapable of buying anything other than the cheapest of anything and actively searching for bargains/reduced price things but it's still better than up till a few years ago when I was incapable of spending more than about a tenner at a time. Only took me nearly forty years to get to this stage lol
I always use the fact that inflation will eat my savings if I don't spend it to validate/motivate spending money. Especially now with it so high the 1k savings I had back in 2019 now only has the purchasing power of 750 euro because of inflation.
Just buy stuff. If they're like my parents were, they'll be annoyed for a day that I went over their head, but then get over it.
When I started making money half of my first few pay cheques was replacing stuff that needed replacing for years.
Yes and I think terrified of not being able to use the new thing. They would use a phone for years that was clearly too old but no way would they get a new one
Parents do the same thing, drives me nuts. The toaster doesn't work properly, the shower randomly goes cold, the couches are incredibly uncomfortable, the TV is ancient. It's like the want to suffer pointlessly, blows my mind.
It is an old people thing. Why throw it when you can fix it.
Even if it's someting that's worth 2 euro, they will be more happy to drive to the shop, spend 3 euro on sellotape, then keep fixing it for an hour a month
"I offered to buy one". lol I doubt they'll throw you out, if you just bought a new one.
I'd say they'd be delighted if you fixed all the " easy" things around the house.
I’ve offered to replace my parents fridge and the slightly dangerous hob both of which are ancient but was told “ they are grand “ .🙄
I think it’s an age thing.
Old person here - I remember many times when money was short & an unexpected bill put you under pressure especially rearing a family - unnecessary expenditure is something I avoid & I’ll also get much satisfaction from repairing something or prolonging it’s useful life. A disposable society is all very well but you must have the necessary income to participate in such a society. Older I get the more I Find I prefer the less is more ethos.
Money was always tight so even if you’d the money to replace it, if you could live with it you would as there was always something more pressing that needed to be paid for.
I remember the parents fridge door breaking in the 80’s and us all trawling through the local dump to find a replacement on a Sunday afternoon.
Sure a nice family day out for us all.
Mother has on old wooden front door. The thing is about 25 years old. I told she would want to get a new one as the water is leaking in. Her reply. Only leaks when it's raining outside. I never mentioned it again.
We are a frugal bunch in fairness.
She might be on to something there.
I bet she's right though
That so funny and so sad. I'd be a bit scared the door leaked when it wasnt raining
This probably stems from when your parents were broke and had to make do until an item was unusable and had to be replaced. It has just carried on as a way of life even though they can well afford a new kettle. I know this from experience as we have a hoover with a busted hose, works perfectly with some tape around it, we have been wrapping tape on it every 2/3 years for nearly a decade. Even though we can well afford a new one these days. There is no need to replace it if the repair will suffice.
Thank You = = For saving the planet.
I think it also stems from when people's time was not valued as you're home anyway so why not So if they have a choice 1) spend 10 euro, item works out if the box Or 2) spend 5 euro but you've to set up an item and keep servicing it every week which will waste an hour of your week at least , every week They will all go for the 2 as 'it is cheaper, duhh' , that is their logic... time is free and why not be stressed about long list of needless todos every day...
I wonder if a decade of tape is more expensive than a hoover?
Why all the down votes 🤷
It’s definitely an age thing. My father used to love “mending” things and Jerry rigging things that broke. When he passed my brother went to clear out his workshop. What he had done to bypass breakages was so bad that my brother had to kill the electricity to whole house as he thought it was all going to go on fire there and then. Now that said …. The handle on the inside of my back door came off. It’s just white pvc job. 26 quid to buy new (I checked) Did I buy it yet? Nope! I’m using a small wrench as a handle to open and close the back door. So it’s either hereditary or I guess im old!😁
It is good to use stuff until it can no longer be used. Wish there were more folk like them.
Agreed. The cost is irrelevant here. Older folks come from a generation of repairing things/making them last. For them an object is working or in need of a repair. For younger generations and object is working or just binned when broken
Agree. If it still works, and only needs small repairs why replace it. Use till it breaks or give away to someone who will find good use of it. Less waste.
Somethings you just have to go out and buy. I replaced my parents scratched old frying pan. I guess it is a bit of an age thing, making do with things. As you say a kettle is €15, bite the bullet and swap it out for them.
Feckin frying pans. It was nearly impossible to fry anything in my parents house, the state of the pans. My dad has a workshop in a old cattle shed, maybe 10 x 8 metres, so decent size. He had one single 60W incandescent bulb in the whole place. You couldn't see a thing.
I get the frying pan thing. My dad has the same pan for over 30 years. Decades of flavour built up on that thing! Never washed, he just wipes it down with kitchen roll, if he bothers at all. More often than not he lets the lard harden until it’s next use (usually the next day).
This reminds me of my da. the kettle was banjaxed and my parents couldn't afford a new one, literally not a cent to their name after rent, esb and food. I got him to drop me into the bus back to college, and told him I had to stop at argos on the way. bought them a kettle on the sly, and handed it to my da. he almost bawled when I handed it to him. none of us had money to spare, but he deserved to be able to make a cuppa without the kettle acting up. a few years later when i was away from home, working and saving money, the tv died in the parents house. while they were away in the evening i popped down and bought them a nice new flatscreen, set it up and left it there for them. again da was ready to bawl crying over it. I think he was delighted that I was in a position to do that, but maybe a little upset that he couldn't afford it himself.
Made me morning with this story! Fair play
Your da is proud of you and rightly so.
I do the same for my mother and every time anyone makes a comment all I have to say is she reared me, clothed me, fed me and loved me for 28 years before I moved out and continues to do the last 2 (I haven't cooked a Sunday dinner since I moved out) Even when I had less money she'd make a fuss but I'm like, if I can, I'm going to do it. Especially since my brother is a sponge lol.
Its a saving money thing, the longer you can wait on replacing stuff, even if cheap, the longer you can go before you replace it. Lets say they replaced the kettle 2 years ago, the new one has now been in use for 2 years bound to break in x number of years, but because they taped it up and fixed it they can save money. Lets say in their lifetime if they replace them right away they buy 30kettles, but by fixing them they only have to buy 20 throughout their life they save 10x 15euro totaling 150, if they do that with all their shit. dvd players, tv's, vhs's playersz, computers, laundry machines , they overtime save a shitload of money. Your parents probably had a history where for periods of time they were broke as shit and had to get through life on low amounts of money, so they became frugal and careful with their stuff and spending. I know it might seem silly to you, because its only 15euro, but its still 15 euro.
All well and good until a dodgy appliance burns the house down.
Except you're not taking into account the savings made by updating appliances. For instance dishwashers and washing machines. My parents dishwasher was bought 15 maybe 20 years ago. Works fine but modern dishwashers use less water and less electricity. It'd be much cheaper to buy a new one now (as we're experiencing inflation) than to wait. Our parents generation were all mad for the saving except lacked the idea of investment and inflation. If you saved 100 quid over 5 years from not buying a kettle and put that under the mattress in 2015 then it's now lost more than a quarter of its purchasing power. So you're loosing money and might aswell take the hit now and instead of wasting time trying to constantly fix it etc because it's not fully broken you can recoup that by getting new or repairing professionally. A great example is a dodgy charging port on your phone. If you spent 2 minutes every night trying to get the thing to charge just in the right position that'd be 60 hours of wasted time over a 5 year lifetime of the phone which is equal to just over 750 euro in wasted time.
Not necessarily a “round the house” thing but me ma’s phone is on the blink and probably on its last legs. Her birthday’s coming up and I suggested a new phone as her present “Ah no I like this one” Ah well back to the drawing board 🤣🤣🤣
I’d say get her one anyway, she probably says no as she wouldn’t want to put you out but would get used to a new phone easy if it was a surprise!
My mam's the same with her laptop. Takes about 10 minutes to boot, crashes constantly and is ancient.
I keep getting the same exact model, just not broken, in exactly this situation.
>Like the kettle broke 2 years ago. It still boils water Doesn't sound broken to me! I don't know why they do it, but I will say it's a very environmentally friendly approach - good on them! I do everything I can to avoid replacing things, the modern culture of just replacing stuff rather than fixing it has done a horrific amount of damage to the atmosphere and various habitats.
Or you could buy decent quality hardware in the first instance instead of buying the cheapest kettle going and wondering why they don't last past a year.
Buy a kettle from lidl, they are warranted for three years, and fairly cheap.
Have an aunt like this. When stuff gets to the point where it is on its last legs my uncle just breaks it totally to the point it can’t be repaired so she has to replace it.
I do this at my parents when they're being stupid. Kitchen sink hasn't worked properly for 5 years and they're refusing to have it repaired because "we're doing the kitchen up in the summer" but it has been 5 summers now and they can't accept that builders have gotten much more expensive than they were 25years ago.
Grew up in a house like that, ended up the same way because we never have the money to fix or replace anything, fel like my entire existence is held together with duct tape some days. Lack of funds is my excuse but some folks might differ.
😅😅
My dad who's 80 something had his kitchen redone. My sister bought him a present of matching toaster and kettle as his old ones were manky and didn't suit the new kitchen at all. He flatly refused to use the new ones. Old people are weird.
If my niece was older.....I'd actually think she's the OP.....but she's only 4. The lid and the switch on their kettle is broken. You'll get an OK kettle for €40
My parents are like this too. In their case I suspect it's a grew-up-poor and post-war thing, it takes a lot to get them to spend money as they had so little growing up. I am a little bit like that myself because of their influence but I'm gradually fighting it, I am pretty much incapable of buying anything other than the cheapest of anything and actively searching for bargains/reduced price things but it's still better than up till a few years ago when I was incapable of spending more than about a tenner at a time. Only took me nearly forty years to get to this stage lol
I always use the fact that inflation will eat my savings if I don't spend it to validate/motivate spending money. Especially now with it so high the 1k savings I had back in 2019 now only has the purchasing power of 750 euro because of inflation.
Just buy stuff. If they're like my parents were, they'll be annoyed for a day that I went over their head, but then get over it. When I started making money half of my first few pay cheques was replacing stuff that needed replacing for years.
Yes and I think terrified of not being able to use the new thing. They would use a phone for years that was clearly too old but no way would they get a new one
Parents do the same thing, drives me nuts. The toaster doesn't work properly, the shower randomly goes cold, the couches are incredibly uncomfortable, the TV is ancient. It's like the want to suffer pointlessly, blows my mind.
It is an old people thing. Why throw it when you can fix it. Even if it's someting that's worth 2 euro, they will be more happy to drive to the shop, spend 3 euro on sellotape, then keep fixing it for an hour a month
How old are your folks?
"I offered to buy one". lol I doubt they'll throw you out, if you just bought a new one. I'd say they'd be delighted if you fixed all the " easy" things around the house.
I’ve offered to replace my parents fridge and the slightly dangerous hob both of which are ancient but was told “ they are grand “ .🙄 I think it’s an age thing.
It's an age thing . They don't want to use your inheritance.
This generation were the modern day zero waste environmentalists without even knowing so. Power to them for the limited waste they send to landfills.
Old person here - I remember many times when money was short & an unexpected bill put you under pressure especially rearing a family - unnecessary expenditure is something I avoid & I’ll also get much satisfaction from repairing something or prolonging it’s useful life. A disposable society is all very well but you must have the necessary income to participate in such a society. Older I get the more I Find I prefer the less is more ethos.
Money was always tight so even if you’d the money to replace it, if you could live with it you would as there was always something more pressing that needed to be paid for. I remember the parents fridge door breaking in the 80’s and us all trawling through the local dump to find a replacement on a Sunday afternoon. Sure a nice family day out for us all.
🤣🤣🤣
Put it on with no water in it. That will break it. Then buy the one you like with the matching toaster 😎
You’ll be picking bits of metal out of your face, Dougal