Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Chatting => Frugal Living => Topic started by: Madame Cholet on May 03, 2012, 23:05

Title: charity shops rule ok
Post by: Madame Cholet on May 03, 2012, 23:05
just looking at juicelands website and found that apple peeler  at £26.95 that i just bought for 1.99 new in its box at Banardos,
Title: Re: charity shops rule ok
Post by: GrannieAnnie on May 03, 2012, 23:07
That's a bargain!  :)
Title: Re: charity shops rule ok
Post by: mattwragg94 on May 04, 2012, 11:17
i agree, i love charity shops - ive been looking for one of those apple peelers too  :lol:
Title: Re: charity shops rule ok
Post by: Auntiemogs on May 04, 2012, 11:29
Looking for a passata maker so if anyone sees one can you nab it for me (nearly £30 new  :ohmy:)!  ::)
Title: Re: charity shops rule ok
Post by: mattwragg94 on May 04, 2012, 11:40
whats a passata maker - some kind of tomato juicer?
Title: Re: charity shops rule ok
Post by: Auntiemogs on May 04, 2012, 11:44
Yup, it's like a little mill that takes out the skin and seeds for pasta sauce making.  Growing lots of plum toms this year (well, hopefully!).  :)
Title: Re: charity shops rule ok
Post by: LilacSandy on May 04, 2012, 12:25
£24.99 new on e-bay, not much off, but, as they say, every little helps.
Title: Re: charity shops rule ok
Post by: Auntiemogs on May 04, 2012, 12:27
Ching, ching... :lol:
Title: Re: charity shops rule ok
Post by: Lawrence on May 04, 2012, 16:15
Looking for a passata maker so if anyone sees one can you nab it for me (nearly £30 new  :ohmy:)!  ::)

I saw one in T K MAXX for £7.99 last week in Maidstone.
As soon as I drove away I regretted not buying it!
I kept thinking, where am I going to put it? My kitchen is already stuffed full of wonderful gadgets and the like. I now think I should have just bought it and worried later.
Title: Re: charity shops rule ok
Post by: Auntiemogs on May 04, 2012, 16:22
There's always room for (at least) one more Lawrence!  :lol: Will see if I can make it over to Chatham and have a shufti, ta for that.  :)
Title: Re: charity shops rule ok
Post by: Lawrence on May 04, 2012, 17:26
'Twas in the Maidstone store, but they might have it in Chatham.
And you are right! I should have bought it.
Title: Re: charity shops rule ok
Post by: Aunt Sally on May 04, 2012, 17:44
Looking for a passata maker so if anyone sees one can you nab it for me (nearly £30 new  :ohmy:)!  ::)

Do you mean a Pasta maker ?
Title: Re: charity shops rule ok
Post by: mattwragg94 on May 04, 2012, 17:48
no, aunt sally - she definately means passata maker - surely you've heard of tomato passata? (basically thick tomato juice) have a google!
Title: Re: charity shops rule ok
Post by: kellyandmatt on May 04, 2012, 17:49
A Pasata maker is also on our list of things we are looking out for on our many visits to Charity shops and car boot sales. We live in hope
Title: Re: charity shops rule ok
Post by: mattwragg94 on May 04, 2012, 17:50
i wonder if you could just stick toms in a blender and then run it through a sieve - surely you would get the same effect?
Title: Re: charity shops rule ok
Post by: mumofstig on May 04, 2012, 17:54
You would indeed, but it takes a while to do, but it was the old way of doing it.

You could also use a mouli  ;)
Title: Re: charity shops rule ok
Post by: Aunt Sally on May 04, 2012, 18:12
no, aunt sally - she definately means passata maker - surely you've heard of tomato passata? (basically thick tomato juice) have a google!

You cheeky wotsit -Of course I've heard of it.  I make it myself and all I need is a saucepan and a sieve - not a £30 machine.  A Pasta machine costs about £30  ::)
Title: Re: charity shops rule ok
Post by: mattwragg94 on May 04, 2012, 18:32

You cheeky wotsit -Of course I've heard of it.  I make it myself and all I need is a saucepan and a sieve - not a £30 machine.  A Pasta machine costs about £30  ::)

sorry aunt sally i didn't mean to come across being rude  :) - if you read post 6 though she does explain what she wants  ;)
Title: Re: charity shops rule ok
Post by: Paul Plots on May 04, 2012, 18:35
Charity shops can often look very interesting from the outside.... I'm told.

I've stood outside hundreds of them in my time.  :blink:

Mrs P loves them.  ::)

Hunts for bargin yarn and other very useful items for use in her craft work and upholstery.

The bargains are all sorted away into colour matched boxes and stored in the spare bedroom......

and garage...

and conservatory...

and.......  :lol:

Title: Re: charity shops rule ok
Post by: Trillium on May 04, 2012, 19:57
Mrs P is a thrifty lady and prepper, Paul. Who knows what upholstery catastrophe might encompass the world?  :D
Title: Re: charity shops rule ok
Post by: Auntiemogs on May 04, 2012, 21:34
i wonder if you could just stick toms in a blender and then run it through a sieve - surely you would get the same effect?
I think if you whizz the seeds up it can make the sauce bitter Matt. 
Mouli's are quite dear too Mum & I need something I can use without too much elbow grease...
Title: Re: charity shops rule ok
Post by: Aunt Sally on May 04, 2012, 22:39
I just mash it and sieve it.  Easy and cheap.
Title: Re: charity shops rule ok
Post by: Trillium on May 05, 2012, 00:07
I got the special attachment for my Kitchen Aid mixer. Tomato seeds give me a lot of grief and the fine sieve on the unit strains out 99% as well as skins and leaves behind a nice pureed pulp. The passata machine would do something very similar.
Title: Re: charity shops rule ok
Post by: Alastair-I on May 05, 2012, 11:33
Depending how many tomatoes you need to process at a time.. could be an ideal summer use for an apple press.  Squish out all the juice and pulp through a pillow case.  One pressing should easily manage 5kg+ of tomatoes.
Title: Re: charity shops rule ok
Post by: Auntiemogs on May 05, 2012, 11:58
Thanks Alastair, hopefully will have loads but think I'd get in a bit of a pickle.  :lol:
There is a mouli type attachment with a paddle for my Kenwood Chef Trillium, is that similar to what you have and is it fairly quick and easy to use?  :)
Title: Re: charity shops rule ok
Post by: Diddy Gardener on May 05, 2012, 13:22
I too love charity shops. I picked up three net curtains for £1 this morning. These will be netting for my sprouts... they have flowers on them - the nets not the sprouts... poshest sprouts in the village  :D
Title: Re: charity shops rule ok
Post by: Trillium on May 05, 2012, 15:29
Thanks Alastair, hopefully will have loads but think I'd get in a bit of a pickle.  :lol:
There is a mouli type attachment with a paddle for my Kenwood Chef Trillium, is that similar to what you have and is it fairly quick and easy to use?  :)

I'm not familiar with Kenwood machines, but when my unit is all together and ready to process, it looks like this. (http://fantes.com/images/6869mixers.jpg) The actual pieces inside the enclosed hopper look like this. (http://fantes.com/images/7540mixers.jpg)

Buying this machine is the best money I ever spent. It does wonderful mixing, and this particular attachment will beautifully process tomatoes, apples and stoned plums (all partly cooked beforehand) into lovely puree. If I change the pointy bit, I can grind my own meat as well as stuff sausages. There's also a flour/grain mill attachment available which I'm seriously considering as I'd like fresher flour for my breads.
Title: Re: charity shops rule ok
Post by: arugula on May 05, 2012, 15:41
The Kitchen Aid is a very desirable bit of kitchen equipment over here Trillium. You're not telling me you got that in a charity shop, are you? :D
Title: Re: charity shops rule ok
Post by: Auntiemogs on May 05, 2012, 16:34
That's a serious piece of kit Trillium.  It's definitely an investment - had my Kenwood for 26 years now and it's still going strong (and I can still get parts for it). :) 
Title: Re: charity shops rule ok
Post by: Growster... on May 05, 2012, 22:25
Yup, it's like a little mill that takes out the skin and seeds for pasta sauce making.  Growing lots of plum toms this year (well, hopefully!).  :)

Mogs, why not just chuck the whole lot in the blender - skin and all?

The colour is maintained, and so is the 'bite' from the skin!

We did about 40 lbs last year, and still have some left, they're fabulous for what you want!
Title: Re: charity shops rule ok
Post by: joyfull on May 05, 2012, 22:37
I too have a Kitchen Aid mixer and find the added bits to go with it are cheaper for me to buy from ebay in America (even accounting for postage costs) - not used my fruit strainer bit yet but the meat grinder is brilliant  :)
Title: Re: charity shops rule ok
Post by: mumofstig on May 05, 2012, 22:45
Yup, it's like a little mill that takes out the skin and seeds for pasta sauce making.  Growing lots of plum toms this year (well, hopefully!).  :)

Mogs, why not just chuck the whole lot in the blender - skin and all?

The colour is maintained, and so is the 'bite' from the skin!

We did about 40 lbs last year, and still have some left, they're fabulous for what you want!

leaving the seeds in means the sieved tomatoes are quite acidic, which some people can't digest, and removing them gives the authentic sweetness of passata. It really depends on what you want and like ;)
Title: Re: charity shops rule ok
Post by: Growster... on May 05, 2012, 22:57
Yup, it's like a little mill that takes out the skin and seeds for pasta sauce making.  Growing lots of plum toms this year (well, hopefully!).  :)

Mogs, why not just chuck the whole lot in the blender - skin and all?

The colour is maintained, and so is the 'bite' from the skin!

We did about 40 lbs last year, and still have some left, they're fabulous for what you want!

leaving the seeds in means the sieved tomatoes are quite acidic, which some people can't digest, and removing them gives the authentic sweetness of passata. It really depends on what you want and like ;)

That sort of detail never even reached the outskirts of my brain Mum...

Never even considered the consequences, but thank you for telling me!

Mind you, it is a darn sight easier/quicker...;0)
Title: Re: charity shops rule ok
Post by: mumofstig on May 05, 2012, 23:09
granted, it's what I do for the toms I put in my daughters freezer, cos they like theirs with all the bits in  :D
Title: Re: charity shops rule ok
Post by: Ozwytch on May 05, 2012, 23:18
Just whiz the toms in your food processor then sieve...... ::) xx
Title: Re: charity shops rule ok
Post by: Trillium on May 06, 2012, 01:50
You're not telling me you got that in a charity shop, are you? :D

Don't I wish!!! Not a chance of that at all. But they are coming down in price over here and I'm encouraging my youngest son to buy one. I had to bite the proverbial bullet and bought the basic unit. Then as I could afford the pieces, I bought them. I use the mixer so much that I literally wore off the plastic coating on the main beater.  :D They now sell a more sturdy rubber (?) edged one for only $25. Picked mine up in California last year but I see them here now.

I use all the parts so much that the machine has paid itself off many times over and saved me hundreds of hours of not having to hand crank.

Most importantly for me is that I can get almost all tomato seeds out, otherwise I cannot eat most tomato products. Some people with Crohns disease have the same problem and they invest in the Kitchen Aid for the same reason.

My sister loves the dough hook that comes with the machine and literally wore her first machine out. Her second was the larger model.
Title: Re: charity shops rule ok
Post by: arugula on May 06, 2012, 07:14
You're not telling me you got that in a charity shop, are you? :D

Don't I wish!!! Not a chance of that at all. But they are coming down in price over here and I'm encouraging my youngest son to buy one. I had to bite the proverbial bullet ....

One day, I will too. ::)
Title: Re: charity shops rule ok
Post by: BussinSpain on May 06, 2012, 07:52
in the 2 1/12 years here in Spain, I have not seen a charity shop:(
Title: Re: charity shops rule ok
Post by: Lawrence on May 06, 2012, 09:05
in the 2 1/12 years here in Spain, I have not seen a charity shop:(

I have seen a few down the coast from you in Mojacar, and inland in Baza and maybe Albox? I think.
But now you come to mention it they are not that common.
Quite a few boot fairs springing up though.
Title: Re: charity shops rule ok
Post by: carlrmj on May 06, 2012, 09:23

Last year I bought RHS encyclopedia of gardening  and RHS encyclopedia of plants and

flowers from British Heart Foundation for 3pound,retail 35pound each,bargain.

They were 2001 edition .
Title: Re: charity shops rule ok
Post by: Paul Plots on May 06, 2012, 10:38
in the 2 1/12 years here in Spain, I have not seen a charity shop:(

Charity begins at home?  :lol:
Title: Re: charity shops rule ok
Post by: Auntiemogs on May 06, 2012, 12:27
Just whiz the toms in your food processor then sieve...... ::) xx

I might just do that Oz.  May take the seeds out first though.  :)
Title: Re: charity shops rule ok
Post by: Trillium on May 06, 2012, 14:58
Someone I know bought a brand new vacuum sealing machine for $35 from a charity shop. Wow, chance would be a fine thing!

We don't have that many charity shops over here but I find the numerous home yard (aka boot) sales can sometimes yield treasures. I like to cruise the more affluent areas where money is more prevalent than brains and they toss the most wonderful things.
Title: Re: charity shops rule ok
Post by: Lawrence on May 06, 2012, 17:34
Unfortunately most of the charity shops over here have the weird idea that they are not allowed to sell electrical goods (they are!) and so they never do.
Title: Re: charity shops rule ok
Post by: arugula on May 06, 2012, 17:51
Doesn't everything have to be PAT tested nowadays, though?
Title: Re: charity shops rule ok
Post by: Lawrence on May 06, 2012, 18:30
Doesn't everything have to be PAT tested nowadays, though?

That is part of the problem see   http://www.hse.gov.uk/myth/july.pdf
The assumption is that the test is too expensive/complicated to make it worth the bother.
Much easier to throw them away.

BTW, Just recently found out that "PAT testing" is a tautology
as it means "Portable Appliance Testing testing" like when people say PIN Number
Title: Re: charity shops rule ok
Post by: arugula on May 06, 2012, 19:38
Yes I know what PAT testing is, the company I work for does electrical work. ;) Where people have rental properties, they have to have all the portable applicances tested on a regular basis. ;) But it is the law nowadays along with many other regular signed for safety checks.  :closedeyes:
Title: Re: charity shops rule ok
Post by: Lawrence on May 06, 2012, 22:55
I thought you would know what it stood for, but PAT only applies to certain appliances.
In rented accomodation only the equipment supplied by the landlord needs to be tested, not the tenants stuff, and unless it has changed recently second hand sellers are NOT required to test.
As the link from the HSE says, it is not required every year, although many people will swear it is!

OH! I thought of another tautology, "LCD Display" would you say
 "liquid crystal display display" ?
Title: Re: charity shops rule ok
Post by: Paul Plots on May 07, 2012, 01:02
Unfortunately most of the charity shops over here have the weird idea that they are not allowed to sell electrical goods (they are!) and so they never do.

This seems to be very much the case - it's very rare to see electrical goods recycled in this way but there's a charity shop not far from us (believe me I've stood outside them all.. but that's another story) and it sells all manner of electrical appliances.

I even went in this one - came out with a smashing BIG button BT telephone with amplifier (wow it's loud) for my father - no excuse now not to answer the phone.  :)
Title: Re: charity shops rule ok
Post by: Alastair-I on May 07, 2012, 14:32
Charity shops aren't testing electrical devices because of a PAT requirement.  They're doing it for the Sale of Goods Act to prove that the equipment isn't faulty.  If it was unsafe, that would constitue the item not being fit for purpose and faulty.

Locally, some charities do sell electrical equipment (BHS, Mind) and others don't (STC, Cancer).. it seems entirely down to whether or not they have someone locally that can do the testing.

Anyway.. my best charity shop bargain find was my Yashica D..
Title: Re: charity shops rule ok
Post by: Agatha on May 08, 2012, 13:12
Jumble sales are even cheaper...we have a great one near us & people drive up to an hour to it, it's so good!  Our local charity shops are great too though & practically everything I buy comes from them.

BTW, if you buy clothes from a charity shop, never reject anything because its label says it's not your size...I've bought several brand new items from charity shops (some still have the label on)  that have definitely not been the size on the label - I think people just buy 'their' size from a shop & when they find it doesn't fit, they can't be bothered to take it back.  Fine by me  :D
Title: Re: charity shops rule ok
Post by: Madame Cholet on May 08, 2012, 20:05
where I live we have 1 really good shop with a changing room bought allsorts. They ha\ve explained the system to me after 3 weeks all clothes are reduced to half price on a mon and the date is on the label so I check the item and return the on the tues. great for items I want to sell on. If i'm really taken with something for myself i'll pay full price