Mattress Shopping Know-How

When it comes to buying something new I’m not one for flying (or purchasing) blind. I prefer to read reviews, ask for recommendations, speak to companies and read relevant guides. Part of this is because I want to make sure I get the best value product or service for my budget and part of it is that I’m tight and hate parting with money unless I’m getting the best. I’m also someone who won’t make do with some things which means if something arrives in the post/is delivered I won’t hesitate to return it if it isn’t exactly what I needed. This can be a pain when you’re buying a mattress or something similarly bulky.

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Staying on the mattress theme, Roy and I recently bought a new mattress as our old one was very much past its best. We wanted something firm but comfortable. That was pretty much all that our list of needs contained to start with however when it came down to the nitty gritty of actually choosing a mattress we wished we’d been a little pickier and a lot more knowledgeable.

Did you know that when it comes to buying a mattress that you need to consider a number of things? Not just price and size, oh no. There are quite a few points to consider when buying a mattress.

For example:

  • Who is the mattress for?
  • Does it come with a cover?
  • What guarantee does it have?
  • What is it made of?
  • What do other people think of it?
  • What are the shipping costs?
  • What’s the return policy?

The list goes on. To be fair this is not an insignificant purchase. If you buy a new type of cereal and don’t like it you can give to someone else or simply bin it. You’ve lost a couple of pounds at most. When buying a mattress, you need to consider the investment you’re making for your health, yes health, as a good night of sleep has been proven to help with a number of conditions and reduces your risk of contracting certain disorders and conditions. On top of that, we all know that a decent sleep helps with a much better mental outlook so when it comes to mattress buying, and bedding of course too, it pays to do your research!

What are your top tips for buying a mattress? Do you shop around, read reviews, sleep guides and more? What are the three most important things to you when it comes to choosing what you’ll be sleeping on? We’ve made poor mattress-buying choices in the past thanks to poor research and regretted it later. Save yourself time, money and annoyance by doing your due diligence!

Frugal Living 2014 – Buying Meat Online

The expense in our household that is rising the fastest is the grocery bill. I suspect this is the case with many families.
I hate waste and so have become pretty savvy with using the leftovers however changing the way I shop has made the biggest impact on food shopping costs.

Meat is notoriously expensive however I have found that the most economic way for me to find quality meat is via an online butcher.

Buying Meat Online
I recommend two meat retailers, Clare Barry (check out the “Green” offers especially) and Meatpacks (see below order) and I alternate between the two  dependant on what I need and to take advantage of offers. This week I bought 6kg of meat which I have portioned up into 18 meals and popped in the freezer for £51.22 delivered as you can see below. Yes the delivery seems steep however the meat comes properly packed in temperature controllled packaging and even with this cost my meat still works out cheaper than it would at my local butcher. If you and a family member both ordered within one order you could also divide up the delivery cost.

MeatpacksOrder
My most recent meat order from Meatpacks

Quality Meat
We’ve all seen the shock TV exclusives about the rubbish that is found in processed food and even supermarket meat may be injected with water and who knows what else to bulk it out and preserve it. The meat I get from the online butcher is free from all of the artificial rubbish so you pay only for proper meat. An additional benefit to this is that when you get a chicken breast from a butcher it doesn’t magically halve in size when cooked as the water evaporates.

For between £50 and £60 a month I can fill my freezer with 20-22 meals worth of meat for four (two adults and two children). Our other 8-10 meals are made up with fish or are vegetarian meals.

Where do you get your meat from? Would you consider using an online butcher? If you already do is there someone else that you would recommend?

meatPhoto Credit

 

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