29 November 2012

The Parts Are Out the Back

Approximate $ Savings: $73+
  
When something around you house is in need of repair, often the first thought for a Cheapskater is to fix it ourselves. Instead of running off to the hardware store to buy the spare parts required, first try a specialised retailer of the item requiring repair. They often have spare parts in boxes 'out the back' which they are happy to give away. We have just bought a house and the shower screen didn't open and close easily. A shower screen shop quoted a call-out fee of $65 plus parts. The spare parts we required to fix it ourselves added up to $65 from Bunnings. My husband, keen to avoid either of those costs, removed the screen and took it into the screen retailer. They rummaged through their box of parts and gave us all we needed for free. We tried the same when the castor on a bed broke. Castors were $8 for two at Bunnings. A major bedding retailer gave us the one we needed plus a spare for free. Finally, a couple of the small fixings from an old, second hand Ikea bookshelf were lost in the move. Today, I visited Ikea and was given the missing parts for nothing (and I had a lovely, cheap lunch in their cafe). As we're now renovating our new house, we'll be trying this tactic for many of the fiddly bits we discover we need along the way.

Contributed by Deborah Cooper

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