Stuff you bought before the lockdown and thought why did i buy that?

[salar55]

Start the ball rolling with a Jura impressa j7 coffee machine. Have a Costas and Starbucks at opposite ends of the town. Last 2 weeks its made life easier 😁. Don't like it when it says no more coffee until you clean me. 😩

[rogerzilla]

A holiday in May.

A green garden waste subscription (the council have suspended collections, so any advanced pruning is out).

[LittleWheelsandBig]

A flight to Oz in May. Choice of rebooking or a voucher towards future flight. I’d prefer a cash refund but no hope of that.

[Basil]

Ordered and played for two expensive stocked hanging baskets for the front of the house.  There's a good chance the nursery will have gone out of business before they're ready for delivery.

[Jaded]

On balance we’ve done a city break about once every ten years. We were going to Venice at the beginning of March, but two weeks before the Bergamo news wasn’t good so I said we wouldn’t go.

I bought a new laptop as the five year old one was beginning to glitch and I had a slight concern about supply chains in China. It’s been brilliant.

[rafletcher]

More a case of “why didn’t I get my act together” and chase up the refurbishing of my alloy wheel. It’s stuck at the refurbisher and who knows if they’ll survive.

[SteveC]

MrsC booked and paid for a trip to Venice over Easter the weekend before the Italians started to lock things down.
We've still not got any money back from that, but if that's the worst that happens to us I will be content.

[rogerzilla]

I have to admit that the family NT membership is looking poor value for money.

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

An Alpine cycling holiday in Northern Italy (just after Jan 1).  Departing in July, in theory.  Got to pay by 13/4 or lose the deposit but not received their invoice or had an update since mid-March.   Will email them tomorrow.

A Cyclist Map of the Yorkshire Wolds. At least that'll keep.

[Kim]

A large chunk of the front room is being taken up by the colour-coordinated Novosport tailbox currently attached to the Red Baron, as yet unridden.  There's also one of Decathon's finest teenage sk8er d00d Magic Hats^[1] hanging on the back of the door, sporting a shiny new pair of Monza R6 RFID tags, which remain unwritten.

I've also condemned about £80 worth of orange cardboard to the recycling bin.


_{[1] My previous helmet is a bit too Minbari at the back and would clunk on the fairing.}

[davelodwig]

I have to admit that the family NT membership is looking poor value for money.

As far as I'm concerned it's good value for money, my good lady works for the trust and they could be done for if we stay in lock down too long, with no shops, cafes, and properties open all they have is the income from memberships to pay there staff, most of which are now going into furlough.  Unlike business there's no bail out for charities so imagine loosing all those places the trust looks after.

[Sergeant Pluck]

Start the ball rolling with a Jura impressa j7 coffee machine. Have a Costas and Starbucks at opposite ends of the town. Last 2 weeks its made life easier 😁. Don't like it when it says no more coffee until you clean me. 😩

At that price level, I’d expect it to say “excuse me while I clean myself”.

[SteveC]

I have to admit that the family NT membership is looking poor value for money.

As far as I'm concerned it's good value for money, my good lady works for the trust and they could be done for if we stay in lock down too long, with no shops, cafes, and properties open all they have is the income from memberships to pay there staff, most of which are now going into furlough.  Unlike business there's no bail out for charities so imagine loosing all those places the trust looks after.

English Heritage have added three months to everyone's subscription to cover the lockdown, with the option to decline the offer should you so wish.

[rogerzilla]

NT are in a better position than the heritage railways, who don't generally have subscription income and rely on ticket sales.  I've slipped the SVR a bung because I want them to be there later in the year.  Security is a big cost because they are targets for vandals.

[MikeFromLFE]

We booked a complicated European railway holiday - my 65th birthday Interrail present. I'm still unravelling the hotels and seat reservations.

We were bought a Rutland Water 'Osprey Spotting' cruise on Rutland Water and a cafe voucher for Christmas.

[Regulator]

I have to admit that the family NT membership is looking poor value for money.

English Heritage has extended memberships for three months (and has said it will do the same again if need be).  I reckon NT will do the same.

[Regulator]

Start the ball rolling with a Jura impressa j7 coffee machine. Have a Costas and Starbucks at opposite ends of the town. Last 2 weeks its made life easier 😁. Don't like it when it says no more coffee until you clean me. 😩

We've got the Jura Impressa XJ9.  Fantastic bit of kit - and easier to clean than the last machine.   

[Mr Larrington]

Flights, accommodation and car hire for a week in Stornoway at the end of June.  Nice Accommodation Lady says we should be able to get our money back; we said "hang onto it coz if we can't come this year we'll do 2021 instead".

[ian]

Hmm, a relaxing long weekend in Provence in July via Eurostar/SNCF. I'm not optimistic about that. Flight to SE Asia in August (cancelled that one now, anyhow).

We were lucky to have managed a break in the Canaries a week or two before this kicked off, I suppose.

I've renewed our membership of the otter sanctuaries, of course. Otters be hungry. And still pay my dues to the local sports centre (I'm not sure why it's effectively run by a charity, I'm sure I pay council tax, but I figure they might keep the pool warm in the meantime).

[SteveC]

MrsC booked and paid for a trip to Venice over Easter the weekend before the Italians started to lock things down.
We've still not got any money back from that, but if that's the worst that happens to us I will be content.

We've now had a call from the travel company and our trip has 'officially' been cancelled. So we're into negotiations about refunds or credit notes or some such.

[Pingu]

Holidays:

Long weekends in Netherlands and Embra in May. The Embra one is rescheduled for December.

A week in Ghent in June which looks very iffy.

A week in Girona followed by a week in Drome in August. Dunno if that'll go ahead.

[rogerzilla]

Taekwondo classes for Miss Z the elder.

[Jurek]

I kinda have the opposite to this thread. I think.
In as much as I bought a turbo trainer from Ham OTP sometime in January.
About five weeks ago, I was taking my Mum for her weekly shop, and I decided to take advantage of the fact that I had use of the mini-cab, and so stocked up on tinned / dried foods, because I genuinely thought there would be shortages in the shops on account of Brexit.
About ten days later, the Corona bomb went off.

[drgannet]

A flight to Oz in May. Choice of rebooking or a voucher towards future flight. I’d prefer a cash refund but no hope of that.

If you bought in the EU you are legally entitled to a refund (until December anyway...). https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2020/02/coronavirus-travel-help-and-your-rights/#vouchersnotrefunds

[DuncanM]

On the plus side, I also had a small brexit stash of tins (and chocolate, don't forget the chocolate).  Also, sometime in late Feb there was a special offer on loo roll, so I bought 24 extra. That has come in handy.
On the other hand, I want to build a recumbent bike, and the rear triangle is at a friends house about 50 miles away. "No rush, I can get it in a week or 2" I said to him, a week before lockdown. I've got everything else necessary, including time (oh, except a head-tube - need to measure up and call Ceeway).