It’s amazing what lengths companies will do to draw in customers. As I previously wrote about memory foam mattresses it was only fair I do the same for memory foam mattress topper.
What is a memory foam mattress topper?
It’s the same as a mattress only thinner, it is placed on top of your original mattress most likely one that you have had a long time like a spring mattress. Memory foam mattress toppers were introduced because the market for memory foam mattresses was becoming increasingly popular. It is so popular that some customers are willing to fork out up to £1000 for a memory foam mattress.
Although I have two memory foam mattresses on in my bedroom and in the guest bedroom £1000 a mattress is quite shocking. So when companies try to sell memory foam mattress toppers they only start from around £70 so it looks like you are making a saving. In reality you are being made a fool as a full sized memory foam mattress can cost as little as £100.
Memory foam matters toppers in my opinion are just another way for memory foam manufacturers to make more money. You do not actually save any money as the mattress under the topper will need to be thrown away anyway so you should just buy a memory foam mattress that will last a long time anyway.
Memory foam mattress toppers usually last a lot less that the mattress, studies have found that o average they only last around 2 years but the memory foam mattress will have a guarantee of 5 years. Other factors such as weight and mattress condition will also have a negative effect on the toppers life span. People who are overweight will find that the memory foam will lose its firmness and elasticity quicker. If you have a mattress that is sagging already then by putting a mattress topper on top will only cause it to sag too, cutting its life span in half.
If you do choose to buy a mattress topper instead of a mattress then shop around to make sure you are getting a good deal. Also be aware that you may have to buy another in a few years, beware of companies that do not provide you with enough information such as depth, firmness and density. You may come to find that your product is not at all that was described. Most reputable companies also come with at least one years guarantee but memory foam mattresses can come with as much as a 5 year guarantee so if you are spending too much ask yourself why.
When I bought my house I knew that my bedrooms would have memory foam mattresses and pillows. I suffer from a bad back and the reviews and feedback I have gotten from friends who own them have been very good. I have tried all the mattresses available on the market including the so called ‘orthopaedic’ mattress but it still didn’t help. I had a colleague who once spent £5,000 on just a mattress because she thought it would help her get a good night’s sleep. It lasted no more than a year before she had to replace it. Like most people I enjoy getting a good night’s sleep and if I don’t I get cranky, also as I suffer from a bad back the thought of waking up in the morning all twisted and sore would really ruin my day.
Choosing a memory foam mattress?
When I decided that a memory foam mattress was for me I went to all the major furniture and mattress shops to see what the retail price was and to try them out. It turns out that the mattress would cost more than the actual bed frame and this was the case everywhere I went. The cheapest memory foam mattress I saw in the larger stores were no less than £200, they were also thinner than the standard mattresses and I would also have to pay delivery. Memory foam mattresses also come in grades of firmness so you can get a softer or firmer mattress depending on your needs, just like spring mattresses. The mattress I wanted was retailing £900 or more but the bed frame I wanted was only £120, it seemed silly and outrageous but I was determined that I could find the same thing cheaper.
Buying a memory foam mattress cheap
I searched online as I know all the shops were over charging but even then some internet sites were charging silly prices for delivery. In the end I found somewhere that I could buy the mattress that I needed at a fraction of the price that included delivery and two free memory foam pillows. Memory foam pillows on their own retail from £50 so to get them free with a mattress seemed perfect. The mattress cost £120 with two pillows and free delivery. I know what you are thinking, ‘there’s no way it was the same as a £900 mattresses, but how many people really know the difference? Memory foam mattresses are all made the same way with the same materials the difference in price is in who manufactured it and where it came from. If you buy one from Dreams you are being over charged but if you buy from the source you pay factory prices and this is what I did.
You can buy a good quality memory foam mattress without paying over the odds you just need to shop around, read reviews and make sure it’s a trusted company before you buy. If you buy online then make sure that you can return it if it doesn’t meet your expectations or you don’t like it. As memory foam mattresses are vacuum packed they are rolled up into a log shape and once you open it, it will unravel into a mattress and plump up. Some places will not allow you to return it if you have already let all the air out the vacuum seal, so check first.
A few days ago my electric shower stopped working, I only had it a year but it was a cheap unknown brand so I wasn’t too upset. I decided to buy a replacement shower that had a good reputation, last years to come and that was also modern. The original shower I had was white and I wasn’t very fussy on whether it should be the same or chrome instead. When I checked the shower connections before buying a replacement I noticed that the water pipe connection was not the standard installation required. So I had to find a replacement shower that could be installed using the existing connections. The only shower I found that came close was Triton T80Z; the average retail price is £130. They vary from £102 to £190 for the basic white finish. The chrome version of Triton T80Z costs on average £200 but I have seen it being sold for as little as £180.
When I saw the shower it did look very nice and well suited to my existing bathroom suite and for £150 for the white or £200 for the chrome shower it came with a 3 year warranty. Since my last one only lasted a year and packed up just after the warranty finished I was sure that this was the shower for me. To be honest I had no choice and it was either this or smash my bathroom and change the plumbing to fit any other standard electric shower.
Like I said before the chrome retails for £200 and the white for £150 I originally placed an order for the white but they ordered the chrome instead, but since my shower had been broken for a week I really needed it. I managed to get them to sell the shower to me for £150 that’s £50 of the average price! The most I have seen this shower sell for was £270 so I was very proud of the saving I had made.
Triton T80Z chrome electric shower 9.5kw review
When I took it out the box I was a little disappointed the chrome cover for the shower unit was very light and looked extremely fragile. Fitting the shower was simple and the instructions were easy. The shower does have a handy economy setting that allows you to save water but I hate it because the pressure on this setting is very terrible you end up spending twice as long so therefore it doesn’t save you time or money when using it. When in the normal standard setting the pressure of the water is really good, the shower head also has 5 different spray settings so you are sure to find one that suits you. Overall it does look nice and function well, it also came with a 3 year warranty but I do think it is massively overpriced. Unless you get it for £150 – £180 I wouldn’t bother, spending £200+ on a fragile shower is just not worth it! But if you like style and function over the price then go for it as the shower itself serves its purpose.
When my electric shower by Showerforce broke down I had act fast and either fix it or find a new one. On my journey I ended up having the worst customer service experience with Plumb Centre, here is my story.
My broken shower
I had a very cheap white electric shower that was just over a year old. The warranty had just run out so I decided to call the manufacturer for some advice. The shower I had was made by Showerforce, I know it’s not a well known name but I didn’t think that it would have broken down so soon. I went on the internet and tracked them down. There was a section about technical problems but the suggestions still didn’t solve my problem. What had happened was my electric shower had stopped heating up the water so it was cold all the time. Having checked the pressure, cleaned it and all the advice that was on the website the shower still wouldn’t work. I decided to call them, there were a few numbers listed but each and every one of them just kept ringing. I then found out they had gone out of business and there was no-one to help with the after sales.
After doing some research it seemed like the thermostat of the electric shower had broken and for the £60 I paid for it I decided it was time to get a newer one that was a little better. When I took my electric Showerforce shower apart I realised that I would have a hard time find a new one as my water pipe was positioned awkwardly. I searched endlessly for a shower that I could fit using the existing connections and as all the wiring and pipe work had been tiled over to re-do the plumbing was out of the question. Then I found the Triton T80Z electric shower that matched my installation requirements.
Plumb Centre
I checked everywhere on the Internet but the soonest I could have it was in 5 days so I looked at all the local stores in my area. I came across Plumb base but they didn’t have it in stock they too could have one delivered in store in a few days but I needed it there and then so I continued searching for it. Conveniently next door was Plumb Centre, now when I parked my car opposite Plumb Centre I didn’t realise the assistant was watching me. He said that he noticed I went into Plumb Base first so he was a little annoyed. I was a little taken back but I really needed the shower so gave him an excuse.
He didn’t have the Triton T80Z in stock but promised he could have it in by Monday afternoon, it was Friday evening and everywhere was closing. He offered it to us with a very generous discount but I held off seeing if I could still get it elsewhere. The next day was Saturday and I had run out of options so I called Plumb Centre and placed the order for a Triton T80Z electric shower in white, they said it would be here on Monday and took down my contact details. I confirmed once again it was in white and 9.5kw.
As I waited on Monday for Plumb Centre to call me I realised it was lunchtime and I had no phone call about my order so I called them. They said they’re delivery still hadn’t arrived but they didn’t close until 5pm so there was still a chance. I called again at 4.30pm and they still hadn’t got it, they took my number and promised to call tomorrow when my order arrives. It was now Tuesday and I waited for the phone call. I called around 4.30pm when they said my order had arrived, I was a little angry that no-one called but was excited and relieved it was finally here.
When I went to pick up my order I realised they ordered the wrong one in! It was the chrome version costing over £200 not the white that I was offered at £140! I was fuming but kept my cool. I managed to get them to give it to me for £150, saving over £50!
I really didn’t enjoy my experience with Plumb Centre they were not very efficient and they didn’t have the courtesy to call me to tell me my order was here or that it hadn’t arrived the day it was supposed to. Yes I did get a hug discount but I needed a shower as soon as possible and the let me down. I won’t be relying on them in future and will warn everyone I know!
Whilst out at a garden centre a week ago I stumbled across a box of seeds called ‘shake and rake’. Having never seen this type of product before I thought I’d find out a little more about it.
Shake n’ rake – seed shaker by G Plants LTD
G plants have a few varieties of shake and rake seeds, the three most popular and most widely found are Wild flowers, Scented flowers and Butterfly and bee flowers. The idea is to make planting as simply but as rewarding as possible. When you open the box all you see is what looks like saw dust not actual seeds, but if you look closely you can see one or two.
A box of shake and rake can cover as much as 50m² and seed 25 different kinds of flower in one box but in reality I found that it covers much less than that. The place where I bought it from had a special offer of buy two for £5 which I thought was a bargain. When I went home and did some research I found the exact same product selling for £10 excluding delivery charge. If you shop around you can find similar products that are selling for as little as £1.19.
It has only been a week since I bought shake and rake so I have to wait awhile to see if they actually work but the only reason I bought them was because of the variety of flowers that you get in such a small box and at a good price. If I had to buy all the flowers that are shown on the boxes it would cost a small fortune, so this way all I need is to do the minimal work of preparing the soil then shaking the seeds and wait for them to blossom.
In all I do find this product to be a bargain and even bought a box for my mum to try. If you do not have time to buy plants or have a large garden that would cost too much to maintain then shake and rake is an ideal product for you. With so many different flowers to watch and grow it’s so simple that even children can do it with little supervision. The box states that they should be planted between February and June but since I bought it in July and the weather has been very nice I planted them anyway. It shouldn’t do any harm as the time specified is only a guide and since this summer is supposed to span into September I’m sure that I will have time to see my flowers bloom before autumn and winter gets into full swing.
Read what happens to shake n rake after a year here. http://www.wisethoughts.co.uk/advice/shake-and-rake-one-year-on/
Butterfly world is situated in St Albans and has been open for the past two years. By next year a big dome will built to house all the butterflies that are currently there and more. The entrance fee is currently £6 for adults and £4 for children (children under 3 go free). There are many large car parks so parking even during peak times should not be a problem and there is also an area reserved just for coaches.
The butterfly world experience
After some reading on the internet surrounding the sharp decline in butterflies I thought it would be nice to raise some awareness and visit Butterfly World in St Albans. I have a high performance DLSR camera and took the opportunity to take some wonderful photos. The butterfly house is actually very disappointing it’s very small even my garden is three times bigger. You basically walk into an enclosure that is lined with exotic trees and plants and butterflies are flying around you. Most of them are actually common and can be found in your garden but there are some that have been brought in from as far as South America and Africa. This is pretty much the main attraction in all it took around 10-15 minutes to look and take pictures of the various butterflies. The enclosure is like a greenhouse so it was very hot, especially now the weather has picked up I would advise against going on a really sunny day. When I visited it was cloudy but warm, in the butterfly enclosure it got very stuffy and irritable after a maximum of 15 minutes. If you have young children make sure they are hydrated.
I went on a Thursday afternoon and it was very empty which was nice as you could take your time. After the main attraction of the butterflies I went on to have a stroll, there are designer gardens but to be honest they were really boring! There is a small manmade lake after the designer gardens, but there want anything special about them. Then there was an Ivan Hicks leaf garden than was basically some oversized garden items such as plant pots, hand fork and a ball of twine.
On the other side there is a caterpillar garden and a butterfly breeding house. The caterpillar house was nothing special just hard to find caterpillars on various plants. The breeding house for the butterflies was the same, a small glass box with butterflies hatching. There was also an education centre where it showed the various stages of a caterpillar’s life before turning into a butterfly.
There is a cafe that was very overpriced so I skipped this and went to the gift shop. There were many novelty items such as fridge magnet, garden accessories and useful butterfly information. At the back there was a small flower nursery, to my surprise they were really dull. All the flowers and plants had no life, just really plain. They are also ridiculously overpriced so beware! You local garden centre sells the same crap just cheaper.
If you think that butterfly world is a good day out I would suggest you go to a park instead. It was a rip off! £6 entry for a handful of rare butterflies, a manmade lake, a children’s play area that was closed and a gift shop that sold junk, save your money. I went there thinking I could spend half a day strolling around a enjoying the sights, but there was nothing to see and I was done after an hour!
