Alternative uses for shopping mistakes

[mina]

I've made too many bad buys to brag about, but I'm very pleased with one of mine. I recently had a (really very minor in the scheme of things) domestic crisis when my trusty old peg bag of 30 years broke and couldn't be fixed. I've found the perfect replacement - a Kipling cross-body bag in a shape and colour that I'll never use (so don't ask why I bought it, I just did because it was a good price) which is perfect for the job. So when I hang my washing out, I look relatively chic with the most expensive peg bag in the country that does the job perfectly.

So come on, fess up - what have you bought that you now use for something else?

 

[merryone]

I bought an absolutely useless battery operated ice cream maker which consisted of a double bowl that ended up as a feeding bowl for my mum's cat. An exercise bike that ended up being a clothes horse, a perfume that I ended up being used as a lavatory bowl spray, a "trapper" hat that got repurposed as a hammock for my pet rats!

 

[stratobuddy]

I bought an absolutely useless battery operated ice cream maker which consisted of a double bowl that ended up as a feeding bowl for my mum's cat. An exercise bike that ended up being a clothes horse, a perfume that I ended up being used as a lavatory bowl spray, a "trapper" hat that got repurposed as a hammock for my pet rats!

I had the same ice cream maker, as soon as you put it into the freezer the batteries died as they were way below their operating temperature,

I'm still trying to find a use for it

 

[MrMarple]

Yep, I bought that ice cream maker too. It was absolutely useless. Why I didn’t send it back I’ll never know.

 

[merryone]

I had the same ice cream maker, as soon as you put it into the freezer the batteries died as they were way below their operating temperature,

I'm still trying to find a use for it

Have you got a cat, or know anyone who could do with a cat bowl? I just remember when I tried to use it that what went in the freezer as a runny slop came out as a runny slop, and yes I think I had the same issue with the batteries dying as they had to remain on the unit in the freezer so it could keep the mixture moving. To be fair, if it serves no purpose whatsoever just throw it in the bin. I reached the conclusion that ice cream makers and pasta makers are pretty damn pointless purchases just buy the flipping stuff! I'm on the fence when it comes to juicers, I've got an electric citrus juicer and it's brilliant but the ones that are supposed to juice anything in my experience have produced a slimy, grimy "juice" and a whole lot of clean up at the end I suppose they're ok to use up the contents of a dying fruit bowl, but make sure you close your eyes when you're drinking the stuff!

 

[Breeze]

I had the same ice cream maker, as soon as you put it into the freezer the batteries died as they were way below their operating temperature,

I'm still trying to find a use for it

Buy a cat

 

[markd]

I still have the ice cream maker in the back of a cupboard what was wrong with us all

 

[Cashers]

I've made too many bad buys to brag about, but I'm very pleased with one of mine. I recently had a (really very minor in the scheme of things) domestic crisis when my trusty old peg bag of 30 years broke and couldn't be fixed. I've found the perfect replacement - a Kipling cross-body bag in a shape and colour that I'll never use (so don't ask why I bought it, I just did because it was a good price) which is perfect for the job. So when I hang my washing out, I look relatively chic with the most expensive peg bag in the country that does the job perfectly.

So come on, fess up - what have you bought that you now use for something else?

I use a white PVC toiletries bag, a freebee in a very old Elemis TSV for my leg bag! Does the job great.

 

[mina]

I use a white PVC toiletries bag, a freebee in a very old Elemis TSV for my leg bag! Does the job great.

I use a freebie red and silver snakeskin make-up bag but I haven't a clue what was originally in it.

 

[merryone]

I use a white PVC toiletries bag, a freebee in a very old Elemis TSV for my leg bag! Does the job great.

Peg bag?!

 

[Grizelda]

The inside of an electric slow cooker. Slow cooked food is usually a stew or a soup and I got fed up with eating mushy food, so I took the ceramic interior out of the cooker, filled it with gravel mixed with soil and put different types of cactus in it. They're doing very well.

Peg bag?!

Thank you. I'm too literal!

 

[donna255]

I feel left out, I never bought the ice cream maker.

 

[Toril]

I feel left out, I never bought the ice cream maker.

Neither have I, but at least we don’t have to think of an alternative use for a broken one.

 

[stratobuddy]

Neither have I, but at least we don’t have to think of an alternative use for a broken one.

They are not broken, they were utterly useless right from the start

 

[merryone]

This wasn't the exact brand but it's the same machine

 

[SisterBliss]

I bought an absolutely useless battery operated ice cream maker which consisted of a double bowl that ended up as a feeding bowl for my mum's cat. An exercise bike that ended up being a clothes horse, a perfume that I ended up being used as a lavatory bowl spray, a "trapper" hat that got repurposed as a hammock for my pet rats!

Yikes! You keep rats as pets! I know they are very intelligent. What do you 'do' with them? Do they play together? What cols are they?

 

[merryone]

Yikes! You keep rats as pets! I know they are very intelligent. What do you 'do' with them? Do they play together? What cols are they?

That was a while ago now as you need a lot more energy than I have these days to look after them, but they are gorgeous pets and I've had quite a few over the years, white ones, black ones, black and white ones...yes they play together and if you handle them right they enjoy being handled, will feed out of your hands....Just lovely pets. I don't have any pets at the moment. I'd love a cat but I live in an upstairs flat and I don't like the idea of not being able to let it go outdoors, nor do I want a stinky litter tray to deal with.

 

[merryone]

Thinking about dodgy shopping/channel products I have a vague recollection of me buying one of those "magic" pasta cookers. All you had to do is place raw spaghetti/pasta into this plastic container, cover it with boiling water, put the lid on, go sit down for 10 minutes and return to a perfectly cooked portion of pasta. Needless to say it didn't work! The spaghetti had softened a little but it certainly wasn't edible. If I remember rightly I threw the whole lot in the bin before oh came home and saw it! If there was a competition between the ice cream maker and the pasta "cooker" for the worst product the ice cream maker wins hands down - Waste of batteries, waste of ingredients and a waste of freezer space. At least the loss of a portion of spaghetti and some water only amounts to pennies. I guess I could've repurposed the container but at the time I just wanted shot of it!!!!

 

[Tinyfeet]

Buy a cat

You can have one of mine

 

[Cashers]

Peg bag?!

Auto correct!!!!