- Do I really need this?
- What is its life cycle? What went into making it (time, labour, resources)
- What are the alternatives?
- Where did it come from? How did it get here?
- What is its environmental and social impact?
- Who benefits from the purchase? What will it do for me?
- What's in it? Who made it?
It won't.
A sewing machine cannot be classified as food or travel or medical (unless you include sanity?)
There followed about 30 seconds of anguish during which I reviewed the questions above & persuaded myself that spending money on a repair is acceptable & is within the 'rules'. (The alternative was using my mother-in-law's sewing machine that Mr TH mended & now only stitches in zig-zag..)
I phoned the repair man.
I'm taking my machine over to him this afternoon...
14 comments:
Perhaps "maintenance" would sound better than "repair". Not least, sewing machines do need maintenance, and next year you could schedule it for before Buy Nothing New Month!
Yes, you are right...I will schedule myself ready for next year!
Definitely medical I would say. And anyway I am sure repairing doesn't count - many would have just thrown it away and bought a new model. So no worries!
Pomona x
So glad that when you went " surfing " you found me ! I don't sew but one day into hubby going away the computer decided to play up ! Luckily my son fiddled around & got it going !
I think repair definitely doesn't count. You are not buying anything new and by repairing it you are supporting a skilled job probably done by a small business. That seems just the right thing to spend money on. Also I couldn't leave with out my sewing machine so sanity is much more important. - Annie
Thank you so much for all your lovely, supportive comments. I'm feeling less guilty now!
It is ESSENTIAL. Of course you need it!
I think a repair is a great idea, you will be saving lots of other items from landfill by re-sewing them into new items, you will be saving a lovely machine from landfill that would never decompose, also, like you say, it is for your sanity :-) I was really chuffed last week to turn a pair of trousers from a charity shop and and old table cloth into a bag for my little ones birthday (it looks a lot better than it sounds honest, will blog photos soon).
Repairing something certainly isn't buying something new, so I think it's well within the rules of Buy Nothing New Month. Though if you really wanted that halo, you could have done the repair yourself. The last time the timing went on mine I found some service instructions online and tried fixing it myself. It took just over an hour, but is fixed now, and I now how to service it myself now too.
Thank you for the tip Claire- I shall do some online research (& polish my halo at the same time!)
Can't wait to see Sweetpea's blog about the trouser & table cloth conversion...
Definitely medical, and not just with regard to your sanity ... struggling on with a zig zag only machine would surely have raised your blood pressure ;D
Repair is definitely allowed under your rules! Some repairs don't even need new parts!
Now, if you'd thrown it away and got a new one, that would have been different... ;)
I think it comes under medical too - it's treatment for the machine, isn't it? No need to angst over it at all. Good for you though, re buy nothing new month. I'm not sure I could manage it - too many surprises via the children, random birthdays and replacement of lost PE kit etc, etc.
I think a 'well done' is deserved not a guilt trip! Absolutely in the rules I think. Lucky you for having someone nearby to take it to too!
CKx
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