How do I compare suppliers properly?
Comparing on total cost over the contract term rather than the headline, and the terms that change the answer.
beginner45 min2 min read
Comparing & Buying
Making a decision you won't regret in a year.
75 guides in Money & Practical
How do I furnish a home without spending a fortune?
What to buy new, what to buy used, and the order to buy in so you are not living without essentials.
beginner1 hr 30 min2 min readHow do I save money on insurance?
Where insurance savings actually come from — shopping at renewal, adjusting excess, and removing cover you already have twice.
beginner1 hr2 min readIs it worth reupholstering a sofa or should I buy a new one?
The frame decides it. How to tell a frame worth spending on from one that is not, and why reupholstery competes with a mid-range new sofa rather than a cheap one.
beginner25 min3 min readShould I buy a washer dryer or two separate machines?
A washer dryer buys you floor space and costs you almost everything else — drying capacity, drying cost, throughput, and the ability to keep washing when the drying half breaks.
beginner20 min4 min readWhat should I do when a provider raises my price?
Using the notice period, the comparison and the retention team to reverse or reduce most increases.
beginner45 min2 min readWhy are my decisions worse at the end of the day?
Deciding is effortful, and the effort accumulates. What tired decision-making actually looks like, and how to arrange a household so the big calls do not land at the worst moment.
beginner10 min3 min readHow do I break a tie between two options that come out level?
A genuine tie means the decision matters less than the time you are spending on it. Six tie-breakers in the order worth applying them, and the two that are worth more than the rest.
beginner10 min2 min readHow do I sell things online?
Pricing, photographing and listing so things actually sell, plus the scams that specifically target sellers.
beginner45 min2 min readIs it worth repairing or should I replace it?
A rough test based on repair cost, remaining life and running cost, applied to appliances, electronics and furniture.
beginner30 min2 min readHow do I choose a present for someone difficult?
A method rather than a list — how to work out what someone actually wants from what you already know.
beginner30 min2 min readHow do I stop going back over a decision I have already made?
A decision that keeps reopening was never recorded — only felt. Writing down the reasoning at the moment you decide is what makes a decision stay made.
beginner15 min3 min readHow long does a fridge freezer last and when should I replace it?
Ten to fifteen years is the realistic range, and the deciding question is not age but which part has failed — sealed system faults end an appliance, almost everything else does not.
beginner30 min4 min readShould I buy a chest freezer or an upright freezer?
A chest freezer is cheaper to buy and run and holds its temperature far longer in a power cut; an upright is the one you will actually find things in.
beginner30 min4 min readWhat kind of survey should I get when buying a house?
The difference between a mortgage valuation and a survey, the survey levels available, and how to match the level to the age and condition of the property.
beginner40 min3 min readWhat washing machine capacity do I actually need?
Capacity is quoted in kilograms of dry cotton, which is not how anyone loads a machine — so the useful question is what your bulkiest regular item is, not how many people live in the house.
beginner15 min4 min readShould I buy integrated or freestanding kitchen appliances?
Integrated buys a flush kitchen at the price of capacity, choice, repairability and the freedom to replace like for like in ten years.
beginner30 min4 min readWhat do I do when a decision turns out to be wrong?
Recovering costs less when it is done early. How to work out whether it was actually wrong, what can be recovered, and what to change for next time without over-correcting.
beginner20 min3 min readIs it worth repairing an old bike or buying a new one?
Most of what makes an old bike unpleasant is consumables, and consumables are cheap. The four checks that separate a bike worth reviving from one that is finished.
beginner20 min3 min readWhat is the difference between a water softener and a scale reducer?
One removes the hardness minerals; the other tries to stop them sticking. What each can and cannot deliver, and which problems each actually solves.
beginner15 min4 min readIs an American style fridge freezer with a water dispenser worth it?
The width is the real purchase, the dispenser is the real maintenance liability, and the plumbed-versus-tank decision is the one that determines whether you still use it in a year.
beginner30 min4 min readShould I buy an iron or a steam generator?
A steam generator is a separate pressurised boiler feeding a lighter iron — it produces far more steam for far longer, which only pays off if you iron in batches rather than one shirt at a time.
beginner15 min4 min readShould I buy or hire tools and equipment?
A simple test based on frequency of use, storage cost and the price of the alternative.
beginner20 min2 min readIs pet insurance worth it, and what should I look for?
The four policy types and why the difference between them matters more than the price, plus the pre-existing condition problem that makes switching hard later.
beginner40 min3 min read
Going deeper: DecisionHQ
Product and option comparisons with explicit criteria, rather than a single recommendation.