It's unbelievable that today is the last day of September... where has this month gone? I'm glad it's October tomorrow, though, as this month has been a touch stressful!
I was in at work from 10am until 2pm, and the shift passed very pleasantly. I sped off to get Mike, and then it was home for a quick change before Keith and I went over to Howden's in Kettering.
The weather has turned today, and it was chilly, rainy and windy. I had a pair of fabric sandals on, which were definitely the wrong choice for the conditions today! We met Matt at Howden's who has taken over from Georgia, and he seemed in a terrible rush, and mostly unaware of what our design looked like. I was unimpressed again...surely, if you know you have a meeting about a kitchen you would look at the design first?
He asked us lots of questions (such as which appliances we wanted, sinks, door handles etc) and I felt like we were being put on the spot. It all felt very hurried and not at all what I was expecting. He ran off downstairs to grab a more technical design of the kitchen and asked if we had a builder/fitter yet. We have been in touch with someone who project manages lots of different trades, and who has some great reviews, so he went off to call him while we waited in the depressing upstairs room. I played about with the kitchen doors and the worktops, but I felt very disappointed with the rushed meeting.
Matt came back upstairs and finally revealed the cost - around £12000 but if we took delivery next week and arranged storage at nearby premises, they could knock the VAT off, thereby reducing the price to just over £10000. This price was certainly in our budget, bringing the total cost to just under £20000 with the building works and fitting, but without any flooring, lighting, tiling or the new fridge freezer.
Again, with the stress on taking delivery next week to take advantages of the sale, I felt like we were being put on the spot. Spending this amount of money and then having to live with any mistakes we might make just felt wrong to me. Plus, we have had so much upheaval this year and in the last few months especially, that I was inclined to wait until the new year.
We said we would let him know by the end of business tomorrow and drove to Aldi to get something for dinner tonight. I fancied something warming and comforting, so we chose some thick vegetable and beef soups, a couple of loaves of sourdough bread and berry crumble for dessert. I also put some olives and hummus crisps in the basket to enjoy before dinner.
We sloshed our way home and talked about the kitchen. I am so wary of making a big mistake and then having to live with the consequences, so I felt that we should wait and do some more research. The man from Harborough Kitchens has still not delivered his design and quote, so I'm going to call them tomorrow and find out what's happened.
Keith watched Newcastle play its evening, and I prepared dinner which was hardly an onerous task!
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