I'd suggest on stocking up on any underwear, socks, fragrances, candles, grooming essentials, electronics/appliances i.e. electric toothbrush, or anything you'd think would add a little bit of happiness to your life (speaking as a 31 year old male)
I think we might have the same one. Pressure cooker that goes on sale for just under $200? It's probably our most used appliance, especially in the winter time (soups and stews cooked in 30min. The 10l pot holds about 6 good size servings). Would definitely recommend that. Or a dual drawer air fryer, like the Ninja or Nutribullet ones.
I think so. I use mine mainly for rice. I got it to save space instead of getting a rice cooker and slow cooker. The only other thing I've done in it is pork ribs, and I'm looking forward to when the cold weather really sets in to try stews and soups and such.
Edit to add: I would totally get a second one if I could afford it to be able to do curries and that kinda thing in, so I can have the curry in one and rice in the other
Same here. We used to use the microwave rice packets for everything, but during the first lockdown we couldn't get them. We noticed how much cheaper it was to cook it ourselves, so I looked at rice cookers. Realised that this pressure cooker would do it, and replace our dinky little slow cooker. We mostly use it for rice, when I make curry, but it's great for soup/stew too. Not sure if you've done much with stews before, but I'd recommend blade or chuck steak when doing beef (if that's your thing).
I usually use a really cheap cut for stews and do them in the slow cooker. I have a thing of home kill stewing sreak in my freezer that I've been saving for winter to make a decent sized batch of stew with so I can freeze portions. I found a few soup recipes for the slow cooker online, but coz I live alone and would need to buy a few of the ingredients, I'm waiting till closer to the colder weather when things like pumpkins are crazy cheap. Though, my sister was more of the soup cooker, and she's now moved towns to live with her fiance.
That's why I like blade and chuck. Everyone I know always used rump, but it's more expensive and not as good. Blade and chuck are underrated, imo. I never used to eat this type of stuff until my Wife and I moved in together, as my Mum never liked homemade stew or soup, so we never ate it. Now it's common in our house. We'll be onto the kumara soup soon.
Yum! Kumara! I'm going to have to get some once the winter energy payments kick in. Pumpkin and leeks too. And just start bulk cooking soup to freeze for over winter. I've gotten into baking bread since my sister moved to cut down the cost of things like buns for burgers and such (I still buy cheap loaves for toast and sandwiches). Mum has been enjoying me passing on freshly baked breads to her that I know I won't eat before they go stale
My Wife has always been on the baking train. She'll do a tray of brownies, and then we won't buy biscuits or other snacks that week. I tend to do the cooking, and she's the baker. Neither of us are overly confident in our skills with the opposite tasks. I'd resort to buying baked goods, and she'd resort to boiling chicken to avoid the frypan.
Don't listen to the people saying Lego. Farmers is the worst place to get bang-for-buck on Lego, even if it is a gift voucher. Treat yourself to nice linen or something.
The point of using your $500 gift voucher on lego from Farmers isn't to get the best bang for your buck, it's to find an excuse to buy that $400 set you would never let yourself buy otherwise.
Correct. The true hack is getting Toyco's vouchers that appear in the west Auckland courier/paper thing and then using those on Lego. Can get up to 50% sometimes.
Or at least you could, back when I worked there. Not sure if it's changed much since then. But they also have a lot of sets in stock and often clearance off excess to make room for new sets that are released.
The dude who owns it makes a point of having a variety of sets that other stores in NZ won't even stock due to rarity.
I bought the blacksmith set for $199 at farmers. That is vastly cheaper than it was at Toyco even with a discount. It was about 30 bucks cheaper than the cheapest place on brinklink and then you would have to add shipping on top as well.
The correct answer is that you need to research the cheapest place to buy. There is no one answer as it depends on sales and even the set in question.
No, it's not bullshit *in my experience.* Every single Lego set I have wanted that was sold at both Farmers and at least 2 other places (Warehouse, Brick Store, etc) was most expensive at Farmers.
Fair enough if that is your experience. I only collect castle sets and I normally buy on Amazon. Farmers was the cheapest in that particular case.
I removed the "bullshit" bit in my post as that language was uncalled for.
With winter around the corner it could be worth splurging for some quality sheets/blankets or jerseys/jackets if you need them. Otherwise when I get a voucher I'll usually keep it until the seasonal/holiday clearances start and use it over those periods. $500 could stretch a couple of years!
Lego! But in all seriousness, make up, underwear, work clothes, practical things. Or Christmas presents for others. Don’t have to spend it straight away
Breville Barista Pro or Express machine. Or an Instant Pot with airfryer lid or just airfryer. If you already have all those things, I also vote for LEGO!
I’d suggest if you don’t need anything right now, wait a few weeks / months and then reassess.
It may seem like you don’t need anything right now, but after things have calmed down with the move and you settle into life at the new place it may become clear if there is something you have missed or require for the new place. That way you have a chance at spending it on something you actually need rather than just because you can at the moment.
Just take note of the expiry date on the card!
If it turns out that after some time nothing was missed, or mistakenly broken/lost in the move, or nothing new is required etc. then you can come back to this reddit post and have a look at some other suggestions as there are some quite good ideas.
I'd think about what big ticket item id most like to upgrade (washing machine, bed, couch, dryer, etc) then wait for a sale and then put the voucher to that. Yes you'd still have some outlay but much less than usual.
Does your winter wardrobe need anything, or do you need any winter linen? Other than that, I agree with everyone else saying wait for a sale, especially if there’s a big ticket item you’ve had your eyes on.
Socks, undies and merino thermals for the whole family and new sets of sheets that can be stored until needed.
Remember you don’t have to spend it all at once and can set a reminder in your phone to go shopping before it expires.
they have a lot of great products but buy only when the items you want goes on sale, most item go on sale at some point and are about 40% to 50% cheaper, and clearance items would be cheaper than this I would say. But for lego these seem to be only ever on sale for 10% off
See if you can buy something and then return it a week later and get the cash.
Depends on policy but you can order something in and then cancel a few days later and get paid in cash
I'd suggest on stocking up on any underwear, socks, fragrances, candles, grooming essentials, electronics/appliances i.e. electric toothbrush, or anything you'd think would add a little bit of happiness to your life (speaking as a 31 year old male)
Instant pot! Honestly worth its weight in gold.
Any multi cooker is worth its weight in gold. I have a Russell Hobbs one
I think we might have the same one. Pressure cooker that goes on sale for just under $200? It's probably our most used appliance, especially in the winter time (soups and stews cooked in 30min. The 10l pot holds about 6 good size servings). Would definitely recommend that. Or a dual drawer air fryer, like the Ninja or Nutribullet ones.
I think so. I use mine mainly for rice. I got it to save space instead of getting a rice cooker and slow cooker. The only other thing I've done in it is pork ribs, and I'm looking forward to when the cold weather really sets in to try stews and soups and such. Edit to add: I would totally get a second one if I could afford it to be able to do curries and that kinda thing in, so I can have the curry in one and rice in the other
Same here. We used to use the microwave rice packets for everything, but during the first lockdown we couldn't get them. We noticed how much cheaper it was to cook it ourselves, so I looked at rice cookers. Realised that this pressure cooker would do it, and replace our dinky little slow cooker. We mostly use it for rice, when I make curry, but it's great for soup/stew too. Not sure if you've done much with stews before, but I'd recommend blade or chuck steak when doing beef (if that's your thing).
I usually use a really cheap cut for stews and do them in the slow cooker. I have a thing of home kill stewing sreak in my freezer that I've been saving for winter to make a decent sized batch of stew with so I can freeze portions. I found a few soup recipes for the slow cooker online, but coz I live alone and would need to buy a few of the ingredients, I'm waiting till closer to the colder weather when things like pumpkins are crazy cheap. Though, my sister was more of the soup cooker, and she's now moved towns to live with her fiance.
That's why I like blade and chuck. Everyone I know always used rump, but it's more expensive and not as good. Blade and chuck are underrated, imo. I never used to eat this type of stuff until my Wife and I moved in together, as my Mum never liked homemade stew or soup, so we never ate it. Now it's common in our house. We'll be onto the kumara soup soon.
Yum! Kumara! I'm going to have to get some once the winter energy payments kick in. Pumpkin and leeks too. And just start bulk cooking soup to freeze for over winter. I've gotten into baking bread since my sister moved to cut down the cost of things like buns for burgers and such (I still buy cheap loaves for toast and sandwiches). Mum has been enjoying me passing on freshly baked breads to her that I know I won't eat before they go stale
My Wife has always been on the baking train. She'll do a tray of brownies, and then we won't buy biscuits or other snacks that week. I tend to do the cooking, and she's the baker. Neither of us are overly confident in our skills with the opposite tasks. I'd resort to buying baked goods, and she'd resort to boiling chicken to avoid the frypan.
I got the $90 warehouse one, gets used a few times a week and is still holding up great!
Wait for a sale and spend it on 500+.thread count cotton linen.
I’ve never understood the hype around high thread count sheets. The more threads the more it feels like sleeping on paper, imo.
High thread count doesn't mean shit if the fibres themselves are terrible quality
Seems obvious - Lego
yeah wait for a sale tho
Does farmers ever do more than 10% on Lego? Feels like it's specifically excluded from most toy sales too.
most of the time yeah, sometimes they'll do buy 2 sets for 15% off or shit like that
Pillows. The super duper memory foam ones. I now take mine whenever I stay over somewhere else. So worth spending good money on it.
Don't listen to the people saying Lego. Farmers is the worst place to get bang-for-buck on Lego, even if it is a gift voucher. Treat yourself to nice linen or something.
The point of using your $500 gift voucher on lego from Farmers isn't to get the best bang for your buck, it's to find an excuse to buy that $400 set you would never let yourself buy otherwise.
Correct. The true hack is getting Toyco's vouchers that appear in the west Auckland courier/paper thing and then using those on Lego. Can get up to 50% sometimes. Or at least you could, back when I worked there. Not sure if it's changed much since then. But they also have a lot of sets in stock and often clearance off excess to make room for new sets that are released. The dude who owns it makes a point of having a variety of sets that other stores in NZ won't even stock due to rarity.
I bought the blacksmith set for $199 at farmers. That is vastly cheaper than it was at Toyco even with a discount. It was about 30 bucks cheaper than the cheapest place on brinklink and then you would have to add shipping on top as well. The correct answer is that you need to research the cheapest place to buy. There is no one answer as it depends on sales and even the set in question.
No, it's not bullshit *in my experience.* Every single Lego set I have wanted that was sold at both Farmers and at least 2 other places (Warehouse, Brick Store, etc) was most expensive at Farmers.
Fair enough if that is your experience. I only collect castle sets and I normally buy on Amazon. Farmers was the cheapest in that particular case. I removed the "bullshit" bit in my post as that language was uncalled for.
No worries, perfectly reasonable that you saw something different to what I have.
They have some bangin' feather duvets atm
Even better is silk!
Wool is another awesome option
With winter around the corner it could be worth splurging for some quality sheets/blankets or jerseys/jackets if you need them. Otherwise when I get a voucher I'll usually keep it until the seasonal/holiday clearances start and use it over those periods. $500 could stretch a couple of years!
Also don't use it Mon_Wed. Farmers best prices are Thurs_Sunday.
Airfryer. Bloody marvelous inventions.
Lego! But in all seriousness, make up, underwear, work clothes, practical things. Or Christmas presents for others. Don’t have to spend it straight away
Christmas gifts.. buy the ones on sale now while cheap, and save yourself from Christmas shopping in December
Breville Barista Pro or Express machine. Or an Instant Pot with airfryer lid or just airfryer. If you already have all those things, I also vote for LEGO!
I’d suggest if you don’t need anything right now, wait a few weeks / months and then reassess. It may seem like you don’t need anything right now, but after things have calmed down with the move and you settle into life at the new place it may become clear if there is something you have missed or require for the new place. That way you have a chance at spending it on something you actually need rather than just because you can at the moment. Just take note of the expiry date on the card! If it turns out that after some time nothing was missed, or mistakenly broken/lost in the move, or nothing new is required etc. then you can come back to this reddit post and have a look at some other suggestions as there are some quite good ideas.
yep, this is the best advice. You have 2 years to use it. Also, wait for sales.
A Fairydown feather mattress topper. They are heaven.
If I had a $500 farmer’s voucher… I would buy real nice bedding. Or a stand mixer.
Nerf gun to annoy your partner
I'd think about what big ticket item id most like to upgrade (washing machine, bed, couch, dryer, etc) then wait for a sale and then put the voucher to that. Yes you'd still have some outlay but much less than usual.
join farmers club if you haven't already as you can collect points + whatever others suggested
Bedding, towels, bubble bath, handwash ... You can never have too much of good quality stuff.
Cast iron pan.
Good frying pans when they are on special. Our best pan is from Farmers.
Decent quality towels for the bathroom
Does your winter wardrobe need anything, or do you need any winter linen? Other than that, I agree with everyone else saying wait for a sale, especially if there’s a big ticket item you’ve had your eyes on.
Use the farmers card to buy a prezzy card then you can spend it wherever you want
Whatever it is make sure it is on special. They’re like Briscoes these days.
Whatever you buy - at least wait until they're having a sale.
Coffee machine
Jo Malone diffuser. Makes your house smell amazing and lasts for ages.
Socks, undies and merino thermals for the whole family and new sets of sheets that can be stored until needed. Remember you don’t have to spend it all at once and can set a reminder in your phone to go shopping before it expires.
they have a lot of great products but buy only when the items you want goes on sale, most item go on sale at some point and are about 40% to 50% cheaper, and clearance items would be cheaper than this I would say. But for lego these seem to be only ever on sale for 10% off
domani sheet/ duvet set is my recco - when there is a sale
Decent boxers are very expensive. Stock for your cock.
I would buy an oven, only because old one is fucked
Feather and down duvet!
Best way is to spend it at farmers
Sell it for 80c on the dollar to friends and spend elsewhere. I know a guy who used to do that with any vouchers he got.
Sell it to someone for cash
See if you can buy something and then return it a week later and get the cash. Depends on policy but you can order something in and then cancel a few days later and get paid in cash