Umaisarah
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Posts posted by Umaisarah
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You don't need a pelmet if you already have L-box or false ceiling across the window. You're getting chopped.
Grrr......
(Edited to add: Wah, i aredi Bronze member....!)
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am so impressed you've gotten so much done already! i have barely started my shopping!!!You getting keys on 22 Mar is it?
Quite close aredy leh....if u dun hv many new things to buy and u dun hv to move out so soon, ok lor...
I v kan cheong, so early already book curtains.
Very excited, mah....
Anyway, i hv to move out before my 2nd appt with HDB cuz my buyer also want to start their reno early.
Last month they come down to my house while I was away and brought 3 reno contractors and was already discussing what to knock down, what to take out etc. Like quite sad they're going to tear down my kitchen
but i know tt kind of style not to everyone's taste. My maid told me they also go and open my fridge to check how big it is cuz they want to buy something like it !! .
And they asked my maid if they can have my cute telephone table and wood bench. Wah, I so mad at them
. Thank goodness they never open my wadrobe! Next time they say want to come down, I make sure I'm around... -
I spoke to an ID, she assured that it wont be dusty or insects hiding in cove lighting area, of coz I wasn't convinced at all. Can you explain the giddy part? I once had a cove light shinning outwards and my fan is inward..not sure if you get wat i mean (cove light not facing fan), no giddy problem.I love warm light for the house. my previous house had a big living, about 5m by 4.5m.. i had a fan in the middle and 4 corners each a downlight and 1 each along the 4 sides (a rectangle with 8 lights) i never had to on all 8 lights, coz its very bright (my standard). Good enough if i on 4, usually i on 2. I have seen people mixing warm n white, i think its personal perference
I think the giddy part is when your cove light is shining inwards cuz the fan will create alternating shadows. Tt happened to my mom's place, she had a ceiling fan and a light installed close to each other, then when you on the fan, it really is nauseating becuz of the shadows, so she had the light moved and the problem was resolved.
I think finally, my DH decided no need cove lights lah... In terms of electrical costs, will also be expensive cuz u need to install light points for them, and buy the tubes. But he still worried abt the strength of the lighting. He wants the ID to think of another ceiling plan so that there's enough light, especially for the living area.
btw, do u know if a curtain pelmet is still necessary if we already have false ceiling or L box running across the window area? Eg, if I have an L-box running the whole length of my planter and balcony area, do I still need a pelmet? My ID says must have, but other IDs which quoted me, never say anything about pelmet. If I don't do the pelmet, can save abt $300-$400.
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Hey the bed looks very simple (i like) and sturdy. Wah!! can bargain so much, omg..imagine how they try to chop us with their first quote!! now I learn something from you , I'll bargain bargain n bargain!Btw I want to check why you got Serta mattress instead of the usual Simmons, Sealy? We were deciding to get either Simmons or Sealy, then sort of decided Sealy coz the comfort pad is more comfortable, but then just saw friend using Serta, i m starting to sway again haa. Few of my friends who use Serta bot their bed frames as well. I find lokking for a mattress is quite "complicating"!!
Yah, now I've learnt that when I go to those big shops, shouldn't be afraid to bargain becuz their original prices are really cutthroat!
But I think need to look see first lah...like I dun think that SPACE shop will bargain one, hah hah
Why Serta? Hmmm....actually when I walked into the Serta shop it was just to check it out. I heard Serta was very ex, so wanted to see it to believe it. Then I saw the 50% off, I thot it was a good bargain. We actually asked the salesman, Kelvin, how does Serta mattress compare with Simmons. He praised Simmons cuz he used to work there. He said if we're looking for a Simmons equivalent to the Serta mattress we're eyeing, it wld cost about $5-6K. Then, he showed me a newspaper article dated Nov 09 where it said Serta was buying over Simmons in the US! I think there's some truth to it cuz when I checked the Internet later, there was a story on Simmons filing for Chap 11 (bankruptcy) and selling itself to Serta's owners. Not sure how it wld affect the local ops, though.
We currently have a Simmons which worked well for the past few years, but DH was complaining that it's not firm anymore. He can feel it when I'm tossing and turning on the bed. We liked the Sierra Hills cuz the comfort pad is softer and overall feels firmer (DH likes very firm bed). But honestly, I dun know how to compare mattresses, leh
. As long as not too soft or saggy and I can't feel the springs, alright with me lah. What I'm looking for and still cannot find to my liking is pillows. I want big, soft pillows, like the ones used in good hotels. My best experience with pillows was at Hilton KL. Wah, their pillows so syiok, big and soft and so comfortable..... -
The prices indicated are within market rates.For installation of celiing fan w/lights, only one main switch is needed. The light controls are activated from a pull lever dangling from the centre of the fan.
For your second query, they are asking you whether you want to have a 3-gang rocker switch in a single box or 3 separate single rocker switch in 3 separate boxes. Electricians charge for anything additional unless they tell you otherwise.
But for my current fan+light, the controls are separate. Some fans come with remote control, is activation via the remote, and not the switch? Not really keen on the pull lever method cuz easy to get damage over time. Are all fan+light models like that?
Thanks for clearing up the part abt the switch. Oh, it's called rocker switch, issit? Now I know what to tell the electrician.
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Another 1 month and we will be getting the keys to our new place but we have yet to confirm with ID! We visited some during the weekend and met up with various types of ID and most of them only take down our requirements. A couple gave us ideas. And one even tell me to shift my kitchen door despite me mentioning that I don't have intention of doing that, twice!One thing we have purchased for our new home though, is our Serta mattress! A king size Sierra Hills. We stepped into Serta just to look around, and got attracted by the 50% discount which I later realised to be some promo gimmick. Nonetheless, I told hubby that since we like the bed and it's within our budget, then it's okay lor.
Now I just cross fingers that everything else will be within our budget too......
Hi Merydith
Wen r u collecting yr keys? I think we r in same boat but I recently selected my ID. Whew! It's a big relief to get tt done. My advice is to go w e one u feel most comfortable with. Hv u got 2nd appt w any of them yet? By then u shd hv an idea or feeling aredi if u can work w them. But dun worri still got time lah.
U oso bought e Sierra Hills! Whr u buy? IMM? Can share w me how much u pay for it? You can see mine frm my sig. Hope tt Kelvin didn't chop me. Do u know we actually spend almost 2 Hrs at e shop until my kids complain they were hungry for dinner. We tried all e mattresses and end up w e Sierra Hills cuz it's softer. Yah tt 50% is jus a gimmick. I mention it in my blog too so others, pls bargain hard if you're thinking of buying a Serta!
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Can some kind souls comment on this quote I got? Is it reasonable? market price?
(prices are for concealed wiring)
Supply and install new lighting point $28
Install downlight $5
Install ceiling fan with light $20
Install ceiling fan $15
Install pendant/hanging light $25
Install lights $5
Install 1x13A SSO $50
btw, for installing ceiling fan w lights, do I need to create 2 points, one for the fan and one for the light?
cuz there'll be 2 switches right? one to on the fan, and one to on the light?
Also, I'm not sure what you say when you want to change the light switches from 1 switch per box to 3 per box? anyone know what I mean?
Is the price already included in installation of the light point?
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Hiya Umaisarah, yeah, Singapore Expats!It's actually not a ground floor unit, but the yard + balcony was the reason I got the place, even if the bedrooms are a little bit small. Have been reading your blog, I love the look of wood too! Looking for a dining table now, saw one in John Erdos but it's sooooooooo expensive!
Just checked the John Erdos website. You're right, quite ex!
Have you been to The Shophouse at Gillman? They've got quite nice wood pieces there too.
But prices may be of same range as Erdos. I think they cater more for expats cuz the owner is an ang-moh.
I was considering buying some dining chairs there a few years back, but then we drove down the road a little bit and came across Mirage Teak House. Prices were like more than 50% cheaper but of course quality cannot compare lah.....
Got a teak side cabinet from them too but there's mould in a few places and the varnishing is quite bad.
Natural Living also has some nice wood pieces. Try the Park Mall outlet and look for Azizah, she was the one who gave me $1,000 discount on the bed!
I got my 2m x 1m dining table from a Barang2 warehouse sale. Really, really love it cuz it looks **** solid and expensive, heh heh.
But I'm so careless so now there's like hot pot stains on the surface. Not to mention scratches but I suppose that's what gives it character
Am planning to re-varnish the surface and protect it with cut glass but in two minds about it
If $$ permit, may change my dining chairs too cuz quite uncomfortable to sit on it after a while.
But may go for non-wood, modern design just to spice things up a little
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i loved reading your journey to your new home in the East!i live in the East!
And i can say ... East is relaxing.. especially when u are near the Loyang, Changi Prison areas... quiet, serene and tranquil... ehehehe
Hi Wizi
Glad to hear u like reading my blog
Eastside living will b diff n lonely for me cuz I'll b far away frm my family. They're all westerners, heh heh. But one good thing is tt many of my colleagues stay in e east so can hitch ride home w them
actually I'm quite anxious cuz evrything will be unfamiliar. Dun even know whr e wet mkt is. Nearest Ntuc is 1 mrt stop away at eastpt mall. There's some nice devts at loyang but DH didn't fancy cuz public tpt will b a problem.
Hopefully envt will b btr for children but my eldest aredy saying she wants to go Crescent Girls cuz most of frens choosing tt sch (she taking Psle this yr, stress!). Trying to convince her to go to schs in e area. Got any good ones to recommend
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Hi Patsy!
Welcome! I'm a newbie too. I see u got yr floorplan frm singaporeexpats website too
. Is yours a ground floor unit cuz I've nvr seen a yard+balcony before except for grd flr. But u dun hv PES?
So mbe this is special layout?
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This is perfect. Thanks Renotalk and people like LimLim for sharing.
Was looking for shop to buy plywood for bunkie boards for my king size bed.
Not related but does anyone know shop that sells glass that can be cut to size?
I want to cover my wood dining table.
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Time to talk about my biggest damage so far - Renovation.
After much head-scratching, hesitation, research, and back-and-forth, convenience and design won over and DH and me decided to go with Inner Room as our appointed ID cum renovator. The ID came back to me on Sat in response to my request if we can give them partial contract. She said she can cut down the value to within our budget so we went down to their office yest to discuss. Actually, prices have remained almost the same, but we took out quite a nbr of items which we don't need which she had quoted, like bookcases for the girls' bedroom (we're bringing our current Billy bookcases), the MBR bedhead and feature wall (going to do simple decal, wallpaper or let the paint colour and bedhead do the talking), bookcase for MBR, display cum divider **** (dun believe in feng sui stuff).
She also gave us discount on her prof fees and free GERMAN STUCCO wall for the dining area. Total value in the end is abt $1K above our budget but $11K less than her initial quote. I think she quoted us for fairly good materials, like the inside of the cabinets is made of colour polygen, compared with Home Guide which quoted cheaper but the ID (from HG itself, not IR) did point to me that the internal is white PVC. The bay window laminate ledge is 5cm thick and will hv an overhang so that our feet will dangle and not touch/dirty the walls). IR quoted me $288 for acrylic and glass bi-fold door with top and bottom tracks. I wanted to get PD door but DH and ID don't recommend
Now realised that ID forgot to include quote for MBR TV console.
If she quote too high, our alternative is to buy Ikea TV console, do some mod and decorate it with Winkplay decals.
I'm fully aware that my head is primed for carrot chop but hopefully I'll hv peace of mind that someone will be doing all the running around and checking for me, and I know the quality and look will be there....
So, that's one major item off the list.
Next is electrician, lighting and MOVERS!!!
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Everytime we go window-shopping, kena more damage to the wallet
Yesterday, went down to Harvey Norman at Millenia to look at their bedframes. DH was surprised HM sells beds cuz he thot they're like Best Denki, sell only electronic items. Anyway, their furniture range is quite atas, and hence expensive. Saw a bedframe we like, it was about $1000+ for king-size. KIV for next time. We also saw a mattress selling for $12k. Crazy..... but this was not the only crazy and amazing thing we saw...., heh heh
Then we came across this furniture store called SPACE. Curious, went in to take a look, but almost fainted at the prices!
Wah, this one only new citizens like Jet Li with banglo at Bukit Timah or Holland can afford! Never mind, pretend like we belong in the shop and took a slow walk around the shop. Saw some dining chairs that I really like but of course, one piece alone costs $1000+!!!
We saw a life-size horse lampshade (which was featured in one of the home decor mags, I think it was LookBook) and a life-size pig table.
If you're curious, here's a link to what it looks like, it really IS life-size.
Mooi Life-size Horse Lamp Shade
Needless to say, we didn't check the price for those items cuz dun think it will fit with our decor theme,
Actually, I'm wondering what the designer was thinking when he got the idea for this thing..."Hey, why not I put this lamp shade on a horse's head, make it life-size, and see if anybody is gullible enough to buy it cuz it's a designer item! and then I'll do a similar design with a pig and pair it with a table this time!"
Ah, well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder....
Back to my window-shopping. Left Millenia and was heading twds Tradehub21 at Boon Lay coz I wanted to check out Cellini but since we're in the area, we dropped by Park Mall instead. While DH was having his cigarette break, I checked out X-tra and saw some colourful stackable chairs that I thought will look nice in the kids' bedrooms. Checked the price, about $200+ each. Where can I get cheaper replicas???
Finally walked into Cellini and saw the Marrakesh bedframe. Almost same price as the Harvey Norman one, but weren't confident it is strong enough. The legs and frame look quite 'skinny'. and it was covered in PVC leather which we were not crazy abt.
Went into this shop called Eco-something, which sells quite an eclectic mix of styles. When we enter the shop, it was full of white, flowery Victorian-style furniture, then next room was several Asian-style items, then the final room is a glam, bling-bling-style of design. I think this shop is confused just as I am.
Stopped at the Asian-style area, and saw this bedframe which we really liked. Wood, with bamboo strips at the bedhead and footboard(?) On offer at $1595 w GST and delivery. Almost bought but I hesitated cuz the again the frame looked skinny (we had a bad experience where our honeymoon bed broke only after a few months of using, so we make sure our subsequent beds are strong enough), and the unique bedhead will be covered when we put in our mattress and pillows. and the sales lady was punching numbers in the calculator and coming up with the magical figure of $1595 and saying she never charge GST etc. How do I know she hasn't already included it in.
So decided not to buy and we left.
Actually, before we went into that confused shop, we were at Natural Living, my next favourite furniture shop since Barang2 has closed down (sniff!).
We saw two beds there we liked. One was called the Tibet Bed, we liked the groove design of the bed edges, but it will too big for our bedroom cuz it has jutting-out sides and front. DH wanted to buy a Queen cuz the frame with the jutting-out sides is big enough for a king mattress. But I didn't want cuz I think it will spoil the mattress. DH said it won't. We're still arguing abt it.
The other one we liked, which we finally bought, was this Yoshi Bed. Why we liked it?
Just look at those strong square legs! And it has a tall bedhead, so with our 14 inch mattress sitting on it, it will just at the right height.
But one drawback was that it has bed slats instead of bunkie boards. I quickly check with our Serta mattress salesguy and he advised to buy frame with bunkie boards cuz they're better for the mattress. Sales lady at Natural Living said if we want the boards, it will cost $200 extra. But she advised us to buy or make our own from plywood at Defu Lane.
So after a bit of thinking about it, we confirm the order.
Damage? Official selling price $2,750, sales lady offered to us at $2000, we said we'll think about it and went to that confused Eco-shop, then returned to Natural Living and DH counter-offer at $1,700. Sales lady checked something, and said ok.
Aiyo, if we know can go as low as $1000 off, we should have asked for $1,500!
Anyway, the above picture of the bed came from a Canadian furniture shop which was retailing the king-size bed at CA$1,299.
Paid deposit of $600. After reading horror stories of damaged furniture delivered to forummers, I told DH don't pay in full yet. Wait until deliver, then pay the rest.
So that's the story of my window-shopping for bedframe
Lessons learnt - Haggle and bargain like you're in a Turkish bazaar! And groom my daughter to be a world-class designer so she can charge lotsa money for crazy designs that people call 'avant-garde'
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You can try the IT show that's on the 11-14th Mar @ Suntec City, Ossify got his during such show and it was a good promo they were having. I'm sure buying off the rack wld be more expensive.Thanks, Dmay. Will check it out. Me looking for MP printer oso, and mbe a new Macbook for my new master bedroom, heh heh....
Ngunadi - I think I know which stationery shop you referring to. Wah, din know they oso carry this kind of stuff.... Thanks!
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Hi Ossify
Got really curious abt the Eubiq system. Showed my hubby and he wondering if ez to get overloaded like dat.
Are there retail shops that sell the system so we can take a look?
Can they advise like where's the best place to put?
How much is the price?
I saw the system being placed in a TV console, and it
doesn't look THAT bad leh...
but i think sure expensive wan.....
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Nearly 1 more month before we get keys, and I'm getting panicked aredy coz still looking for ID!!!!
Quotation still pending:
Ideal House
1 Inch Square Foot
Bayou Interiors
Not confident they can give me better price than Home Guide coz they're mostly designer IDs.
Haiz...going to do more 'shopping' tmrw. Checked classifieds today and saw lots of adverts.
May check out Homeworkz coz saw they give direct factory price.
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I promise Ossify the ceiling plan, so here it is
This option is proposed by the ID from Inner Room.
(Some edits to the picture: the blue portion should just be a plain false ceiling, NOT reverse pelmet. My bad, forgot to change it.)
The ID advise against putting cove lights because we want to have a fan in the living room.
Based on her past experience, cove lights can make you giddy.
My hubby wants cove lights at first but recently his friend told him abt the insects and lizards problem,
so now he kind of come around to the idea of NOT having cove lights (yeah!)
But we're worried if the lighting plan will be bright enough for the living room.
For info, living-cum-dining room combined is about 6.7m x 2.5m.
We dunwan to get lighting kit for the fan.
What kind of light is usually for the downlights? Warm or white? Can we mix it up? eg corner-warm, middle-white?
Comments, suggestions, advice, pls.
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Finally able to post my floor plan pic here.
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So I email e ID frm Inner Room if I can do a partial contract or buy her drawings but she nvr respond yet.
I'm oso looking at other carpenters to compare price w MWG.
Any recommendations?
Got a quote fr Home Guide. Will post details later but after minus things I dun need now, it's within my budget. But I hv no confidence w e designer coz she's only 21 yrs old!!! Look so timid n soft. Altho she said there'll b PM to do site supervision, I think if hv dispute btw d two she sure lose one.
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Hi Zhiz
Let's continue our chat here
Agree tt's its a tedious process to get the right ID at the right price.
It's like finding husband or wife
Must be able to click together, have give-and-take, communicate well.
So far I have met up with one ID and one 'Project Manager' (I'm not sure if he's ID or contractor or what).
What I like about the ID is that she really listened to my ideas and remember them. That shows she is willing to be flexible and
incorporate client's ideas and try to make them work. Some IDs insist that their design is their best. Your idea cannot work or its not nice. They've been in the business for so long, they know what works. That kind of attitude really turns me off.
The 'Project Manager' turned me off because he was trying to pressure me, by saying his best price only valid for that day.
If I cfm some other time, it will be different price. I hate that type of tactic. It's not as if he's giving me BIG discount, just measly $500.
A good and honest ID will let you take your time to decide, cuz this is a big investment, and you have to literally live with it for the rest of your life (or until you get a good price for your house
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hi umaisarah,sorry i cant recall where i have seen a wooden bed w/o the headboard, because i hv been to quite many furniture shops! also wood is not what I am looking for, so did not pay particular attention but i rem they are pretty common. alot of furniture shops do customer make, removing or adding something should be easy for them.
On your qn about going ala carte, I think its perfectly ok? esp you are talking about a 10k saving!! i have moved couple of times and both times, i have my reno done a la carte. Also you asked abt using ID brain but engage own carpentry, yes this can be done also. Some ID do sell their design for about $800 (depends on ID). the sis co of rest and relax (cant recall the name) do mainly design (n lesser of the reno work).
if you ask me, i'll sure go for the way that saves money. But you have to be prepared to spend more time co-ordinating..so go with whichever you feel comfortable. Some people prefer to pay for service.
Actually the ID I like is from Inner Room which IS the sister company of Rest and Relax
Mbe I should ask her if she mind I use my own carpenter. She actually charge $1000 for professional services which include site supervision.
Not sure if she also supervise if I get my own contractor??
Actually, what really make the price difference is the laminate for the bay window ledge.
Inner Room quote me $2,362 while Metal & Wood quoted $900. You see how much I can save just from that alone?
I'm not doing anything fancy for the bedrooms anyway, so don't really need an ID there. Just need a good carpenter who can build to spec.
That's why I'm thinking to use MWG for the 3 common bedrooms, and engage Inner Room for Living and Master coz need to hv designer touch there, mah?
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i browsed the Series supplies panels, look nice. Do you know how much they charge (or how they charge, by psf?) thanks!This info I got from another forummer. They sell the panels on per piece basis. Some panels are small (abt 20 x 20 cm) while others are very big.
The one I like is $700 per 8' x 4' piece. And the ID from Inner Room told me the pieces come in unpainted, so hv to spray paint with your choice of colour.
I did send the company email enquiry but they never respond. I think they only deal with IDs and contractors.
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Need help!!Looking at e cost quoted by Inner Room, I'm thinking of hiring them to do living n mbr only. Then get MWG to do e rest of my hse. We save abt $10k if we do tt. But hb not keen cuz he said e company won't b happy we split like that. N odd to hv 2 contractors working at e hse at e same time.
Can I get advice if this is normally done? Cuz I read some forummers hv done ala carte before.
I still like to work w ID cuz later will need help w colour scheme n she can help choose materials for bedroom etc.
Can I hire ID for her design 'brains' but e actual carpentry n othr work done by our choice of contractor? After all the ID still need to hire carpenter rt???
Appreciate advice n suggestions cuz I'm confused.
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Some quick updates before I dash off to work.
Met up with B&E group. Very disappointing meeting.
Kelvin missed out on several important details. Quoted $21K, then we revised it downwards to $18K
and then he gave a discount of $500 and told us the price is only valid for tt day.
Verdict: OUT!
Met up with Inner Room. Oh, what a difference in service and detailing. Mbe because she's a designer.
She walked us through the entire house again, even though we had done it already the last time we met (unlike Kelvin).
Showed us some samples of the materials she's proposing. Really liked her choice of materials and design. But when show the quote, quite sad. $30K with GST! Sigh....then we cut, cut, cut, down to almost $20K but some of her design ideas have to be shelved.
Verdict: Would really like to work with her coz we click.
Will post some more during lunchtime.
My Cosy Home In Holland
in Reno t-Blog Chat
Posted
Thanks! I'm seriously considering one for the kitchen. Cuz we very sure we won't hv enuf points there for the blender, rice cooker, juicer, toaster, kitchenaid, etc etc. Don't want to be plugging and unplugging stuff all day long!