What Sam Bought Today: Diary of a Property Renovation (Day 12)

Today it’s all about the bathroom and kitchen tiles – and I am positively in LOVE with the ones I bought…especially given the huge discount I got at B&Q.

How did I manage that?

Well, I was at B&Q browsing over the bathroom and kitchen tiles – and getting extremely frustrated that anything half decent was way outside my budget.  In annoyance at having such a miniscule budget and expensive tastes I flounced off to buy some more gloss…

But then I happened upon a great yellow and black area emblazoned with red discount stickers.  All around me were shelves and shelves piled high with tiles.  Decent tiles.  At “clearance prices”.

Only problem was; no shelf price or tile matched.  I’d found the tile clearance section – but I was still none the wiser on the prices!

Until my guardian B&Q assistant arrived…

Adrian was a smiley, helpful chap who clearly wanted to sell his tiles.

“How much are these” I asked, pointing to a stash I had found.  (The same ones which I had found on the shelves and had loved – but had been miffed when I saw the over-budget price of £36.99 per sq m).

Adrian walks around looking at various price tags, while I wait with baited breath…

“Those are £20 per square metre” he replies…I hesitate momentarily – they may still be over budget, but they are not as much over budget as what they were before – and I had fallen in love…

I don’t know where the next question came from:

“What’s the best price you can do on those?” I inquired.

Adrian looks at me, looks at the tiles, looks back at the shelf price and replies: “I can do them for half price, if you want?”.

I almost fell over in shock, but kept a straight face.  He was asking me if I wanted the tiles for half price??

So I say: “How about if I take all the boxes here – how much can you do them for then?”

He gives me a withering look.  “I will have to ask the manager”

“OK“, I reply squarely not flinching at all.

A few minutes later, Adrian returns: “Manager says you can have them for £5 a box”

I swear I almost screamed in delight.  The tiles I fell in love with (but not the original price tag of £36.99 per sq m) were being offered to me at just £5 per sq m!!

I instantly start loading the trolley in case B&Q change their minds!

Driving home I just could not believe it – not only had I bought the tiles I really wanted – but I had also managed to now buy all the tiles UNDER budget!!

My happiness was complete when the tiler came in and I showed him the tiles I had bought.

“Phew” he whistled through his teeth “Didn’t think you were going to buy such expensive tiles”

I grinned.  A grin reminiscent of a cat who truly did get the cream 🙂

Here’s progress and the gorgeous tiles I bought: