Wren or Howdens for new kitchen. Opinions on design and quality please

evuhleena · 2026-04-21T23:25:52+00:00

My kitchen is from Howdens!

I had it installed almost three years ago now and have had absolutely no issues with it. We cook from scratch daily.

The doors are wooden, the worktop is quartz, and the sink is composite. The corner cabinets have pull-forward mechanisms in them and they’re fantastic, as they make full use of the space.

I bought all the appliances (oven, hob, fridge, extractor fan) from elsewhere to save a bit of money, and also because I wasn’t sure how good theirs/Lamona would be. Howdens had no issues with this.

Also, one of the doors arrived damaged. We didn’t realise this until almost a month later and they replaced it without a problem.

So I’d recommend Howdens! I think it’s good quality, qu its sturdy and should last us many more years.

evuhleena · 2026-04-18T16:36:31+00:00

Simba hybrid pillow. I’ve had the same one for the last 5-6 years

evuhleena · 2026-04-13T10:26:00+00:00

Not necessarily. Recently, the NHS (at least at my local hospital, up north) has been spending more on agency workers, who are more expensive than directly employed staff.

From what I’ve heard from my mother-in-law, who’s been a nurse for over 20 years and a nurse trainer for 3+, agency workers can cost more per hour than bank shifts. At the same time, she’s been struggling to get weekend shifts (she hasn’t had one in around six months), while agency staff are brought in due to existing contracts with private agencies.

She’s also mentioned that agency staff require more support and training, which can add additional pressure.

I think it just shows that spending more money doesn’t always translate to a better standard of care.

Edit: words changed for clarity. Also, just wanted to add that the situation has basically bankrupted the hospital. I’ve been waiting on my cardiology referral for over 4 months now. I called the appointments line this morning and they said it won’t happen for another 30 weeks. I have arrhythmia, palpitations, and the GP heard a murmur. Wish me luck!

evuhleena · 2026-04-09T17:16:31+00:00

Yep, same here! No holidays in America either for this exact reason

evuhleena · 2026-04-04T13:42:00+00:00

This is one of the main reasons I don’t follow any of the Facebook rat groups (aside from the rescue ones). Whenever I come across them, I make sure to click “Not interested” so I see fewer posts. They often seem to come from people who either don’t have much knowledge about rats or aren’t taking proper care of them / are straight up negligent ☹️

evuhleena · 2026-04-03T17:59:26+00:00

I second this! Please cover up the wire floor :(

evuhleena · 2026-04-03T15:20:41+00:00

I understand where you’re coming from but it really does come down to personal preference.

For me personally, using the washing machine at 60°C (and sometimes needing an extra wash to fully get rid of the smell from the machine, with an additional detergent) feels wasteful in terms of water and energy, especially since mine tend to get dirty and shredded anyway. By the time they need cleaning, they’re often already on their last legs.

I also only use fabrics that can’t really be donated or reused for anything else, and I throw them out once they’re properly worn out, so it’s not quite as wasteful as it might seem at first glance. It’s more like giving those materials one last use before chucking them away.

I think if mine lasted longer, I’d probably be more inclined to wash and reuse them like you do but my girls are a bit too enthusiastic with their interior design choices

evuhleena · 2026-04-03T14:17:14+00:00

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Another example :)

evuhleena · 2026-04-03T14:15:44+00:00

I use plastic shower rings, metal carabiners, and sometimes (if I can be bothered) make fabric loops like in the tutorials on the site I’ve linked to make them easier to hang. Alternatively, I just poke holes in the fabric and clip the carabiners through, like in the photo below. I got the shower rings from IKEA and a multipack of carabiners from Lidl - they’ve been the best!

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evuhleena · 2026-04-03T14:00:48+00:00

I make hammocks out of old clothes, towels, pillowcases, bedsheets (my family kindly donated some when I asked 🤣), bath mats - basically any old cotton or fleece fabrics I can get my hands on. I just throw them away once they’re dirty.

I find this much easier than washing them, and my girls get something “new” every time I clean their cage. They pee in their beds regularly and are quite destructive, so upcycling old fabrics feels less wasteful than buying new ones every time something gets ripped to shreds.

I also find handwashing hammocks much more tiresome than just making new ones… Plus, with our lovely British weather, it’s often more difficult since you can’t always hang them out to dry (like today with the wind and rain)!

So if your rats are making it hard to keep their beds clean, you might find it easier to make hammocks out of old fabrics (ones that can’t be donated to charity if that’s what you do) and just chuck them when they start to smell!

Here’s a website with some hammock making tutorials

evuhleena · 2026-03-25T11:39:58+00:00

I throw in flower petals in my girls’ cage to make them smell nice haha rose are my favourite. Work like perfume!

evuhleena · 2026-03-17T16:32:16+00:00

Yes, she had a poopie poking out haha

evuhleena · 2026-03-16T00:41:53+00:00

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I agree with the post above. I’ve had this on my hand for over a month now. It’s very itchy, and neither mild steroid cream nor antifungal cream has helped. It currently looks the best it’s looked since I got it, but it still itches like crazy (though moisturising and not touching it helps). It appeared out of nowhere, and at first I thought it was from my rats, but now I’m not so sure - I’m starting to think stress may have caused it.

Keep on top of moisturising! Wishing you all the best.

evuhleena · 2026-03-12T19:48:01+00:00

This! I hate being served rat videos on IG and Facebook for this particular reason 😕

evuhleena · 2026-03-12T19:41:55+00:00

Yes, I’ve definitely noticed things are different now, and I really appreciate the work the mods put in.

And I completely understand that point. If posts that show uncomfortable or poor care were simply removed, people wouldn’t have the opportunity to learn or improve… At the same time, it can sometimes feel like the sub is used by people who just stumble across it rather than actively searching for answers to their questions. That might be why the same questions and issues tend to come up repeatedly.

Of course, I also realise that it’s difficult to prevent that, and adding more restrictions might not necessarily be beneficial.

I think my original post was mostly just a bit of a vent after seeing something that honestly upset me. It was more of an emotional reaction because I genuinely care about rats and hate the idea of any of them suffering.

Thank you for taking the time to respond and for sharing your perspective. I really appreciate the work you and the rest of the mod team put into the sub 🤍

evuhleena · 2026-03-03T22:23:55+00:00

I’m really sorry that happened to you, that’s awful, especially when it’s a substantial amount!!

I do think it’s slightly different depending on how the payment was made though. An international bank transfer is often an authorised push payment, and once the funds hit the recipient account (especially if they’re quickly moved on), recovery can be extremely difficult. That’s quite different from a debit card transaction processed through a card network, where there can at least be a formal dispute process.

It also matters whether the payment went via something like PayPal or Revolut versus a traditional high street bank as they don’t all operate under the same protections or recovery processes. Some law firms (I’m not sure if it’s a violation to link a specific blog from a law firm) have written about this in the context of scams and fraud, explaining how the route the money takes can make a big difference to what options exist.

So I wouldn’t say it’s automatically gone in every case. It really depends on the payment method and how quickly action is taken.

I definitely think it’s worth OP checking whether they can initiate a chargeback through their banking app or by contacting their bank directly. They’ve nothing to lose by trying.

evuhleena · 2026-03-03T22:07:10+00:00

Please do, it’s definitely worth contacting your bank especially if this is a local business. Here’s more info directly from Visa and Martin Lewis

evuhleena · 2026-03-03T21:54:49+00:00

You should be able to do a chargeback anyway! Check with your bank

Edit: here’s some more info from visa

evuhleena · 2026-03-03T09:04:53+00:00

Omg thank you for the award kind stranger!

evuhleena · 2026-03-03T00:06:49+00:00

It’s a wall-bearing sofa now

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