GoFor – building material (and furniture!) delivery service review

I first heard of the GoFor app from a friend when we first moved to Ottawa. She recommended GoFor as a service that not only collects and delivers building materials for contractors and DIYers [actual terminology used on their app, so you know I’m in], but as a company that you can also use to collect almost anything [ie – furniture] and have it collected and delivered from one place to another.

We didn’t have a car [and won’t for another few months], so it wasn’t long before I called on GoFor’s assistance. The first few weeks we lived in Ottawa all we had was the clothes in our suitcases, Cora’s crib, a pan for cooking porridge and empty fast food containers to eat out of and store our food in. After three weeks of using our clothes as a mattress and pillows, I planned a trip to IKEA and went with a list of everything we needed. A mattress, pots and pans, plates, glasses, pot scrubbers, you name it. All the basic essentials you don’t realise you really need until you don’t have them.

When I was finished my behemoth IKEA shop, I placed an order on the GoFor app to collect all my drama and within an hour, everything was delivered to our front door.

I’ve used the GoFor app a few times since and while I’ve only used it for collecting secondhand furniture / design related pieces for our home (vs. building materials), I have to say it’s been an invaluable service for us.

When you’re using the app, you can select from a number of different vehicle types depending on what you need collected and there’s the option for an additional fee if there’s more involved [meaning, if it’s not door to door and if you need their help to carry anything upstairs]. I was more than happy to opt for additional help as it meant I had help carrying our secondhand French Provincial sofa set and dining room hutch [details on that soon to come!] up two flights of stairs. Something I wouldn’t be able to do myself [as stubborn / as amazing as I like to think I am] as most deliveries were arranged during the day when Robert was in work.

Through the app you can see where your driver is at all times and it updates you through the different stages of delivery. I found that feature very handy as I could not only see how close they were to collecting a piece of furniture so I could give the third party a heads up of their arrival, but I could also see they’re about half an hour away so I have time to do a few things, or, they’re just around the corner, I better get my shit together.

No, this is not a sponsored post with GoFor. I wanted to share my experience of using their app as we’ve benefited from their service many times already and the guys who work behind the scenes are down to earth and very helpful. It’s an excellent service, speaking as someone who has a newfound penchant for buying large heavy pieces of furniture without any means of being able to collect them myself. So if you’re in the same situation as we are, I would highly recommend checking out their app.

GoFor is currently available here in Ottawa and in Nashville, Tennessee, and will be available in more cities soon. You can download GoFor on Google Play here or from the Apple Store here!

Secondhand Schoenhut baby grand piano

As I was searching Kijiji for a storage bench for our hallway last week, one of the ads to show up in my search was this tiny toddler grand piano [and subsequent tiny toddler grand piano ‘bench’, which is how it showed up in my search]. I had to have it … for Cora. I showed Robert its picture and within 15 minutes I was arranging to collect it from the seller.

It was advertised for $40 on Kijiji as some of the legs on the bench were wobbily and the seller explained they were unable to fix it for years. Challenge accepted. I took the piano as is and 5 minutes after bringing it home I fixed both wobbily legs [I wrapped the screws on each leg with a bit of masking tape and screwed them back into the bench. The screw and socket (?) seal had just become loose over the years]. I leaned back and allowed the smugness to wash over me and I bathed in it for several minutes.

I’ve tried finding this ‘Schylling’ piano online but the closest thing I’ve found was this Schoenhut Baby Grand Piano online from Target [I can audibly hear Canadian’s weeping] for $169.38. It’s a surprisingly solid piano made entirely of wood – no cheapy plastic parts.

It has the sweetest little chime sound to it and Cora is already a huge fan. Unlike our poor neighbours. If you’d like to see our new-to-us baby grand piano in action, check it out in my saved stories on Instagram under ‘Thrifted’ [only viewable via the app]. It’s amazing and perfect and I can’t wait to put it in Cora’s room once it gets more organised.

Do you have a favourite secondhand piece you found recently for a sweet deal? That’s my favourite thing about finding excellent things secondhand; how much cheaper they are than brand new and I feel almost no guilt when buying them.

Netflix recommendations (Canada and UK / Ireland)

Storm Emma has made herself home in western Europe this week and if you too are stuck indoors like so many of my friends and family, I thought there was no better time to share a list of my favourite Netflix shows and movies. As a member of the UK and Ireland #NexflixStreamTeam I can assure you I’ve put in the time, effort and countless hours of research to bring you a list of my favourite lesser-known Netflix features, all of which I’ve recommended within the past year to family and friends. Since moving to Canada, I now have access to the Canadian Netflix and have picked up some new favourites here, so I’ve detailed if each movie or show is available in Canada (🍁) or Ireland (☘️), or both! And if you can’t see those emoji’s from your device, you’re just going to have to guess which is which. Tough.

Schitt’s Creek (🍁 and ☘️)
Starring Catherine O’Hara and Eugene Levy, a quirky and comically awkward show that you can easily binge over a few days. Moira’s wardrobe alone is a reason to watch.

The Little Hours (🍁)
A movie based in medieval times but with a modern dialogue and it is hilarious and very unexpected.

Rick and Morty (☘️)
Not a show for everyone, but if you like things that don’t make sense and are very out there or inter-dimensional cable, this is for you.

What We Do In The Shadows (🍁)
Easily one of my favourite movies now thanks to Netflix. It’s a movie I tell almost everyone about. It used to be on Netflix UK and Ireland but has recently been removed, but I’m hoping it comes back soon because it is something everyone needs to see.

Labor Day (☘️)
A very captivating and unexpecting movie with a really good story.

John Wick (🍁 and ☘️)
A violent and graphic movie that won’t be to everyone’s taste, but is very good and was made for Keanu Reeves.

Hidden Figures (🍁)
Funny, empowering and inspiring movie that I brought Cora to watch when she was teeny tiny. It became available on Netflix the day we moved to Canada and it was the first thing we watched here (and have watched it many times since).

Puffin Rock (🍁 and ☘️)
I can’t not throw a kids show in here and if I had to pick one it would be Puffin Rock. It’s so sweet and it won’t drive you insane as a parent. It’s narrated by Chris O’Dowd so you know it’s going to be good.

The Last Man on Earth (🍁)
We just finished the 3rd season and we can’t wait to watch the 4th. It’s an unbelievably good show and even better, it’s helping me curb my swears in preparation of Cora becoming ever more conscious of talking.

ADDITIONAL! A list of mainstream / popular movies and shows you may not have watched but I can attest are very good and are very popular for a reason (all of which are 🍁 and ☘️!) …
– Ozark
– Fargo
– Gilmore Girls
– Looper
– The Good Place
– The Keepers
– Grace and Frankie

AND FINALLY … What used to be on Netflix but aren’t at the moment but for the record, were some of my absolute favourites …
– The English Teacher
– The Help
– Life of Crime
… And hopefully they make a reappearance soon.

I hope wherever you are this week that you’re warm and have enough bread. And if you do try one of my Netflix recommendations, let me know! I always enjoy hearing if people think my recommendations are good (or bad!). And tell me , what’s been your favourite lesser-known Netflix binge these days? Or do you prefer to stick to more mainstream shows?