Nice people thread part 7 - a thread in its prime

michaels

vivatifosi wrote: »

Maryborough is quite a cheap place to buy a house and providing you don't buy one by the river, you're unlikely to be flooded. Here's a pretty typical house in terms of price: $188k aus.
http://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-qld-maryborough-112665011

£200per square metre?! How come in the UK it costs 1000-1500 per sqm to build and even in a cheap suburb like St Albans it costs 4000 per sqm to buy?

vivatifosi

michaels wrote: »

I have to admit that although the whole thing is tragic it is somehow romantic to have 'Timbuktu' mentioned on the news, somehow it sounds like somewhere magically remote and exotic. Other places the same are Ulan Bator and Manuchu Pinchu. Talking of which lets hope NDG is OK.

Sorry michaels, I must be missing something here. Is NDG in Timbuktu? But you are right. I've always wanted to visit Timbuktu, and Ulan Bator and Macchu Pichu (or however it is spelt). I also want to visit Samarkand and Lhasa and Angkor Wat, which have similarly exotic connotations in my mind.

vivatifosi

michaels wrote: »

£200per square metre?! How come in the UK it costs 1000-1500 per sqm to build and even in a cheap suburb like St Albans it costs 4000 per sqm to buy?

Cue Gen telling us we spend too much to build houses here when we don't need them to last that long:D...

michaels

vivatifosi wrote: »

Sorry michaels, I must be missing something here. Is NDG in Timbuktu? But you are right. I've always wanted to visit Timbuktu, and Ulan Bator and Macchu Pichu (or however it is spelt). I also want to visit Samarkand and Lhasa and Angkor Wat, which have similarly exotic connotations in my mind.

When NDG used to honour us with her presence she disappeared for a bit which I think was an extended trip to Ulan Bator.

I agree re your other suggestions as well. When I was younger I would have happily backpacked them but now somehow long haul does not appeal except in business class and 5 star which I will never be able to afford

Edit: That does make me think I should try and find some good travel writing for my commute read.

Generali

michaels wrote: »

£200per square metre?! How come in the UK it costs 1000-1500 per sqm to build and even in a cheap suburb like St Albans it costs 4000 per sqm to buy?

1. UK land is very expensive compared to land in Aus outside the big cities.
2. British houses are over engineered. Why do you want your house to outlive you?
3. In Queensland you can pretty much live with the weather. You don't need insulation or double glazing or cavity walls. The houses in many cases are stilts that sit in pilings with a timber frame put on top and then cladding of your choice. The roof is metal as are the guttets to comply with fire regs. It's quick and cheap to build like that.

#2 is a new catch phrase to go with 'Monthly figures are just noise' and 'Time will tell'. It is dedicated to viva for pointing it out .

Spirit_2

michaels wrote: »

DW likes very weak peppermint tea, the tea bags are £1.40 for 40 at Sains and she likes it so weak that each bag lasts for all the bags all day

I will try sains as I have not had theirs and happy to have a recommendation. As they were more readily available I bought twinings mint teabags to take to work. I was disappointed as they were quite nasty, sort of metallic. I down shifted to the the co-op own brand and they were better so generally that is my tea at work..

In a fit of economy Mr S tried re-using the teapigs. I thought they had lost the burst of flavour although they did still taste of mint -so did not carry on with this.

Spirit_2

Micheals - I saw your post about ebaying Harrods vouchers and making a profit on it. I admire your perserverence. How do you get the energy and motivation to be so detailed?

My team joke about how I love detail, but I just haven't got your level of tenacity to accumulate the opportunities then plan and exploit their benefits.

Can I ask a rude question? Please tell me to get lost if you wish.

How much 'income'/cost avoidance does this make in a year do you think?

michaels

The way I look at it if it is something I can do in time that I am not doing anything else then it is worth it even for only a few quid an hour.

For example, my travel card covers z1 and 2 so for no cost I could visit Harrods on the way home one evening and buy the vouchers on my card and DWs in say 30 minutes then say another 30 minutes to list them on ebay and post them (time spent sitting at home watching tv). Say £100 of vouchers costs £50 (after discount) and then I sell them for £90 with £15 costs gives £25 profit with no tax to pay (credit card cash back is not taxable). If I had loads of money and little time it wouldn't be worth it but given it is time that is 'spare' anyway I can see the £25 as a piano lesson, a ballet lesson and a football lesson or alternatively another small step on the way to be mortgage free and able to make choices about what I do in life.

Edit: The teabag thing is nothing to do with saving money but because DW really just wants hot water with a tiny twist of flavour, the first dunking of the tea bag you have to be really quick or it gets too strong and she won't drink it.

SingleSue

silvercar wrote: »

Does having not shopped in either stores for at least 20 years prove I am not posh?

My last purchase in Harrods was one of their plastic bags....the weekend before the bomb.

PasturesNew

Never had mint tea.

Given 'unlimited money', if I lived in Queensland I'd sink some deep piles into the ground and build a flat bottomed boat style of house, anchored on fat chains to the piles.... so it'd just float and bob about until it came down to rest again. Worst case is having to pick it up on a crane and move it a few feet.