Nice People Thread Number 11 - A Treasury of Nice People

LydiaJ

michaels wrote: »

plus throwing away all that oil after a single use seems wasteful.

So I should think. :eek: I certainly don't throw mine away after a single use. You can easily tell when it is starting to be past its best, and until then it's fine to reuse it. But then I haven't used it for anything other than chips for ages. You might want to change the oil much more often if you wanted to cook chips and then sweet stuff and then chips again, I imagine.

I have mine because it was LNE's and he always made wonderful chips with it. He bought it (well, its predecessor) when we were newly-weds because he wanted to be able to make chips as nice as his mum's. When he left, he kindly left it with me and got a new one for himself. He was a northern bloke who believed in the importance of decent chips for all households.

A basic pan and basket arrangement is cheap and will last for decades, and doesn't make much more of a smell or a fire hazard than shallow frying in a frying pan. Electric ones cost loads and break down after a few years, so after our first one we reverted to a pan and basket on the hob just like LNE's mum.

Generali wrote: »

Deep fried food once a month seems no worse than orange juice once a month or having more than 4 units of alcohol on NYE. Everything in moderation including moderation.

This.

Thanks Gen.

michaels

silvercar wrote: »

Blame UK tax laws.

Coupled with, how many families would fly over to Amsterdam and then back to Heathrow to save money?

Except that tax is at most 1-200 of the difference in price, if it means being able to travel in business class for the price of economy plus using the lounges while waiting for connections then spending a few hours certainly seems worth it.

vivatifosi

michaels wrote: »

Except that tax is at most 1-200 of the difference in price, if it means being able to travel in business class for the price of economy plus using the lounges while waiting for connections then spending a few hours certainly seems worth it.

A lot of people don't extrapolate the cost of tax and realise how much it is. It's like VAT: it's printed on the receipt, but how many actually look at it, or know what it is and isn't charged at full rate on?

I am very aware of the taxes on flights. Probably more than most. This is because we still pay it on our free flights that we get as a result of DH's job.

michaels

21 dec - 10 jan ams -cpt in J is 1700 via lhr on BA
LHR - CPT is 3103 on BA
APT is £340

silvercar

michaels wrote: »

21 dec - 10 jan ams -cpt in J is 1700 via lhr on BA
LHR - CPT is 3103 on BA
APT is £340

So how much time do you add on in going London> Amsterdam>London?

Obviously you need to add on the LON-AMS fare to the 1700. Is LTN to AMS on easyjet an option? Though allow for luggage costs. Would you need to stay over in Amsterdam? I'm sure I would consider it if travelling without young children....with them the headache grows.

Another option would be to start your journey some place else rather than return to London.

michaels

Depart AMS at 17:40 so can easily do it the same day and of course can use the lounges everywhere. Say £50 single to AMS and saving for family of 5 is 'only' 6,750 - worth spending an extra 12 hours on the journey to me but I guess it depends what you earn per hour....

lostinrates

Generali wrote: »

Deep fried food once a month seems no worse than orange juice once a month or having more than 4 units of alcohol on NYE. Everything in moderation including moderation.

Or the same quantity of fat in bought foods......agree with moderation, some things are better avoided all together.

lostinrates

Kiwi home, pleased, settled straight back in.

Big dog rushed to vet........won't know til Monday or Tuesday if she's ok or not.

I am replete for stressors thank you world, no more this week cheers! I have no idea how I am going to both get big dog and get to hospital and deal with workmen etc tomorrow. Everything booked in expectation of three adults around tomorrow, now there is just me and the stress/ pressure.

HAMISH_MCTAVISH

michaels wrote: »

re my flight conundrum, seems a short trip to AMS could save me at least 1500 x 5 - crazy world we live in, I blame the computer algorithms..

Does Michaels (or any other NP) have any tips for finding decent LH fares on J or W class?

I don't have enough miles to upgrade at the moment...

Can route through AMS or CDG just as easily/cheaply as LHR/LGW due to starting from Scotland, and can split ticket purchases if there's an easy saving to be made on APD?

Is there some secret moneysaving thing that you all do or is it just a matter of using skyscanner (or similar) and playing with dates?

LydiaJ

lostinrates wrote: »

Kiwi home, pleased, settled straight back in.

Big dog rushed to vet........won't know til Monday or Tuesday if she's ok or not.

I am replete for stressors thank you world, no more this week cheers! I have no idea how I am going to both get big dog and get to hospital and deal with workmen etc tomorrow. Everything booked in expectation of three adults around tomorrow, now there is just me and the stress/ pressure.

Glad Kiwi happy.

Worried about you, though. It's not good for you to have all that extra stress and be cut off from online support like us, especially since you live in the middle of nowhere. If it all gets overwhelming, please phone me. You have my number, don't you?

If there is nobody there who could actually help with any of the tasks, I could drive down to help, but obviously I wouldn't be able to leave here until after school dropping off time, and I'd need to leave in time to get back here by the time DD needs picking up from after school club. But you are not alone in all of this.