Only freedom will do

edinburgher

Could you not become a full time gambler?????

It doesn't pay enough. I've made an average of £500-600 a month since I started, but that's only 1/3 of my 'real' wage. Also, as it's so easy, I'd be a fool not to do both for now. But don't get me wrong, I feel pretty good on a good day.

My main issue (first world problem alert) is how to recycle the winnings into some sort of income for the future. For now it's going into index tracking funds within an ISA because all of the higher risk/reward investments that I fancy for my 'fun' money are taxable and I'm very close to the higher tax band. So, eyes on the big picture and either invest or spend the money

I would let Mrs E invest it for me, but she's considering a job change, and is long overdue a pay rise that would present the same problems.

I would consider using increased pension contributions to avoid higher rate tax, but am not sure if you can do this if you breach the band through a combination of salary and investments?

Yet another plan is to use mortgage OPs to suck out excess capacity, might be an idea if inflation goes up for more than one month.

You could always say that you are watching it for the adult themes that always under lie these films???

Well, the female love interest is kinda hot

Today dragged, badly. One of those wonderful ones where you mentally punch yourself for sitting sending out the same carp month after month while the people you're trying to support royally ignore you. Parents, if your children say 'governance', tell them to run :mad:

Looked for jobs, but nothing doing. I'm really glad for my beautiful, caring wife and all the real life distractions that keep me busy at home.

Hump day tomorrow! :T

• £53.78 from matched betting cashback and a risk free slots offer
• £13.80 to Freedom Fund
• Bought some new trousers and T-shirt for running, starting to worry that my £80 trainers won't last for another half marathon :eek:
• Chicken, butter bean and chorizo stew with polenta and a green salad for dinner
• Went running for the first time in 2+ weeks, hills are hard!

slowlyfading

Please share your recipe for chicken, butter bean and chorizo stew with polenta - that sounds delicious :drool:

edinburgher

Recipe, schmecipe!

1. Joint a free range chicken, divide legs into leg/thigh and dredge these and the wings in plain flour with a generous heap of cayenne pepper. Reserve the breasts for something fancier
2. Brown these in a very hot pan using 3 tbsp or so of vegetable oil, set aside
3. In the same pan, fry c. 150g of cubed chorizo (just enough to release the oil and colour), set aside
4. In the same pan, sweat a diced onion and three sliced garlic cloves, deglazing with a little balsamic vinegar at the end
5. Dice a carrot, two slices of celery and two pointed red peppers
6. Bung everything in a casserole dish with a rinsed can of butterbeans, a can of chopped tomatoes, 200 ml of stock (any type, I used HM chicken), and some freshly cracked black pepper and salt. Be stingy with the salt, your stock and the chorizo have plenty in them). I used sel gris, but it's only because I have a mahoosive can of it...
7. Cook (covered) at about 190 degrees celsius for 1-1.5 hours (take the lid off for the last half hour if the sauce looks too thin)

Polenta basically involved bringing a pint of HM chicken stock to boiling point, adding a generous pincheroo of dried chillies, whisking in 150g of polenta and then mixing in a little butter.

The chicken did two nights, but the polenta above is only enough for one night.

Eat while making scoffing noises.

dktreesea

Mr E, maybe there's a silver lining to people having jobs they are not really into? Maybe it makes them put more into and get more out of their non working life... I'm completely amazed by the amount you get done out of work. A level of activity that I would only dream of, being completely bushed after work.

nattypants

I like your recipeschmecipe Ed, except being veggie I will try without the chicken and chorizo, oh and celery as that's the work of the devil. Also, what's sel gris. And what does polenta taste like?

Other than that, it sounds fab:D

Alchemilla

Ed. What you need to change your life is the complete boxed set of Blakes 7.

gallygirl

edinburgher wrote: »

Recipe, schmecipe!

1. [STRIKE]Joint a free range chicken, divide legs into leg/thigh and dredge these and the wings in plain flour with a generous heap of cayenne pepper. Reserve the breasts for something fancier[/STRIKE] Buy a pack of legs and thighs
   
2. Brown these in a very hot pan using 3 tbsp or so of vegetable oil, set aside
3. [STRIKE]In the same pan, fry c. 150g of cubed chorizo (just enough to release the oil and colour), set aside[/STRIKE] [STRIKE]Fry approx 450g of cubed chorizo. Eat 1/3 while cooking. Eat further 1/3 while cooling. Try to resist the remaining 1/3. Fail. [/STRIKE]Decide to make chicken and butterbean stew instead.
4. In the same pan, sweat a diced onion and three sliced garlic cloves, deglazing with a little balsamic vinegar at the end. Burn the onion and garlic. Add balsamic vinegar to help soften the burnt bits.
5. Dice a carrot, two slices of celery and two pointed red peppers. Decide the celery is limper than Dale Winton with a large blister. Chuck out.
6. Bung everything in a casserole dish with a rinsed can of butterbeans, a can of chopped tomatoes, 200 ml of stock (any type, I used HM chicken), and some freshly cracked black pepper and salt. Be stingy with the salt, your stock and the chorizo have plenty in them). I used sel gris, but it's only because I have a mahoosive can of it...!!!!!! is sel gris? I use salt as in salt.
7. Cook (covered) at about 190 degrees celsius for 1-1.5 hours (take the lid off for the last half hour if the sauce looks too thin). Take lid off and taste frequently till just enough sauce is left.
   

Polenta basically involved [STRIKE]bringing a pint of HM chicken stock to boiling point, adding a generous pincheroo of dried chillies, whisking in 150g of polenta and then mixing in a little butter.
[/STRIKE] eating pretentious nursery slops. Don't bother, have wild rice (still pretentious but not sloppy )
The chicken did two nights, but the polenta above is only enough for one night. Wrong way round, surely ?

Eat while making scoffing noises.

Updated recipe for 'people like me'

edinburgher

That must have taken you a long time GG :think:

Almost all ingredients for my effete wonderdish were purchased from L1dl on Victoria Road, Govanhill is well know for yummy mummies, Chelsea tractors and fox hunting. The Catherine Tate sketch about olive oil was written while dining in one of our many, many fine patisseries.

guitarman001

Hey, Edinburgher.... I'm also from Edinburgh (and currently living close by). I liked your initial post. Why did you mention America - would you like to go there (or anywhere else)? For me, it's a choice between an average paying company in my field and staying here to buy a house outright if with my (assumed married) partner in my mid-30s (or paying off a smaller place if on my own similar age). This would then allow us a strong sense of financial independence - I could possibly stop trying to be the best worker possible and focus more on life outside work.

Or emigrate in order to advance my career.

Main problem is house prices as you hint at in your initial post. High prices aren't a good thing, neither are government schemes to boost prices, nor are BTLers limiting stock to line their own pockets. On the news just this morning it was said that the "recovery" was underway in Scotland since prices are 4% up in a year - less recovery, more disaster, I think! What do they think, that a one-bed flat will cost a million pounds soon and this is good news for children with average incomes still hanging around £25k?

The problem with emigrating... US is tough to get into but offers better weather and more affordable housing (plus higher salaries). I do like how they focus on the stock market to make money and not a pile of bricks - investing in real business! Problem is healthcare as my partner is many years older so it's a genuine concern (costs a fortune) - plus, they have very few holidays over there and work a LOT. So perhaps not the lifestyle I'd desire. Hard to say unless you try. Europe is a decent balance, salaries about the same as here and lifestyle even better - more holidays, less focus on work, better run countries like Germany etc. Problem is that affordable housing can only be found outside of the cities such as Munich where the work is. Sure, renting aint too bad it's not quite the same as buying a house here and not paying any rent! Don't get me started on council tax here... they don't have that at all in Europe (instead slightly higher taxes and higher water tax but it adds up to less) - I queries through FOI where my council tax goes and a lot of it is being funneled into pensions.. Anyway, life is meant to be full of adventure, no?

I come from a poor background and am not ashamed to say I have done fairly well for myself. Although not the most flush out of my friends, I also didn't have any help from rich parents like they did, so I'm a self-made man. I have an absolute passion for music and the guitar is like the other part of me - sounds weird and so many people say "I play guitar" but I REALLY play guitar very well... would love to do more of this with more spare time / less money worries. While I was younger I blew £20k on dodgy AIM investments - never again. If it worked, it would have worked big. But I guess I was a sucker... Savings are back to just below £60k and I can currently save just shy of £2k per month for maybe 10 months out of the year. Partner owns a flat outright with similar savings level but only has ~15 years work left in her and little pension. The age difference is a good thing in many regards as we know to make the most of what time we have (if that doesn't sound morbid!!) so we get on like best friends and see the world. She has kids and I don't want my own so it all works out. That links to what I was saying before... We'd both like a nice house to potter about in... but at the same time... we would like to live somewhere warmer and just ... different! And after all, what will you do with a big house? Pay more council tax, spend more time fixing it up, and probably still end up sitting on the couch watching tv... I did query just paying a house off here (although prices are high, prices are much higher elsewhere, which sucks - I'd never move down South) and possibly re-training to go into oil & gas like a friend of mine does (29 years old and earning £90k per year + overtime so far). I'd have to start at the bottom run but it might be worth it assuming it's more of a land-based role so I can still play guitar and see my partner! But if a house is paid off... just how much more money does one actually need? It may be an exit from the rat race.

Anyway, right now things are in limbo. I think housing has to correct and I currently still enjoy my job. It's good to move jobs to get experience (and pay rise) but this one is good. At the same time I don't want to be a "lifer"... and buying would necessitate "lifer-dom". What do you plan to do exactly when you are mortgage free and how long do you have to go? Also, what is your profession if you don't mind me asking? I don't know what heartache you suffered (as mentioned in initial post) but glad to see you're getting on ok and life goes on.

Ciao for now!

edinburgher

I'm from Glasgow, I started my diary when I was living in Edinburgh as a penniless graduate trying to pay off my student debts while living in a basement studio and working in a library

It all sounds so romantic in retrospect....

Plans for when I'm mortgage free? Who knows, I'm sure another form of debt will come along to replace it. I paid off my student debts to enter the 'debt' of saving everything extra I earned for a deposit, followed by a six figure mortgage. Currently trying to invest while reducing the mortgage term (Just under 17 years to go, should be 23 based on a 'typical' 25 year term). It can be a bit disheartening at times, voluntarily squeezed on all fronts.