Only freedom will do

edinburgher

*£1.24* utility bill for the month! :j :rotfl:

AlexLK

pavlovs_dog wrote: »

You can have two accounts but the second must be a joint account (meaning that you could technically have 3 accounts between a couple if you so wish).

The rate isn't fixed and could change. They are cutting the rates of their savings products from October or November. Those who currently hold savings products have been notified in writing and the future rate changes are also clearly listed on their website for the attention of all potential customers. There is no such warning on the CA page so I'm hoping it will hold at 3%.

Thank you. I had a word with my wife about this tonight and she thinks it would be a good idea.

edinburgher wrote: »

Oh - *that* person - now I remember!



Well, a good dose of inflation would be great for the government and the BoE (debt erosion), but it strikes me that they're going entirely the wrong way about encouraging it. Cheap capital is sitting on the sidelines, businesses are hoarding cash (investment is down) and the consumer is all tapped out (as that article showed to some extent). Don't quote me, but I thought -ve interest was a red line for the BoE?

I did use to keep fish, a relaxing and educational hobby as long as you don't get too carried away and buy something massive that's impossible to maintain. I also used to have a part time job working in a fish keeping shop, so very happy to provide some tips on planning, equipment, setup and stocking if you decide to proceed.

In terms of ease of management (easiest to hardest), you'd be looking at: tropical, cold water, marine, with more exotic setups (brackish etc.) sitting between cold water and marine in my opinion.

The main thing to point out (in case it's tied to a birthday etc.) is that it can easily take 40 days to safely prepare an aquarium for fish in a cruelty free manner, so keep this in mind!

I may well have got entirely the wrong idea about how government borrowing works. I presumed that a lower BOE base rate would mean less interest on debt for the government? I can only say on a personal level that my family's investments are heavily commodities (always been the case) and foreign based. Whilst obviously not a game changer (hardly talking about the Rothschild's here ), I am aware people / businesses are investing elsewhere or not at all.

Thank you re. the fishkeeping. This all started because I showed a documentary on youtube about coral reefs to my son. He was fascinated and I made the (potentially costly) mistake of taking him to see a real reef at an aquatics store. Consequently, he likes the marine aquariums the most. I am aware they are the hardest to keep though and require the most equipment, so we are keeping our options open at the moment. Not done an awful lot of reading about cold water as I'd presumed they'd be the easiest to keep rather than tropical? From what I've read the larger the tank the easier to keep the water stable? Does that come with a downside of other maintenance? We were looking at a c.200 litre tank.

I am aware that it takes time to establish a tank and have prepared my son for a three month wait for fish if we get a tank. I know all I'll hear for three months is "how long?" though. :rotfl:

Kahra

edinburgher wrote: »

Me too, but always remember that P2P isn't a savings account, no matter how vanilla the platform might feel. I am amazed that people are willing to risk cash in P2P for say, 3-4% return with no FSCS protection. I have a few £££ invested in high risk secured loans at around 12%, but I'd assume defaults will drop this to 8% or so long term.

Absolutely - there's platform risk as well as lender risk with P2P, so it's a very different beast to a savings account. But for those with larger amounts to invest, like the pensioners you were mentioning, there are fewer and fewer accounts where you can park a significant lump and get a decent return. I'm willing and able to take the extra risk for higher return, but I'm concerned that others without the risk tolerance may end up with too much risk and still not great rates (r@testtr rolling rate is 2.8% at the moment!).

Amazing utility bill! :T

Karmacat

Yikes ... had to go to the urban dictionary for OFFS ... not good, then

I'm dreading the overhaul of my finances, but I really need to get it done next week.

edinburgher

AlexLK wrote: »

Thank you. I had a word with my wife about this tonight and she thinks it would be a good idea.



I may well have got entirely the wrong idea about how government borrowing works. I presumed that a lower BOE base rate would mean less interest on debt for the government? I can only say on a personal level that my family's investments are heavily commodities (always been the case) and foreign based. Whilst obviously not a game changer (hardly talking about the Rothschild's here ), I am aware people / businesses are investing elsewhere or not at all.

Thank you re. the fishkeeping. This all started because I showed a documentary on youtube about coral reefs to my son. He was fascinated and I made the (potentially costly) mistake of taking him to see a real reef at an aquatics store. Consequently, he likes the marine aquariums the most. I am aware they are the hardest to keep though and require the most equipment, so we are keeping our options open at the moment. Not done an awful lot of reading about cold water as I'd presumed they'd be the easiest to keep rather than tropical? From what I've read the larger the tank the easier to keep the water stable? Does that come with a downside of other maintenance? We were looking at a c.200 litre tank.

I am aware that it takes time to establish a tank and have prepared my son for a three month wait for fish if we get a tank. I know all I'll hear for three months is "how long?" though. :rotfl:

Well, the BoE has autonomy from central government, so it's not a 'government' institution in that sense. I'm sure they talk to each other pretty frequently. Government raises money by collecting taxes, selling off gilts etc. (as I see it). The BoE can print money to buy assets (including gilts) etc. in an attempt to stimulate the economy.

Why did I have a sinking feeling that you were going to want to go marine? :eek:

Think long and hard before proceeding, it's like a part-time job and it will be very difficult to run a house, raise your son, study or have a job and help your parents (never mind spending any time with your wife!)

You will need access to either a really good aquatic shop or reliable couriers for buying the plethora of goods required and you will need to get really good at science. You will need to use a broad range of chemicals, will face almost daily maintenance and the need for lots of space in addition to the tank. Your power bill will rocket. You will face constant additional costs. You will need to do things that will seem ludicrous to the rest of the population (like fitting a reverse osmosis filter to your domestic water supply). You will have to precisely match water when you top up the tank, swirl handfuls of expensive marine salt in buckets while looking like an eejit and generally have your life taken over :rotfl:

If I haven't put you off:

• Consider an integrated system like the Red Sea tanks
• Get as big as you can afford and manage (the 200l you suggest would really be a minimum to make it worthwhile
• Get researching
• Decide whether you want to go marine (fish only) or marine (fish and corals)

Lastly, for a 200l marine startup, allow £1,000 before live rock or livestock :eek:

Also, 6 months to responsibly set up a marine tank in my opinion. It's a complicated multi-layered ecosystem with many symbiotic chemical processes and biological populations that interract in wonderful ways.

AlexLK

edinburgher wrote: »

Well, the BoE has autonomy from central government, so it's not a 'government' institution in that sense. I'm sure they talk to each other pretty frequently. Government raises money by collecting taxes, selling off gilts etc. (as I see it). The BoE can print money to buy assets (including gilts) etc. in an attempt to stimulate the economy.

Why did I have a sinking feeling that you were going to want to go marine? :eek:

Think long and hard before proceeding, it's like a part-time job and it will be very difficult to run a house, raise your son, study or have a job and help your parents (never mind spending any time with your wife!)

You will need access to either a really good aquatic shop or reliable couriers for buying the plethora of goods required and you will need to get really good at science. You will need to use a broad range of chemicals, will face almost daily maintenance and the need for lots of space in addition to the tank. Your power bill will rocket. You will face constant additional costs. You will need to do things that will seem ludicrous to the rest of the population (like fitting a reverse osmosis filter to your domestic water supply). You will have to precisely match water when you top up the tank, swirl handfuls of expensive marine salt in buckets while looking like an eejit and generally have your life taken over :rotfl:

If I haven't put you off:

• Consider an integrated system like the Red Sea tanks
• Get as big as you can afford and manage (the 200l you suggest would really be a minimum to make it worthwhile
• Get researching
• Decide whether you want to go marine (fish only) or marine (fish and corals)

Lastly, for a 200l marine startup, allow £1,000 before live rock or livestock :eek:

Also, 6 months to responsibly set up a marine tank in my opinion. It's a complicated multi-layered ecosystem with many symbiotic chemical processes and biological populations that interract in wonderful ways.

Didn't realise the relationship between the government and the BOE. I suppose now I'm an adult I should understand how things like this work but I don't. Ought to educate myself, really.

Thank you for the advice. You've confirmed my suspicions about marine: expensive, require a lot of maintenance and scientifically complex. With what's involved I don't think my son would really be able to get involved and appreciate a marine set up for a few years but do think he'd be able to help me to maintain a tropical tank? He is really good with helping to look after pets; it won't be a five minute wonder like it is with a lot of children.

At the moment I'm thinking we could try keeping tropical fish (would 200 litres be a good size)? And if we get into it add a marine tank at a later date when my son would be old enough to appreciate the science behind it. He likes both marine and tropical fish but is struggling to understand you can't mix them (he decided he wanted a yellow tang and cardinal tetra together after a visit to the shop. Apparently I would "make it work"... :rotfl:). The fish aren't really a problem as he likes both (marine and tropical) but he also likes coral which makes things a little more difficult.

edinburgher

I ran a 227l tank successfully for many years, 200l is a good size for a fair range of tropical fish. A lot easier to set up and maintain, but with enough excitement and variety to capture his imagination. Thinking forward, do you think you'd go for something relatively modern? It's harder to get something that looks a bit more 'traditional' (suppose that makes sense, what's 'traditional' about a high tech box full of water?) If, however, you want something a little 'classier', Fishkeeper stores stock a range called 'Aqua Oak' that might suit. It's like the offspring of aquariums and sideboards

AlexLK

edinburgher wrote: »

I ran a 227l tank successfully for many years, 200l is a good size for a fair range of tropical fish. A lot easier to set up and maintain, but with enough excitement and variety to capture his imagination. Thinking forward, do you think you'd go for something relatively modern? It's harder to get something that looks a bit more 'traditional' (suppose that makes sense, what's 'traditional' about a high tech box full of water?) If, however, you want something a little 'classier', Fishkeeper stores stock a range called 'Aqua Oak' that might suit. It's like the offspring of aquariums and sideboards

Thanks. What made you stop fishkeeping in the end?

Re. cabinet styles. We've been to quite a few aquatics stores looking at tanks. That part of it is going be to difficult for us. I've seen the oak ones at a store and liked them but the only place it would possibly work is in the kitchen. I did consider staining the wood but even then, practically all our furniture is Victorian.

Current thought is to buy something like this: https://ndaquatics.co.uk/aquarium/standard-tanks/ and have a cabinet made to my own design as there doesn't seem to be a demand for Victorian style aquarium cabinets in dark wood.

edinburgher

New baby/DIY/effort of maintaining an aquarium don't work together.

ND aquatics very good, they built our old tank.

earthgirl

Wow, amazing utility bill. I can only dream!