Only freedom will do

ljaneyr

Hi Ed :wave:

First... congratulations! :T:T:TI am absolutely thrilled to read your news :j I can't wait to read more in the coming year

In response to your above post - hardly anyone recycles in our road. I think roughly 50% of houses put out recycling bags and boxes but generally less often and less full than ours, and there's only two of us! I put it down to the fact that some residents are very old and some clearly rent and don't appear to give two hoots about anything including the way they park, where they leave their bin or how much they recycle.

On the other hand, my Mum lives in a nice road in a nice town and you can barely move for recycling the week after Christmas!

Hope you are able to enjoy a bit of time off Ed. My OH is at work and feeling a bit miffed!

Janey x

edinburgher

growing up, we didn't recycle at all. To me it seemed to be something that only posh people and eco warriers did

That probably wasn't as dangerous then as the risk of ignoring it now. 11 billion people by 2100, if the projections are to be believed.

greent

I've certainly recycled the whole time I've owned a house (1991) (I was a bit of a 'Green' I guess!) - and have taken place in zero waste type challenges just to see how low we could go (fun to do for a short period but - frankly - too time consuming to do long term for me (zero waste). We live in a 14 house 'nice' cul de sac. There are 2 families of 6 in the street, and other households range from 2 pensioners (3 households) to a family of 5 (1 household - 2 adults, 3 teens), with combinations in between. Our neighbour on the right's household consists of 2 adults and one teen. Their bin is regularly overflowing come collection day (fortnightly) and, no doubt, as it's Xmas, they'll have several binbags this weekend. The household of 5 complains his bin is too small and it's regularly overflowing. (Other households seem to manage ok)


Our bin is rarely full, even though I bring home rubbish (& recycling) from the charity I volunteer at (the charity has to pay for collection) and I make full use of my compost bins, my green waste bin and my green recycling boxes (I have 3 and they are full to bursting right now) My bin will be full this collection, but it will have 2 1/2 weeks worth of rubbish in it, including Xmas stuff, some decluttering and some of the charity's stuff. There will be no overflow, except of my recycling (I shall start to put paper/ card recycling in some large paper bags I have ) I know that sounds like a 'look how good I am' boast, but it's not - sure, recycling takes a little bit more time, but not much - but it's the sensible, grown up - and responsible thing to do... (and when you have kids you have masses of recycling, it seems!! )

edinburgher

I know that sounds like a 'look how good I am' boast, but it's not - sure, recycling takes a little bit more time, but not much - but it's the sensible, grown up - and responsible thing to do... (and when you have kids you have masses of recycling, it seems!! )

I know what you mean and I don't think you're boasting. I'm convinced that I take more *out* of our recycling bins than others put in (the tweenagers downstairs are told to take the rubbish out and dump non-recyclables there because the binstore is dark and scawy )

In a staggeringly beautiful world which is becoming less beautiful by the day thanks to our impact as a species, I cannot for the life of me see why this isn't our biggest priority. Without meaning to mix my metaphors, it strikes me that we're flying through space in a covered life raft and some people keep rudely farting :eek:

elantan

And the fracking ( if/when it starts) will just add to the horrors ... SIGH ... sometimes I cry at the futility of it all

Karmacat

Totally agree, ed ... I think people are being wilfully blind. Or so blinded by propaganda that they don't believe the people who're saying its a problem I've recycled since there were recycling bins at community centres, before houses were given their own ... I do a lot else too - as well as compost and prunings in the bin, recycle electricals to the tip when my sister takes me (no footpaths, and a really narrow road!), egg shells and tea leaves and coffee grounds straight into the garden, a few local shops where I used to live allowed you to fill your own containers from bulk supplies (including The Body Shop) and I did that too ...

We're with you!

edinburgher

Unfortunately none of our food waste gets recycled, can't think of an environmentally friendly way to do so. That said, we have a couple of nearby community gardens, I'm sure they'd be happy for me to chuck our peelings on the pile. If I wasn't such a shrinking violet in real life, I'd do this already, but I'm afraid of getting engaged in conversation and being a nervous wreck

Alchemilla

Ours goes in the dog.

Calfuray

I keep lurking and forgetting to post so here comes mega post:

edinburgher wrote: »

Well, to continue in a similar vein, it's a :female:

:T

We're hosting a pre-Christmas party for some of my siblings today, really looking forward to seeing everyone. I hope we've got enough food and drink (currently at 5 HM dips and rising!) :rotfl:

Other than that, the house is looking lovely, we've got our last present ready to wrap and British G@s are going to install free loft insulation for us in the new year. Should save us £300+ a year, we currently have *no* loft insulation :eek:

• Our end of year salaries have turned up already, so I've been able to save and invest c. £700.
• About £100 worth of MB offers this weekend
• £10 to Freedom Fund, £3 to Emergency Fund
• Took the cat to the vet
• Took out all the rubbish and recycling, hoovered and set up the living room for today
• Fridge is groaning with party food

Two days left of work next week, including a heinous looking end of year review. I'm going to praise myself to the heavens, see if I can capitalise on my new found work recognition

How could you not tell us what the dips are?

Can you believe we have *no* insulation? We have cavity walls and are eligible to get insulation, but because we live in a flat the people below us would have to give us written permission... and we live above a pharmacy of a large chain who don't care/can't seem to get things done. Similarly, the roof is not above our flat directly so all flats responsible jointly, and landlord above is cheaper than cheap!

edinburgher wrote: »

Don't worry Cal, it's fine to talk about yourself a bit and we haven't heard from you in *ages*

Have you ever read any of the acerbic comments on MMM about 'car clowns'? An hour sounds like a heck of a commute! I think there's a counter argument to be made that a commute isn't the worst thing in the world if it allows you to lock in a very low cost of living at your home base, which you have done. Aside from the work on your home, your mortgage is tiny (ours is double that + a wee bit more and we only have a 2 bed flat)!

You already invest passively in index tracking products, so have made a great start. Just apply the same thought to your pension, save a bit more and you'll have won before you know it. How about adding xx% on to your existing payments for the new tax year? Seriously, your mortgage will melt when you're in full-time employment!

My priorities are changing at the moment, but the FI goal is still being held in mind :T

Ps. I'll get back to the VBA, slight pause in studies

I know, it's a terrible commute and I hate driving, not looking forward to that _pale_
On the other hand, there's a bunch of us applying from my uni so if others get in I'm hoping they will want to car pool. I would happily pay them to drive It's on the other side of the Kingston Bridge too, so you'll know what the traffic is like!
The mortgage is definitely another consideration. We have a large 3-bed flat and I like the area, we have a nice butcher across from us, and it wouldn't make sense to move unless OH got a different job.

Can't wait til I can pay more off Considering I've been living on student loans and have had enough left over to have emergency savings, pay into a S&S ISA and OP the mortgage, I should be able to devote half of my real wage into these things and pension I'm thinking and still have money left over for fun
Can I ask you pension question please? That board is scary

gallygirl wrote: »

I daren't say mine is at least 1hr 45 each way :eek: - but only 2 days a week and I'd have to sell my 4 bed detached house and buy a 1 bed cluster home if I was to live nearby :eek:. I just need to retire so early that if you worked out my average commute time till the age of 67 it be nice and low .

Well you've done that now right?

___________

Our area doesn't even have recycling yet! Not even the blue baskets or brown bins, it's shocking. I wonder if the plastic bag cost will make any difference?

Hope you're wrapped up warm and enjoying your evening, it's freezing today!

Karmacat

edinburgher wrote: »

Unfortunately none of our food waste gets recycled, can't think of an environmentally friendly way to do so. That said, we have a couple of nearby community gardens, I'm sure they'd be happy for me to chuck our peelings on the pile. If I wasn't such a shrinking violet in real life, I'd do this already, but I'm afraid of getting engaged in conversation and being a nervous wreck

Poor you :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: its a hard life. If they have compost bins, they'll welcome uncooked kitchen prep stuff, banana skins and the like. You know I'm a counsellor, right? And any kind of "relationship" of any sort with a client outside the counselling room is frowned on ... still, its obvious when you see my house that I'm an environmental loon - lots of people would save the skins of bananas they'd eaten on the way to my house, and give them to me for the compost bin, it was so sweet!

And just you wait till you're taking the baby out in the pram while Mrs Ed has a nap - all sorts of women will accost you, better get used to it now :rotfl: