Nice People Thread No. 14, all Nice and Proper

CKhalvashi

silvercar wrote: »

You are missing a trick with the season ticket, if you find circumstances change you are allowed to cash in the unused portion of a season ticket; so you could hedge your bets and buy the longer ticket for the savings.

However, as I found last year (twice), that's the concept of profit, but there's also a separate concept which works completely differently, known as cashflow.

Spirit_2

Generali wrote: »

Ooops, I promised PN I'd translate funny money etc into £ and LBs.

AU$200 is a bit under £100.

Oh I also lost about 2-3kg (5-7lb) over Xmas which is nice. . I didn't really have time to make much in the way of puddings and I'm not a massive fan of bought ones. Forgot to buy cheese. Stuck to mostly veggies when I had big meals.

Well done on the Christmas weight loss. I have stayed the same,which is not good news. I had gained half a stone in November and need to take action to shift it.

Not sure what we spend on food, OH keeps a review of past expenditure and our bank a/c mone manager catagorises spending so it shouldnt be too hard to get a weeky average, excluding Christmas. I know what we spend at the fishmongers and butchers
but OH and dd do grocery shopping ( as I cant usually get out). Fishmongers £25-£35 per week, butchers £25-£35. Usually about £50 in total including eggs. I think we spend a lot less than we used to, switch some shopping from Waitrose to Aldi and Sains, due to access and being enlightened. I have more time so make better mealplans and waste less. We have noticed that we have a more varied diet, interesting meals ( that is interesting in a good way).

I think the Alcohol spending has increased, and the eating out spending has grown hugely, as I "lunch" and go for coffee with friends several days a week.

I may resolve to reduce both. It may take some time to properly have an impact as I go away for 3 weeks , so no friends lunches and we have several cases of wine unopened, a full wine wrack (dz bottles) a couple of bottles of Gin, a quantity of Port and sundry opened spirits. Bottled beers and lagers a plenty.Saturday's party did not shift much booze. The younger generation do not drink at all, or were driving or doing dry January.

It was the people of our generation who drank, except drivers. I only had a couple of large glasses of white.

As well as the drink stock, there is still a cake mountain to shift. I is getting worse not better.

Untouched Christmas cake , 2 x pannetone, dd's birthday cake a whole Tiramisu for about 8-10 servings. Will rehome that tomorrow and ask dd to take her cake to work or the yard. I was rather proud of it. An almond cake with rasberry jam filling. Ivory icing and marzipan.Sprinkled with sparkly pink sugar and edible pink rose petals. Shop bought icing and marzipan and no skill required to decorate it.

Photographed the cake and the raised pie (which we ate today) and as at some time I would like to show off. The pie looked and tasted fabulous, but only about a third gone. It was made in an 18cm cake tin. I need to rehome a large portion of that too.

The stroke Association are fund raising under the theme of "Bring me Sunshine", a summer themed party in February. That may be a use for the wine. Will think about that for end of feb.
Not a lot of waste, but too much holiday treat food.

Spirit_2

michaels wrote: »

I have just bought unemployment insurance and am buying my tickets a week at a time - I have lots of confidence in what the new year holds.


On a scale of 1-10 my not wanting to go back to work tomorrow is an 11

Sorry to hear your doubts about job security. Could you anticipate, other than insurance,and look for a newjob? It may be a breathe of fresh air and is more MSE than insuring against avoidable unemployment.

I am not sure about how I feel about "not going to work tomorrow."

I am tired after a busy few weeks, still not up to my former job, but would like to have the choice.

Generali

michaels wrote: »

On a scale of 1-10 my not wanting to go back to work tomorrow is an 11

There was a palpable feeling of dread on the ferry this morning, probably not helped by the cool, wet weather. I was quite happy to be going in. I enjoy what I do plus I found an unexpected $10 bill in my wallet when I tapped off the ferry.

We're in the run-up to bonus time at work so lots of negotiations going on. I call it a bonus but more accurately it's remuneration at risk: pay that we hope to get but don't if we screw up. Hoping to get 6-8% of a possible 10% maximum (10% of annual pay). Next year my maximum goes up to 20%.

LydiaJ

Not unhappy about going to work, but do NOT like getting up in the dark.

Generali

LydiaJ wrote: »

Not unhappy about going to work, but do NOT like getting up in the dark.

I hated that too, it's the bit I really don't miss about the UK and a possible deal breaker for a return (although I most certainly don't rule out a return to Europe).

The latest sunrise is 7am in winter and I could just about get up then and still be at work on time although I get up a bit earlier even in winter. I never get up to pitch blackness apart from to collect someone from the airport really. Once in a blue moon for a big bike ride perhaps.

That whole thing of going to work in the dark and coming home in the dark really dragged me down. I don't miss it.

I could probably stand a move to Brisbane which is much more a sun up at 6am and sun down at 6pm kinda place.

SingleSue

I have no drink stocks from Christmas left but then, I didn't get any in either so not surprising. My total alcohol intake over the Christmas period was a couple of pints on NYE.

Out of the 130 mince pies I made, none are left. They live down at my parent's house and everyone just helps themselves...think quite a few have taken doggy bags of them home.

I've made an excellent job of clearing my freezer though with the boys home, I can finally get some new stuff in!

Had the night from hell last night, kept waking up all through the night and between 4 and 5.30, I gave up and read for a while. Blooming good thing I am not doing the driving today, wouldn't be in any fit state to do so.

CKhalvashi

Generali wrote: »

I hated that too, it's the bit I really don't miss about the UK and a possible deal breaker for a return (although I most certainly don't rule out a return to Europe).

The latest sunrise is 7am in winter and I could just about get up then and still be at work on time although I get up a bit earlier even in winter. I never get up to pitch blackness apart from to collect someone from the airport really. Once in a blue moon for a big bike ride perhaps.

That whole thing of going to work in the dark and coming home in the dark really dragged me down. I don't miss it.

I could probably stand a move to Brisbane which is much more a sun up at 6am and sun down at 6pm kinda place.

I'm at least coming home in the light most of the time now, which is due in part to 4am starts.

Still dark well before 5 though, which is something I'm not too fond of.

hjd

Obviously I'm the contrary one here then!
Not keen on the heat so summer isn't my favourite time of year. I don't have a problem getting up or coming home in the dark although I do dislike having to scrape ice/snow off the car.

Doozergirl

DS has been watching Grand Designs while I'm spread-sheeting.

It's the shipping container house that was mentioned last week - was it PN? I had a feeling I knew which house, as it was nominated for the RIBA award.

Just watching the end now and it is absolutely beautiful. I love the views, the way part of it seems to balance on rocks, the layout, the proportions, the polished plaster and the colour of the front door One of my very favourite GDs, I'm sure. Not a huge house, but an exceptionally designed one.

For £133,000! Absolute genius.