Nice People Thread No. 14, all Nice and Proper

GDB2222

silvercar wrote: »

Is it a job a competent decorator could do?

If so, I know a perfectionist that is quite expensive, but not extortionate.

I could do with a good decorator, thanks, but this job is a bit more than a decorator would normally handle..

CKhalvashi

michaels wrote: »

Don't we have a sales tax already called VAT? I thought the issue was that all these multinationals took advantage of EU rules and made all their sales in Luxembourg as it has the lowest EU VAT rate....

VAT isn't the real issue here in reality though, is it?

Whether I sell something £1.15 for or £1.20 isn't the real issue, however whether I have 80p or 85p is.

What does worry me with a turnover based tax is that our margin is about 10% for the music side and about 9% for the taxi side (completely taking VAT out the equasion, as we sell only b2b), which would leave the corporation tax payable as 2.4% and 1.8% of turnover in these scenarios.

A turnover-based tax therefore can't really be higher than 2%, or there becomes a huge incentive for even smallish business to relocate abroad.

Remember that the first £20k coming into the company each month pays just for the office rent/rates/electricity bill, the next £80k (for the office staff) for wages and the next £200k (hypothetically) for marketing/events costs, meaning that before I can take a penny, I need to have £300k coming in.

On a hypothetical turnover of £25m, the margin on this would be around 16% bearing in mind the contracts I have in place (although I'm not willing to disclose the true turnover and operating costs, even though the first two figures are real, nor details of contracts on an open forum)

My turnover isn't as high as £25m, but not so close to the operating costs that I have to worry.

SingleSue

Clothes - I had to replace my wardrobe last year as I too lost a load of weight, total spend for the year was £100, 10x what it normally is. Felt awful doing it, for some reason, going shopping doesn't produce the same happy feeling result in me as it does in most others.

Primping - hair was cut 3 times for a total of £36, an improvement on the previous 5 or possibly more years when there had been no haircuts at all plus 2 x hair dye for less than a tenner. Make up was replaced (well lipstick was anyway but they had a special offer so got something to deal with the dark circles under my eyes), £15.

Re sugar, bought a small packet of sugar about 18 months ago and there is still over half left, the only person it was used for was my brother when he came up to do the garden.

Decorating, a family friend has offered to paint my ceiling in the front room and help with the painting in the rest of the room. It is tempting but he has Aspergers and it can be hard work with his precision and fussing over things that don't matter, I'm more of a slap it on sort of person.

Edit - I look neither glam, delectable or even homely...just harrassed, rushed and at times pale (with huge dark circles under my eyes) because I am not wearing my make up. My spending and ways are def not the recipe for success in looking great! :rotfl:

Doozergirl

Spirit wrote: »

I should be gorgeous. One half of a beautiful couple. Coiffed and groomed. Chic and stylish.
I am not. None of those things. I want a refund on what we spent in 2015 on clothing and grooming.

According to Lloyds money manager tool, we spent an average of £500/mth on clothes and £110/mth on personal care last year.

I recognise all the transactions and some spending is classified elsewhere. This review came about as I am looking at our budget, or more precisely looking to budget. For the last 5 years we have more kept an eye on our cash flow. I think we waste quite a lot. The clothes and grooming being a case in point. Last year I lost a lot of weight and had to buy everything after throwing almost every item I owned out, my hair fell out and I replaced shoes every few weeks as my gait changed. This year I am well (fingers crossed) so spending needs to be reigned in.

I am still left with the puzzle about how you can spend so much to look so "homely". Are other NP haapy with what they spend and how they look?

I plan to spend less on healthcare, this year. Today Physio and I agreed that from mid feb I will see her only once week. next step will be "as required".

Surely, it's the average price of the shops you're shopping in and the style you've settled on?

I can understand looking homely if you've been poorly.

If I buy expensive items, my criteria is that they have something quirky about them, and are preferably in the sales, although coats, shoes and handbags usually aren't as they get the most wear and I buy them for love and they are expected to last. As a family, we'll have spent about the same as you on clothes. As an individual, between hair, nails and eyebrows, I will spend about the same.

Having platinum hair as my standard look, various shades of pastel hair last year, and a small collection of Vivienne Westwood handbags, I wouldn't describe my look as homely. I've bought some quite exciting things that 'spark joy' over the last year.

Doozergirl

GDB2222 wrote: »

How do I go about finding a reliable and competent firm of builders to replace a ceiling damaged by water and redecorate? It's a pretty small job, so a small firm would be great.

You need a plasterer, not a builder. And then someone who can use a paintbrush.

That would be the most cost effective route.

Generali

I got a bunch of these for Xmas you may (or may not) recall:

https://buy.thetrackr.co/br/07/?utm_source=GU&utm_medium=GU&utm_campaign=GU&aff_id=1160&creat_id=321&clk_id=19739355&sub_id=156102

Well I've got a meeting with the distributor tomorrow to talk about me selling them on the side!

Doozergirl

PasturesNew wrote: »

Can be used to sew into the coats of teenagers "

I'm not sure if that would help me track the coat, or the teenager. Both need tracking. I can track the teenager via Find My iPhone. Very useful as he doesn't particularly appreciate the link between his parents paying the bill and being available to them via the phone.

We bought DS an 'investment' coat for Christmas 2014. That was a bad move. It disappeared at school at the beginning of the colder weather this winter. I'd love to track that coat.

How much are these trackers? Are they still expensive?

Generali

Doozergirl wrote: »

I'm not sure if that would help me track the coat, or the teenager. Both need tracking. I can track the teenager via Find My iPhone. Very useful as he doesn't particularly appreciate the link between his parents paying the bill and being available to them via the phone.

We bought DS an 'investment' coat for Christmas 2014. That was a bad move. It disappeared at school at the beginning of the colder weather this winter. I'd love to track that coat.

How much are these trackers? Are they still expensive?

£15-20 depending on how many are bought. I expect there to be a discount for Nice People.

kabayiri

Generali wrote: »

Amazon doesn't dodge Corporation Tax it's just innumerate journalists that claim that they do.

It's more the fact that his announcement barely made the news which was of more interest to me.

Perhaps he doesn't have the influence he thinks he has, or maybe there isn't the public mood for the topic.

kabayiri

michaels wrote: »

I'm actually a huge fan of Scottish independence and thus no longer having to fund their welfare state any more - can we also separate from Wales, Northern Island and the North East too please?

Any particular "Northern Island" or just choose one at random?