Nice People Thread No. 15, a Cyber Summer

PasturesNew

Pyxis wrote: »

Some people I know who loathe paying for parking will drive around streets to find a free spot, or park a good walk away from where they want to be.

One of my main de-motivators for leaving the house after "where are you going?" is the paying for parking ... because if you're not on a specific "worthy" mission then it seems such a waste and you can really begrudge it adding up across the course of a day if you "just went out, somewhere, anywhere, for a walk around a town or whatnot".

I will walk up to a mile, if weather/time available aren't an issue, just to park for free.

It's £3 for me just to turn up at the local beaches and park to stare out of the windows for a bit ... which is why sometimes my bike is mentioned... but, mostly, I just don't go.

Pyxis wrote: »

That's fine if you're not going to be carrying anything, or don't mind getting wet if it's raining, or don't have some breathing problems and jointy issues, and don't get hot, sweaty and red on exertion, or don't live in a hilly place.

For carrying, I must be on a "mission", so wouldn't mind paying to collect something - but, in the main, I don't buy stuff - and if I did it'd be from a "cheaper type of shop" most often found with free car parks on the outskirts of town.

Pyxis wrote: »

I didn't get my first car until I was 40, and had lugged babies, children, pets, shopping bags/trollies on/off buses, up hills in all weathers, stood shivering for ages at bus-stops, been restricted in where I could go, etc. etc., so to have the ease and convenience of parking close to where I want to be is my version of leaving the heating on!

Fair dos. I got a moped at 19 .. couldn't bear being restricted to the village buses! Everybody got a moped, it was what you did. Moped in January, passed car test in August.

Pyxis wrote: »

What's everyone else's 'extravagance'? It would be interesting to know!

My only extravagance is clearly ... my baccy. In my weak "defence" I cut down to the cheapest cigs years ago - and about three years ago cut down to baccy... and I appreciate it's a waste and I can't afford it, but life's so "meh"

PasturesNew

chris_m wrote: »

I love it when people drive miles to fill up at the cheapest filling station - but forget that they've spent more in extra burnt fuel than the saving they made in replacing it

Me too, people don't see driving as having a cost, I calculate driving on a cost per mile based on:

What is the £/litre?
Divide by 10
Multiply by 1.5.
That's my cost per mile for running costs.

Fuel £1.20/litre = 18p/mile.

It's a 15 mile round trip to my "local Asda", so I'd not go there because XYZ was 10p cheaper as it'd cost me £2.70 to get there/back.

If I am going on a long journey (200 miles) and have the tank half full, there is a convenient "stopping point" after 180 miles and I will sometimes check the fuel price there before I leave, to decide whether to fill up before I set off, or when I've nearly arrived.

It's an 4sda, so a handy "stop and take stock", break from driving (3-4 hours), pop into 4sda for a mooch around, maybe pick up a drink/sandwich ... before continuing my journey with the feeling of "having already arrived", so I am more refreshed when I do arrive at my destination.

Pyxis

PasturesNew wrote: »

Fair dos. I got a moped at 19 .. couldn't bear being restricted to the village buses! Everybody got a moped, it was what you did.

Moped in January, passed car test in August.

That sounds like you were sad for 8 months! :rotfl:

Oh, I did ride a motorbike for a while when I was young and free, but couldn't fit the baby in the topbox, so it had to go!




(The bike, not the baby! :eek:)

PasturesNew wrote: »

*does the Muttley snigger*

Were all those letters code? :huh:

silvercar

What's everyone else's 'extravagance'? It would be interesting to know!

Having a cleaner.

Costa coffee.

vivatifosi

I am not really an extravagant person, but I do have a spa membership:whistle: (don't drink, don't smoke, don't spend a fortune on clothes or eating out, live pretty frugally other than this) oh, and I quite like holidays and short breaks. A night out at the Rex or the Odyssey are pretty luxe too, even if not that expensive.

chris_m

Pyxis wrote: »

Oh, I did ride a motorbike for a while when I was young and free,

When I was sixteen I mentioned my thought about getting a licence and a moped at the dinner table - three weeks later I turned seventeen and was given a course of driving lessons, so (apart from pushbikes) I've always been a "cager".

chris_m

PasturesNew wrote: »

My only extravagance is clearly ... my baccy. In my weak "defence" I cut down to the cheapest cigs years ago - and about three years ago cut down to baccy...

That's probably mine too.

michaels

I get the £1 o2 meal deal for lunch on Mondays even thought it would be cheaper for me to make a sarnie, bring in a packet of crisps and drink tap water as I do every other day.

Pyxis

All the smokers are coming out of the woodwork!

chris_m

Well, that was a productive morning, I hope. Planted out the leeks and sowed a few more parsnip seeds in the spots where the originals didn't come up.

Apart from later sowing batches of carrots or replacing any others that fail, that's all my veggies planted now - Sweetcorn, Parsnips, Carrots, Peas, Brussels Sprouts, Courgettes, Onions, Green-Sprouting Broccoli, Purple-Sprouting Broccoli, Leeks, Runner Beans, Broad Beans, Radishes, White Cauliflower, Romanesco Cauliflower, Swedes, 1st early Spuds, maincrop Spuds and Tomatoes.

If that lot all grows and harvests OK, I think I'll end up looking like a veggie

Since it's the first year I've tried this I've been keeping detailed notes as to what and how many of them I've planted, to which I'll add the harvest quantity when that occurs. I can then compare those with the amount of them I eat so I can adjust quantities up or down as appropriate next year.
If I adjust down, especially the brassicas because they take up a lot of space, then I may try other things as well next year.

One lesson already learnt is that it's not really worth growing most things from seed - not when the garden centres sell strips of established plants generally containing at least eight plants, for between £2 and £3