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Can't live on £50k a year

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    #21
    Originally posted by The_Equalizer View Post
    I'll admit time can be a factor, but some of this you can do yourself. I do most of the servicing on the cars myself - Merc, Land Rover and Jag - and most household things are fairly straight forward. The door lock packed up at Christmas. Used a bit of wood to keep it secure and managed to change the locking mechanism (I discovered it's called the gearbox) for £17 with a bit from eBay.

    Same with the leaking ball valve in the cold water tank two weeks back. A new valve and ball was £11 from Screwfix. Okay, if you're on a good daily rate you might prefer to spend your free time and cash on other things, but once you've ar5sed about arranging for a tradesman to appear and waited while they fix it it'll probably be no slower.
    Don't forget the £180 or so you have to pay the nosey parkers at your local council to come round and issue a building regs certificate.

    It's frightening how many things require it these days.

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      #22
      Originally posted by SueEllen View Post
      Some people don't have the skills to do that or any DIY tasks.
      Then try and learn them if you are skint. There are Youtube vids for everything nowadays. I'm not talking about car engine repairs, but something like changing a door knob/lock only requires a screw driver and common sense.

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        #23
        Originally posted by The_Equalizer View Post
        I'll admit time can be a factor, but some of this you can do yourself. I do most of the servicing on the cars myself - Merc, Land Rover and Jag - and most household things are fairly straight forward. The door lock packed up at Christmas. Used a bit of wood to keep it secure and managed to change the locking mechanism (I discovered it's called the gearbox) for £17 with a bit from eBay.

        Same with the leaking ball valve in the cold water tank two weeks back. A new valve and ball was £11 from Screwfix. Okay, if you're on a good daily rate you might prefer to spend your free time and cash on other things, but once you've ar5sed about arranging for a tradesman to appear and waited while they fix it it'll probably be no slower.
        Don't forget the £180 or so you have to pay the nosey parkers at your local council to come round and issue a building regs certificate.

        It's frightening how many things require it these days.

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          #24
          It is outrageous they receive child benefit. No wonder public finances are fooked.
          "Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience". Mark Twain

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            #25
            Originally posted by sal View Post
            Then try and learn them if you are skint. There are Youtube vids for everything nowadays. I'm not talking about car engine repairs, but something like changing a door knob/lock only requires a screw driver and common sense.
            Yeah I know - most of it is fear of breaking things as when you point out you learnt stuff from books and YouTube videos they look shocked.

            I guess I was lucky that I had both parents who would fix things and proclaim loudly "Well that was easier than I thought" which means no-one in my family was scared of trying to do the same.
            "You’re just a bad memory who doesn’t know when to go away" JR

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              #26
              Originally posted by The_Equalizer View Post
              I'll admit time can be a factor, but some of this you can do yourself. I do most of the servicing on the cars myself - Merc, Land Rover and Jag - and most household things are fairly straight forward. The door lock packed up at Christmas. Used a bit of wood to keep it secure and managed to change the locking mechanism (I discovered it's called the gearbox) for £17 with a bit from eBay.

              Same with the leaking ball valve in the cold water tank two weeks back. A new valve and ball was £11 from Screwfix. Okay, if you're on a good daily rate you might prefer to spend your free time and cash on other things, but once you've ar5sed about arranging for a tradesman to appear and waited while they fix it it'll probably be no slower.
              I wouldn't service cars as they are new and would invalidate the warranty, but being a tightarse I do any non-specialist maintenance round the house.
              Particularly the gardening which I enjoy - that's my 0.25 acre gym right there.
              This w/e I have a curtian rail to install, gutters to clean and an external wall to paint
              Can't understand why people don't do stuff like that and keep fit at the same time, rather than pay for a gym + someone to do simple tasks.

              Perhaps the modern generation is just fooking spoilt and lazy.
              Last edited by CretinWatcher; 26 August 2016, 10:18.

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                #27
                Originally posted by CretinWatcher View Post
                I wouldn't service cars as they are new and would invalidate the warranty, but being a tightarse I do any non-specialist maintenance round the house.
                Particularly the gardening which I enjoy - that's my 0.25 acre gym right there.
                This w/e I have a curtian rail to install, gutters to clean and an external wall to paint
                Can't understand why people don't do stuff like that and keep fit at the same time, rather than pay for a gym + someone to do simple tasks.
                Because that's what the RealityTV on the £100/m+ sky packages teaches them to do...

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                  #28
                  Originally posted by SueEllen View Post
                  Some people don't have the skills to do that or any DIY tasks.
                  Don't believe this for one second. As just mentioned by someone else YouTube and the internet in general are magic. Things like the door lock and the cold water tank valve where fixed using a screwdriver and a plumber's spanner respectively. Tools are inexpensive and very few are required. I wouldn't be surprised it there are evening classes locally for such basics if you don't have the confidence first time round. It's no different from tackling new stuff in IT - save for it's hands on - and we all have to do that on a regular basis.

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                    #29
                    Actually when I get on the bench, which doesn't seem to be anytime soon, I have a challenging project I intend to tackle - installing decking. Will no doubt be a sharp learning curve, as my woodworking skills are next to zero.
                    If I fail, well I'll have learned something and probably only lost a few hundred. Worth a shot.

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                      #30
                      I've taken a more detailed look at their outgoings.

                      £50 a month on yoga
                      £100 on a hairdo every 3 months???? Cheaper hairdresser needed

                      £600/month for Mini Countryman and Kia Sportage? Jeepers, suck up some humility and get rid. They could get a second hand Ford Focus each or similar for far less.
                      Credit card payment £250 - They've got a £10,000 debt that they're just servicing the interest on. Need to sort that out along with the cars. Easy to turn £850 a month into £400 a month with a £20,000 loan over 5 years. £10,000 to clear the debt and £10,000 on two cars

                      Michelle isn't extravagant but has yoga classes, a new car and a £100 hairdo.

                      What these people need to look at is the sort of guys I have a pint with in my local. Good, honest grafters bringing in about £18k a year and surviving. No gym membership, no childcare because mum stays at home with the kids, a cheap car, weekends away camping rather than long holidays anywhere.

                      Bunch of f*****g snobs in that article who can't live the aspirational lifestyle that they think they're entitled to.
                      The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world that he didn't exist

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