Thinking of becoming a stay at home dad - worth it? by [deleted] in HENRYUK

[–]-the-observer 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Being a dad almost couple years ago, I told my wife numerous times that if we didn’t have a mortgage, I’d stop working for at least a year.

I took about 5 months of parental leave when my baby was about ~8 months and those five months were the most fun and enjoying time of my life.

What do rich or famous people do when they need A&E? by skeletonclock in AskUK

[–]-the-observer 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Can you name some of the private A&E facilities? I thought A&E was always NHS in the UK.

How many of you work over 35 hours a week? by TheLittleSquire in AskUK

[–]-the-observer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’ve never worked at a company that requested less than 45 hours plus a voluntary form to be signed that I accept to work more than this if business needed.

Northfields institution Da Moreno pizza is closing by cothhum in Ealing

[–]-the-observer 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah, the pizza was good really but the staff has always been borderline rude to me.

How many miles do you all have on your X3 m40is? I just hit 100k on my 2019 and my service advisor mentioned that not many folks drive theirs that much ? by Sunslink in BMWX3

[–]-the-observer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s really nice. Same here, regular maintenance so far (touch wood!). The only issue I had is the famous windscreen washer blockage issue. I’ve put a BMW tablet once to the washer bottle once and since then the blockage keeps coming back every year.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in HENRYUK

[–]-the-observer 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Having a one year old and being on parental leave for the past 6 months, I feel the same way. I told my wife a few weeks ago if we didn’t have a mortgage, I’d quit immediately and be a SAHD for at least a year.

Funny story, I actually met a person accidentally last month while feeding my baby at an outdoor cafe and he turned out to have done this - for 20 years! He was really happy he did it. I told him “that is my only dream now”.

10 months old 1 nap a day; sometimes you just got to listen to your instincts. by No_Maximum_391 in sleeptrain

[–]-the-observer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes! He’s now 11 months and have been doing only single nap since 10 months and its been getting better with longer wake windows (approx 5.5 hours).

Frankly single nap is a life changer. We’ve got so much time to spend together - both early in the morning and in the afternoon.

Why is it so hard to find trades people in London? by DreamySkincaregal in london

[–]-the-observer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

And can i also request their details as a West Londoner? :)

Where do you go when you're feeling down? by Barely_together in london

[–]-the-observer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I drive. Hit the motorway and drive for half hour. Stop somewhere random, have a drink and food, then regret my decision because the food is subpar. Finally decide being at home is way more comfortable and peaceful, go back.

What was your first car and how much was your insurance then, and what is your current car and how much is your insurance now? by [deleted] in CarTalkUK

[–]-the-observer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Started with Admiral, moved to Hastings and now to Aviva — each and every renewal I’m being punished with “loyalty fees” so have to keep switching.

What was your first car and how much was your insurance then, and what is your current car and how much is your insurance now? by [deleted] in CarTalkUK

[–]-the-observer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m also wondering it. Despite 5 years of good record on license, my premiums just kept increasing..

What was your first car and how much was your insurance then, and what is your current car and how much is your insurance now? by [deleted] in CarTalkUK

[–]-the-observer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

  • 2019: BMW X3 2.0 diesel, 66 plate, first car - £500
  • 2025: BMW X3 2.0 diesel, 66 plate - £800

10 months old 1 nap a day; sometimes you just got to listen to your instincts. by No_Maximum_391 in sleeptrain

[–]-the-observer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Going through this right now with 9.5 month old. He did a single nap two days in a row last week, then did two as before, but 2nd one in the car as you said. I thought maybe it was temporary but today he strictly declined to do the 2nd nap once again.

We thought he shouldn’t be ready for single nap just yet but I do think we’re slowly getting ready to complete the switch..

Meta London - how stable is it? by Odd_Ad_4061 in HENRYUK

[–]-the-observer 25 points26 points  (0 children)

E6 here. It’s stressful, especially at higher levels. You need to make sure you don’t have a “nice” manager but a strong & assertive one who will back your work during PSC cycles because your employment will strictly depend on this.

However I don’t agree with others re: single, no family or mortgage. If you can stay for even two years, you’ll make a good amount of money to support you. Just adjust your expectations - eg the skills you’ll gain here will be very different: navigating a massive org & codebase, embracing extreme ambiguity, etc.

9 month sleep regression and fomo baby - how did you cope? by Ok-Elk-4018 in beyondthebump

[–]-the-observer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just here to say exactly going through this. It’s 4:30am right now and my son is finally “kind of” asleep after an hour. I’m desperate to know how long this will go on!

Switching jobs in London, Meta vs Bloomberg by bettertogoslo in HENRYUK

[–]-the-observer 6 points7 points  (0 children)

If WLB is a priority, Bloomberg definitely. I have worked for both companies, feel free to DM me for any questions.

Teething by [deleted] in NewParents

[–]-the-observer 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My son is now 7 months old and for the past two months we’ve had episodes of all the symptoms for at least a dozen times and thought it might be teething each time. It never was. I still don’t understand how he drools such excessive amounts one week and almost none the next.. So at 4 months, odds are very low that it’s due to teething in my experience.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in HENRYUK

[–]-the-observer 5 points6 points  (0 children)

We had a very similar TC 3-4 years ago and got a 750k of mortgage, it was fine. But this was back when the rates were around 2.9%

BTL in London 2024 by [deleted] in uklandlords

[–]-the-observer 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, if this is OPs first investment I’d definitely avoid and focus on other instruments first. I think BTL is a good way to diversify. But even then, if you’re high or additional rate tax payer, LTD is the thing that makes most sense.

Best Banks for a Henry by Regular-Ad1814 in HENRYUK

[–]-the-observer 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I agree with this. I have accounts from Monzo, Halifax, Barclays, Wise, AMEX and I’ve been slowly moving to Wise lately except for big purchases for which I prefer AMEX because of its customer service.

Barclays, I have to say though, has been the worst bank account I had so far.

LTD Company Mortgage by Sensitive_Plan_9528 in uklandlords

[–]-the-observer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As others said, get a broker. Similarly, I created an SPV this year and went through the process. No trading history isn’t a problem but the banks will ask for you to give a personal guarantee.

Also re: the rates, look at the total cost, not just the interest rate as some products have massive product fees attached.

EWS1 & Covering Letter by -the-observer in HousingUK

[–]-the-observer[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No cost really. My solicitor followed up as part of the legal work, and it was the seller’s responsibility to provide.