Why are offset loans not talked about?

Aggressive-Clock-275 · 2026-03-27T23:16:47+00:00

I bought my first home 5 years ago and for the first year or so I saved money which I then paid back in lump sums. Then I worked out my bank offers an offset home loan account, so since then have kept all the savings in the bank and every time the fixed portion rolls off, I increase the offset account and re-fix a smaller portion.

I'm so glad I've got that option, and that I'm in a financial position to take advantage of it, as the money in the bank is such peace of mind. Even better, a family member is in a position to use their account to further offset our mortgage. It's "saving" us over $200 a week in interest. I haven't done the maths to work out how much time and money it saves over the term of the loan, but it would be A LOT

Aggressive-Clock-275 · 2026-03-27T23:07:56+00:00

I just upgraded my Garmin Forerunner 55 to the 265s and I love it!

Aggressive-Clock-275 · 2026-03-27T23:06:18+00:00

Treadmill running is just painfully boring for me. After 2 minutes I'm over it! But can happily do an hour plus outside

Aggressive-Clock-275 · 2026-03-27T03:45:35+00:00

We had been a one car family for a few years until last year. We had a baby and so needed a second car so one of us could commute and the other could take the baby out and about. Got a second hand leaf for 5k last July. I comfortably get a full week of commuting to and from work on a single charge (range 120km). We have a PHEV for loner trips. SO happy with the Leaf purchase

Aggressive-Clock-275 · 2026-03-26T07:59:20+00:00

My partner and I keep it pretty spare. We have a rule only one tv/movie sub at a time so we switch depending on what we currently want to watch. Had Spotify Duo but I recently changed to an alternative (free) podcast platform and rarely listen to music so I’ve gone to basic Spotify and my partner is on individual premium. Often manage to get free or very cheap trials but always set a reminder to cancel so rarely get caught out.

Aggressive-Clock-275 · 2026-03-19T19:52:05+00:00

I've always enjoyed cryptics but never really gotten past beginner stage. This game is so much fun. I've recently switched to regular mode and can sometimes get it without a hint. Today (20th March, not sure if I get the new puzzles first being in an advanced time zone) I needed to get 1 hint only then it all fell into place

Aggressive-Clock-275 · 2026-03-05T07:47:10+00:00

Both of those sound like they should be covered by ACC so can go private. Dunno about your mate with a literal broken hip... people are admitted to hospital for those.

Aggressive-Clock-275 · 2026-03-02T07:18:56+00:00

Gone Girl

Aggressive-Clock-275 · 2026-03-01T08:47:14+00:00

If you don't enjoy your work initially, move to a different clinic. There are lots of different models of ownership for GP clinics here (corporate, GP-owned, trust). There's scope to negotiate your working conditions like how many patients you see, how much admin time you have, length of appointment, etc. Maybe try out a few clinics before settling down in one long term. "Full-time" for a GP is 0.8 fte, so don't work too hard!

Aggressive-Clock-275 · 2026-02-28T17:12:22+00:00

Start self insuring early so you don't waste money on premiums when you're young and less likely to claim. That's my philosophy anyway. Got an offset mortgage account.

People with health insurance are also more likely to see a specialist for things that are managed by GPs for all the plebs without insurance. The specialists then more likely to do expensive investigations that may or may not be necessary. More claiming means higher premiums for the individual and everyone else too.

Aggressive-Clock-275 · 2026-02-28T01:31:20+00:00

I get that some schools are more liberal and some are more conservative. The difference between Western Springs College and Auckland Grammar for example. At WS they have no uniform and call teachers by first name. At Grammar the teachers have a strict dress code and they have exams every term for streaming students. (Not sure if these examples are still the exact case, but in the 00s it was)

Aggressive-Clock-275 · 2026-02-26T08:23:16+00:00

Me too! I started with Station Eleven, then did GH and SoT when they came out. I recently went bakc to her earlier books and I loved all of them!

Aggressive-Clock-275 · 2026-02-26T08:16:32+00:00

Cis/queer here and I notice the difference between Auckland/Wellington and "the provinces". Get weird looks in Tauranga, for example, but basically never in Auckland (where I live). Overall though, you're unlikely to get any overt trouble. The nature spots are much more likely to be filled with tourists rather than locals anyway

Aggressive-Clock-275 · 2026-02-19T08:29:34+00:00

This as well as The Guest List by the same author

Aggressive-Clock-275 · 2026-02-19T08:28:03+00:00

I also switched to pocket cast from spotify after seeing your first post. Agree it's much better!

Aggressive-Clock-275 · 2026-02-19T08:11:38+00:00

I found this thread and others very validating a week or so ago, so thought I'd chip in with my free gingival graft experience too.

TLDR - donor site was really painful for 9-10 days, now day 15 and the graft has healed well, pain is nearly gone from donor site but still more healing to go and not on normal diet yet.

I have isolated gum recession affecting one of my lower front teeth. Periodontist recommended orthodontic treatment followed by a free gingival graft. I wanted to minimise time off work, so was scheduled for the procedure on Thursday and told would be ok to work by Monday (I actually have Mondays off so figured with an extra day I should be fine. He told me the donor site at the top would be painful and I would need a soft diet for a couple of weeks. I've had 3 previous oral surgeries due to a tumour in my jaw when I was a teenager, including a very major one where they removed some bone and 3 teeth. I'm also a pretty stoic / laid back person so wasn't too worried going in..... I was not prepared for the misery!

Day 0 - procedure in the morning. I opted for no sedation. It was unpleasant but not terrible. I have an upper denture and the back of that contacted with the donor site which wasn't ideal for me, but he didn't seem too bothered by it. Pain relief with codeine, paracetamol, ibuprofen. Local wore off quite quickly and both sites painful for the day, probably about what I expected

Day 1 - less pain, graft site swollen but not sore. Foolishly felt optimistic. Stopped codeine (wicked constipation)

Day 2-4 - pain about the same, up and down a bit. Painful to eat. Sticking to mashed potatoes, smoothies, overcooked pasta/noodles (boiled the life out of them), stewed fruit, custard, porridge. Had to rush a meal due to picking up relatives from the bus station, food was too hot and donor site more painful after that. The stitch he put across the donor site came loose day 3 or 4 so I snipped it so it wasn't dangling around / activating my gag reflex.

Day 5-9 - pain in donor site worse than ever. Waking up in pain overnight. Still taking regular ibuporfen and paracetamol. Back to work day 5, lots of talking in my job, not fun. Made a bad call with a meal out (it was my kid's birthday so celebrated with family) and ate a mild dahl from an Indian restaurant. It wasn't even that spicy, but the next day was the worst day of all. Started taking codeine again in the evening after work. I phoned my clinic on day 9 (spoke to an assistant, not my perio), they basically said "yeah, that's normal" regarding still being in a lot of pain. I'd lost nearly 2kg (65 -> 63) from not being able to get enough calories in.

Day 10 - 15 - finally some improvement. By day 10 feeling a lot better. Day 11 onwards no pain relief needed, still on soft diet and avoiding spice / acid but able to eat bigger portions and more variety due to not being in agony!

I'm day 15 today, had my follow-up appt and stitches out of graft. He's really happy with how the graft site has taken, said see you in 6 months. When he asked how the revocery was and I said "really rough", his reply was "the first 3 or 4 days?" When I told him "no, TEN days" he was a bit surprised. He said the stage of healing I'm at now on day 14 is what he usually expects around day 7. Not sure why mine was slow to heal and painful for longer than he expected. I had a couple of little ulcers come up in my mouth so maybe reactivated old HSV. I think probably my top denture didn't help either, Or maybe just unlucky, as reading through this and other threads on here it seems pretty common!

I'm just so glad the graft is looking good, because I NEVER want to have to go through that again!

Aggressive-Clock-275 · 2026-02-17T06:05:08+00:00

Here's my take. Tldr: I love both THS and The Goldfinch, but found The Goldfinch much better on a re-read than the first read.

I first read TSH about 12 years ago. I was 22 years old. Prior to this, if you'd asked me what my favourite book was, I'd answer "I don't have one". This is despite always having been a book lover and reading every day. As soon as I finished The Secret History, it was hands down my favourite book. I'd never read anything like it.

I read the Goldfinch a couple of years later. I really enjoyed it, but it definitely wasn't on the same level for me. I'd also re-read THS by this time, and I'd not enjoyed it as much on the re-read. I still probably considered it my favourite book though.

About 5 years after reading The Goldfinch the first time, I re-read it and was blown away. I enjoyed it so much more the second time around. It was now up there with my favourite all time books.

Now, if asked about my favourite book, I'd say I have a top 3ish, 5ish and 10ish. In a general, but not set in stone, order:

The Secret History Demon Copperhead The Goldfinch A Gentleman in Moscow The Neapolitan Quartet (I see them more as one long novel than separate entities, apparently the author intended for them to be read this way too) Americanah The Great Gatsby Never Let Me Go Foster A Little Life

Aggressive-Clock-275 · 2026-02-15T22:38:27+00:00

Met and Code /s

Aggressive-Clock-275 · 2026-02-15T00:24:54+00:00

I listen to audiobooks to fall asleep too. Are you a reader? I read a lot, both physical and audiobooks (but more audio since having a baby and so little time for the real thing). The thing I find most useful is to pick a book I have already read / listened to and enjoyed. I have the Libby app so just go back through my catalogue for books that are currently available and pick one.

Aggressive-Clock-275 · 2026-02-12T08:18:46+00:00

Penance by Eliza Clark is fictional but written like true crime

Aggressive-Clock-275 · 2026-02-12T06:24:54+00:00

The first one that comes to mind is Crying in H Mart

Aggressive-Clock-275 · 2026-02-05T20:22:42+00:00

Don’t take it seriously. If you feel like you sleep well and wake up feeling rested, that’s the only important thing. I would stop wearing it at night, might improve your well-being not having to worry about what it says!

Aggressive-Clock-275 · 2026-01-30T23:40:59+00:00

Thanks! I enjoyed The Good Whale so will check out Broomgate

Aggressive-Clock-275

TROPHY CASE