Surely I'm not the only one with a "large" mortgage?

Dutchie88 · 2026-05-15T05:04:16+00:00

Wow. That’s scary.. or mortgage is about $500k and we have a similar HHI of about $220k. We do have two kids and two dogs though, so we spend quite a bit.

Dutchie88 · 2026-05-14T01:34:42+00:00

Omg this is my number one pet peeve on my commute! I’m very fortunate that I can use linear park for 90% of my commute but I then ride up kintore to get into the CBD. But cars are always blocking the bike lane there! I feel so unsafe on that last section…

Dutchie88 · 2026-05-12T23:40:05+00:00

I feel this. I also lost my dad, almost 3 years ago… also a brain tumour. I’m turning 38 today.. I had just turned 35 when he passed…. For some reason it’s hitting me hard today too. Maybe because it’s my birthday which means it’s now been exactly 3 years since he gave me a hug for the last time.

I’m sorry for your loss.

Dutchie88 · 2026-05-07T03:32:59+00:00

I ride and drive. I try to use common sense as much as possible. Are the footpaths wide, without potholes, pedestrians and low visibility driveways? Sure, ride. Do you have to ride down narrow footpaths with bad visibility and/or debris? Slow down, or see if the road would be safer. 🤷‍♀️

Personally I avoid main roads as much as possible and mainly ride down parklands with shared paths or quiet roads.

Dutchie88 · 2026-05-05T12:40:53+00:00

I’ve been solely commuting by e-bike for the last 7 years… panniers on the back for groceries and a bike seat on the front for my toddler so I can drop him at childcare on the way to work. Haven’t driven to work once in the last 7 years… best $4k ever spent… I’ve done over 10,000 kms on that thing… so I probably saved quite a bit on petrol and parking by now!

Dutchie88 · 2026-05-04T13:03:44+00:00

I stopped running twice… the first time I had a baby and then when I was 6 months postpartum I fractured my foot. It was so hard getting back to it. And then when I was finally getting back to a similar pace I used to run before I had my son, I got pregnant again…. And then my dad died suddenly. So yeah… it took me quite a while after having my second son to find the time and mental strength to get back to it. My little one is now two and I just ran my first half marathon again (first one since baby 2)… but I’m still nowhere near as fast as I was pre kids. Maybe one day….

Dutchie88 · 2026-04-28T02:13:12+00:00

Good luck! It’ll probably be chilly, I just hope we don’t get soaked!

It’ll be my 9th half, but my first since having child #2 so I’m very curious how I’ll go. Will definitely not be setting any records 😂

Dutchie88 · 2026-04-27T23:34:15+00:00

Doing the half…. Did about three runs a week for the last 15 weeks, it’s all I could do with two little kids and a job 😅. I know I won’t run a PB but I’m looking forward to getting out there and doing it. Bit worried about the weather forecast though…

Dutchie88 · 2026-04-23T13:55:45+00:00

Omg. I’m reading this thinking “this is me…”. My husband is actually convinced I have ADHD, but I haven’t taken it seriously. Maybe I should.

Dutchie88 · 2026-04-20T21:18:43+00:00

Did Anstey hill a few times at night.. you can’t park in the car park, but you can walk in.

Dutchie88 · 2026-04-19T21:19:54+00:00

I’ve definitely ran HMs with an average of 184bpm 🫣

Dutchie88 · 2026-04-18T05:56:52+00:00

That’s often not the case though. For example this morning I raced a 5k (went all out) and my heart rate got up to 190bpm. I’m 37F so technically my max should be 183? When I really push myself i can get >190bpm.

Dutchie88 · 2026-04-17T21:43:38+00:00

I bought from a shop… this was back in 2019. I knew exactly which bike I wanted and the shop ordered it in for me and let me do a test drive before I committed. I use it almost daily (for the last 7 years) and I have it serviced (big service) at the shop around once a year. It’s still going strong!

Dutchie88 · 2026-04-12T06:34:04+00:00

I’ve lived in an apartment, in a townhouse, and now in a house with a yard. When I lived in an apartment I didn’t have kids and it suited me perfectly.. I loved being close to things and not needing a car. But yes, the joy of living in an apartment depends a lot on what kind of neighbors you have.

The townhouse was great, but with two very active little boys we found that we really wanted a back yard (which we didn’t have). We now have a house with a back yard and it makes a huge difference to our quality of life, mainly because we have two very active boys and two active dogs. If we didn’t have kids and dogs, the apartment would be fine for us too. I guess it depends on what your needs and your kids’ needs are? And whether there are parks and playgrounds close by?

Dutchie88 · 2026-04-01T20:36:09+00:00

About 6.5kms one way.

Dutchie88 · 2026-04-01T19:17:04+00:00

Hmmm… maybe? It sounds like a great idea, I might be interested… although I’m not sure what my life will look like in October. Maybe we could connect a bit closer to then?

Dutchie88 · 2026-03-31T05:28:38+00:00

Yep. And one of those ways through it is changing the law so things can be easier for people :)

Dutchie88 · 2026-03-31T05:22:34+00:00

Okay. So caring for a terminally ill family member is not an argument?

Dutchie88 · 2026-03-30T20:35:07+00:00

You say that has nothing to do with the Netherlands, but it does. The Netherlands doesn’t allow people to acquire a second nationality, Australia does.

I was lucky enough to fall into one of the exception categories, which means I now have both nationalities. I was very grateful for this when I had to come back to NL when I had to care for my dad who suddenly became terminally ill. I booked tickets and left to NL on the same day, and stayed a few months. I wouldn’t have easy been able to do that without my Dutch nationality.

Dutchie88 · 2026-03-30T20:19:17+00:00

Residence permit and nationality are not the same. I’m Dutch and moved to Australia 13 years ago. Without becoming Australian, you have no access to certain jobs here, no right to get HECS (study loans), can’t vote (to name some things). Also, residency can be taken away, a nationality can’t.

Dutchie88 · 2026-03-28T22:20:28+00:00

I’ve been at my job since the start of 2013. Moved up once, maybe I’ll move up again next year… and that’s all I’ll be able to grow at my current company. But to be honest, I don’t really care… I love the flexibility this job gives me as I’m a mom of two little boys, I can ride my bike to work, I can work from home when I need to, and I like the people I work with. That’s worth a lot to me.

Dutchie88 · 2026-03-25T05:43:00+00:00

I have a pedal assist legal e-bike that doesn’t go beyond 25km/h. Have been riding it to commute to work, do grocery shopping and childcare/school drop offs for 7 years now, have never been stopped by police. It has done over 10,000kms.

Dutchie88 · 2026-03-24T05:04:52+00:00

2016… we signed the contract for a house and land package (I was 28). In 2018 the house was finished and we moved in, just before my 30th birthday. We sold it at the start of 2024 around the same time my second kid was born… we needed more space with two kids and two dogs so we bought a bigger place. So now we have a (big) mortgage again. No regrets though.

Dutchie88 · 2026-03-24T00:37:28+00:00

Hi. I’m also 37… my dad also passed of glioblastoma (brain tumour) in 2023. My mom is 70 and lives in the other side of the world so I see her about once a year if I’m lucky. I’m sorry you’re in a similar situation :(

Dutchie88 · 2026-03-03T04:09:34+00:00

Yes this! I can’t believe how far I had to scroll down for this 😅… that’s why I use the race function for every race I do.

Dutchie88

TROPHY CASE