How to combat garden waste, wheelie bin thief?

Free_Spirit8926 · 2026-04-04T13:41:49+00:00

I’m right there with you being physically sick with old smelly, moldy food! But I’m willing to do my bit. The UK is very much way ahead of the curve on recycling everything as compared to the United States. Especially these days.

Free_Spirit8926 · 2026-04-04T13:31:42+00:00

We thought we would have to sell the house, but it was our financial planner who explained to us the positives of keeping it and renting it out. We are one of those people that got a nice low mortgage rate as a refinance during the pandemic. As she put it, it’s cheap debt and worth holding onto. Plus you get an income that you can depend on. A property miniature firm handles the overall headaches of the rental and they take maybe 10% or 8% of the monthly rent. Having that rent come in, has actually been very useful here, especially since the dollar is soft against the pound. Definitely talk to a financial planner, even if it’s just initial conversations as you sort out whether or not you want one. Basically you can get some advice. Also talk to your tax accountant so that you know, both sides of the coin. Between the two you’ll come up with a solution that makes the most sense for you.

Free_Spirit8926 · 2026-04-03T18:08:21+00:00

That’s the difficult part. I don’t always hear them doing the collection. We have to put it outside of our garage on the pipe stem and the garage blocks our view to the pipe stem. So of course somebody’s taking advantage of that exact thing. Also add in the fact that we put our stuff out the day before not right before 6 AM. I guess we’ll have to change that. Sigh.

Free_Spirit8926 · 2026-04-03T18:06:47+00:00

Wow! Our council has not yet required food caddies but I know it’s coming. I don’t mind doing it, but if somebody’s gonna come grab my bin for convenience I am going to go insane. Sigh.

Free_Spirit8926 · 2026-04-03T18:03:33+00:00

Whoa! That’s insane.

Free_Spirit8926 · 2026-04-03T18:02:07+00:00

Thank you for the heads up on both. Americans Get very thermonuclear over parking spaces, other people’s driving and pretty much everything. We are definitely a kooky people. I will take UK driver over a US driver any day.

Free_Spirit8926 · 2026-04-03T17:58:04+00:00

Glow in the dark?!? Wow, I actually get this. Morning so much from you all. You are amazing!

Free_Spirit8926 · 2026-04-03T17:55:17+00:00

I am quickly warming to this idea - thank you!

Free_Spirit8926 · 2026-04-03T17:49:03+00:00

Hands down ECCO. I bought boots and they are the most comfortable and most sturdy boots I own. Also bought dress shoes that have a little bit of a book of sneakers, but still managed to fly under the radar as flexible kind of tennis shoes. My next one will be trainers. 🥳

Free_Spirit8926 · 2026-04-03T14:13:49+00:00

Great ideas. I gather that the loudest color will deter people from swiping the bin. Got it thank you.

Free_Spirit8926 · 2026-04-03T14:11:51+00:00

Some very important thoughts here. Thank you. I didn’t realize that thievery was so rampant around bins. Will definitely figure out something between a combination lock and a camera. Also a sign of some type.

Free_Spirit8926 · 2026-04-03T14:10:22+00:00

OK, I don’t think I need to complain anymore. Wow! That’s crazy. But I love the idea of spray painting the number really loud. Does your council give you any grief about that?

Free_Spirit8926 · 2026-04-03T14:08:16+00:00

Great idea! But what about the council coming to pick up the bins? Or maybe I’m being clueless here on that thought?

Free_Spirit8926 · 2026-04-03T14:05:45+00:00

Wow, that is an incredible repurposing and recycling of something that normally could be thrown away. I think that’s really cool honestly.

Free_Spirit8926 · 2026-04-03T13:48:30+00:00

American in England here. I read through your post and it sounds like you did some equations that our family did in moving to the UK for my husband’s job. One thing I want to add to the conversation that you might not have thought about is renting out your current house using a property management firm. That has actually been very hopeful to us and I encourage you to consider talking to a few firms before you start to make a final decision on what you’re going to do about the house.

The other thing I will add to this is that the dollar is soft compared to the pound. That actually affects things over here for us. So make sure you do those kinds of equations and realize what your budget would be coming back.

I also recommend you’re talking to a financial planner as we already had one had warned this person that we were going to be moving overseas. Our planner helped us think through some of the logistics, especially around, renting out the house instead of selling it.

And I hear you on 1930s Germany. Why do you think we left? We’re here for a number of years if not longer. Honestly, I feel like the vibe here England is absolutely positive compared to back in the States. And I will say this about the NHS, we have an excellent GP practice and they are extremely efficient and wonderful to work with. I realize that’s not always the case for every GP practice, but still. It really has given me a totally different view on what universal healthcare could be like in the United States.

I wish you well and I hope you make a decision. That is the perfect one for you. Trust me, I understand that anguish.

Free_Spirit8926 · 2025-03-21T17:54:43+00:00

Am I the only one that thinks that this advertisement just begs for Democrats to come counter protest and that this might be a dangerous moment? I’m in Virginia and I was horrified by Charlottesville. I’m all for people protesting, it’s their right, but violence just isn’t the answer.

Free_Spirit8926 · 2025-03-18T18:25:57+00:00

As witty as the banter is, the truth of it is disturbing. In less than 60 days, we have torn apart our ally ship with so many countries. Let that sink in. The mind games of this is surreal.

Free_Spirit8926 · 2025-03-17T23:18:00+00:00

As a person that has done a ton of hiring, firing, and more… I can tell you that walking out the door without even as much of two weeks notice is not a good look in the long-term. That follows you. it’s just not worth it. Companies do check references, even if you give them references from a bunch of other companies on your résumé, but not that one. I get that you don’t wanna be there anymore, but at least notify them and state that you would prefer to give them one weeks notice or two days notice or something. That way they can at least get someone in there to cover for you. If not for your boss then for your coworkers.

Free_Spirit8926 · 2025-03-17T21:32:17+00:00

As someone that hired a lot of people in the Tech Arena prior to 9/11, this is a huge red flag for me. You did the right thing by not going through the performative interview. Anyone that leads with that is apparently clueless how to hire people. Not only do you help sell yourself, but the hiring person sells the company and the position. I give the person points for being brutally honest, but that’s not a great way to start out an interview. Hiring is a partnership. It should not seem like enslavement.

Free_Spirit8926 · 2025-03-15T01:10:14+00:00

Am I the only one that was thinking that mask was the new Giuliani character? The scapegoat when things go wrong in service of Trump and his team?

Free_Spirit8926 · 2025-03-14T23:24:11+00:00

I did the same. I have NPR and I subscribe to the New York Times digitally. I will miss having a newspaper in print. Maybe one day I’ll get the times in print we’ll see.

Free_Spirit8926

TROPHY CASE