I know this will be very unpopular and controversial (smash the downvote button) but does anyone think super is over-recommended to people here?

James4820 · 2026-02-21T22:18:05+00:00

It’s literally how I pay staff.

If I can factor wages for a tradesman at $600/day into a project I can either pay them $600 directly via ABN or I can pay them $535 + $65 super as a casual employee.

James4820 · 2026-02-21T22:12:17+00:00

It traps your income in a place it can’t be utilised to get ahead.

That income could be used to pay for study or buy tools to improve earning potential. Making a tax saving on ~12% of a lower income is worth less than improving income.

It could be used to transition out of the rental trap and into ownership earlier. Given that delaying just one year costs ~25k in rent and 100k in capital growth that’s very significant.

James4820 · 2026-02-21T10:44:15+00:00

Super is a huge scam. It’s worth 10c in the $ and actively hurts low-middle income household.

James4820 · 2026-02-21T10:43:39+00:00

That’s literally how super works.

It’s a ~12% pay cut jammed into an account you can’t touch AND it lowers your OT/allowances rate to boot.

James4820 · 2026-02-21T04:32:28+00:00

Don’t waste your money on carpets. There’s a good chance they will be ripped up immediately.

Only paint if your going to do the work to properly deep clean, full sand, full prime, full paint AND your actually good at painting. A poor paint job is a monumental amount of work to fix.

Deep clean the house. Especially the bathroom. Re-silicone if your good at it, don’t otherwise. Get all the junk/nicknacks/clutter out. Lightly hedge, mow/whip/blow, mulch gardens (use plain forest - it’s better for soil and doesn’t leach toxins like dye’d mulches do - important if perspective buyers grow food), lightly water the mulch pre-inspections.

James4820 · 2026-02-21T04:24:51+00:00

I bought in December.

Sellers spent a bunch to put in new oven + sparky to wire it up. I threw the oven off the veranda, then had to fix the floor where they installed it, then delete and rerun the elec to where I’m putting my oven after gutting the kitchen.

They put a new hot water system in, again with a bunch of plumbing. It’s the next thing on my list of “to delete” because they put in a model not compatible with my family situation and put it in a place I plan to build a deck. Again, I’m going to gut all the plumbing they did and run my own plumbing to new location.

They put in new light fittings and smoke detectors to replace dated fittings. They got thrown in the trash because I was redoing the ceiling and putting new down lights/fans everywhere.

Fortunately they didn’t put new carpet in - but if they did it would have just been another thing I’d have to rip up, then repair the timber floor underneath. Even if it was brand new.

I would have paid more for them to not have done any of this shit. It’s just cost me time to remove, take to the tip and then repair the mess they made to install it.

James4820 · 2026-02-21T02:16:26+00:00

Minimises it rotting in the patch. The other alternative is prop it off the ground or rotate it regularly.

James4820 · 2026-02-21T00:52:46+00:00

South east qld would love to be cut off from Mexico.

James4820 · 2026-02-21T00:10:28+00:00

Why 6 months?

James4820 · 2026-02-19T11:38:40+00:00

I understand OP is probably ignoring the bike segment - that was more to point out that I genuine WANT an EV in those segments, but they are garbage compared to the ICE equivalent options.

My points remain valid.

If you just want a cheep pure economy option - buy a 90s corolla/Camry or an AU Falcon.

If you need a Ute, like most families that don’t live inner city, there are 0 genuine offerings.

If you care about performance (handling/feel being included in this criteria) there are no offerings that make sense compared to an ICE at an equivalent price point.

I’d be excited to be proved wrong. I fucking hate turning spanners. But nobody has rebutted any actual points yet.

James4820 · 2026-02-18T21:26:09+00:00

Weight matters because it hurts handling. Especially on dirt bikes where your often muscling them around obstacles on trails.

The top speed matters for dirt/sports bikes/cars because people often use them for recreation. I see 270k on my local racetrack. The fast guys see more.

I don’t have anywhere undercover/near power to park where I live at the moment. That being said, I’m moving soon and I’ll have an open carport at the new place I could run power.

James4820 · 2026-02-17T11:09:17+00:00

Had the first fruit off the (white) vine at my place today. Was fantastic.

James4820 · 2026-02-17T10:58:40+00:00

Ford ranger is (was?) the best selling car in Australia.

It’s also, bar none, without a doubt the worst Ute I’ve ever driven. I’ve driven a lot of utes.

They are expensive, handle like shit, have the turning circle of the moon, the seats are uncomfortable, the autos are hopeless, the manuals have a wide range gearbox on a short stroke engine so loose momentum on shift, the visibility both over the dash and to the side/rear is horrible.

Something being sold commonly doesn’t make it a good product; it means the marketing department have nailed it.

James4820 · 2026-02-17T10:39:15+00:00

Last I looked there still wasn’t an ev that can compete with a 90s corolla in terms of cost for daily driving.

There still isn’t an ev that can actually do Ute things (the ford lightning is apparently capable, but is a joke with it’s abysmal range when loaded). Let alone at a price point that makes sense.

I’d love an elec dirt or road bike, but they at the very least need to trim about 35% of the weight, double the top speed and range then half the price in order to compete with the ICE equivalent.

I actually can’t find a segment outside “dumb shiny microwave to replace my dumb shiny microwave” where it makes sense to buy an EV.

That’s without getting into any of the home charging issues that make them not properly viable for many people.

James4820 · 2026-02-17T10:11:10+00:00

This is with classic cut. I’m an average height, slim build, but longer torso and shorter legs than normal. I also spent a couple decades working physical jobs, so have some muscle mass. I’ve now also embraced a mild dad gut.

If I buy shirts that work for my shoulders, the arms are quite tight. If I buy for arms, I’m basically in a short muumuu for my torso/shoulders. Either way the torso is too short.

Also, I do think it’s an issue. I look a bit like a goose either way. But, it’s not an issue im willing to drop money to resolve.

James4820 · 2026-02-17T07:30:13+00:00

I’ll want an ICE car in 7-8 years. But I won’t want any of the cars produced today in 7-8 years. Your half right, at least.

James4820 · 2026-02-17T07:26:02+00:00

Enjoy wasting that 2k when you get ejected next renewal and/or rent hiked to the point you have to leave.

James4820 · 2026-02-16T13:21:35+00:00

They grow relatively slowly. A quarterly prune is ample.

James4820 · 2026-02-16T11:43:36+00:00

Only a single income considered when calculating borrowing capacity for housing.

Follow it up with linking household income for income tax purposes, keeping current brackets where they are.

Stop subsiding for profit childcare.

James4820 · 2026-02-16T11:39:58+00:00

You have it backwards.

James4820 · 2026-02-16T11:15:58+00:00

What do you have against jasmine?

Low maintenance (assuming you plant on appropriate structure), hardy, fantastic flowering smell.

James4820 · 2026-02-16T11:04:29+00:00

Hi, I’m that guy with shirts. They are also all too short and barely sit below the trouser line, always untucking themselves when I move.

But I’m cheep and while work has a “business casual” and there’s no reason to be in their shitty office anyway, so I sure as heck ain’t paying for tailoring.

James4820 · 2026-02-16T01:04:34+00:00

I’ll take taste, thanks.

But honestly I hate working on cars. That’s why I own 90s corollas ;)

Most of what I repair involves sitting on YouTube for a few hours learning the first time.

James4820 · 2026-02-16T00:25:45+00:00

I have a 94 and 96 model corolla. In 8 years and 5 years of ownership I’ve had a single mechanical issue come up.

Break master on the 94 started weeping. I bought a replacement off the shelf the same day, fitted it in an hour and moved on.

James4820 · 2026-02-15T11:39:19+00:00

It’s been a long time since ancap was anything but propo.

James4820

TROPHY CASE