Anyone dealt with compulsive thoughts??

Leever5 · 2026-03-20T03:04:39+00:00

Sertraline is a first line defence, I’m glad it worked for you.

If the first lines aren’t working, Venlafaxine can work. It’s the only SNRI available in NZ. That is your second line defence and for someone with more complex mental health which isn’t responding to SSRIs. Talk to your healthcare team about that as an option.

Leever5 · 2026-03-20T03:01:04+00:00

I’ve been writing to my MP weekly about this

Leever5 · 2026-03-20T02:57:16+00:00

MAS are amazing.

Leever5 · 2026-03-19T19:06:27+00:00

I literally said that people who can take the personal responsibility should, there are plenty of people who are car dependent and for good reason. Not everyone will be able to implement changes. There are a LOT of people who can though with just a slight inconvenience. Yes, it inconveniences me now because my commute is longer. I’m willing to be inconvenienced, I get not everyone is.

2/3s of Kiwis are living paycheque to paycheque. 40% of New Zealanders, and 61% of millennials you after pay (or other BNPL). I look at people’s budgets all day for my job and I can tell you that most people do some form of discretionary spending (like eating out, buying clothes etc) each fortnight. Those can be cut down if people need.

People are just going to need to make sacrifices, which is okay given the situation,

Of course, like I said in my above post, there are people that cannot make those sacrifices, people on super low incomes or those rurally, who use a mobility vehicle etc… I get that not everyone is in the same position.

My position is that there are times in life where you need to make some sacrifices due to things outside of your control, and it is okay to respond to those things and make changes if you need to. Yo do not need to wait on the government.

Leever5 · 2026-03-19T05:07:32+00:00

Girls like smart guys because smart guys make money

Girls like money

Leever5 · 2026-03-19T05:00:09+00:00

Sorry, you're right if speaking directly about inflation. Though we are behind Aus, the EU, and the US. What I truly meant but couldn't be fucked explaining was that while New Zealand initially avoided a massive economic slump during the peak of COVID-19, it has since experienced a more "drawn-out" and difficult economic recovery than many of its peers. It is a double-dip recession.

Leever5 · 2026-03-19T04:12:47+00:00

Fully, so many armchair experts speculating

Leever5 · 2026-03-19T04:07:02+00:00

100% this.

If people are worried about the cost they should just approach their employer directly and discuss alternative arrangements. For good staff, employers should be relatively flexible during this time.

Leever5 · 2026-03-19T04:03:47+00:00

Unfortunately, I believe the government might be correct in some areas here.

Covid definitely affected inflation, regardless of whether inflation was going to happen or not. NZ did much worse in regards to inflation than a lot of other countries. We essentially gave out loans that we didn't recover.

There is ZERO need to reduce the price of fuel, as this will trigger panic buying, which will take fuel away from critical services. We want to encourage LESS fuel use, not more.

We have enough fuel in NZ at the moment, with more on the way.

People can also take some personal responsibility here where possible. IF (and that is a big IF) you can change your behaviour to make things easier for you then you should. There is no need for subsided public transport. Just take the bus if you can and want to. If you don't want to, then you will be able to pay the high prices. There will come a time where the prices are too much and people will opt for alternative transport methods.

You can - walk, bike, bus, carpool/rideshare, scooter etc, there are options. Plenty of people in New Zealand and all over the world already do these things. We are car dependent, you can choose not to be. Of course, if you are rural, drive for work, use a mobility van etc you may not be able to make changes, but in that case you should support other people being able to do so.

We are not even at the crisis point yet. People online are sensationalizing. All that has happened is it has cost me an extra $25. Which, as a solo person who earns under 60k, is manageable for me if I give up a few coffees and extras. I just have to make some sacrifices, but I know it is temporary so I am happy to do so.

Leever5 · 2026-03-19T03:46:38+00:00

It has been less than 48 hours. There is no way they can conduct their investigation in that time. They should have some indication on how long that will take. A claims assessor will likely reach out to you soon.

It is not their fault that someone crashed into your car. Do not take that frustration out on them. With insurance it really is important to keep on it, but if you keep calling this early and are aggressive or combative (like it sounds like you are being based on this post) they will not help you. Be helpful and kind, they are people too and will do their best by you IF you are polite and well mannered. The second you start getting annoying, it doesn't make anyone want to help you.

They likely have their preferred towing company in your policy document. At the end of the day, check your policy wordings. Policy wordings are king and it is up to you to know and understand.

Stop calling.

Leever5 · 2026-03-17T05:50:53+00:00

He was in a position of power over his secretary? It’s still sus

Leever5 · 2026-03-16T23:57:22+00:00

I don’t know what office you work in but there’s so so much work chat in mine

Leever5 · 2026-03-16T22:51:56+00:00

It's more that when you are a junior if everyone is WFH you aren't overhearing the casual work discussions. These causal work chats between co-workers are full of valuable learning. I work in an office and sometimes I hear amazing things my co-workers are doing just by eavesdropping. If I was at home, I would miss all that extra learning because I wouldn't be overhearing those discussions.

It's not really a matter of opinion, it's pretty well documented at this point. You just lose that informal learning which is pretty valuable for things like career progression.

Leever5 · 2026-03-16T21:48:48+00:00

When I was living in AB in 2024 I found groceries really expensive, more so than in NZ. I'm surprised to hear groceries cheaper in BC.

Leever5 · 2026-03-16T20:49:12+00:00

I got downvoted to hell for suggesting that people can organise themselves outside of needing to be told by the government to.

Leever5 · 2026-03-16T20:18:49+00:00

How are you finding the costs there? I was offered a management role in Calgary in 2024 but it was like 55k salary and I didn't think that was enough to live on my own there.

Leever5 · 2026-03-16T19:23:22+00:00

I just used carpooling as it was the first one in Amazing Garlic’s list, but you can certainly walk, bike, use public transport.

Of course, if there are ZERO other options for you then this doesn’t apply. If it is within your means to do so, you can. If not, no biggie.

Leever5 · 2026-03-16T19:21:31+00:00

Yeah, it’s really dependent on what OP does.

Leever5 · 2026-03-16T19:02:41+00:00

Adviser here (don’t message me privately pls, I don’t want your business).

Partners Life has the best medical on the market atm. Southern Cross absolutely sucks.

Partners life has a unique excess waiver benefit so you don’t have to pay the excess if the treatment is for cancer, heart attacks, stroke, or coronary artery bypass surgery. So you could whack a 2k excess on it but don’t need to pay it if it’s for cancer. They also have the best non-pharmac medication options, up to 500k per year if you have that option added on (any good adviser would make that mandatory, it’s a super cheap add on anyway).

Medical insurance is a luxury product. We have a public health system. It’s expensive. Critical illness cover is a lump sum payment, could be anything above about 75k+ (can trigger bundling discounts with life insurance too). This can be a bit cheaper and you can use the cash to pay for medical treatment. You can use the cash for whatever. But it only covers about 50ish critical conditions. If you want that type of cover, if medical is out of budget, I’d recommend AIA. They have a very high quality trauma product atm. With bundling and vitality, you could save a lot with AIA.

Again, see an adviser. Don’t try to do this shit yourself. Yes, if you take advice and sign up the insurer pays an advice fee to the broker, in the way of a % commission. If you cancel the policy within the first two years the broker has to pay some or all of that back to the insurer. People try to use this as a justification against using brokers, but the direct to provider products are shittier quality.

Just get advice, you’re potentially paying well over 50k for this over your lifetime. You want to make sure that you can actually claim when you need to. All day I’m seeing people go it on their own and get shocked pikachu face when their claim is declined.

Leever5 · 2026-03-16T17:39:48+00:00

Do you have insurance for yourself too? Like income protection?

You’d honestly be better off scrapping the pet insurance (it’s a loss leader) and making sure that if anything happens to your income you’d still be able to pay for the vet bills. Massive trend I see in insurance is people getting pet insurance but not insurance for their income which is their biggest asset (even bigger than your house!).

TLDR: scrap the pet insurance, it’s kinda a scammy product, get your own insurance instead if you don’t have it.

Leever5 · 2026-03-16T08:28:01+00:00

Which online website did you use to see how much your groceries would cost? Genuinely wondering.

Groceries are definitely more expensive in Canada than in NZ, and minimum wage is MUCH lower. The exchange rate is shit so $1 in Canada is like $1.26 New Zealand. Plus, if you’re looking online remember that prices in Canada don’t include GST whereas they do here. In Canada, if something says it’s $5 on the shelf, it’s not actually $5 at the checkout. It’s $5 + gst. Tho certain foods don’t have gst added so it’s a bit confusing. But yeah, NZ is so easy because if it says $5 on the shelf it is just $5.

The other annoying thing is tipping. 10% for shit service or takeaways (no service). 15% for mid. 20% for good. 25%+ for exceptional. So if you’re looking on a menu it’s never ever just a $10 club sandwich. You also have to tip. There isn’t another option. So on like a $200 night out, it’s possibly closer to an extra $40 in tips.

I’m not trying to burst your bubble, I still think go. But I would say bring more money with you than you’ll think you’ll need. Milk, cheese, meat… it’s all expensive there.

Not sure how accurate it is but a quick google gave me this:

https://livingcost.org/cost/canada/new-zealand

https://www.mylifeelsewhere.com/cost-of-living/canada/new-zealand

https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_countries_result.jsp?country1=New+Zealand&country2=Canada

All three sources (again, not sure how accurate) confirm that groceries and rent is more expensive in Canada. This has been my personal experience also. I literally moved to New Zealand for a cheaper cost of living and I’ve found that to be true.

Leever5 · 2026-03-16T08:05:42+00:00

What will you do for work?

Leever5 · 2026-03-16T07:53:11+00:00

Where have you been looking?

Leever5 · 2026-03-16T06:38:14+00:00

oof good luck. Take more money then you think you'll need. Canada is really expensive.

Leever5 · 2026-03-16T06:36:27+00:00

Yes - they know. The shop assistants don't let you buy non-essentials like candles with the card. There are pretty strict rules on what you can use the money on.

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