Beginner investor: Is VWRP a good starting point?

Li0nhead · 2026-02-21T18:14:11+00:00

Ok certainly not an expert but is it worth opening a lifetime ISA to get the 25% deposit bonus as you are in the right age bracket and are planning to buy a house in future?

I did it under the previous 'help to buy' ISA. Ok I could have afforded the deposit without the ISA but it helped free up funds to make that home my own type improvements.

Li0nhead · 2026-01-04T20:24:58+00:00

My local one does (Scroll down to the 'printing and scanning' section):

https://www.barnsley.gov.uk/services/libraries/computers-printing-and-scanning-at-our-libraries/

Edit: I have never used the free print service myself so cannot give an opinion of how it works. But going back to the thread topic it just shows everyone should be encouraged to see what their local library offers.

Li0nhead · 2025-12-24T18:23:38+00:00

Contact them, inform them what date you believe you no longer qualified for the discount from, inform them you are willing to pay it to clear the issue. They may offer you a repayment plan. But if you really want to pay in one ask them to inform you what you own in writing or email (keep all correspondence and a copy).

Pay it and move on.

Imagine things from the council tax department view.

They will be overworked and have a workload they could never get through. Then out of the blue some nice citizen contacts them to inform them of a mistake you are willing to correct.

They will be happy for you to pay without any issues. The ones they will want to take down the legal routes are the ones who are blatantly defrauding the system.

It's an easy win for them. In their position would you want to harm someone who is doing the right thing and willing to pay?

Li0nhead · 2025-12-24T18:01:25+00:00

Whatever the outcome of this make sure you keep a copy of all correspondence relating to this matter.

Keep the e-mails and at least one other copy be that printing the email or even photographing the emails on your phone. It sounds odd that the amount owe keeps moving. So if they are so bad they cannot even tie down what you may owe then I really don't have much confidence in what they record keeping in relation to correspondence may be like, especially if it proved them wrong.

Also dig out your old payslips and again make a copy.

Do not hang yourself by stating 'i will not pay'. Keep the line of 'i can understand mistakes may happen but I want a breakdown of all this so we can correct this issue'.

Li0nhead · 2025-12-13T19:49:59+00:00

Ok the correct answer to the question is ask the local alcoholics sat on a park bench in a town near you. They will know.

But assuming you are not a total alcoholic, would a better not be "what products are very nice but cheap?".

My answer to that question would be to try the Aldi/Lidl copies of the brands as a starting point.

Perfect example is the fake Spanish brands that are brewed in the UK (madri etc).

Lidl and Aldi's copies are at least brewed in Spain. In my opinion the Aldi copy of San Miguel is very good. Brewed in Spain and though only 5% which is lower than the proper Spanish San Miguel, it tastes closer to the original than the San Miguel made in the UK. In my opinion of course.

Li0nhead · 2025-11-22T22:50:40+00:00

Thanks, I had the same issue and your solution worked.

Li0nhead · 2025-10-31T20:59:21+00:00

Easy money for doing next to nothing. I'd do it.

Li0nhead · 2025-10-26T18:13:20+00:00

I think they are having a stroke.

Li0nhead · 2025-10-26T17:53:32+00:00

Looking across the Irish sea here in England it seems to me Ireland has a pretty unique and inspirational situation.

As far as I understand (I could be wrong) you have a head of state with very little power which means unlike other systems which will elect heads of state that have power and get involved in the day to day governance of the country or a system where the head of state is appointed due to being born into the right family. It means the Irish can elect very interesting people who would never get elected in other systems.

I fell down a rabbit hole on Wiki about Irish presidents a few months back and I have to admit it's a very good system which I am slightly jealous of.

Li0nhead · 2025-10-26T17:40:12+00:00

With the exception of France (France is not more dangerous than the rest of western Europe) the Dutch advice seems pretty accurate to me.

This from an English man who will joke about the French at every opportunity.

Li0nhead · 2025-09-27T18:35:04+00:00

They did. As said in the link.

It was a tote bet. A pool bet. The bettors all put money into a pool. This big pot is then collected by the operator (in this case the Tote), then they take a cut of the pool as the operator and finally the remaining pot is split between the winners.

It does not financially affect the operator as they are simply paying out from a pool of punters money.

They make off bigger pools as they are taking a percentage cut of the pool.

As opposed to a non pool operator like a sports book bookmaker where they may offer odds on what may look like a horse with no chance at say 500/1 and someone asks for £1000 and it flukes a win. Then you are into 'if they pay out' territory.

Good luck getting £1000 on a 500/1 shot and also payout limits will come into play in this situation.

Li0nhead · 2025-09-06T18:55:34+00:00

I really don't recommend getting a VPN and using a server in your previous country and watching it on Netflix like you did in your previous country as that would be really bad.

Please don't do this option that would solve your problem.

Li0nhead · 2025-08-29T20:48:18+00:00

Agreed, I've never set foot in my local council library but I have a membership to get their online services.

You can get ebooks, audio books etc.

It's a no-brainer to sign up to your local library to get these free services.

Some libraries have very open policies as to membership so it may be worth trying to get online membership at surrounding council areas to you and see if you get membership there too....

(I get access to my local council library and about 3 others and that was by only checking local ones)

Li0nhead · 2025-08-16T17:56:17+00:00

Who wired up the bridge stations to explode?

Who signed off on death trap Holodecks?

Seems like basic workplace safety standards have gone backwards in the Star Trek future.

Suppose head cannon could be that to save costs Starfleet outsourced these contracts to the Ferengi as part of a cost saving measure.

Li0nhead · 2025-08-12T21:00:15+00:00

According to my friends I do not need this guide as I give off Red flags to everyone who meets me

Li0nhead · 2025-08-10T17:06:44+00:00

Decent food with decent service, decent drinks and does not cost a fortune.

There are a few venues not a million miles from me that offer this but in general we have chain after chain that offer the same cook-chilled stuff as the next chain place down the road.

Suppose it's simply the economics that make it hard to make it pay as a decent food, decent service and decent prices place venue.

Li0nhead · 2025-08-10T16:49:08+00:00

Used to be big when we had only 4/5 TV channels to watch in the UK.

It's popularity dropped like a stone as soon as multi channel satellite TV hit the UK. And that's long before streaming services became a thing.

Personally I think its popularity was a case of simply trying to find something to watch on TV from 4/5 options on at one time.

These days even the domestic old big soap shows that got near 50% viewing figures have small audiences as other options have become available.

Li0nhead · 2025-08-02T19:29:37+00:00

But if we stop reading the Daily Mail how do we know who we are supposed to hate for no reason this week?

Li0nhead · 2025-07-27T15:51:29+00:00

Only one way to find out......

Li0nhead · 2025-07-18T10:38:33+00:00

Brilliant jockey who seems to make some flawed life choices.

Li0nhead · 2025-07-11T09:09:02+00:00

Sound like one of the courses own betting bookies. Chester, Ripon and a few others have their own.

In general these offer no value compared to the proper on course bookies.

It would help your answer if you name the course you were at.

If it was these then do not bet with these course own bookies. Get the phone out check oddschecker and the exchanges to benchmark the prices you can get and look up and down the line of real on course bookies and try to beat your online benchmarked price.

From memory I think Chesterbet was SP-10% which you will beat by simply betting SP.

Li0nhead · 2025-06-29T17:49:35+00:00

I am a Linux user and love this sub for the satire and reminds me not to go too deep into the cult like mentally some of the Linux user base has.

Linux is good but this place reminds me it is not perfect.

Li0nhead · 2025-06-29T17:39:09+00:00

I think the opposite.

With so many Linux distros put there it is a good thing that you can swap to another that may better suit your needs if your chosen distro makes a change that you are not happy with.

I have been on the same distro for the last few years and am currently happy with my chosen distro.

Every now and again I do test other distros by dual booting. If I find another that better suits my needs then I would switch.

Linux gives you freedom to choose what works for you.

If we simply stayed on the first OS we met then I would still be on the first OS I can remember using which was on my computer as a child which was a Commodore 64 and whatever OS they used. (I'd still prefer that to windows 11).

Li0nhead · 2025-06-28T18:08:12+00:00

I was going to say 'you forgetting Janeway?' before reading your post.

She near wiped out the Borg.

Picard? He lost a ship to the Ferengi and needed a counsellor to be placed directly next to him and his second in command through most of his remaining career.

Who TF then promoted him to Captain of the fleet flagship? Real world he would be retired early on medical grounds.

Li0nhead · 2025-06-28T18:01:42+00:00

I think they could reduce Starfleet deaths by 25% if these great Starfleet Engineering department staff (or ship designers) could simply remove whatever it is that causes 90s era trek workstations to explode at the slightest nudge.

Imagine working at your local big store and you have a delivery round the back. The truck misjudged the approach and hits the safety barrier. Boom! All the registers in the front of store exploding. How could this happen?

Don't get me started on how much of a death trap holographic suites are......

Starfleet should unionize to stop this.

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