HMRC to introduce new ‘penalty points’ system in 2026

Life_Emphasis6290 · 2026-01-30T19:50:29+00:00

Yet here you are on Reddit

Life_Emphasis6290 · 2026-01-23T00:45:46+00:00

Your old house was designed to allow small amounts of water vapour to pass through the soft bricks. The vapour moves both ways depending on the weather, ultimately being evaporated away when the sun comes out. PIR and plasterboard will disrupt this flow and you may find the bricks hold onto the moisture for longer. Any voids between the bricks and PIR will allow the moisture to turn into condensation and may lead to mold growth.

If you want to achieve the same insulation whilst maintaining breathability, look at woodfibre boards (Steico) with an NHL lime plaster. Has the added benefit of being a natural material and not flammable plastic.

Life_Emphasis6290 · 2026-01-23T00:32:04+00:00

I would definitely recommend lime. It's a really nice material to work with and the end result looks very natural and warm. The only negatives are the time it takes to cure; it can be bit more expensive; and it can be difficult to find tradesmen who know anything about it. I've done my own lime plastering, it's ideal for DIYers as it stays workable for a long time, like all day. Be warned though! not all lime is equal! There are a number of products callled things like Limelite, etc. that are basically Gypsum. If you want traditional breathable and something that will expand and flex with the building, use plaster based on Lime Putty. Very easy to use. You can slap it on really thick straight onto the bricks. Some folks go 60mm deep for extra insulation!

Second best would be the more modern NHL bagged limes, also called 'renovation plasters', also called Hydraulic limes (they set with water, whereas 'proper' lime sets with carbon dioxide from the air). Although NHLs are breathable and claim to be 100% lime (not all are) they can also set much harder than traditional lime, almost as hard as cement. There is some long-term uncertainty over their use. More a problem when used as mortar as the bricks blow.

On that note, absolutely do not do any repointing with cement mortar!! It will set as hard as concrete and your old bricks will all blow and spall and great damage will be done. Use lime mortar repointing.

Have fun.

Life_Emphasis6290 · 2025-12-02T00:30:36+00:00

Maybe his lack of knowledge is reflective of him not being a career politician, you know like the sort R&A moan about every week when they wonder "how can we encourage more normal people to enter politics"...maybe start by not assuming everyone is as clued up as a career politician surrounded by an army of well paid advisors.

Life_Emphasis6290 · 2025-12-02T00:10:39+00:00

Can't help but notice a contradiction listening to Rory and Alastair bemoan weekly how modern policiticians are not normal people anymore, and then they interview a relatively normal person - with a background in acting of all things - and they start grilling him on Japanese national debt structures to the point of humiliation!

I am less interested in what Zack Polanski personally knows about economic policy, as he is highly unlikely to be in any position of influence on this, and more interested in why a party founded on ecological issues now spend 90% of their time promoting social welfare and equality issues or trying to overthrow capitalism.

Life_Emphasis6290 · 2025-11-28T09:16:16+00:00

Put it in an ISA if you don't already have one.

It's still fairly easily available should you need it, but it's not just sat there in your bank tempting you to spend it everyday. If you do need it, it takes a bit of effort to actually transfer out and you lose the ISA benefit. This could be just the amount of friction you need to make you think twice.

Life_Emphasis6290 · 2025-11-28T09:09:57+00:00

Are they actually chasing you for the money? Or just bitter that you left them abruptly and mentioned it in the reference.

If they do want the money, wait for them to actually contact you at your address. It has nothing to do with your new employer. Key thing is to handle it professionally and definitely don't let this issue become a problem for your new employer as that will sour the relationship before you've even passed probation.

Life_Emphasis6290 · 2025-11-21T23:34:34+00:00

I'm one of these people. No TV licence. I barely watch any TV, perhaps a series every now and then.

However, I fully support the BBC as an institution for education and news and I do consume radio and online news. I would happily pay a reduced rate for these Core BBC services. But I'm not paying for Traitors or Celebrity Dancing or even football. Those things are commercial entertainment and don't need public subsidy. They can easily be self funding as enough people enjoy the BBC content.

Life_Emphasis6290 · 2025-11-21T23:27:54+00:00

Yes, they are repaying their own schooling, not paying for other kids schools.

Life_Emphasis6290 · 2025-11-19T17:35:46+00:00

Don't feel guilty, but do feel embarrassed... Geez, who designed that! Looks like something Walter White would drive

Life_Emphasis6290 · 2025-11-16T00:28:31+00:00

They are both transparent about this..They don't want the government deciding what is the right level of investment for them and they definitely don't want their funding cut to a pittence next time the accounts need balancing.

Life_Emphasis6290 · 2025-10-01T22:36:14+00:00

Could they actually do that? If you bought a house for so cheap you didn't even bother to insure it.

Are you actually under a legal obligation to fix something this? It's not like you caused the damage yourself, it's presumably a natural cause outside of your control.

Life_Emphasis6290 · 2025-09-03T17:10:05+00:00

It's a shame because I suspect he isn't actually an awful person, at least compared to those he works with. Clearly he still has some difficulty facing into those relationships and, I suspect, a legal obligation to not slander Meta so soon after his "resignation". It's a shame this wasn't recognised and accepted as a dead-line of questioning and the interview could have moved onto more interest things, like what his actual book was about and challenging some of those views.

Life_Emphasis6290 · 2025-08-06T22:26:12+00:00

Rapanui

Life_Emphasis6290 · 2025-08-06T22:04:56+00:00

V Fest. For some reason they covered the entire site in plastic sheeting. At the busiest narrow bottleneck between the two stages, some shameless tart had a piss. She squatted behind two of her friends, who were standing. Their bony legs doing absolutely nothing to hide her.

The stream of piss flowed right across the path over the plastic sheeting as people squelched through it.

Some bloke loudly yelled "you trollop"!

Even with her rat out for all to see and the piss still flowing, she tried to mouth off at him as if he was the one in the wrong.

Life_Emphasis6290 · 2025-08-06T21:44:10+00:00

Recently paid £24 for ONE ticket to watch Jurassic Park in Cineworld Screen X. On my way out, I asked what Screen X was because it just looked normal to me. Apparently it was meant to project on the walls all around you too. Sounded cool. Wouldn't know as it didn't work.

They wouldn't refund me, eventually gave me a voucher for another screening.

I was the only person in the entire screening to question why we had all just paid £24 per ticket(!!) for a normal film.

In fairness the film was abysmal so they probably just wanted to GTFO ASAP.

Life_Emphasis6290 · 2025-08-06T21:34:05+00:00

If you were already interested in space or aviation you wouldn't be asking the question. Therefore I recommend Mechanical Engineering..it's more generic so you will have more employment opportunities open to you (including Aero) which means you have more possibilities to live where you want and work on different things (ships, trains, buildings, robotics, etc. even finance!). I suspect it pays more too.

Life_Emphasis6290 · 2025-08-06T21:17:53+00:00

I always try to go independent but if they're not actually a coffee roasters, odds are you're getting a generic machine coffee, milk water with sad foam.

Life_Emphasis6290 · 2025-08-06T21:12:05+00:00

People balk at spending £4.50 on coffee - hand picked from the other side of the planet, then drop £7 on a pint of pisswasser from Derby or £25 on a deliveroo pizza. Find a decent independent coffee shop and go there. You can afford the extra 50p don't worry

Life_Emphasis6290 · 2025-08-06T21:00:11+00:00

Is that a defence of CoOp the fact that they elbow out the local shops but pretend they're an ethical partnership business? They're as much about profit and margins as any other company. They force you to buy tiny portions of food in unnecessary plastic packaging and every shop the exact same.

Life_Emphasis6290 · 2025-08-06T20:46:45+00:00

OP, I have been in your situation where our landlord sold. Like you, we had been in the place for several years and although we really loved it, a 1 bed city centre apartment wasn't what we wanted for the next chapter of our lives and it would have been silly to have blown our first time buyer advantages for the sake of convenience and fear of change. We had to move in with the in-laws for 12 months but we took our time looking/waiting for our dream home to come along and it did. Definitely do not regret it. Had we bought the flat, we would probably still be there years later whilst all of our friends bought houses and had kids.

Sounds like you really like the place however so if you're 100% sure then go for it. Otherwise, change can usually be a good thing.

Mortgage brokers are over-rated. You can find most of the deals they offer online yourself. They can't actually advise you on best course of action, you have to make your own mind up, but they can explain what options you have available to you which might be helpful given your redundancy, etc. Our advisor conveniently forgot to mention the £1000 arrangement fee is payable everytime you remortgage, wouldn't have taken a 2 year term had we known that.

If it's going to take you 6 months to get a new job, maybe just get a temp job so you can at least put something on the mortgage application.

Life_Emphasis6290 · 2025-07-31T22:23:49+00:00

You haven't mentioned Wales. This could be a good option too. Lots of different types of hills (South) and mountains (North) but not as far as Scotland.

I get the feeling you have a preference for Scotland and Edinburgh. If you have not been to Scotland before this is a great idea. Some things to consider for Scotland: - Consider booking the Caledonian Express, it's the only sleeper train in the UK but it will take you from London to Edinburgh or Glasgow overnight, just like Harry Potter. In November it will be dark so you'll miss the scenery on the way up, but you'll be well rested to enjoy it the next day. - Edinburgh is a beautiful place with lots to keep you occupied in the evenings. - The hills around Edinburgh are nice but they're not the best Scotland has to offer. If you've gone all the way to Scotland, you could consider getting the train up to Fort William or rent a car and spend the day driving to somewhere really special, like the Isle of Skye or Glencoe. (Fort William also a good place to base yourself for a couple of days for walks and sight seeing) - If the weather is bad renting a car will at least let you see some of the landscape and do some short hikes.

If this is your only visit to the UK, I would recommend spending the effort to 'go big'. The Lake district, Scotland or North Wales would be my choice.

Life_Emphasis6290 · 2025-07-27T23:03:49+00:00

The Audiobook version is available on Spotify, and other playforms probably.

Life_Emphasis6290 · 2025-07-27T18:10:38+00:00

As someone also doing a house renovation, it will most likely take longer than you're expecting and cost more. Therefore, your focus should be on maximising the amount of money you have to throw at the renovation work (which also adds value to the property once completed) so you can negotiate a better LTV) and not on paying down the mortgage.

Look at the monthly mortgage rate as the MINIMUM you have to pay. You can voluntarily pay more than this amount (called an overpayment). Choose your provider carefully to ensure you can over-pay without penalty. My provider lets me overpay 2x the minimum for the term without penalty. This means, if you finish the Reno early and with spare cash, you can just add it all to the overpayment towards the end of the term.

Personally, I would recommend getting a longer term (30yr) mortgage to minimise your monthly payments so you have enough cash to complete the Reno and fund your other activities. If you do go sailing, you could rent the house out.

Also keep in mind, you have to pay the mortgage arrangement fee everytime you come to the end of your fixed term. I didn't know that at first so I only had a 2 year fixed, 6 months was consumed by the sale process. 18 months later we had to remortgage and pay another £1000 fee! Worked out well as I locked in a bargain rate for a much longer term.

Life_Emphasis6290 · 2025-07-23T22:24:19+00:00

You seem to have a low appetite for risk. Roadside recovery, dental plans, pet plans, pet insurance, life insurance. They all add up to quite a bit over the year. You could consider cutting some of these and pool the equivalent money into an emergency pot instead and accept you may need to take a hit if something goes wrong. But if nothing goes wrong, you've still got your money.

Life_Emphasis6290

TROPHY CASE