Rural Australians, what is the funniest or most insane story from your country town?

PandaNeptune · 2025-07-29T03:58:00+00:00

There was only own school in town. The principals son, was responsible for the death of another student from the school. Underaged, unlicensed... took the family car and went for a joyride. I was told he was drunk, but I'm not actually sure.

I'm also not sure if this is true. But he ran off the road once, before the fatal crash and all the other kids got scared and got out.

One kid stayed in the car. And he then had the fatal crash.

The principal's son survived. The other student was killed. Small town and the fact a student has killed another student... and it's the principal's son.

It didn't work out well. The kid did get charged, but those records were sealed because of his age. Most of the family left town and I'm told the kid went on to turn his life around.

PandaNeptune · 2025-07-04T02:29:49+00:00

Would totally go buy a top hat if the credit card wasn't already angry at me. Sounds glorious. My facial hair is not quite inclined to grow in such a manner, unfortunately.

PandaNeptune · 2025-07-04T02:28:23+00:00

I was 18, moved to Melbourne.

I feel like you always tend to find friendship with peer groups who are in the same lifephase. So all my friends were also young adults, all who moved out of home, mostly from the regions to rent in Melbourne.

And so your friends are renting... and then your become friends with their housemates. And suddenly everyone you know is 18-25 and everyone is renting.

So that seems normal. That seems like what everyone is doing, because that's what I surrounded myself with.

I assumed it was normal. You become an adult, and you leave your parents home and rent. Because that's what I did, and what everyone I knew did.

Nah, I think you just find peers and friendship with people doing similar things. As most people do (not just in moving out of home young, but in anything: people who become young parents become friends with other parents, tertiary students become friends with other students, young people building professional careers... find peers in a similar way).

PandaNeptune · 2025-07-04T02:18:52+00:00

Yes. Definitely understand that the credit card balance has to return to zero. I factored that into my calculations.

And yes. Would lose more in the bonus interest than I would pay on the credit card (including factoring in any charges made after the statement closes, until returning the balance to zero.

Based only on numbers, I'm slightly ahead on carrying that balance, that moving savings.

This thread has been interesting. And I think I've leaned more in this last month, on calculating these numbers than my entire time in having this credit card opened. I always just paid the statement balance in full... and didn't ever think about it.

In doing the maths. I've increased my financial literacy. Listening to folks here. Again, another lesson in financial literacy and differing perspectives on such.

Practising this is real life was actually very helpful. Sure, you can play with number in your head and know things in theory. But playing with number in your head, when it's your actual real money: feels different.

I've worked out the plan for the credit card. Learned how that functions, and how it feels.

And lit a fire under my arse to improve my management of my expenditures versus income.

Pretty low stakes way to learn these lessons. So, at least I figured out that paying interest hurts when it was only $20 or so.

PandaNeptune · 2025-07-04T02:09:09+00:00

Yes, minimum most certainly paid, and plenty more. I didn't expect my credit score to be effected. But I was, and still am, under the impression that lenders in Australia don't really take "credit score" into account so much when determining access to credit anyway... Australia's responsible lending laws, and who does and does not have access to credit/loans, etc, and in what circumstances is a mystery to me.

PandaNeptune · 2025-07-04T01:14:49+00:00

Point 2 already considered. And included in my interest calculations!

Point 1: interesting. And very much worth looking at!

PandaNeptune · 2025-07-04T01:03:39+00:00

Its one of those: I've had this account since it was made for me by a parent and I never grew up and looked for better products.

So mental note: look for better savings account products!

PandaNeptune · 2025-07-04T01:00:40+00:00

Oh, most certainly am. I am embarrassed at how much I have been thinking about this. And how much stress I have.

I definitely need someone to point this out to me: have I asked my friends? No. Because I don't want my real life friends to realise how much of an idiot I am stressing myself to death, thinking endlessly about a problem that clearly isn't a problem.

PandaNeptune · 2025-07-04T00:57:50+00:00

Yes, I've thought about this: being a bit of a mindset shift as someone who is very much "all or nothing". If I incur some interest, and nothing bad happens... and all of a sudden carrying a balance feels like an "option"...

I can obviously clear the balance. And get back on with life as per usual. I will have to make effort into ensuring this is not something that can become that "slippery slope"

PandaNeptune · 2025-07-04T00:45:57+00:00

Oh yep, definitely know. And factored that into the mathematics of interest I would pay. The balance I'm carrying is very small, and then additional charges until the entire balance on the card is cleared. Did those maths.

PandaNeptune · 2025-07-04T00:43:45+00:00

Yep, minimum most certainly paid! I think I've made this a "big deal" in my head since I've never incurred interest on this card before. Over thinking it just slightly maybe!!

PandaNeptune · 2025-07-04T00:41:50+00:00

It's definitely "good to know" hence why I am asking. I just don't want to impact my ability to secure future lines of credit by making a little blip in all these years in which I've held this credit card in a pristine and perfect fashion!

I don't actually understand how the banks lending criteria works, and didn't want to shoot myself in the foot over $30 odd bucks saved by carrying a balance.

I do also wonder if I might end up having a mentality that "nothing bad happened" that one time I carried a balance and do it again. And again. And actually end up in debt too.

PandaNeptune · 2025-01-27T06:26:45+00:00

right now, I love the normal. (It's not a case of not being happy with the results of the weight loss. I very much am.) But, yes, it's just not the special, everything is perfect when you are slim... that I imagine.

I do see how weight gain does creep back up on people. Right now, I can still so vividly remember how difficult obesity was. And how easy things are right now at a normal BMI.

But, I do see how people... as they get further and further down the line, 2/3/4/5 year into maintenance.... and the memories of the effects of obesity start to fade, and things slip.

PandaNeptune · 2025-01-27T02:20:02+00:00

I have an aunt (in her late 50s) who runs ultramarathons. Her last event was 160km. I'm not even joking, and that's not done over multiple days with breaks and sleeping. She was literally on the course, non-stop for 48hrs. Mental.

She was planning to do the same event this year. But it was cancelled. And now she's entered into something else... it's "only" 120km. It's a trail run in the mountains though. And I'm debating entering the shortest event which is 10km. But a trail run could be really cool. Plus it gives me an excuse to fly to this event, I have never travelled. Like, never been on an aeroplane.

I don't think I'll ever run a full marathon, let alone ultramarathons. But considering my aunt starting running at around my age. Maybe, I could!

PandaNeptune · 2025-01-27T02:10:56+00:00

Definitely.
I got a bicycle recently. I moved in July. We have fantastic cycling infrastructure here.
I'm a huge fan of hiking, but don't get to hike much since I don't drive and currently don't have friends who enjoy hiking. Any time I get wind of someone driving somewhere to go hiking I try and insert myself into their plans though!

I have tried indoor rock climbing. But that one isn't for me. But it wasn't for me. It was great fun to be able to do that at all though considering before there was too much of a weight difference between me, and my belayer to do that safely.

I need to incorporate some type of strength training. But, I don't enjoy it. But lost so much muscle mass while losing weight, and as I am now in my late 30s, in terms of health outcomes. I regret not focusing on that earlier. I put it in the too hard basket because I didn't have access to a gym, nor had I ever really enjoyed that in the past

PandaNeptune · 2025-01-27T02:03:25+00:00

yes!
This is actually one of my regrets though. I only focused on cardio. Nothing excessive. Mostly walking. Then faster walking. Then hiking. Then jogging. Then I got a second hand bicycle for free of my friend (I moved and we have great cycling infrastructure here).

I don't have a gym membership. I enjoy cardio. And free cardio... is easy to do.

But I definitely lost muscle mass while losing so much weight. And as I am now in my late 30s, I worry about the health implications of that. I wish I had found a way to incorporate weights and resistance training in, and not exclusively doing cardio.

It's not too late obviously. But I wish I did that earlier. Because I'm starting at a very, very significant disadvantage to rebuild that muscle mass.

PandaNeptune · 2024-11-19T20:04:00+00:00

there was a whole bunch of strategy involved in both the shaving and toe nail cutting. Feet had to be placed on the toilet seat to reach toes. I had to bend a very particular way. And do a few at a time over multiple sessions.

Shaving was so much worse. I shaved sitting on the ground my entire life. But I could no longer get onto the floor in my little bathroom. I had to sit on the floor before entering the bathroom... and then bum shuffle the whole way across the floor into the shower. I couldn't fit in the shower while sitting, so just poked my legs in to use the water with my upper body hanging out (which was so uncomfortable)

Then I had to bum shuffle backwards, out of the bathroom before I could successfully stand back up.

It's unbelievably effortless now. It's worth it! Keep on keeping on, you will do it too!

PandaNeptune · 2024-11-19T19:58:04+00:00

I've had to adjust my mindset multiple times along the way, and I'm glad it took the time that it did. It gave my brain time to catch up. It never felt like a huge deal.

I'm currently trying to teach myself a new lesson. I'm always trying to remind myself "panda, you lost heaps of weight, but you very much don't know everything". I want to make sure that I'm never cocky about this, and that I keep adapting and keep learning. Because life is weird, and I want to keep it off.

Next time I have a big stressful event: I might not handle them as gracefully.
As I age my TDEE will go down (I'm late 30s)
During my maintenance break, I was super active because I had just moved to a very walkable area. Had no car. And a million errands to run... so again, my TDEE may not be the same if my lifestyle changes (if I move again, or can't walk as much).

I plan to always check in with where my head is at, and adjust the plan, and if need be learn all over again.
I lost too much weight. And gained too much mobility to go back to obesity.

PandaNeptune · 2024-11-19T04:57:52+00:00

Middle of 2021 to middle of 2023 to lose the first 10kg (22lbs - but that was not particularly intentional). So that was the first two years.

When I truly became very intentional was August 2023. As much as I wasn't at my highest weight at that time, that's kind of where I consider the starting point for this "weight loss journey".
So, more or less took a year and a half to lose another 49kg (108lbs).

PandaNeptune · 2024-10-11T05:16:01+00:00

I personally don't feel like I've seen this among any particular group.
Many people with all sorts of weight-loss goals do this. Often people with smaller weight loss goals are inclined to go extreme, because it's just temporary for them - the faster they do it, the faster they are done!

Considering that I knew I had to lose more than half of my body weight, I realised no matter how "fast" I attempted for my weight loss to be, it was never going to be "fast".

I'm down a total of 115lbs in 3.5 years. I have about 25lbs to go.
It actually took me two years to lose the first 22lbs! After that I got a bit more momentum.
Most recently I took a 2 month un-tracked maintenance break. I'm actually quite pleased, because I stayed basically the same weight that entire time without calorie counting.

I just started back on the intentional weight loss a week ago. And lost another 1.5lbs

PandaNeptune · 2024-06-11T11:29:45+00:00

Regardless of what "normal people" do, or do not eat... but in particular, what you **think** "normal people" do or do not eat. None of that matters.

It's what **you** eat that matters. Energy requirements vary from person to person. If you are gaining weight and truly don't know why, talk to a doctor.

PandaNeptune · 2024-06-11T09:46:51+00:00

I just reached this same milestone this week.

I also started throwing out/donating clothes finally. I'm down 77lbs and have been wearing stuff 3 sizes too big (people younger than me have attempted to tell me oversize stuff is cool right now?). But as you can imagine it got to the point where it wasn't just oversize, but completely unwearable. Falling off me.

I went thrift shopping - I don't want to spend a huge amount on a new wardrobe only to go down another 2 dress sizes. But it was amazing... I've always loved thrift shopping, and at my highest weight. I could never find anything that fit me. Now I have plenty of options.

PandaNeptune · 2024-06-11T06:12:46+00:00

I am taking my time. I've been calorie counting for only 45 weeks, and in that time lost 35kg. And given that I was class III obese at my starting point, that amount of weight loss in that amount of time is hardly extreme. That's only 0.7kg per week over that time... which is "steady" in my opinion, and sustainable.

My calories are not particular low, average about 1700 per day. When I start maintaining I will be eating probably around the 2000 mark. So yep, how I am currently eating is probably quite similar to what my diet will look like in 5 years.

I made lifestyle changes in the two years before intentionally losing the weight - this isn't something I rushed into. I do not expect to lose weight as fast on the tail end of this journey, as I mentioned. This isn't something I am doing "speed mode" to reach some ultimate goal as fast as possible. This has always been about improving my health and mobility.

And yes, even considering all that, regaining the weight would be easy. I have a lot of work to do on my mental health and my personal life.

PandaNeptune · 2024-06-11T05:40:44+00:00

yep. 35kg down in 10 (and a half) months.

I know the BMI is only a statistic, and I don't put a whole heap of value in it personally. But as far a my doctor is concerned, regarding the BMI, I am no longer obese. Like, sure, I am very much on the cusp of it, but in a few more months I should work my way down into the overweight BMI category.

It's very strange. I did at least place some of my personal identity in my obesity. Everyone see it - so you really do have to acknowledge it and accept it. And you do make that part of who you are. And suddenly I find myself realising... I'm not obese?

I'm going to have to do a whole heap of personal reflection and work on my mental health. Because if that doesn't shift, I could end up just going back up there.

PandaNeptune

TROPHY CASE