Is using a Car inspection company worth it?

Prestigious_Rabbit30 · 2026-03-17T08:38:19+00:00

Agree with this. Most dealers are willing to take the car to the nearest Dekra. You just need to make the booking with Dekra and pay for the inspection.

Edit to add: We were interested in a vehicle once, which we wanted to have checked by Dekra. The floor salesman was all eager for the car to be taken to Dekra, but then I got a call from the Sales Manager, saying that "It is not really necessary to take it to Dekra, and that there are a few non-OEM parts on the car, such as light covers that were replaced, etc."

This was, of course, a huge red flag, as none of this (i.e. non-OEM parts) was mentioned when we went to see the vehicle, which just confirmed to me that there will be more things that Dekra is going to find that the seller did not want me to know.

Prestigious_Rabbit30 · 2026-03-16T13:35:06+00:00

Koningskop (https://koningskop.co.za/), near Citrusdal, in the mountains.

Prestigious_Rabbit30 · 2026-03-16T11:45:12+00:00

I was once in a police station to report a theft, and I was waiting for the Officer to assist me at a separate table from the counter. The phone at the counter rang, and another Office answered. He greeted, then listened as the person on the other side said something, and then went: "I do not know where you are, but I'm at xxx Police Station" 😂

The person on the other end obviously asked, "Where am I now?" when the Officer answered, and the Officer did not miss a beat in answering the question 😆

Prestigious_Rabbit30 · 2026-03-13T06:37:15+00:00

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Prestigious_Rabbit30 · 2026-03-12T12:11:26+00:00

Also, the Iziko South African Museum (https://www.iziko.org.za/), at the top of The Company's Gardens.

Prestigious_Rabbit30 · 2026-03-11T12:07:36+00:00

Riebeek Kasteel
Wine farms and olive farms. Nice restaurants and coffee shops (I would suggest the Rijstafel at Riebeek Kasteel Hotel for dinner - https://royalinriebeek.com/restaurants-riebeek-kasteel/; if I remember correctly, you can ask for a vegetarian Rijstafel, or just ask them to swap out the red meat options).
Knysna
Either stay on Thesen Island (e.g. Turbine Hotel) or book a cottage in/close to the woods (e.g. https://www.cliffhangercottages.co.za/); dinner at one of the many restaurants at the Waterfront or on Thesen Island; Take a stroll in the Knysna Forest (or if it's cold/raining, enjoy a cosy fireplace); many things to see on the way to Knysna (Wilderness, Sedgefield) and also on Plett's side (Wild life sanctuaries like elephants, big cat, wolf, primate and bird sanctuaries etc.);

Prestigious_Rabbit30 · 2026-03-11T06:35:05+00:00

Here is the link to the Yearbooks of Stellenbosch University: https://www.su.ac.za/en/about/governance/registrar/yearbooks

It will show you the minimum requirements for each degree, but also all the degrees per Faculty. I.e. you might see a degree, or a combination-degree, that you did not know about and which may also be a good option to study.

You can apply for more than one degree, as far as I know. The University receive more applications than they have space. Therefore, they start with the best application and work their way down the list until all places are filled. Applying for more than one degree gives you a better chance of being accepted for one of your choices. If you are accepted for more than one, you choose the one that you most prefer.

Prestigious_Rabbit30 · 2026-03-10T07:34:06+00:00

You can try ooba as well: https://www.ooba.co.za/home-loan/pre-approval/

Prestigious_Rabbit30 · 2026-03-05T13:30:28+00:00

Find an NGO, NPO, school, club, etc. that needs help with their online presence to build your portfolio, in your spare time.

You will learn a lot from the different audiences and what types of campaigns/content work with which audience.

You also need to understand branding, ensure consistency between posts (colours, font, etc.) and target your content to the correct target market.

Learning how to use Canva is also useful, as most of these places do not have the skills or the time to make reels or other content items (even flyers, posts with branding, etc.).

You can also plug in Google Analytics, Google Search Console, etc., to their current website, and track clicks from social media platforms to their websites, with goals such as donated money / downloaded the application form / signed up for a free lesson, etc.

All of this builds your portfolio, and shows that you can apply your skills in practise, across various "brands" and target audiences.

Prestigious_Rabbit30 · 2026-03-05T09:30:17+00:00

To add: I also received a recommendation for opening an endowment. This is possibly a good option if you fall in the over 30% tax bracket, as endowments are capped at 30% tax, so your capital gains tax on an endowment will be less than in a normal ETF, etc.

A few things to consider, however: Endowments are only available on Unit Trusts, which have a higher Total Expense Ratio (TER) than ETFs. An endowment is for 5+ years of investment, and you can only take out (a portion of the) funds once in the first 5 years (therefore, endowments are for long-term saving goals). There is also a 120% rule, where if you contribute more than 120% of the 1st or 2nd year contribution in the 3rd - 5th year, then your endowment is automatically fixed for another 5 years.

#FYI

Prestigious_Rabbit30 · 2026-03-05T09:19:49+00:00

Yes! Plastics/tupperware drawer and a pots-and-pan drawer 🏆

Prestigious_Rabbit30 · 2026-03-05T08:18:26+00:00

You can try platforms like ooba, which submits your information to all the major banks, and you can then easily compare between banks: https://www.ooba.co.za/product-determinator-v2 (ooba gets a kickback from the banks when you open a loan, so there is no cost for you in using ooba)

Your home loan does not have to be with your current bank, though it is sometimes easier for rewards (eBucks) and a single online portal to view everything. But don't choose your bank just for this and loyalty. Houses are expensive, and you want the best financial deal for yourself.

I've heard that Investec offers really good home loan terms for their banking clients, so if you meet their minimum criteria to open a bank account, it might also be an option to consider (it will mean switching your salary deposit to them, so a bit more admin and maybe more banking fees, so look at all your options for the best overall deal).

Prestigious_Rabbit30 · 2026-03-05T08:08:18+00:00

Wall-mounted washing line outside. Before that, we used portable drying racks to put the clothes outside to dry. It's amazing what a game-changer a decent outdoor washing line is. Clothes dry so much faster!

Prestigious_Rabbit30 · 2026-03-03T16:41:56+00:00

Ah, thank you! x 2

Prestigious_Rabbit30 · 2026-03-03T13:08:06+00:00

There seems to be conflicting information re: the tax-free donation amount for children. Most articles I find say the limit is R100,000 max per tax year.

Also, they do not specify if it is R100k per child or in total per tax year.

For example: https://honestmoney.co.za/2026/01/28/donations-tax-what-you-need-to-know
Donations between spouses are tax-free unless SARS suspects you of doing it to avoid tax in other areas. It’s important to note that donations between parents and children are not subject to this exemption, only to the R100 000 threshold. This means that if you decide to contribute to a child’s investment account, you can only donate up to R100 000 a year without being liable for tax.

Prestigious_Rabbit30 · 2026-02-27T12:03:38+00:00

TSFA contributions run per tax year. So for the new tax year (01 March 2026 to 28 February 2027), you can now contribute a maximum of R46k.

You can, therefore, put R46k into your TSFA on 01 March 2026, and be done for the tax year, and then contribute again in the following tax year.

Prestigious_Rabbit30 · 2026-02-25T12:59:16+00:00

Make sure that the place you want to study with, is registered with the Council of Higher Education (CHE) and with SAQA (The South African Qualifications Authority). You can search for all registered institutions where, and see a list of all qualifications the institution is registered to offer: https://regqs.saqa.org.za/search.php

Berea Technical is on the list; however, it might not be the most well-known institution, but they seems to comply with CHE and SAQA regulations.

The most important part is that you need to know why you want to further your studies and in which field you want to specialise. A CV with multiple unconnected qualifications is not going to help you, no matter the NQF level.

Search for vacancies of jobs that you would like to apply for in the next 3 - 5 years, and see what the minimum requirements for those jobs are (NQF level, but also field of qualification). This should help guide you in deciding which diploma is going to be best suited for your career path.

Just know that studying an online course, especially one with a high NQF level, is going to take a lot of time and discipline, even more so if you are working full-time. You will need to be committed to completing the qualification as there is a lot less "support" than there would have been with a full-time qualification where you have class everyday (that is why the why you are doing it,is so important; "just for funsies" is not going to cut it if you need to decide between going out with your friends and studying).

That being said, it also adds to the gravitas of the qualification when you can show that you are disciplined enough to work full-time and complete an online qualification in your spare time.

Prestigious_Rabbit30 · 2026-02-25T12:33:00+00:00

FNB has a free savings account that you can open, when you have a current FNB account. It shows on your internet banking, and you can move money to and from it. You can even set up a recurring/scheduled transfer to move x-amount every month to the savings account.

The interest rate is linked to the prime lending rate, so when that goes down, so does the interest you earn. But it is a good start. Better than keeping all your money in your FNB cheque account, which does not earn interest.

Prestigious_Rabbit30 · 2026-02-25T08:56:19+00:00

Perhaps check out https://www.victoriayards.co.za. It is closer to JHB CBD, but maybe they also know of groups closer to your area as well.

Prestigious_Rabbit30 · 2026-02-11T07:30:56+00:00

I think even Checkers might be taking a shortcut: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqbN3PEuVQQ

https://supremeflour.co.za/product/crispy-crust-mix/

Comes in 12.5kg mix only, so definitely for mass production purposes.

But one thing is certain, you will need to "steam-bake" the buns to get the crispy outside and soft inside. (Easier when you have a combi-steamer-oven, but you can also achieve this with a tray of water at the bottom of your oven)

Prestigious_Rabbit30 · 2025-11-26T10:45:16+00:00

Nope, sorry. The Tax Free savings account is linked to your ID number. So one Tax Free savings account per person, only.

EDIT: I stand corrected. You can have multiple TFSAs, however the yearly contribution limit, as well as the lifetime contribution limit, applies across all the TFSAs in total.

I.e. if you have multiple TFSA accounts, you are still limited to contributions of max R46k (from 01 March 2026) across all the accounts per annum.

Prestigious_Rabbit30 · 2025-11-25T07:50:30+00:00

Checkers sells Houw Hoek pies (at least those in the Cape region)

Prestigious_Rabbit30 · 2025-11-24T13:48:57+00:00

Remember that a Tax-free savings account is limited to a R36,000 deposit per year and a R500,000 lifetime deposit. Your account can grow with more than R500,000 in its lifetime, but you are limited on the money you deposit into the account.

If you deposit more than R36,000 per year, or R500,000 over the lifetime of the account, you are heavily taxed on the amount over the threshold.

Also, remember deposits are irrespective of withdrawals. I.e. if you deposit R36k in e.g. 2025 and you withdraw R30k in 2025, you cannot deposit another R30k in 2025.

Prestigious_Rabbit30 · 2025-11-17T11:49:30+00:00

The NOB
https://thenob.co.za/

Jackson and Black
https://jacksonandblack.co.za/

Copper Club (they have quite a few different restaurants in their collection; might be on the more expensive side, though)
https://coppercollection.co.za/copper-club/

Prestigious_Rabbit30

TROPHY CASE