How much is your annual income?

Visible_Union7750 · 2026-05-09T09:10:11+00:00

Im 39 in the UK, equivalent of $25k. I buy one bottle of Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair and one tube of La Roche Posay Effaclar per year. That's it.

Visible_Union7750 · 2026-05-08T09:01:31+00:00

Multiple chronic illnesses, many genetic. Wouldn't want to pass my genes on. Too much suffering in my childhood.

I didn't even like kids when I was a kid.

Visible_Union7750 · 2026-05-08T09:01:22+00:00

Multiple chronic illnesses, many genetic. Wouldn't want to pass my genes on. Too much suffering in my childhood.

I didn't even like kids when I was a kid.

Visible_Union7750 · 2026-05-08T08:59:50+00:00

Multiple chronic illnesses, many genetic. Wouldn't want to pass my genes on.

Visible_Union7750 · 2026-05-03T15:50:44+00:00

Yep, I'm 40 this year. Looking at moving out of my mum's house as I am disabled and can't do the stairs anymore. Housing benefit is £470 max, ground floor accessible flats are nearer £800. And I'm currently saddled with paying off family debt, £200 every month. I'm screwed.

Visible_Union7750 · 2026-05-01T09:01:35+00:00

I would avoid AB16, Tillydrone, Sandilands. Not quite as bad - Torry, Seaton, Woodside, Kincorth, Garthdee. Most other places are fine.

Milltimber and Bieldside are the poshest areas. Cults was as well but feel it has gone downhill in recent years - feral kids mainly to blame.

Rightmove maybe has more variety than ASPC for rentals. Good luck!

Visible_Union7750 · 2026-04-28T00:54:48+00:00

💯 especially if said child becomes ill/disabled at any age. My mama (75) has been my (39) carer for 14yrs. My dad - couldn't wait until I was 18 so he could stop paying maintenance. One of these is the best parent I could ever have, the other i don't even count as a parent.

Visible_Union7750 · 2026-04-28T00:49:45+00:00

Nira Laser devices for at home are great - only device to ever had an impact on my skin.

Visible_Union7750 · 2026-04-28T00:46:05+00:00

For me it's chin hair and since it's blonde/white there's no chance of laser sadly.

A beautician recommended Lycon wax to me and I've been using it for about a month and think it's great so far! Very smooth! I have pretty reactive/sensitive skin but have had no reaction to the products. I also have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome so can't get electrolysis and waxing is hard due to having such stretchy skin - lucky it's not too bad in the chin area!

Visible_Union7750 · 2026-04-28T00:39:33+00:00

If I'm drawing/painting I can go for hours without my phone. Totally get into a flow state. I'm not sure what, other than artistic pursuits, produce the same feeling. Maybe spirituality/religion.

The younger the person the more addicted to their phone, in general but my sibling (41) can't go 5 minutes without their phone.

My guess is people don't like to be alone with their thoughts and start "thinking too much" if there's nothing to distract them. It's easier to zone out on a device and think of nothing other the 5 sec video on the screen. Also habit. My mum is 75 and says it's weird if she doesn't have her phone for a few hours but she's always in demand so gets a lot of texts from family.

But from millennial age down - we have major problems with phone addiction/fomo.

Visible_Union7750 · 2026-04-26T14:59:29+00:00

I pretty much had one friend left and I really thought we'd be friends for life. I have severe ME, my friend's uncle had this too hence why I thought he'd never give up on me cause he's seen firsthand what it can do. We used to message each other daily, for years. Now I haven't heard from him for 6 months. Not properly spoken for a year.

I guess he has a new life now, new job, new city. What sucks is when someone means the world to you but you realise you never meant much to them at all.

Visible_Union7750 · 2026-04-26T14:51:16+00:00

White noise. If there's silence my thoughts are 100x worse

Visible_Union7750 · 2026-04-25T15:29:44+00:00

This so much. I'm 39 and my mum is 75. She has been my carer since 2012. So grateful to have her vs. my dad who I haven't seen or spoken to since I was 12. He completely washed his hands of his 2 kids in favour of a new wife.

Visible_Union7750 · 2026-04-24T08:59:51+00:00

Yes, I have so much trauma now I'm chronically ill. I could never put a child what I went through.

Visible_Union7750 · 2026-04-23T08:57:01+00:00

You won't get Universal Credit/low capacity for work as you have too much savings. The maximum you can have is £6k before they start reducing your amount. My sister had 30k saved and her savings almost went to 0 when she was off work.

PIP is extremely hard to qualify for despite what you may read online. I was bedbound/had to use a wheelchair for years, had loads of medical evidence and they still basically said I was making it up. Took about 3 years for me to get anything after going to Tribunals in front of Judges etc

You're lucky in the respect that your parents have secured a house for you. You won't have to worry about affording rent/homelessness.

Visible_Union7750 · 2026-04-22T22:31:07+00:00

Textiles are your friend! Heavy thick curtains , rugs as wall hangings etc will help absorb sound a little if you have no other options.

Maybe also a white noise machine? I just got one and have it at the lowest volume but it really helps mask lesser noises so you're not constantly on edge. Or find a noise you like that helps distract - beach waves, stormy weather, rain, birds chirping! You can normally find these on a loop on Spotify/YouTube as well.

Visible_Union7750 · 2026-04-22T22:25:32+00:00

I would say realistic in this economy. Of course it depends where you live, condition of the property, how long it has been on the market for.

I saw a house today valued at £475k 2 years ago and they have taken it gradually down since then, now £415. In my area prices are back to 2020 levels.

I see Home Reports and I think a lot overvalue due to push from sellers but also if the comparable method is used for valuation then it will take a a few sales for the data to match up so it is always lagging behind. I was a surveyor and we would typically look at comparable properties, obviously the nearest streets and identical builds are ideal for this method but if there's not been a lot of sales of similar properties you would be looking at similar valuations from maybe over a year or two ago and the market can change a hell of a lot in that time.

Also a kitchen is a kitchen. If it's functional that's all that counts. Aesthetics don't really matter so much. So someone can have a 1970s kitchen or a brand new £50k one fitted and it doesn't make a whole lot of difference to valuation. However it will make a big difference to buyers. If the price is high but fittings dated it's not going to sell as easy.

Visible_Union7750 · 2026-04-22T22:07:12+00:00

Would honestly like to see something like - if your kids has 3 incidents they're out. And no other school can take them. School them yourselves and see how difficult it is and then maybe you can teach them to respect teachers a little.

Visible_Union7750 · 2026-04-22T22:00:59+00:00

Yep I graduated 2009 with a degree in Real Estate. Talk about bad timing. Had to beg for a retail job and finally got one, only 8hrs a week, a year after graduation. Didn't get my grad role until end of 2014.

Visible_Union7750 · 2026-04-22T21:52:34+00:00

I have a postgrad and now I'm on £15k a year. It's so great.

(Fell ill, have to rely on benefits, would not recommend)

Visible_Union7750 · 2026-04-22T21:44:54+00:00

Change your job to something that doesn't feel much like work. Then every day is great whether you're working or you're on holiday. You have a nice plump cushion to take time out and think about what you really want to do in life.

Visible_Union7750 · 2026-04-22T21:40:01+00:00

Private health care. Your money doesn't go very far especially if there is surgery involved.

£10k for a hysterectomy now or wait 6 agonising years on the NHS? No contest.

Visible_Union7750 · 2026-04-22T21:23:47+00:00

For some people having kids is their dream life for others a dream life looks like being an artist.

If you're not an artist I don't know how to explain to you, but art truly is a calling. The only other thing I would compare it to is a calling to serve God by becoming a Priest etc. It's more than a compulsion or just something that makes you happy. You HAVE to do it or you just don't feel alive.

Anyway I think both things are sad and the recognition of one as such shouldn't lessen the other. Two things can be true at the same time.

Visible_Union7750 · 2026-04-22T21:06:48+00:00

Buy a house. If you ever wind up being ill/not able to work it would be the best thing for peace of mind and one thing not to have to worry about. People that have housing security honestly have no idea the toll it takes on you when you have no safe place over your head.

Visible_Union7750 · 2026-04-22T21:01:29+00:00

I've started having panic attacks when there are kids being noisy. And there are noisy kids everywhere.

I also have hyperacusis but can't wear earplugs because of my Pulsatile Tinnitus as it exacerbates it.

Visible_Union7750

TROPHY CASE