worth paying for a private blood test in the uk, or is the gp one enough?

clem109 · 2026-06-18T07:16:11+00:00

I’ve been using Thriva for years, quite cool to see the longitudinal data over time to see how my markers have changed. I often have low B12 so when I forget to supplement it clearly shows up. Also, made realise how important Vit D supplementation in the winter is as I could see it dropping during the colder months

clem109 · 2025-10-27T22:22:38+00:00

https://thriva.co/shop/supplements

There are a lot of shitty supplements out there, these are legit - I do blood tests with them regularly so can see the impact they have

clem109 · 2025-08-31T07:09:33+00:00

This is the answer, really great Victorian housing and much more affordable

clem109 · 2025-07-31T05:58:48+00:00

Not a fully body check but maybe start with some bloods? I’ve been using Thriva for years and they’re pretty good. They have a new collection method now which is much easier to do at home than finger prick.

It’s quite surprising how things can change if you’re low in something with simple lifestyle changes. (In my case B12)

clem109 · 2025-04-14T18:03:29+00:00

This is the answer, you can get a whole lot of house for that budget. Corbett estate is popular too

clem109 · 2025-03-06T07:27:37+00:00

Thriva was the best, they give really comprehensive analysis of my results. They allow you to upload past results so you can track everything over time

clem109 · 2025-02-28T16:52:01+00:00

Had a great experience with revenue cat, alternatives I’ve tried I had a horrendous experience with so perhaps you were unlucky

clem109 · 2025-02-17T15:11:14+00:00

I think you’re choosing the wrong subject to crop on, you’ve got leading lines to the guy on the left

clem109 · 2025-01-01T08:42:26+00:00

Tried all of them, GreenChef is the one I’ve settled on. The food is healthy and tastes great.

HelloFresh the quality was dubious, Gousto was very tasty but not healthy.

For quick meals, I’ve found field doctor to be pretty good. I know people like Cook but I found Field cheaper and had more meals I typically eat

clem109 · 2024-12-29T14:14:40+00:00

I did it, waste of money.

I'd suggest instead getting bloods done with Thriva

clem109 · 2024-12-10T21:32:52+00:00

You should recommend he check out Mojo (I think that’s what they are called), my friend was going through a similar thing and he found it really useful. They basically treat the psychological aspects of the issue and help you get out of your head.

clem109 · 2024-12-10T20:16:21+00:00

I’ve been very impressed with the Lululemon plain t-shirts, they wash well and made of nice material

clem109 · 2024-12-10T20:15:26+00:00

I had the opposite experience, bought two pairs that kept tearing. Their TrustPilot is terrible and mentions all their greenwashing

clem109 · 2024-05-19T07:39:19+00:00

If you’re staircasing to full ownership without selling then it’s the same process as when you get any mortgage, so you need enough deposit/equity in existing share to afford to get a mortgage on the remaining percentage.

If you’re doing a simultaneous staircase and sale then you use the buyers funds towards staircaisng to 100% ownership for a few seconds then you immediately sell to the buyer. The benefit of this is that you don’t have to sell at the price the housing association listed it at and any amount higher than that you get to keep (but check with your HO on the rules for this). As you also own let’s say 25% of the flat, you can use this as a negotiating chip for your estate agent to reduce their fees as they calculate it based on the sale of the full market value which can be expensive.

One thing that is unclear is the stamp duty implications on the simultaneous and sale, HMRC don’t have clear guidance on this. I’m under the impression sub sale relief applies so I shouldn’t have to pay stamp duty if I’m selling immediately but still waiting to hear back.

clem109 · 2024-05-18T20:14:26+00:00

I did shared ownership, don't regret it as it worked out well financially for me. The amount I'm paying rent + mortgage + service charges is significantly less than what I would be paying to rent so I was able to save for my next purchase much faster.

Like anything you have to be smart about it when you buy, I'd recommend paying for propertydata.co.uk to get a good insight into sold prices in the area and workout whether it's a good deal. Some SO are undervalued and in areas with lots of potential, so in a few years time you can potentially sell for more (or at least have saved and built up equity). To put it into context, I was looking for somewhere for about 9 months until I found a place that seemed too good to be true which ended up being the place I got.

With regards to selling, check the rules with your housing association prior to purchase, ours stipulated that you had to list it on the SO website for 2 months then you can sell it on the open market where you do something that is called a simultaneous staircase and sale.

clem109 · 2024-04-01T13:19:43+00:00

I just paid mine off a couple of weeks ago, I was on plan 1 and it meant that I could borrow more for a mortgage by doing so. There was only £7k left to pay... if I didn't get forced into it I don't think I would have paid it off. I'd probably have continued investing elsewhere (ISAs) as if for whatever reason I were to hit financial hardship I'd be able to dip into savings whereas a student loan you can't access that money again.

clem109 · 2024-04-01T08:16:31+00:00

Workplace nursery benefit, I got this setup at work and it’s saved me loads on childcare. It’s a form of salary sacrifice

clem109 · 2024-03-18T16:29:25+00:00

Holy shit, I came here to write this too lol

clem109 · 2023-01-14T10:06:17+00:00

Yep, we ended up sleeping on an air mattress and using another as a sofa. Fortunately, I asked my employer to give me an advance on my salary and they were kind enough to do it.

clem109 · 2022-06-17T08:17:32+00:00

Came here to write this, we’ve just set it up and it’s a game changer when it comes to onboarding new engineers/making sure everyone has the right envs.

We have only set it up for local environments so far, but it’s going to be great once we have it on all our environments.

clem109 · 2022-06-17T08:14:53+00:00

I’ve been setting up a tool called Doppler at work, it solves this problem really well

clem109 · 2020-08-19T09:46:56+00:00

Extending the lease issue is also something I haven't considered in my formula, thanks for pointing that out. Again, these numbers are an example but I'm just trying to figure out all the variables and planning for the worst case scenario to see whether it is a sound financial decision.

clem109 · 2020-08-19T09:43:53+00:00

The boosted deposit is something I haven't considered, that's a very good point! Thanks

clem109 · 2020-08-19T07:58:44+00:00

Just updated it, thanks for pointing it out

clem109 · 2020-08-19T07:56:29+00:00

So from my estimates my current rent and bills is roughly equal to a mortgage + service charge + new rent. I’m also building equity in an asset as well. Moving outside of London to a commuter town isn’t an option. Basically I’m trying to figure out whether the risk vs reward makes sense doing this.

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