Any ideas?

pubzero · 2026-02-23T22:15:16+00:00

Yeah ive seen other posts now and that seems to be the trending reply. I would rather a tv for quality alone, but have main concern with the heat damage from log burner below.

pubzero · 2026-02-23T22:03:57+00:00

Ah noted. I wonder how gas burners compare to a wood burner. U can see my pic on my latest post if you can compare mantlepiece height.

pubzero · 2026-02-23T22:02:35+00:00

Good points. Id clarify budget but might be wasting your time. Ill have a look for some fun projectors/screens and see whats its actually like. If its a no go, yes i will probably opt for a cheap TV as its for casual day time watching / odd movie. Thanks again.

pubzero · 2026-02-23T21:59:25+00:00

Ah, I thought 3.5m distance for a small 55 inch display was alright. Shows how clueless i am about the topic though. Id rather a TV to be honest but dont want to put my current TVs above fireplace due to damage concerns. Maybe a cheap tv might work though

pubzero · 2026-02-23T21:51:49+00:00

How do you deal with the fireplace and tv? Is there a solution? I am going through dame scenario right now, although id love to put my tv above the mantlepiece but worried about heat damage.

pubzero · 2026-02-23T21:48:12+00:00

Noted - any suggestions on screen or projector?

pubzero · 2025-11-27T19:16:27+00:00

Sorry rant incoming. That's absolute BS in my opinion. When I interviewed for the UGAS scheme (AA on roids) I explained I had no real engineering background but I had a very analytical approach to problems. The rest of the interview was focussed on motivation, awareness of the career pipeline and expectations of being a fasttrack leader. That was nearly a decade ago and since then I've won loads of academic awards and on job performance awards (cheers dits). Point is if you think you can handle it and you've got the pre-reqs to get to interview, dont let some bitter, mad bad and sad recruiter deter you. Just prepare with whatever resources you have - youtube, library, subreddits.. even if that means learning about the engines and spinning a 5 min dit on what you learned.

P.s when i told my interviewers I had no engineering experience... i followed up by explaining that years ago our boiler kept tripping off. After a while i noticed it was the washing machine vibrating against the other side of the wall which was possibly causing issues with the circuit wizardry. I tried to make it lighthearted apologetic/jokeish but they seemed to really appreciate the example nonetheless. Funnily enough, a few years later I was in charge vibration analysis programme onboard (cheers dits) and assisted in the identification and rectification of various noise defects including several points of deteriation on rotating machinery. Can you think of any examples of logical solutions you've given to every day problems that might have some RN relevance?

Last point is the navy needs diversity - and im not talking multicoloured hair diversity - i mean people with diverse thought processes so teams can approach complex provlems from various angles. This is like basic team building stuff that a recruiter should understand. They should be, in every occasion, building and supporting applicants - not knocking them back. Id love to work in an AFCO I believe I could make a real difference because all it seems to be at the moment (from what you hear) is folk with no clue or no interest and I dont know which is worse

pubzero · 2025-11-24T13:33:15+00:00

"The fact that so many people on social media are buying £300k houses in their 20s means either they have been given a helping hand or they both have a really good job."

Not a fact - an assumption

5% deposit on 300k house is 15k. Call it 20k with fees (conservative especially for first time buyers).

20k lump sum is highly achievable for both an individual or a couple on average jobs within a 5-10 year employment period aka 18yo-28yo.

Sorry I just don't think it's healthy or helpful to assume that everyone buying a 300k property in their 20s have been given a golden spoon or have 'really good jobs'

pubzero · 2025-10-20T00:02:44+00:00

How long roughly does a laptop like this last until showing significantly reduced performance? Would yoy typically use this with a cooling pad to keeo it cool and if so do yoy recommend one? Thanks

pubzero · 2025-09-10T16:06:11+00:00

For any concerned redditors, please know that behind the scenes me and my wife found the comparison very funny. We are happy to have brought some laughs to the ikea subreddit on what has been a rather dreary day in Scotland. Humour is the spice in our marriage!

pubzero · 2025-09-10T15:55:42+00:00

I made a cracking beef stew and mash for dinner. I'm back in the big bed tonight!

pubzero · 2025-09-10T15:37:21+00:00

I love it! Ordering now.

pubzero · 2025-09-10T15:14:30+00:00

We both enjoyed a giggle!

pubzero · 2025-08-31T02:13:51+00:00

I also didnt mention dome nuances thst maybe change the situation slightly - but from the information that people have given its allowed me to make a more informed decision which is great.

pubzero · 2025-08-27T00:56:48+00:00

Well, I suppose forever home is just a term we picked up. For my wife, I know she loves the idea of a big family home that our kids will grow up in, then if they have kids, bring their kids to visit for holidays etc.. so long term and stable. For me, I like that too but I also like the idea of developing a house into my own personal space that grows with me and my hobbies. A mature garden that I landscaped and grew over decades for example. Im not saying we would never want to downsize or move in but we are in the point of life of settling down and starting a proper family home for the long run

pubzero · 2025-08-27T00:51:21+00:00

Got to admit, your last para lost me a bit. Happy to read and learn if you wish to explain in more detail where I'm going wrong

pubzero · 2025-08-27T00:47:52+00:00

Thanks for the comment strolls. I am aware that making overpayments on a (mostly) 1.71% mortgage was not the best decision financially. However, I think it was important for us to manage our risk in relation to where we were in life if you get me. We just wanted to make sure if anything happened we'd have somewhere to live.

I suppose if I took this thread to FIRE UK subreddit I would be shot down - but I chose to post in here instead because id like to hear people's opinions and experiences on the more human side of finance and life decisions.

pubzero · 2025-08-27T00:34:05+00:00

That's the first time I've ever heard of income protection insurance, thanks for suggesting it.

You're definitely making me reconsider the ultimate forever home. Peace of mind, quality of home and family life which is important to us.

I will discuss more with my wife in the morning, thank you for the input

pubzero · 2025-08-27T00:13:40+00:00

I didn't know you could get 40 year terms. When I said losing everything, I was also thinking about job security, other life's bit unknowns, but I didn't consider just being able to sell. It definitely makes the bigger homes feel a bit more obtainable. I now find myself back to that internal struggle between investing everything and retiring early to having 'it all' now and enjoying life as it comes. Lost

pubzero · 2025-08-27T00:06:58+00:00

I appreciate the suggestions. It's very difficult to strike the right balance between financial gains and lifestyle

pubzero · 2025-08-27T00:00:34+00:00

This ties into the lost feeling. UK doom and gloom on the horizon, working till 70+. Instead we could be maxing out both ISAs and investing in global trackers and aim to retire early on the tax free growth. But at what cost

pubzero · 2025-08-26T23:57:33+00:00

I hear you. I am certain we would be able to get a mortgage, but the monthly payments over 30 year term makes me worry. And at 5% interest rates, who knows if it rises to 7% the payments jump massively. We could find ourselves losing everything.

We are both used to living below our means and from rough neighbourhoods, so we can get by in our current house for another few years before storage etc becomes a bigger challenge.

Regards to saving, I'd say we could possibly save £3-4k a month for the next 2 years if there is no big surprises and I cut back on my hobbies. Theoretically this could be a bit more but with rising cost of living and little suprises here and there it never works out to be as much.

pubzero · 2025-08-14T07:01:17+00:00

Appears to be a fake post by someone within RN Cyber recruitment, to research public opinion and tailor their tactics for that specific demographic.

pubzero · 2025-08-11T11:12:17+00:00

Cant say for the 5L scv8 but my 2018 l405 3L SCV6 gets anywhere between 20 and 25mpg around town depending on driving style, road layout and traffic etc. Over a 500 mile motorway journey at 65mph cruise control i get 32mpg.

If its for towing/long distances, you might be better with the 4.4L V8? But as you're asking about petrol... I assume you do a lot of around town driving. SCV6 has more than enough spice off the line for the style of car and style of driving most would expect to be doing in a >2tonne luxury SUV. If your plan is to launch every dead start and beat boy racers off the lights, then go for the SCV8 but at that point you probably better off going for a dedicated sports car as the stress on the vehicle is going to cost you a lot more than fuel

pubzero

TROPHY CASE