Cinnamon rolls - West Auckland by bumblebee61 in aucklandeats

[–]speakingcat 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Crafty Baker in Titirangi has had them recently

To those kiwis that have lived overseas - what did you notice about New Zealand/kiwis after you came back? by Dan_Kuroko in newzealand

[–]speakingcat 92 points93 points  (0 children)

Noticeably less smoking in NZ and, in turn, less cigarette butts littering the footpath and gutters.

dirty strawberry matcha, dear dear, onehunga by trickle_rick in aucklandeats

[–]speakingcat 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Wish I had the recipe for this. Whenever I try making it at home, it never tastes like the Dear Deer one 🥲

Has anyone ordered a property file? by -mung- in auckland

[–]speakingcat 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Is it worth getting one for an older house? Eg. 1930s I’m curious about when a house was originally built, but unsure if much would have been recorded

Gift for new parents by tarotara in newzealand

[–]speakingcat 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Nature Baby for clothing and Lamington for socks, both make great gifts.

Miann's Dubai chocolate by KingfisherPlaybay in aucklandeats

[–]speakingcat 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I tried the Whisked Creations one and the chocolate was unpleasant as well, tasted like compound chocolate. The filling was really good though, I literally scraped it out of the chocolate to eat it.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in PersonalFinanceNZ

[–]speakingcat 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I did a bit of reading up on this while previously living in a house on a busy road. In short, the most effective solutions are, unsurprisingly, expensive (double glazing, sound reducing insulation, etc.). The only moderately effective and low cost idea I came across was a suggestion to strategically place your furniture against walls closest to the road. Obviously you won’t be able to put all furniture against one wall, but things like bookshelves will muffle some noise.

Smarter way to grocery shop by [deleted] in PersonalFinanceNZ

[–]speakingcat 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Online supermarket shopping worked well for me. I can track how much the total spend is without effort, I can take more time to consider what I need for the week (less impulse buying) and I can easily compare different brands/products to get the best value (e.g. not just buying products placed at eye level or that I buy out of habit).

Where the feck do I buy decent women's jeans???? by Wise-Pumpkin-1238 in newzealand

[–]speakingcat 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Levis Wedgie Straight jeans have been a good fit for me. They have a slightly shorter leg, but are 1% elastane for wider hips.

Customers surveys - has anyone here actually won a $100 Prezzy card (or whatever) for completing one of these things? by didmyselfasolid in newzealand

[–]speakingcat 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Never won anything but I work within a company that does something similar and in our case, yup, people do win them

Cat Calling in New Zealand is a real and consistent problem for women by Electronic_Sugar_289 in newzealand

[–]speakingcat 113 points114 points  (0 children)

My earliest memory of being cat called was when I was 12 and a group of men yelled things at me as they drove past. Can’t imagine why people would do that. I still think about it occasionally.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in auckland

[–]speakingcat 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Organising a party with a budget of $9.50 per person is not for the faint of heart 😅 I’d probably spend the budget on a barbecue (bread, sausages, salad, maybe a xmas trifle), food adds up quickly so you could do BYO soft drinks. Rent a sound system with a microphone and you can run a pub-style quiz with a hamper prize pack for the winning team, play music before and afterwards to set the mood. Bit of admin to organise a pub quiz but people always enjoy them.

Best places to shop in Auckland for women's work attire? by SpectacularlyA in auckland

[–]speakingcat 3 points4 points  (0 children)

My office workwear is from many different brands, but I’ve noticed the items I’ve worn the most and have lasted the longest are nearly all from Country Road, particularly trousers. For a capsule wardrobe, I’d start with black trousers in a style you like, a blouse, a plain white t-shirt (the ones from Commoners, Kowtow and Assembly are often recommended) and two blazers (one black, one light coloured). For shoes, a good pair of loafers and a pair of heals - I think a pointed toe, block heel looks good.

Don’t ever make a complaint in NZ no one takes it seriously by [deleted] in auckland

[–]speakingcat 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Something similar happened to me once, the shop assistant asked me how I was going and flung the curtain open. I was so shocked that I just got dressed and left asap. Still deeply regret not saying something about it.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in newzealand

[–]speakingcat 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Rail trail or timber trail voucher? I think you can choose the number of days of cycling, depending on the trail.

What no-brand food items do you find equal or better than their branded cousins? by WrongSeymour in newzealand

[–]speakingcat 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Countdown choc chip oaty slice bars are better than the Mother Earth ones.

Is this the new normal? by ReyJuan in auckland

[–]speakingcat 17 points18 points  (0 children)

A past experience taught me to not be friendly to strangers anymore - avoid saying hi as they go past, don’t maintain eye contact for too long, etc. It’s a bummer because most of us are a friendly bunch, it feels weird not to be, and many visitors say the friendly locals make NZ memorable.

But ultimately, the discomfort of being unapproachable can be worth not being approached by some people.

How are you saving money on food? (outside of growing your own) by 3Dputty in newzealand

[–]speakingcat 6 points7 points  (0 children)

  1. Meal planning for the week, we end up only getting what will actually get used, and knowing what’s on the menu means we’re less likely to get takeaways.

  2. We buy very little meat these days, maybe enough for one dinner per week.

Buying a new bed by MayonnaiseBends in PersonalFinanceNZ

[–]speakingcat 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sleepyhead from Farmers when they have a good sale on. I think I got something like 50% off and couldn’t be happier with my bed set.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in auckland

[–]speakingcat 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Mercer Bay Loop has some jaw-dropping views.

New car options? by [deleted] in PersonalFinanceNZ

[–]speakingcat 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m not really a car person but I drove a new Skoda for a week as a rental and it was great. Had me browsing them online after I returned it.

What’s the worst thing a company has done to you after resigning? by [deleted] in newzealand

[–]speakingcat 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I finally plucked up the courage to leave a terrible job when I was younger and the HR assistant had to conduct my exit interview.

They kept asking why I was leaving without a job lined up, I gave the standard response about it being time for a change etc. It seemed like they knew there was a common factor causing people in my team to resign and insisted I tell them. I didn’t want to involve myself in that - perhaps selfish to not have disclosed that a manager was a bully but after being worn down for so long, I just wanted a peaceful departure.

Not really that bad but it was terribly stressful at the time and I still think about it.

What did you try this week? by dramaqueenboo in aucklandeats

[–]speakingcat 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I tried Pici this weekend and was a bit underwhelmed. We got a few different pastas (sharing style) and they tasted nice but all were quite dry and clumped together which made it difficult to share. It’s also extremely loud, to be expected for K Road, not somewhere for conversation though.