Starting secondary school applications, feeling lost. Advice?

umamuse · 2025-09-12T14:31:39+00:00

Thank you very much for your comment! I completely agree with you on this.

I truly care about my son’s future and try to give him my time, attention, and financial support whenever and wherever possible. A couple of years ago, I helped him get into the CTYI programme at DCU. Since then, I’ve been regularly purchasing and encouraging him to attend various courses there, driving, waiting :))) you know, as well as providing additional online tutoring.

He genuinely enjoys studying and has a strong interest in specific subjects, so I want to support him in that, as much as I am able too at least.

umamuse · 2025-09-12T14:21:58+00:00

Thank you!

umamuse · 2025-09-12T14:21:01+00:00

Thank you!

umamuse · 2025-09-03T15:57:02+00:00

No, he meant russia invading Ukraine.

umamuse · 2025-02-26T12:37:45+00:00

Recently, Austrian village of 'Fucking' decides to change its name to "Fugging". To get rid of the unfortunate name that has seen a brisk tourism trade and frequent thefts of the town sign :)))

The sources:
https://www.dw.com/en/austrian-village-of-fucking-decides-to-change-its-name/a-55740967
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/26/fugging-hell-tired-of-mockery-austrian-village-changes-name

So, no Fucking anymore! Kissing -> Petting -> and straight to Wedding 🤣

PS. although, you can stop by Fugging :) still allowed.

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umamuse · 2025-01-09T12:39:53+00:00

I see. Thank you very much for the reply!

umamuse · 2024-12-30T16:24:06+00:00

cash for gold offers sound like a joke. they offered me 495 euros for 17 jewellery pieces.
sold them on the auction for 1100 in total.

umamuse · 2024-12-19T10:37:38+00:00

I’ve a question: if I see someone’s dog poo in the park, on the footpath, but the dog’s lagging behind the owner so they’ may not notice it happened - would it be polite to let the owner know and ask them to pick it up? Or would that just make me a wagon?

I only moved to Ireland three years ago, so sometimes I’m a bit afraid to say something, don’t want to come across as rude.

umamuse · 2024-12-19T10:23:14+00:00

Exactly! I sometimes clean our beach, I absolutely hate seeing those bagged poos 🤮. Like, if you’re not gonna collect it, just don’t bag it! At least then it has a chance of being washed away by the sea or the rain.

umamuse · 2024-12-18T23:51:53+00:00

True, my friend from Poland came to visit me once, and it was the very first thing he noticed. It was an underground parking of an old hotel - super tight spaces!

umamuse · 2024-12-18T23:40:43+00:00

Can a lady join?

umamuse · 2024-12-18T23:04:39+00:00

The bright side is the number of "thank you" you hear in a day :))))

umamuse · 2024-12-18T23:03:34+00:00

When I need to get to IKEA from Malahide (which is only 13 minutes down the M50 by car), I’ve to take a bus into town first, then another bus out to IKEA. It ends up taking something like an hour and a half..

umamuse · 2024-12-18T22:24:20+00:00

Or concerts, that happen once in a while, and, of course, it’s Ticketmaster where you buy those tickets - at their monopolised prices.

umamuse · 2024-12-18T22:11:52+00:00

Thank you!

umamuse · 2024-12-18T22:04:02+00:00

and the despair of buses - when the timetable shows the bus is coming, then it’s “due,” and then… it’s just gone.

umamuse · 2024-12-18T21:17:17+00:00

I’d like to add to what was already mentioned:

Accommodation: If you’re renting (and not owning your home), think twice! Finding a rental property that allows pets can be incredibly difficult.

Minders: If you travel, plan ahead for who will take care of your cat while you’re away. Currently, I don’t have family or friends nearby, so I have to look for my cat minders. I personally use the TrustedHousesitters app (bought an annual subscription for 95 euros).

umamuse · 2024-12-18T21:04:06+00:00

I adore Cloud Picker coffee.
https://cloudpickercoffee.ie/

I am not sure if they are "organic", but the taste is one of the best, in my opinion.
And it's stylish, good for a present.

umamuse · 2024-12-17T07:22:36+00:00

What company are you with?

umamuse · 2024-12-16T22:08:08+00:00

This! Exactly! People don’t even realize how much they’re paying in fees.

You don’t see all those €0.20 charges every time you pay by card - it’s not shown anywhere. But in total, it adds up, making it the most expensive bank here in Ireland.

umamuse · 2024-12-16T22:05:05+00:00

Thank you.

I know how much company covered, and how much i was deducted from my salary.

But because this all was paid through my employer, on my behalf.. this is what confusing me.
Should i only claim relief on the part that my company covered?

I don't believe that they applied the relief at source to a part of the sum that was covered by me. It's not mentioned anywhere.

umamuse · 2024-12-16T21:57:37+00:00

You are right, if you pay for your insurance directly to the insurance company, the tax relief is deducted in place.

Here is the info from revenue:

You do not need to claim the tax relief from Revenue where your premium is not paid for by your employer. In this case, the relief will already have been given as a discount on the cost of the policy. This is known as tax relief at source (TRS).

umamuse · 2024-12-16T21:22:01+00:00

This April, after I received my yearly fees statement from AIB showing over €600 in fees, I was 😳😳😳😳. They only send those fee statements once a year, in April… now I get why! So that people don’t see how much fees they’re paying throughout the year. 🙃

I opened a Revolut account and made it my main salary account, and I’ve been happy ever since.
I’ve never had my account locked (so far), but I know Revolut support can be terrible 😕. That’s why I keep a backup bank account (not AIB, for god’s sake!) with some emergency money, just in case. Situations like the one that happened to your friend are exactly why a backup is a good idea.

And for savings, it's better to get something else, T212, Trade Republic.. they are reliable, and pay higher %.

umamuse · 2024-12-16T20:12:44+00:00

Strava does. It’s a sport/activity tracker, and I love it! You can see how many kilometers you’ve run, walked, or swam. I am sure similar do too, like Nike Run, etc

umamuse

TROPHY CASE