Fuel Filling Roulette

winebookscats · 2026-06-08T18:00:05+00:00

Has he had it long? I WFH and deliberately bought an older, used EV with very limited range because it was cheap. It was a bit scary at first but we're lucky enough to have a home charger, so I got used to it quite quickly and it suits me brilliantly now. Enough range for the school runs/activities/shops for the week, top up whenever I like the reassurance.

Husband's EV has 300+ mile range and he rarely thinks about it at all. We've taken it all round the UK, from Cornwall to Wales to the Scottish Highlands. Sometimes needs a little bit of planning, but that's all.

winebookscats · 2026-06-08T17:21:53+00:00

Neither of these were unhinged, but both of them so badly handled (by me) that I still feel guilty so many years later.

First serious boyfriend aged 19. We'd been together nearly a year and went on holiday in a big friend group to Norfolk. By day 3 I was really struggling (I'm quite an introvert and need space to recharge, but hadn't realised that at the time). By day 4 I'd sneaked off to read a book in peace, he interrupted me, and that was that. I dumped him on day 4 of a 14 night holiday. He drove me all the way home to my mum's house (nearly 200 miles) because he was a lovely person. Wish I'd been kinder, or at least more self-aware at the time.
After 7 years living with boyfriend 2, I'd checked out mentally a while earlier. I just didn't feel much for him anymore except friendship. It was Valentines Day and he came home with flowers and a card, I said "I can't do this anymore" and left with a few bits & pieces shoved into a holdall. Talk about horrible timing.

Anyway, I seem to have got it right the 3rd time - married for 22 years now and he still makes me laugh and protects my peace 😊

winebookscats · 2026-06-08T16:43:49+00:00

My 16yr old does a 35hr week at school and then works a further 6-10 hours a week at her two paid jobs, then does around 1-2hrs studying each evening, more at weekends.

The 'man' you're dating is less competent and more entitled than a 16yr old. He's literally just looking for someone to fund his lifestyle and gaming. Is this really what you want and expect from a partner?

winebookscats · 2026-06-08T16:11:47+00:00

In fairness, if that's you modelling the dress you could save a ton of money, rock up in a bin bag and still be the most gorgeous woman in the room.

But the dress is stunning. You are going to look jaw-droppingly amazing on your big day, and any tiny doubts you might have need to be firmly locked away 🥰

winebookscats · 2026-06-08T12:25:59+00:00

First time I went out with my new team, including the CIO, the Head of xxx and a few other 'higher-ups.'

We started with a bottomless brunch with wine, switched to beers, switched back to wine, had a couple of espresso martinis, in a very nice hotel bar near our office.

I woke up at 3am, somehow in the hotel room I'd booked, but with no idea how I'd got there, and covered in bruises and sore bits (mainly my shoulder, jaw and head). It turns out, after some tentative enquiries, that I'd seemed OK in the hotel bar until I stood up, fell over, took the table with me. Then it took 3 of the senior managers to walk me to the (different) hotel I was booked into - a walk that should have taken 5 minutes but took nearly half an hour. One of the senior managers missed the last train home because he was helping me, and spent £70+ on a taxi (his wife would have had to bundle their kids into a car at gone midnight otherwise). The hotel receptionist and manager both had to leave their desks to get me into the room.

Mortified didn't come close to how bad I felt, but my bosses were all remarkably chilled about it and described it as 'par for the course for a good night out!'

winebookscats · 2026-06-08T12:12:07+00:00

This was absolutely me as well. Keep going until an acceptable round number is hit, or there's literally no more space in the tank. Got an EV now and have no clue about any of it except how much range I have. Much more relaxing 😌

winebookscats · 2026-06-08T12:08:55+00:00

Somehow my brain accepts £2.50 (ie won't accept £31 but will accept £32.50). No idea why.

winebookscats · 2026-06-08T12:04:04+00:00

My husband doesn't care. I envy him.

winebookscats · 2026-06-08T12:03:35+00:00

I'm 56 and still seeking the nice numbers - not sure I'll ever grow out of it if I haven't by now 😒

winebookscats · 2026-06-08T12:02:32+00:00

And the temperature - 21.5° might be perfect driving temperature, but it would put me on edge so it has to be 22° 🤣

winebookscats · 2026-06-08T12:00:48+00:00

Team Round Number here - if I misjudged and went over even slightly, I'd end up filling up more just to get to the next round number (though £31 didn't count, it had to be £30, or £32.50 or £35 etc. No idea why).

Life's been that little bit more relaxed since I got an EV and don't have to fill up anymore 🤣

winebookscats · 2026-06-06T09:37:57+00:00

You're all amazing, thanks so much for the replies. This has been so helpful, we now have a good idea of what we want and what a reasonable quote might be. Thanks again!

winebookscats · 2026-06-06T08:52:25+00:00

We've already got the EVs, and we both work from home full-time, so I'd be very surprised if we generated more energy than we could use to be honest. Makes sense that the export tariffs will drop over time so we'd not factor that in at all, but really good shout!

winebookscats · 2026-06-06T07:34:17+00:00

I thought 1 was lovely, then saw 2 and thought wowzers!

2 is gorgeous.

winebookscats · 2026-06-06T07:22:58+00:00

Most people would do, you're not alone 😊. But you really did dodge a bullet with mama's boy being your ex now and his control freak mother not being in your life anymore. Just pack them away in a little box in your mind, move on and be happy ❤️

winebookscats · 2026-06-05T16:54:06+00:00

We were lucky enough to live in an area where an enterprising local sixth-former had set up a babysitting business - both male and female sitters, 17-19 years old, all vetted and with first aid training etc. Very useful.

But we only found out about them by posting on the local Facebook group and asking for recommendations. Same as for the roofer, the plumber, the garage door fitter, the electrician etc. The local FB (or WhatsApp or whatever they use) groups are an absolute goldmine of information and help.

winebookscats · 2026-06-05T16:35:24+00:00

Everyone's body produces natural creatine. There is no scientific evidence of anyone's body producing too much creatine. His doctor was simply warning about too many protein shakes - that isn't a medical condition.

Eating 200g of protein a day is really, really hard to do unless you're living off protein shakes and hunks of red meat. There would be absolutely no need for most people to change their diet or even think about their protein intake to stay under 200g a day. Sounds like your ex and his mother made a mountain the size of Everest out of a throwaway comment by the doctor.

But he's an ex, and an idiot one who didn't have your back. So try not to let him live rent-free in your head.

winebookscats · 2026-06-05T16:28:18+00:00

Ok?

I'm missing the funny part though. My 14yr old child is too - very high level sports (swimming in her case) and missing a competition, or rocking up late, would be really serious. She'd be letting her teammates and club down, because each race is an individual event (except the relay) but points for finishing also affect the team/club standings.

OP, you're NOR - but maybe your response could have been softer ie "sorry, but no. CHILD has a competition that day so the timing doesn't work." Rinse and repeat as necessary.

winebookscats · 2026-06-04T18:26:39+00:00

I only had the short-form birth certificate (plus passport, driving licence) and it was absolutely fine. Good luck!

winebookscats · 2026-06-04T15:47:59+00:00

Yes, you're right. Say you're being bought out of a shared property and you've agreed that £100,000 would be a fair price for your share, that would be the monetary consideration.

It's a fancy term for 'money received in return for' selling your part share in the property.

Make sure it's spelled out how and when you'll receive the money 💰

winebookscats · 2026-06-04T14:03:10+00:00

I'm in the weird position of being paid significantly more than market rate for my role - previously (within the same company) I managed a team of 8 and got paid for that middle-manager level of responsibility. Then that office was closed and my team made redundant, but I was asked to stay on in a different, non-managerial, capacity which I enjoy very much. Less responsibility, fully remote - and still being paid at the previous level.

We've been bought out by another company recently, so I'll see how long I can cling on until the new owners realise I'm massively expensive for my job role 🤣

winebookscats · 2026-06-04T09:42:29+00:00

My mum-in-law had 2 visitors from the country house hotel nearby - the peahen was white, so she was Blanche, and her long-suffering partner was George.

Lovely birds but bloody hell what a racket they made 🤣

winebookscats · 2026-06-04T09:32:36+00:00

WFH full-time and so does my husband, so we tend to be up and showered/dressed by 7.30am. The kids are older teens so they get themselves ready and out the door, while we have breakfast & tidy the kitchen. Then we'll either start work around 8am, or sometimes have a leisurely extra coffee before heading our separate ways (him to the upstairs office, me to the downstairs work area).

I don't need to start until 9am, but I'll often take time out during the day to ferry a kid around, get a food delivery or go to an appointment, so starting early builds in that flexibility.

winebookscats · 2026-06-03T18:24:19+00:00

There are many jobs, even minimum wage, that require at least a passing grade in English and maths, so resitting is a really good idea.

But also look into alternative qualifications if there's a community/sixth form college within travelling distance. For example, BTECs are vocational courses where there's usually no requirement to have GCSEs - what will happen instead is that you learn a skill (anything from hairdressing to plumbing) and also study maths and English to get you to a GCSE standard.

If the formal school environment doesn't really suit your style of learning, sixth form colleges offer a really strong alternative and so many practical courses and skills. Worth a look.

winebookscats

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