The UK's Q4 2023 banking crisis.

[sleepwello'nights]

15 minutes ago, Red Debt Redemption said:

Lol wut?

Realism v Perception

 

[Stuey]

23 minutes ago, sleepwello'nights said:

Realism v Perception

 

@JoeDavola buy a house bro. 

[sleepwello'nights]

36 minutes ago, Stuey said:

@JoeDavola buy a house bro. 

@JoeDavola Its a complicated equation. What would you do in his shoes?

He currently resides in a rented flat which is large enough for his needs and the interest on his savings will substantially reduce the rent he has to pay from his income. 

To buy an equivalent apartment would mean the use of a significant part of his saving and then leave him open to council tax (or the Norhern Ireland equivalent) and maintenance costs. I think he said service charges and ground rent are included in his rent. 

He may also move to a different area with potentially inreased travel costs and the need to create a new social circle. 

In his shoes I think I would wait for the current turmoil in the economy to subside and wait until the transition indicates a clear direction. As always we all have to adapt to the circumstances we are in, its the transition from one phase to the next that can catch us out. 

[JoeDavola]

39 minutes ago, sleepwello'nights said:

He may also move to a different area with potentially inreased travel costs and the need to create a new social circle.

I don't have a social circle any more. The pandemic has killed that; it never recovered. People moved away from the city centre to WFH and never moved back, social groups based on old workmates still working in town where we'd meet up once every month or two have also died. I understand; many of them have young families and WFH has been a godsend to them - get more time to spend with the kids and no commute.

No social interaction in the office either as there's either nobody in or the couple of people who are in are sat with headsets on like a call centre. No meetings happen in person at all. Of the two people in work I'd have went for coffee/lunch with, one has retired and the other is leaving the job soon but completely withdrew when the pandemic happened. So my choice in work is either sit in my own home office in silence or commute to another empty lifeless office.

I used to think I was quite an isolated person say 5 years ago, but I had a roaring social life compared to now, not socalizing as in "hitting the town" necessarily but just normal day to day in person human contact.

I basically have two close friends, one who I'm lucky to see 3 times a year and one maybe 6 times a year. That's it. Beyond meeting up for a chat with the folks a couple of times a week, and he occasional Teams call in work that's it.

I'm off work tomorrow so I reckon it'll be a solid 4 days without speaking to a single living soul. I know some people love living like that but I'm growing more and more unhappy with it, and having the occasional 'dark night of the soul' as I contemplate what the second half/final third depending on how long I live, of my life is going to pan out.

 

 

And yes, I'll buy a house when I'm good and ready

Edited July 16, 2023 by JoeDavola

[leonardratso]

Probably best not to think like that, its ruinous to mental health and eventually physical health, you dont know whats around the corner, might be a bus, might be something great, might be nothing much, which is better than a bus.
Can you expand your hobbies, or even better turn something into a money spinner that maybe just starts out as a curiosity, dont forget to keep buying lottery tickets as well, hahaha poor persons tax they might be, doesnt mean it wont win though.
Failing all that theres always the functioning alky path, but i wouldnt recommend that one, it eventually falls off a cliff into non functioning.

PS. @JoeDavola There is only one person can fix this or take steps to improve it.

Edited July 16, 2023 by leonardratso

[Van Lady]

4 hours ago, JoeDavola said:

I'm off work tomorrow so I reckon it'll be a solid 4 days without speaking to a single living soul. I know some people love living like that but I'm growing more and more unhappy with it, and having the occasional 'dark night of the soul' as I contemplate what the second half/final third depending on how long I live, of my life is going to pan out.

An advantage to having lived in a rural town for 57 years is that I have many acquaintances to chat to when I’m out and about everyday.

I only have one person I class as a very good friend and regularly go dog walking with her. An advantage to having a dog is that people I don’t know talk to me whereas they probably wouldn’t if I was walking on my own. I’ve made a lot of new acquaintances over the years through dog walking. How about advertising as a volunteer dog walker for people who are short term ill?

My son lives at home but is out at work, out with friends or in his room. We get on ok but conversations are short. Daughter lives 2 hours drive away and since she met her fiancé I don’t see her as much but we do have a few hours of FaceTime every one or two weeks.

It’s unfortunate that you’re so isolated and I can understand how it gets you down. I know you’ve had plenty of suggestions from forum posters about joining clubs. It’s certainly worth making an effort to find out what’s available in that line that might interest you.

Around here we have volunteers who gather to go litter picking on beaches, in town etc. There are also men’s sheds where men gather to fix things, learn stuff etc but they are perhaps attended by older folk than you. That type of stuff doesn’t cost anything.

Hope you find a way to get a bit more social interaction in your life. I doubt you’re alone in life having the social interaction you had destroyed by the changes caused by the “pandemic”

 

Edited July 16, 2023 by Van Lady

[JoeDavola]

54 minutes ago, leonardratso said:

PS. @JoeDavola There is only one person can fix this or take steps to improve it.

Yeah it's my job to dig myself out of this - I can fee myself getting more and more lethargic and 'shutting down' for want of a better word. Flat's turning into a tip, taking longer to do basic things like get up and dressed in the morning, becoming more avoidant of the very occasional chance that I do have to go and do things. Was meant to be going to Dublin for a gig the other day and then just couldn't be bothered with the hassle of going down there by myself, or just couldn't face going down there alone for some reason, so just talked myself out of it.

Edited July 16, 2023 by JoeDavola

[Van Lady]

2 minutes ago, JoeDavola said:

Yeah it's my job to dig myself out of this - I can fee myself getting more and more lethargic and 'shutting down' for want of a better word. Flat's turning into a tip, taking longer to do basic things like get up and dressed in the morning, becoming more avoidant of the very occasional chance that I do have to go and do things. Was meant to be going to Dublin for a gig the other day and then just couldn't be bothered with the hassle of going down there by myself, or just couldn't face going down there alone for some reason, so just talked myself out of it.

You’ll have to force yourself to do things. I’ve been how you describe myself at times over the years.

[Boon]

18 minutes ago, JoeDavola said:

Yeah it's my job to dig myself out of this - I can fee myself getting more and more lethargic and 'shutting down' for want of a better word. Flat's turning into a tip, taking longer to do basic things like get up and dressed in the morning, becoming more avoidant of the very occasional chance that I do have to go and do things. Was meant to be going to Dublin for a gig the other day and then just couldn't be bothered with the hassle of going down there by myself, or just couldn't face going down there alone for some reason, so just talked myself out of it.

Yeah. I don't have any answers but I really identify with this as I'm much the same.

The amount of people I could genuinely trust has plummeted over the years to being almost non-existent.

Do we need other people to be happy? I think the answer is different for every person. Some people would end up being miserable if they were not interacting with people all day and all night. Like some people I know are literally never off their phones sending messages back and forth to people. Others would just get tired by it all. 

Enjoy your cash a bit. Maybe it might not make you any happier but it does provide distractions.

[Calcutta]

If I was you, and you'll find a million reasons why not to do it but hear me out....

I'd travel. I'd work out how much you've got in savings, how much it would pay you in a fixed interest account every year and go from there.

If you can clear 7k pa for 20yrs, then 7k pa out of a pension until state pension age then you're golden.

That's £20 a day, I used to live on ten but I was a lot younger than we are now.

£20 covers a cheap guesthouse in most of the third world, enough food to keep you going and a few quid for drinks and transport. Easy. You'd be living a simple life, but it's never boring. There's always something going on, it's easy enough to keep up to date with exchange rates and cheap flights and just keep moving around.

There's no need to have a 'thing' be it surfing or whores or mountain climbing or whatever, you just get a cheap flight somewhere, sort out a visa, work out where you're going to stay the first couple of days and go for it.

You'll never be lonely, never be bored, all you have to worry about every day is where you want to stay and what you want for dinner. 

We're the same sort of age, if didn't have to kids to look after I'd be off tomorrow and never look back.

If you want inspiration I've been daydreaming about various escapades I'll never be able to for the last decade, I'll give you some ideas that would be cheap and easy and probably not get out of hand.

[Wight Flight]

16 minutes ago, Calcutta said:

You'll never be lonely, never be bored, all you have to worry about every day is where you want to stay and what you want for dinner. 

That only really works if you have an outgoing personality.

Group events are better suited to introverts.

[sleepwello'nights]

2 hours ago, Van Lady said:

You’ll have to force yourself to do things. I’ve been how you describe myself at times over the years.

I found a physical activity cured me of the feeling of lethargy. I got into the habit of going to martial arts classes twice a week. At times I had to force myself to summon up the energy to go. At the end of the class I felt so much  better and had more energy than when I arrived at the class.

[Van Lady]

1 minute ago, sleepwello'nights said:

I found a physical activity cured me of the feeling of lethargy. I got into the habit of going to martial arts classes twice a week. At times I had to force myself to summon up the energy to go. At the end of the class I felt so much  better and had more energy than when I arrived at the class.

Yes I agree.

The only exercise I do is walking and am committed to taking my dog out for a walk but sometimes I haven’t done extra long walks out in nature….just the bare minimum to keep the dog happy.

However for a while now when in a low mood or whatever I force myself to go an extra long walk because I know I’ll feel much better when I return home.

[JoeDavola]

3 hours ago, sleepwello'nights said:

I found a physical activity cured me of the feeling of lethargy. I got into the habit of going to martial arts classes twice a week. At times I had to force myself to summon up the energy to go. At the end of the class I felt so much  better and had more energy than when I arrived at the class.

Yes as cliched as it is I probably need to walk to the gym every day for a while just to be in a change of scenery and around people, even if they're not folk I'm interacting with.

[JoeDavola]

5 hours ago, Calcutta said:

If I was you, and you'll find a million reasons why not to do it but hear me out....

I'd travel. I'd work out how much you've got in savings, how much it would pay you in a fixed interest account every year and go from there.

If you can clear 7k pa for 20yrs, then 7k pa out of a pension until state pension age then you're golden.

That's £20 a day, I used to live on ten but I was a lot younger than we are now.

£20 covers a cheap guesthouse in most of the third world, enough food to keep you going and a few quid for drinks and transport. Easy. You'd be living a simple life, but it's never boring. There's always something going on, it's easy enough to keep up to date with exchange rates and cheap flights and just keep moving around.

There's no need to have a 'thing' be it surfing or whores or mountain climbing or whatever, you just get a cheap flight somewhere, sort out a visa, work out where you're going to stay the first couple of days and go for it.

You'll never be lonely, never be bored, all you have to worry about every day is where you want to stay and what you want for dinner. 

We're the same sort of age, if didn't have to kids to look after I'd be off tomorrow and never look back.

If you want inspiration I've been daydreaming about various escapades I'll never be able to for the last decade, I'll give you some ideas that would be cheap and easy and probably not get out of hand.

Dunno how much I have - will have to add it up tomorrow actually out of interest. It's north of £200K anyway, but under £250K.

I most probably won't be giving up my job as it's the one distraction I have from my isolation, and I'm a working class person so the idea of giving up a regular wage just doesn't compute, it's the sort of thing that I attribute to trustafarian types who have a lot of someone else's money to fall back on.

When I thought I was going to lose this flat a part of me thought it might actually be interesting to lose it as I could do my current job from anywhere in the UK and could perhaps try living in a few parts of the UK a month at a time. I could also take a career break if need be - but the safest setup is probably just to keep earning and try working from somewhere different.

I do suspect the reasons that keep me isolated here in a capital city will probably follow me to an extent wherever I go. I'd need to be in a hostel type situation really to give myself a reason to force me to interact with other folk. When I went on my more adventerous (for me!) holidays in America I stayed with American folk in their spare rooms via airbnb - I liked that setup, though I've 'done' America and have no huge desire to go back there.

I get the whole slumming it in the third world adventure thing, but I suspect that's not for me.

[Calcutta]

Just now, JoeDavola said:

Dunno how much I have - will have to add it up tomorrow actually out of interest. It's north of £200K anyway, but under £250K.

I most probably won't be giving up my job as it's the one distraction I have from my isolation, and I'm a working class person so the idea of giving up a regular wage just doesn't compute, it's the sort of thing that I attribute to trustafarian types who have a lot of someone else's money to fall back on.

When I thought I was going to lose this flat a part of me thought it might actually be interesting to lose it as I could do my current job from anywhere in the UK and could perhaps try living in a few parts of the UK a month at a time. I could also take a career break if need be - but the safest setup is probably just to keep earning and try working from somewhere different.

I do suspect the reasons that keep me isolated here in a capital city will probably follow me to an extent wherever I go. I'd need to be in a hostel type situation really to give myself a reason to force me to interact with other folk. When I went on my more adventerous (for me!) holidays in America I stayed with American folk in their spare rooms via airbnb - I liked that setup, though I've 'done' America and have no huge desire to go back there.

I get the whole slumming it in the third world adventure thing, but I suspect that's not for me.

I hear you, I'm pretty anti social. When I was staying in a dorm situation I'd buy a few cans and be drinking the whole time..people loved me, thought I was the heart of the party. Little did they know that I spent 90% on my travels in guesthouses or hotels and when I had my own room I'd speak to no other fucker bar the guy I had to pay for the room and the people in KFC. 

We're old now anyway, nobody expects a 40 year old to be talkative. As for slumming, well that's where the extra spending comes in. Go to a cheap country and the cheapest hotels and food will be fine, a bit dated or tatty but clean enough. It's not like you have to live in shanty towns or the Salvation Army. 

You don't even really have to travel, find somewhere you like and blag a long term deal on your room, just pick a city and hang out for a few months.

If had the time I'd like to walk across America. Not hardcore GoPro camping by the side of the road bullshit. But take my time, walk from motel to motel, WiFi to WiFi, I reckon 20 miles a day would be doable, maybe a bit more, but no pressure I'd give myself 11 months on an open jaw ticket. Sometimes I would just curl up in a hedge, but I'm quite happy with that. It wouldn't be a necessity.

200k, that's 20 years of £30 a day without even any interest payments. Game on. 

[Wight Flight]

26 minutes ago, Calcutta said:

If had the time I'd like to walk across America. Not hardcore GoPro camping by the side of the road bullshit. But take my time, walk from motel to motel, WiFi to WiFi, I reckon 20 miles a day would be doable,

Good luck.

A week or more between towns would be a challenge.

America is a very, very big place.

[leonardratso]

2 hours ago, Wight Flight said:

Good luck.

A week or more between towns would be a challenge.

America is a very, very big place.

thru deliverance country as well.

[Stuey]

7 hours ago, JoeDavola said:

 

When I thought I was going to lose this flat a part of me thought it might actually be interesting to lose it 

That's pretty much how I see my redundancy.

You lose something good, something comes to replace it. 

£130k is going to be missed but I didn't even spend a third of it. Managed to buy a house (cash) with four years' proceeds. I really hope the cunt who thought it'd be a good idea to get rid of their best employee is the next for the chop. 

[leonardratso]

hmm, maybe they dont see the 'best' employee,perhaps they see an expensive employee.

Edited July 17, 2023 by leonardratso

[eek]

4 hours ago, leonardratso said:

hmm, maybe they dont see the 'best' employee,perhaps they see an expensive employee.

as I've pointed out before - the problem with being an expensive employee / resource is that you have a very big red target on. your back as soon as any cost savings are required.

Especially if you are earning more than the person making the cuts.

[Stuey]

22 hours ago, eek said:

as I've pointed out before - the problem with being an expensive employee / resource is that you have a very big red target on. your back as soon as any cost savings are required.

Especially if you are earning more than the person making the cuts.

Yes I am definitely the target - making the man redundant rather than the job. 

However it is very disappointing as they will be looking for someone with my skillset very soon. Then they will regret what they've done. 

[leonardratso]

just reapply for your old job.

Ask for £260K this time. Sorry 16K.

[Stuey]

27 minutes ago, leonardratso said:

just reapply for your old job.

Ask for £260K this time. Sorry 16K.

There needs to be a few weeks "break" to allow the redundancy payment to be seen as legit. 

[With a crooked smile]

On 16/07/2023 at 11:18, JoeDavola said:

I'm off work tomorrow so I reckon it'll be a solid 4 days without speaking to a single living soul.

@JoeDavolait does happen to a lot to all of us as we get older.

Can I suggest maybe joining some sort of club in something you're interested in? I've found going to a local running club really improved my social life. That might not be for you. It really doesn't matter if its a D&D club or whatever as long as its something you enjoy and it gets you out a bit. Meetups app is quite good - I used to go to gigs with a few people from on there.