All MOTd And Done
Posted: Tue 21 January, 2014 Filed under: Domestic, Driving, Finances, Getting Organised Leave a comment »Today was the day for getting the Slab’s MOT done (for non-UK readers – MOT test is an annual test/certificate of basic vehicle roadworthiness for cars over three years old)
I already knew it needed a new front wheel bearing which needed replacing before it would pass the MOT, so I got that done as well. And that was all it needed – passed with flying colours, and all good.
The difference in driving noise now the wheel-bearing’s sorted is amazing – it’s now running almost silently. I hadn’t appreciated the change it would make, but now it’s done it’s really surprising.
This is A Very Good Thing, and has made me happy.
Cinematics 2013
Posted: Mon 30 December, 2013 Filed under: Cinema, Domestic, Finances, Seeing Films, Thoughts 2 Comments »This time last year, I wrote about the number of films I’d seen in 2012, thanks to that Cineworld Unlimited ticket.
Last year, in six months I saw 26 films.
This year, I ended up seeing 65 films – and all for the princely sum (over the year) of £192. Cineworld raised the price of the card to £16 per month – from £15 – but that still means that seeing more than one film a month means the card pays for itself. And that doesn’t include the extra discounts (now 25%) on any food/drink I happen to buy at the cinema. (not that I bother in general, but still, it’s the spirit of the thing) That’s a pretty sweet deal for someone as geeky as me.
When you work it out per film, that means I paid £2.95 per film. That’s ridiculous. Hell, I don’t even pay for parking at the Milton Keynes Xscape one – if you go during the day and pay for parking, you tear off one part of the ticket, and they refund that too.
I really don’t understand how Cineworld makes money off these tickets – except, I suppose, that it’s guaranteed income for the year. One assumes that they hope that the majority of card holders come and also pay for food/drink/popcorn (sorry, but popcorn just isn’t food) which boosts it up. It’s either that, or they hope it’s like gym membership, and people sign up for the year, then don’t come as often as they expect/plan to.
New Tyres
Posted: Sat 14 December, 2013 Filed under: Cynicism, Domestic, Driving, Finances, Getting Organised 4 Comments »Today, the Slab has had two new front tyres, from eTyres. As I’ve written previously, I’ve done a goodly number of miles on them since getting the Slab, and I’ve no idea how long they’d been on the car before I got it.
While I’ve not noticed anything particularly wrong with the previous ones, I also don’t/didn’t trust them as much as I should. There’ve been little niggling ‘well, that doesn’t feel right‘ moments that’ve felt like momentary loss of grip – particularly at very slow speeds – and my previous history of tyre loss isn’t positive, so I decided it was time to get replacements.
For those who don’t remember, so far my tyre losses have both been fairly explosive blowouts, and both times in the outside lane of a multi-carriageway road. (It turns out I didn’t write about the second one, which was in August 2012 – I must’ve had my mind on other things!) In both cases, I can certainly tell you that adrenaline is somewhat brown.
So yes, with that kind of history when it comes to tyres failing at the most inopportune moments, I figured it was best to be pre-emptive and get them changed sooner rather than later.
The Slab is a front-wheel-drive car, so for now I’ve left the back tyres alone. (Yeah, I know, they’ll be the ones to blow now) I’ll probably change them early in the new year though – and I did get the nice man from eTyres to check them, just in case they were more chuffed than I suspected.
I’ve no idea yet whether the change will make/ have made any difference, but I certainly feel happier for having had them changed.
Death of a Bankrupt
Posted: Fri 15 November, 2013 Filed under: 42-43, Bankruptcy, Depression, Domestic, Finances, News, Project 42, Thoughts Leave a comment »Since declaring myself bankrupt in August 2013, I’ve noticed it a lot more in the news. That’s not to say it’s in the news more (or even less) often, merely that I notice it, having been through that process.
So I found the story yesterday about the suicide of Paul Bhattacharjee to be very sad. From the evidence, it looks like he had been declared bankrupt, and killed himself as a result.
Of course, that wasn’t the entire cause – his widow said he was a “proud” man who had a “darkness inside him that was irreparable”.
‘The bankruptcy was the final straw after a life of major highs and lows’
From a personal side, I can absolutely understand the perceived ‘shame’ of bankruptcy – and probably more so when someone else has declared you bankrupt rather than it being a decision made by yourself. It’s had a stigma for a very long time – and again, it’s an understandable stigma. It’s about saying ‘I can’t afford to pay my debts’, and should never be treated lightly.
However, from my own experience, I don’t think it is The End. In many ways it’s a new start, as I’ve said before. There is a shame, a pain to go with the process – and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone without knowing their entire situation, or as anything except a last resort. It is emphatically not a quick fix, or a “get out of jail free” card.
But shameful? In these days of debt, loans, finance and borrowing? I don’t know that it’s as bad as it was even fifty years ago. It’s more commonplace certainly – although at the moment it appears that personal insolvencies and bankruptcies are falling (and have been since 2009)
(That graph comes from the Insolvency service, and is copyrighted to them)
I completely understand why someone would feel the stigma and shame of being declared bankrupt and feel the need to kill themselves as a result – and probably even more so when that person also already has a history and core of depression – but in many cases it is not The End. It is the end of the stress, the pain of being chased from pillar to post by creditors, the hassles of interest, mounting charges, and juggling finances, knowing that it’ll only take one tiny change or event to push you off the edge of the cliff.
It’s not an easy process – I know I’ve no intention of ever going through it again, and (as I’ve said already) I wouldn’t recommend it to people except as a final option. It is the death of many things, of the life you know, and sometimes of the things you have. It’s a loss, and as such perhaps is a thing to grieve, to regret, to learn from.
But what it also is, though, is a relief. A new start. An ability to rebuild your life from a stable foundation, to build everything back in a better, more stable – and a debt-free – manner. It’s a struggle, but it’s also a new life, if you allow it to be.