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JoetheRam got a reaction from Stive Pesley in Finance thread 2022.
At least whoever gets your house when you can't pay your mortgage any longer won't have to pay stamp duty on it now.
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JoetheRam got a reaction from Alph in Things that annoy me that should annoy me
People who think that "99's" were so named because they were 99p and who complain that they should now be called £1.75's or whatever.
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JoetheRam got a reaction from therealhantsram in Finance thread 2022.
Tax relief
Make sure you're claiming any tax relief on job expenses.
Working from home allowance, cleaning of uniforms, professional memberships, purchases of tools, travel and overnight expenses.
All can be claimed via the Government Gateway website and all are pretty simple.
Most if not all of those can be backdated for several years too. My Mrs hadn't claimed the uniform cleaning relief for five years and got £60 back. Not bad for five minutes work.
Claiming the WFH allowance for anyone who did so during the last 2 years is worth about £125 to most people (but is changing for this tax year so most hybrid workers will become ineligible).
Internet/TV/Phone
Renegotiate your Internet/TV/phone tariff if you're out of contract. Most places have increased their prices by CPI + a certain percentage (so about 10%). I knocked about £200 off BT simply by getting them to better Sky's offer to new customers. You don't need to play hardball, just say you've seen a better offer for similar services elsewhere, can it be bettered or matched. Most of the time they will do something for you. Don't let them flog you something extra that you don't really want (BT Sport, Halo etc) for a short period of time because you'll just need to ring up again in 6 months to cancel it once the price balloons.
Water Bills - surface run off.
Especially if you live in a new build - walk round your property and check whether your drains run into a main sewer or if it drains elsewhere - soakaways, a nearby field, grass, one of those open reservoir things... even if you're not sure get in touch with your water company (Severn Trent for most Derbys/Staffs folk I'd guess) and ask them.
https://www.stwater.co.uk/my-supply/waste-water/surface-water-drainage/
Takes about 5 mins to claim, 6 weeks for a man to come and have a look and say yes or no, a week for a cheque to come and then the charge disappears from your bill forever. I got about £100 back and that only covered 12 months. You can backdate until 2014 with STW so could be touching 4 figures for large houses that folk have lived in for a while.
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JoetheRam got a reaction from Mostyn6 in Paul Warne appointed as Head Coach
Gonna be banter when Warne rejects our approach.
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JoetheRam got a reaction from RadioactiveWaste in Paul Warne appointed as Head Coach
Gonna be banter when Warne rejects our approach.
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JoetheRam got a reaction from Mucker1884 in Paul Warne appointed as Head Coach
Gonna be banter when Warne rejects our approach.
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JoetheRam reacted to May Contain Nuts in Our Queen
Obviously I've caught a few bits here and there where it couldn't be avoided, but I haven't intentionally paid attention to any of it tbh. I'm not really a 'joiner-inner' anyway, any hint of 'expected' active participation and I get uncomfortable, just let other people get on with doing their thing and hope nobody tries to force me into action.
I'm not sure I even think of it as a significant world event tbh. It doesn't really change anything about the way most people go about their lives. It's just replacing one head of state who doesn't actually influence much of anything meaningful these days for another. The new one might not be present the same 'cuddly' image but well, oh well.
Clearly though it's important to a lot of people, many do care about it, but as far as I can see its actual significance is really quite confined to those who already feel it's more significant that it is. A self-perpetuation of perceived importance that ultimately amounts to a different face on a few coins & banknotes, changing some song lyrics and watermarks on product packaging and everyone proceeding to live their lives exactly as they had been doing before.
That's how I feel about it all anyway. Not saying I'm right.
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JoetheRam got a reaction from Day in Paul Warne appointed as Head Coach
Gonna be banter when Warne rejects our approach.
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JoetheRam reacted to AndyinLiverpool in Freedom of Speech
I find greater knowledge to be a better option than gobbing off
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JoetheRam got a reaction from ariotofmyown in Our Queen
Over half the world's population, you sure?
Wasn't even watched by half of the people in this country.
I imagine it was a lot (given it was on every channel), but let's not get carried away.
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JoetheRam reacted to therealhantsram in Freedom of Speech
I think it's a mistake to characterise the debate as about being left or right wing. At least in this country.
I think what's really happening is a battle between one group, who for simplicity I'll call the Establishment, and a variety of other groups who historically have felt oppressed by the Establishment.
The Establishment have always had the ability to wield power and 'cancel' people through their control of the mass media. This idea of being cancelled is nothing new.
What is new, is that through social media, various interest groups have found they now have a voice equal or louder than the mass media. They have found themselves with similar power to the Establishment.
The Establishment are now fighting a battle to put these upstarts back in their box. Only now it takes much more than a few headlines to cancel them and cut off the channel of publicity.
And so we have the 'culture wars' and 'anti-wokeism' as a result.
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JoetheRam reacted to Stive Pesley in Finance thread 2022.
I was also really pleased for King Charles when I heard that he's exempt from inheritance tax. I mean - talk about a stroke of luck! ?
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JoetheRam got a reaction from Alph in Freedom of Speech
To have free speech first requires free thought. Is it even possible to have such a thing when as human beings we are so influenced by the people, culture, language, science, politics and religion that surrounds us?
Or do we all just parrot whatever we osmose from our individual existances to sound funny, intelligent or to just fit in with other members of the tribe?
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JoetheRam got a reaction from Anag Ram in Words you don't hear much these days
Macaroon.
Everyone seems to say macaron now and I don't know why.
I reckon it probably started when the current French president took power and I hope it goes back when he's deposed.
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JoetheRam got a reaction from sheeponacid in Freedom of Speech
To have free speech first requires free thought. Is it even possible to have such a thing when as human beings we are so influenced by the people, culture, language, science, politics and religion that surrounds us?
Or do we all just parrot whatever we osmose from our individual existances to sound funny, intelligent or to just fit in with other members of the tribe?
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JoetheRam reacted to ariotofmyown in Our Queen
Rich people having an unfair advantage in paying tribute to the absolute epitomny of said unfairness.
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JoetheRam reacted to uttoxram75 in Christmas markets?
Tat. Absolute tat!
More tatty than Fantasy Island market in Ingoldmells.
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JoetheRam got a reaction from i-Ram in Things that annoy me that should annoy me
Having your travel plans disrupted because noise from your aeroplane has been deemed offensive.
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