Seemingly trivial things that cheer you up
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I am aware of farmers doing it.briantrumpet said:TheBigBean said:
Sure. Think some of those regs might not be bothered with though.briantrumpet said:TheBigBean said:
Your point?briantrumpet said:TheBigBean said:
A lot of farmers use human sewage as fertiliser. It's not strictly legal though.webboo said:Don’t the Dutch who grow a lot of tomatoes use human faeces as fertiliser.
See The Sewage Sludge Regulations 1989.
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1989/1263/made
It's legal if done properly within the regs.
I've not been aware of farmers doing it, TBH, but then the ones I know are all livestock farmers, and there's no shortage of bovine shît to go round.
One farmer I worked for once rented land that had been treated with sludge (the landowner got paid by South West Water to have it spread), but that land was also tested.0 -
I met a company that takes waste protein from the food industry (i.e meat scraps) and turns it into fertilizer. Combines it with an organic polymer which holds water and voila - fertilizer and water retention in one.
Apparently FDA and equivalent approved and works excellently - particularly in arid and sandy environments where it doesn't rain much or the ground doesn't hold water.0 -
Checking my OH's National Insurance history to see how much state pension she will get down the line. Expecting she had quite a low number as she only worked full time for about 15 years and you need 35 years to get the full amount. Found she actually had 31 qualifying years due to credits you get such as when getting child benefit. So the top up I thought we might have to make is more like £3k rather than £16k.
Top tip: if you know someone who probably has big gaps in their NI contributions then there is a window of opportunity up the 5th April to fill the gaps with voluntary NI contributions going back to 2006. After that, you can only go back 6 years. Given the cost vs likely benefit if you reckon on surviving more than a few years beyond state pension age, it's an absolute bargain."I spent most of my money on birds, booze and fast cars: the rest of it I just squandered." [George Best]0 -
Heard Martin Lewis talking about this, and if you are over 40ish, this is worth looking into. Younger than that, you probably have time to make up the missing years naturally.Stevo_666 said:Checking my OH's National Insurance history to see how much state pension she will get down the line. Expecting she had quite a low number as she only worked full time for about 15 years and you need 35 years to get the full amount. Found she actually had 31 qualifying years due to credits you get such as when getting child benefit. So the top up I thought we might have to make is more like £3k rather than £12k+.
Top tip: if you know someone who probably has big gaps in their NI contributions then there is a window of opportunity up the 5th April to fill the gaps with voluntary NI contributions going back to 2006. After that, you can only go back 6 years. Given the cost vs likely benefit if you reckon on surviving more than a few years beyond state pension age, it's an absolute bargain.0 -
I do worry about those online calculations. I was opted out and yet they have credited me with 30 odd years. If I could be bothered I would seek clarification.Stevo_666 said:Checking my OH's National Insurance history to see how much state pension she will get down the line. Expecting she had quite a low number as she only worked full time for about 15 years and you need 35 years to get the full amount. Found she actually had 31 qualifying years due to credits you get such as when getting child benefit. So the top up I thought we might have to make is more like £3k rather than £12k+.
Top tip: if you know someone who probably has big gaps in their NI contributions then there is a window of opportunity up the 5th April to fill the gaps with voluntary NI contributions going back to 2006. After that, you can only go back 6 years. Given the cost vs likely benefit if you reckon on surviving more than a few years beyond state pension age, it's an absolute bargain.0 -
Fair point about age.kingstongraham said:
Heard Martin Lewis talking about this, and if you are over 40ish, this is worth looking into. Younger than that, you probably have time to make up the missing years naturally.Stevo_666 said:Checking my OH's National Insurance history to see how much state pension she will get down the line. Expecting she had quite a low number as she only worked full time for about 15 years and you need 35 years to get the full amount. Found she actually had 31 qualifying years due to credits you get such as when getting child benefit. So the top up I thought we might have to make is more like £3k rather than £12k+.
Top tip: if you know someone who probably has big gaps in their NI contributions then there is a window of opportunity up the 5th April to fill the gaps with voluntary NI contributions going back to 2006. After that, you can only go back 6 years. Given the cost vs likely benefit if you reckon on surviving more than a few years beyond state pension age, it's an absolute bargain.
If you are of that age group and have gaps, effectively it costs about £800 to get a full year to count towards your state pension. So my rough maths went like this (before I saw she had 31 years not 15):
20 years x £800 = £16k
This gives you 20/35 of the state pension which from this year will be 20/35 x £10,600 = roughly £6k pa.
That's less than a 3 year payback, maybe slightly more if you are over the exempt threshold for income tax. If you live to say 87, then you've made 20 years x £6k = £120k for an upfront investment of £16k.
No brainer."I spent most of my money on birds, booze and fast cars: the rest of it I just squandered." [George Best]0 -
Similar result here. Expected to find big gaps due to taking time out to look after the kids to school age and also then working part time for a number of years. Pleasantly surprised to see that she already has 34 years qualifying years, with only one year that she missed which was pre-2006 when our eldest was born. Easy to check as state pension forecast on gov.ukStevo_666 said:Checking my OH's National Insurance history to see how much state pension she will get down the line. Expecting she had quite a low number as she only worked full time for about 15 years and you need 35 years to get the full amount. Found she actually had 31 qualifying years due to credits you get such as when getting child benefit. So the top up I thought we might have to make is more like £3k rather than £12k+.
Top tip: if you know someone who probably has big gaps in their NI contributions then there is a window of opportunity up the 5th April to fill the gaps with voluntary NI contributions going back to 2006. After that, you can only go back 6 years. Given the cost vs likely benefit if you reckon on surviving more than a few years beyond state pension age, it's an absolute bargain.0 -
Clarification is that you are probably entitled a basic pension but not the full one. Top up to get the full one if I am correct. Apologies if there are any incorrect naming conventions.surrey_commuter said:
I do worry about those online calculations. I was opted out and yet they have credited me with 30 odd years. If I could be bothered I would seek clarification.Stevo_666 said:Checking my OH's National Insurance history to see how much state pension she will get down the line. Expecting she had quite a low number as she only worked full time for about 15 years and you need 35 years to get the full amount. Found she actually had 31 qualifying years due to credits you get such as when getting child benefit. So the top up I thought we might have to make is more like £3k rather than £12k+.
Top tip: if you know someone who probably has big gaps in their NI contributions then there is a window of opportunity up the 5th April to fill the gaps with voluntary NI contributions going back to 2006. After that, you can only go back 6 years. Given the cost vs likely benefit if you reckon on surviving more than a few years beyond state pension age, it's an absolute bargain.The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
I am not sure. You have no chance.Veronese68 wrote:PB is the most sensible person on here.0 -
Funnily enough, checked mine and the mrs last night.
Pleasantly surprised to see the mrs is only year shy which she will get in a month and a few days.
No idea how this was worked out as was thinking a bit of topping up would be required.0 -
Super top tip, if you are not eligible for child benefit you need to apply anyway to get the NI credits. There is an option to tick to say not to pay the money.0
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What a fucking system.0
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I had this. I paid £1700 to make up for the gaps.Stevo_666 said:Checking my OH's National Insurance history to see how much state pension she will get down the line. Expecting she had quite a low number as she only worked full time for about 15 years and you need 35 years to get the full amount. Found she actually had 31 qualifying years due to credits you get such as when getting child benefit. So the top up I thought we might have to make is more like £3k rather than £16k.
Top tip: if you know someone who probably has big gaps in their NI contributions then there is a window of opportunity up the 5th April to fill the gaps with voluntary NI contributions going back to 2006. After that, you can only go back 6 years. Given the cost vs likely benefit if you reckon on surviving more than a few years beyond state pension age, it's an absolute bargain.seanoconn - gruagach craic!0 -
Hmmm I opted out a few months ago as it was no longer possible to get any after taking net adjusted income into account.TheBigBean said:Super top tip, if you are not eligible for child benefit you need to apply anyway to get the NI credits. There is an option to tick to say not to pay the money.
Are there different levels of opting out?- Genesis Croix de Fer
- Dolan Tuono0 -
No. You just need to opt in at birth. This also automates the creation of an NI number at 16.pangolin said:
Hmmm I opted out a few months ago as it was no longer possible to get any after taking net adjusted income into account.TheBigBean said:Super top tip, if you are not eligible for child benefit you need to apply anyway to get the NI credits. There is an option to tick to say not to pay the money.
Are there different levels of opting out?1 -
If I can see the Northern Lights.0
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This should cheer us up: a reprimand for a graph that didn't start at zero on the Y axis:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2023/02/27/treasury-censured-misleading-public-scale-falling-inflation/The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR), which supervises all official UK statistics, censured senior Treasury officials over a misleading tweet sent on February 15 that featured a graph showing inflation falling from 11.1pc in November 2022 to 10.1pc this February.
In a rare public reprimand, Ed Humpherson, the OSR's director general, said the graph gave "a misleading impression of the scale of the deceleration in inflation, due to the y-axis beginning at 8pc" instead of zero.
This gave the impression of a more dramatic drop than in reality, he said, and went against the Government's own official guidance on how to present data.
The truncated graph provided information that was of “little use”, Mr Humpherson said.
In a letter addressed to David Pares, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt's press secretary, Mr Humpherson said the regulator "consider[s] that the way the tweet presents this data to be misleading".
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Not sure a bar chart is the best way to show the information irrespective of the starting point of the ‘y’ axis.0
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Keep peddling graphics and language mentioning decrease. Keeps the muppets from understanding how much more their basics are increasing in price,0
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TBH, he doesn't look that comfortable.seanoconn - gruagach craic!0
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"It doesn't taste good, doesn’t feel good in the stomach and I can't say if it works."pinno said:TBH, he doesn't look that comfortable.
I like the honesty of it.0 -
Watching bluetits exploring the nestbox I put up on a tree right by the back door and steps. Spring def a-comin'. Reckon too close to the house for them to take it on but never know, they may be brave ones.2
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Good for them to roost in over winter though.orraloon said:Watching bluetits exploring the nestbox I put up on a tree right by the back door and steps. Spring def a-comin'. Reckon too close to the house for them to take it on but never know, they may be brave ones.
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Good luck!orraloon said:Watching bluetits exploring the nestbox I put up on a tree right by the back door and steps. Spring def a-comin'. Reckon too close to the house for them to take it on but never know, they may be brave ones.
I love watching the process of nest building, feeding the hen bird during incubation, feeding the young and fledging - I could watch for hoursWilier Izoard XP0 -
I find it very easy to forget that you kids have no past experience of inflation so let an old timer set your mind at rest.rick_chasey said:It really is stubbornly high, isn't it.
Try and think of it as like any other indicator such as FX or rate of growth neither of which you would see as stubbornly low after less than a year.
This brings me on to my next point which is that the rate of inflation is the increase on 12 months prior so if there has been a one off shock like fuel prices that can not drop out until a year has passed.
Rishi is no fool and there will have been a good reason he set a target of 5%.
Initially people will think 5% is miraculously low but in three years time people will come to see it as stubbornly high0 -
Watching some Danny MacAskill videos on yowTub, not done that for a while. The Slabs on the Cuillins! Revisit on The Ridge from some years back. 'kin L. 50 degree slopes on bare rock... 's no fur me ken fit ah mean.0
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The outakes tell me all I need to know, and that's before you get to the mental side and cojones.orraloon said:Watching some Danny MacAskill videos on yowTub, not done that for a while. The Slabs on the Cuillins! Revisit on The Ridge from some years back. 'kin L. 50 degree slopes on bare rock... 's no fur me ken fit ah mean.
The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
I am not sure. You have no chance.Veronese68 wrote:PB is the most sensible person on here.0
