I have been known to buy stuff that is “cheap and cheerful” when I spot a bargain. But there are some things I just have to splurge on because the cheaper alternatives are just dreadful!
What do you guys always pay premium prices for?
Here’s my list:
- ketchup
- toilet paper
- yoghurt
- hair straighteners
- hotels
- peanut butter
- frozen pizzas
- sheets
- tweezers
- vacuum cleaners
- ice cream
- toothpaste
- towels
- eyeliner
- gym shoes
- nailpolish
- electronic devices
- wall paint
- car washes
- small kitchen appliances
- chicken breast
- cat flea spot-on treatment
I had a really embarrassing moment a week ago at softball practice. I was running in for a fly ball and worried I wouldn’t get there in time, but at the last minute realized I had actually run in too far. I panicked and stuck my non gloved hand up to catch the ball.
Not only did I not catch the ball but it jammed my pinky finger, which still doesn’t seem to want to bend a week later.
The poor finger has been taken for granted as I have now noticed all of the things I didn’t know that I used it for.
- Balancing a cup of tea
- Holding coins in my hand
- Removing eye goop
- Carrying grocery bags. It’s surprising how much more weight you can manage with all 5 fingers in use!
- Typing the keys ‘p’ ‘,’ and ’shift’
- Throwing a softball
Feel better soon, pinky!
Call it ignorance or cultural differences – whatever you like. Here are a few of the things that dumbfounded me two years ago. Yeah, I know right – two years already!!
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Stones
Lots of people in England actually still measure their body weight in stones, with one stone being 14lbs. It’s very confusing, especially if your mental math is lousy.
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Don’t call a mobile phone from a landline or phone booth
I’m sure this varies from plan to plan, but it costs way more to phone a mobile from a landline or phone booth than it does from another mobile. Also, landlines usually have a set number of minutes that you can use each month (although recently ‘unlimited’ minutes is becoming popular). There’s no such thing as “long distance” within the UK, so you can call anyone in any area code and it’s the same price.
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VAT
Tax on things you buy is called VAT (equivalent of GST, in Canada). It’s 17.5% and the nice thing is that it’s included in the ticketed price of things you buy. So if you see something that’s £10, you walk in and hand them £10. Good times.
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School lingo
School goes from age 5-16 (“Year 1″ – “Year 11″), followed by GCSE exams which mark the completion of compulsory education. The next two years (“Sixth Form”) are optional and lead up to “A-Levels” which are tests you take prior to University. Coincidentally, private schools are referred to as “public schools”. Also, “school” isn’t used as an umbrella term here, so if you use it when referring to university, people will correct you. Oh and school busses don’t seem to exist (at least not in my area), so everyone drives their bloody kids to school. How I love half term!
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Sink within a sink
Many British people have a plastic tub that fits neatly inside their kitchen sink, in which they place dirty dishes to soak. This seems weird to me as the sink could do the exact same thing and it has a drain, too! I don’t know. I guess it’s because the tubs are portable and sinks aren’t.
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Tipping
You aren’t expected to tip in a bar or pub, even if they bring the food / drinks to you. Bar and restaurant staff make normal minimum wage (as opposed to below minimum wage in Canada) so they don’t depend on tips to survive. Chris told me once that you only tip on the food in restaurants, but I’m not entirely sure on the accuracy of that. Also, the typical tipping rate is 10-15%.
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Speeding
Instead of using police officers and speed traps, they use speed cameras to catch you speeding in the UK. They have cameras that track your speed using some lines painted on the road and if you’re speeding, they send you a ticket in the mail. Sneaky, eh?
- Women who come to the gym with perfect hair & makeup, wear designer fitness clothes and don’t break a sweat
- Men who check themselves out in the mirror obsessively in the free weights section when they’re not even holding weights
- Women who leave their gym bags on the bench as opposed to in a locker so I can’t sit down to put my shoes on. I have started moving the bags carelessly and I’m tempted to switch things from one bag to the next, just to teach them a lesson!
- Men who declare what fitness supplement they use on their t-shirts (Sorry, Chris!)
- Anyone who chooses the machine right SMACK DAB next to me when the entire row is free. Urinal logic, people!
- Anyone who smells like armpits.
- The occasional person who stands right behind me, waiting to use my machine. Might as well tap your foot and sigh, too.
- People who leave heavy free weights on machines
- People who try to make conversation with me in the steam room / sauna
- The anonymous woman who wiped her booger on shower door of the stall I used this morning
- Anyone who leaves their treadmill inclined after use
- Anyone who obstructs my view of the free weights section
So I think that’s basically everyone! What an ogre!
When I moved to the UK I had to give / throw away a lot of stuff: clothes, books, electronics, furniture, sentimental stuff, knick knacks, etc. I realized in doing so that I had formed attachments to stuff that I didn’t really need but kept just in case.
Some of my stuff (and two cute cats), before
I had an entire apartment full of stuff and I had to part ways with most of it in order to fit my life into one large suitcase. Doing so helped may have made me feel a bit homesick in the beginning, but it was also liberating.
Some things I have noticed after letting go of my stuff:
- It’s now much easier to ruthlessly purge my wardrobe
- It feels good to donate to charity / give to friends
- If I ever had to move countries again it would be much easier to let go of my possessions
- When my stuff is organized, the rest of my life is easier to organize as well
- I’m more picky about what stuff I spend my money on. I ask myself “Do I really need this?”
Don’t get me wrong; I’m not saying everyone should live a minimalist lifestyle with no collections or frills. I have quite a bit of stuff now, in the UK.
I just think that being able to make the distinction between ‘want’ and ‘need’ is important. And also, it’ll save you public embarrassment on How Clean Is Your House.
