tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2583353092610349912024-03-19T08:28:09.842+00:00luxury.frogLiving well on little money.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger221125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-258335309261034991.post-13671639119353975112020-10-17T18:17:00.001+01:002020-10-17T18:17:45.313+01:00The first £60My logic is simple. If I can make £60 from some place (online, via investments or some other way- anything other than a regular job) then I can make £600. I need only do the £60 thing repeatedly until I get there. The same logic applies with £6000 and so on.I have a strong intuition that the first £60 will be as hard as £6,000,000 because it is the creative thought only needs to be done Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Watling St, London EC4M 9BW, UK51.512833 -0.093298823.053514874199308 -35.2495488 79.972151125800693 35.0629512tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-258335309261034991.post-17324620533659897562020-03-17T15:00:00.000+00:002020-03-17T15:00:03.567+00:00What may be done?
Here is a useful excercise. We may wish to be our ideal selves but how will we know when we have achieved it? This is my own list and I am surprised to see that many things have been achieved already.
I nust achieve thinness without pain. What is the point of being thin if one is in an agony of self denial from morning to night? Such a state is unlikely to last and may never be enjoyed. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-258335309261034991.post-90635406953991703942020-03-10T09:39:00.001+00:002020-03-12T09:36:49.278+00:00Hello Tuesday!
I read an article on time chunking. Devoting Tuesday to a single mission is my attempt to follow its advice.
Tuesday will (initialy) be a day of coffee shops, quiet reading and philosophy. I think life can be better.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0City of London, London, UK51.5123443 -0.090985251.492581300000005 -0.1313257 51.5321073 -0.0506447tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-258335309261034991.post-86661321872030262662020-03-06T09:09:00.001+00:002020-03-06T10:02:40.564+00:00Will Corona kill you?
It seems that corona has already escaped containment in the UK and is spreading freely from person to person. We know this because there are people who test positive for the virus but who have not been in contact with known carriers. London will be hit particularly hard as so many of us travel on the Tube.
Current death rate is about one percent but this is with a functional health service. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-258335309261034991.post-56086635649704954802020-03-04T10:15:00.000+00:002020-03-06T08:22:42.077+00:00So.. I visited a cash machine.
I visited a cash machine to make a withdrawal. It told me a tale of thrift. Reducing my thermostat by one degree saves £90 a year. Or so it seems.
What if I were to turn off the storage heater in my living room. (I will keep the bedroom one switched on). Could this save £900 a year? I could have two weeks in the sun for this and earn close on 2000 Avios.
What if I were to cure my Type 2 Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-258335309261034991.post-6612447632599482062020-03-03T10:31:00.001+00:002020-03-03T10:43:42.199+00:00Turning waste into Avios.
The easiest way to raise ones living standard is to identify the ways we spend money without noticing- and then spend it on memorable things.
It is a two stage process.
1. I cut down on waste. This is quite different from giving up on luxury purchases which may be enjoyed. Waste is money that slips through the fingers unnoticed.
2. I then actively seek luxury purchases that come with AviosUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-258335309261034991.post-80460338829331148202020-02-25T09:49:00.003+00:002020-02-28T08:43:20.446+00:00Royal Exchange adventure.
Here is an art gallery at the mouth of the Royal Exchange. My hunch is that it is an art gallery for wealthy bankers who are not all that into art. We see Jackie O by Warhol in the window. Two icons in one! Instantly recognizable by the middle aged everywhere!
I am here to drink a cup of coffee in the Fortnum and Mason cafe and to pick up some shopping previously bought online. This will Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Royal Exchange, London EC3V 3LR, UK51.5134169 -0.087192825.991382400000003 -41.395786799999996 77.0354514 41.2214012tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-258335309261034991.post-73069224093062406102020-02-01T13:45:00.000+00:002020-02-01T15:03:49.988+00:00GBK is better than McDonalds.
Is Gourmet Burger Kitchen worth the extra? Is it Old Money?
The new 'posh' burger restaurants offer a nicer environment, slower service, higher prices and a better loyalty schemes. It is all rather confusing and no proof that GBK is the 'old money' option. Old Money is concerned with value and does not aim for high or low prices.
Standard unpretentious burgers are out in the more Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0London, UK51.5073509 -0.1277582999999822351.1912379 -0.77320529999998222 51.8234639 0.51768870000001777tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-258335309261034991.post-30627414267683659722020-02-01T13:06:00.000+00:002020-02-01T13:15:30.581+00:00We cannot think about what we cannot change.
We cannot think about what we cannot change. This is a reversal of the usual way of looking at things which is to say that we cannot change what we cannot think about.
In reality both statements are true.
Immortality is now being seriously researched for the first time. This is being done in Silicon Valley where they are used to seeing impossible things made possible. The technology for Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Duke St, London, UK51.5145353 -0.151503000000047951.509594299999996 -0.16158800000004792 51.5194763 -0.14141800000004789tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-258335309261034991.post-77856494956185139782019-12-13T14:00:00.000+00:002019-12-13T14:00:09.479+00:00Stodge.
There are two things one cannot criticize American fast food chains of and there are portion size and hygiene. This is Subway where I have a foot long mega-melt (four sausages, two eggs, two rashers of bacon three toppings, two sauces, one coffee, bread) plus 90 points for £4.50.
It is true that Subway is often bland and makes all places look the same but the value Unknownnoreply@blogger.com022 Bevis Marks, London EC3A 7JB, UK51.514987299999987 -0.07902160000003277731.082609799999986 -41.387615600000032 71.947364799999988 41.229572399999967tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-258335309261034991.post-8667775717985357652019-12-12T09:42:00.000+00:002019-12-13T09:49:05.933+00:00More James Bond please.
Some more photographs from Mayfair- a place I am falling in love with. When one is poor one should surround oneself with reminders of wealth. If others live like this- why not us?
Today will be dominated by the General Election- the most important since 1945. I have voted and all I can do is wait and worry. The library I am using while I write this is also a polling station so I see the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1Duke St, Mayfair, London, UK51.5141841 -0.1513276000000587451.5092431 -0.16141260000005875 51.519125100000004 -0.14124260000005873tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-258335309261034991.post-62405845702811869522019-12-11T09:38:00.001+00:002019-12-13T09:49:22.768+00:00I do stuff.
Yesterday I had a bad day- despite the impression of this photograph. I allowed my time to be wasted- not by cats- they were delightful- but by people. Furthermore, in this distracted state I dropped my iPhone and broke it.
For those who are interested this is Fortnum and Mason. Probably the most chrismassy place on earth right now.
My first thought was to buy myself a replacement phone Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Royal Exchange, London EC3V 3LR, UK51.5134169 -0.08719280000002527231.0810394 -41.395786800000025 71.945794400000011 41.221401199999974tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-258335309261034991.post-63296752003119093802019-12-10T09:57:00.002+00:002020-02-28T09:08:40.347+00:00HR Higgins adventure.
Psycogeography is largely about taking joy in doing absolutely nothing. This is a coffee shop in Duke Street- the only one I know of with a Royal warrant as the shop supplies small batch single origin coffee to Buckingham Palace. Fortnum supplies the tea but HR Higgins supply the coffee. One should take regular breaks from strolling around to drink coffee and watch the world passUnknownnoreply@blogger.com079 Duke St, Mayfair, London W1K 5AS, UK51.5131115 -0.1506703999999672331.080734 -41.459264399999967 71.945489000000009 41.157923600000032tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-258335309261034991.post-77554761505886568722019-12-09T10:07:00.000+00:002019-12-10T10:14:21.325+00:00Trees and brick.
There are three ways to walk London. One may do so as most tourists do- as a box ticking exercise. How many famous sights can be ticked off in 24 hours so the tourist can say he has 'done' London? Such a tragedy! The tourist sees nothing that he has not seen from the pages of his guide book and may as well have stayed at home! I have walked London for over ten years and I have not Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Mayfair, London, UK51.5116269 -0.1478059999999459351.491861400000005 -0.18814649999994593 51.5313924 -0.10746549999994592tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-258335309261034991.post-4778620254606600622019-12-09T09:46:00.001+00:002019-12-10T10:14:38.468+00:00Duke st, Mayfair.
There are in London a thousand or so streets that take a day to explore. This is not because they are long but because they contain such a concentration of sensation, beauty, history and human oddity that one emerges the other end as a new person. One such is Duke st in Mayfair. To walk downs such a street is to take a short holiday and to be removed for a while from all Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Duke St, Mayfair, London, UK51.5141841 -0.1513276000000587451.5092431 -0.16141260000005875 51.519125100000004 -0.14124260000005873tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-258335309261034991.post-53927009547654291322019-12-09T09:19:00.000+00:002019-12-13T09:49:39.427+00:00Twelve months.
As a writer I have a bad habit. I ask questions that do not truly matter, once this is done the article is doomed and in one sense I am personally doomed because my mind is sent in profitless directions.
How can I ensure questions I address mean something? I ask myself what I want. Once I have done this I attempt to do the thing in a single month. This forces the kind of intense focus Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0City of London, London, UK51.5123443 -0.0909851999999773451.492581300000005 -0.13132569999997734 51.5321073 -0.050644699999977338tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-258335309261034991.post-4462328513834740592019-10-15T14:30:00.000+01:002019-12-10T10:21:38.154+00:00All the small victories.
Some mysteries are not designed to be known.
This is St Magnus who is something of a celebrity in the City even though it is claimed that nothing is known about him. This is quite common here. We have statues commemorating- apparently nothing. St Magnus is simply one of the strange fixtures that are just there because he is there. Apparently he sunk a boat with a magical storm- or maybe notUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0Lower Thames St, London EC3R 6DN, UK51.509350299999987 -0.086248251.46982229999999 -0.1669292 51.548878299999984 -0.0055671999999999944tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-258335309261034991.post-27720716055957679332019-10-03T13:16:00.000+01:002019-12-10T10:32:13.847+00:00A wonderful little machine!
This wonderful machine- found outside of a Waitrose- where else? Takes recyclable items and issues vouchers in return. They are, to be honest not truly money saving because the vouchers are usually of the 'buy X and get Y free variety' but I am sure they encourage recycling regardless.
Using less of the worlds resources should always be cheaper than using more.
Why is it that Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Granary Square, Kings Cross, London N1C, UK51.5351963 -0.1252340999999432851.5339618 -0.12775559999994329 51.536430800000005 -0.12271259999994329tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-258335309261034991.post-70831757843662615172019-10-03T13:00:00.000+01:002019-12-11T11:06:37.768+00:00Luck Theory.
Is it possible to be lucky by design or is the question absurd?
One thing is sure, ‘luck’ is believed in more by women than by men.
I take a walk in London to see if I can find some answers there. Both photos are of human attempts to find luck through architecture. The black doors are from a City church and the stone egg and the water feature are a Feng Shui feature outside a Waitrose Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0City of London, London, UK51.5123443 -0.0909851999999773451.492581300000005 -0.13132569999997734 51.5321073 -0.050644699999977338tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-258335309261034991.post-38346537237999586492019-10-03T12:30:00.000+01:002019-10-03T12:30:03.918+01:00Becoming rich automatically.
We earn our money with sweat and labour and throw it away with no thought at all. It is this cycle that makes us feel poor. If we were to be transported to an African village we would no longer be reminded of our lack. We would be hungry, or not but apart from this we would be unaware of our lack of money.
Equally, if we were to be surrounded by the very rich- particularly old money- we wouldUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0Oxford, UK51.7520209 -1.257726300000058551.594735899999996 -1.5804498000000584 51.9093059 -0.93500280000005853tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-258335309261034991.post-67901712870955168632019-10-02T14:30:00.000+01:002019-10-02T14:30:11.776+01:00The Art Diet.
Can art make us thin? Is art the old money gym subscription?
If I were to walk between the 551 galleries of London I would burn some calories for sure!
I have noticed there is a correlation between people with a developed aesthetic sense and people who are themselves aesthetically pleasing. This connection probably exists below the conscious mind.
Art may be found everywhere, not Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Chancery Ln, London, UK51.5161342 -0.1120072999999592951.511193700000007 -0.12209229999995928 51.5210747 -0.10192229999995929tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-258335309261034991.post-36174236686581043582019-10-01T03:30:00.000+01:002019-10-01T03:30:02.209+01:00Follow me on Instagram.
Follow me on Instagram for things most people never notice.
richard.ford
I believe that beauty nourishes the soul. In some way our surroundings change us, but first we have to notice them. Have you ever noticed the ugliness of government buildings? Somehow the ugliness of those who rule us is reflected in the buildings they create. When we surround ourselves with beauty we become wise in Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-258335309261034991.post-26729733182327352612019-09-19T11:05:00.000+01:002019-09-19T11:05:02.633+01:00Avios for the sake of it.
Some loyalty points are collected because they are useful but I collect Avios because it is fun to do so.
Avios are generally only available on luxury items and most commonly on travel. The scheme is therefore a good excuse to splurge on both these things.
On the other hand, Avios may be earned or spent on almost anything. There are credit cards that offer Avios and once earned they may Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Kings Cross, London, UK51.5347488 -0.1245844999999690151.514994300000005 -0.164924999999969 51.5545033 -0.08424399999996901tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-258335309261034991.post-17058976441937152932019-09-16T09:06:00.000+01:002019-09-16T09:52:54.265+01:00Save £500 a year by fighting climate change!
Let us sidestep for a moment the question of whether climate change is man made or part of the ebb and flow of nature. This has become some sort of a moral purity test and anyone who doubts man made climate change is seen as a monster and a mad scientist bent on global ruin. This is a pity because in reality it does not matter! If we become submerged due to naturally occurring climate change Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1City of London, London, UK51.5123443 -0.0909851999999773451.492581300000005 -0.13132569999997734 51.5321073 -0.050644699999977338tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-258335309261034991.post-37002654792121618322019-09-10T09:23:00.000+01:002019-09-16T09:56:40.705+01:00Is New Money a philosophy too?
New money is less a philosophy and more a series of attitudes. They appeal to me a great deal less than old money but they are more popular in the world at large. Sometimes they even work.
The first thing we notice is a greater willingness to get into debt. This is actually quite logical because new money is about creating wealth. It is reasonable to borrow if we think money is coming Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Gracechurch St, London EC3V 1LT, UK51.5128019 -0.083483300000011731.0804244 -41.392077300000011 71.9451794 41.225110699999988