Amazing Things 2 - Aberdeen Getting It Right: Fill & Download for Free

(worth reading again, I’ve added a few things and made some corrections, based on comments)As someone who has bought a flat in Scotland, having sold a flat in England, I can tell you some of my experiences. You haven’t told us why you’re asking, or where you’re wanting to compare Scotland with, oh surprise surprise it’s a random scripted insincere QPPM question, but I’ve answered it anyway in the hope someone will benefit from the time it’s taken me to answer thisI’ll just tell you what I’ve found. I’m English born but now living in the Highlands. A Sasannach. I do have Scottish (and Australian) roots but I don’t do the American thing of calling myself English Scottish. I’m just English.An English friend of mine said he was coming up to Scotland, and asked how far I was from the ferry port to Ireland, that being the next part of his trip. I sent him a map, 5 hours it was, he said wow you’re really in the far north. Yep, I’m on the Black Isle, north of Inverness. He was quite shocked how far north I was, compared to my English hometown of Reading, Berkshire. Did I miss Reading, he asked? Yeah like a hole in the head. I miss the police helicopter over most nights, the lorries thundering past on the main road nearby, the emergency sirens - our side road was a rat run from the fire station. The constant crime, everywhere, the traffic, eugh. And, when the local psychiatric hospital 200 yards away had a breakout or a drill, we went into lockdown with the place swarming with police and their dogs, and the chopper again.And that’s not even Broadmoor hospital which wasn’t far either. If you haven’t heard of Broadmoor, it’s where the worst of the worst psychiatric patients were kept. Brady was in there, as were plenty of other high profile cases. I think Sutcliffe (the Yorkshire Ripper) was/is in there as well.As I write this, I’ve been living in Scotland two years now.Houses are about 1/4 the price of houses in the south of England and flats are freehold, not leasehold. Some places like Edinburgh or Aberdeen the houses can be as expensive as in London. House prices are generally rising in Scotland, but in England they’re generally falling. I got a quick online quote the other day for my flat here in the same postcode area and the same number of bedrooms, and the value has doubled in only 9 months. 75k to 155k in a year, not bad eh?Scottish law is different from England and Wales. We have our own sheriffs and prosecutor fiscal, which is run by Holyrood in Edinburgh and devolved (ish) from Westminster. Apart from the licensing, drink driving, and property laws though, there’s no real gotchas. What’s illegal in England is generally illegal in Scotland, other than we’re allowed to wild camp almost anywhere other than private property. As far as I know (I could be wrong) there are no trespass laws here, but respect the countryside. Leave nothing but footprints, close gates behind you, don’t let your dog loose when there are sheep or cattle roaming - a farmer would be within his rights to shoot your dog if it was worrying his livestock. And if you do wild camp, leave no trace, backfill and cover-up anywhere you’ve made a fire, and take all of your litter away with you and dispose of it legally and sensibly. Which leads me onto…Bothies are very welcome freely provided extremely basic (literally 4 bare walls , a probably draughty front door, a roof, and a bare piece of wood or stone to put your camping bed on, if you’re lucky) community camping stopovers, handy if you get stuck wild camping or hiking in a sudden snowstorm or other bad weather. They are free to use, you can’t book them, so it’s pot luck as to if there might be someone else there the same night as you - great chance to make new friends! Leave it as you found it, if not better, sweep the floors if you can, and it’s always polite to leave the next visitor some firewood and/or tins or packets of food. There won’t be a toilet, there may be a fireplace but get your own wood or fuel. There may not be a stove but there may be a fireplace, take your own cooking equipment. Nothing is supplied, they are literally a shell of an old building left there for the community to use, they’re usually old abandoned/disused crofters’ houses. There might be a donation box. There won’t be any electricity or running water.If you’re interested, just use El Goog for “bothy”. There are bothies in England and Wales too. It’s literally the same as wild camping but with sturdy walls and a roof. They’re quite popular! They’re not on the beaten track, they’re pretty remote. Handy for a wild camping expedition. Make sure you have maps, and/or a working charged GPS, and know how to use them. There’s a website to find bothies, it’s on El Goog.If the owner of a property you are buying dies (as happened in my case), there doesn’t appear to be such a long drawn out probate system as there is in England & Wales. All that’s needed as far as conveyancing is concerned is a death certificate from the court. This took about 2 weeks in my case, as the son of the deceased was already dealing with, having accepted formally, my offer for the purchase. When my Father in England died, the probate process for me to gain his part ownership took over 6 months.The drink driving laws in Scotland are stricter, about half the maximum breath alcohol limit as England & Wales - 18mg vs 35mg if I remember correctly. Half a pint or a wee dram could well put you over the limit. The cops generally have less to do, as crime rates are low, at least in the Highlands anyway, so there’s a good chance you’ll get pulled over by a bored cop. They use a lot of unmarked cars on the main trunk route, the A9, to catch speeders. In England, the cops were up in their helicopter almost every night, and sirens were a daily disruption. Here, I’ve yet to see a police helicopter, and the only sirens are the occasional ambulance or fire engine - maybe once a month.If you’re in Raigmore hospital in Inverness, you might hear or see, the air ambulance helicopter once a day or so.There’s more water in Loch Ness than in all of the lakes in the whole of England and Wales put together (Edit: not the whole of the UK, thank you for the correction Jordan Salkeld). If you do visit Loch Ness, drive up the east side from St. Augustus, there’s no tourists there or hardly even any traffic at all. And it’s just as beautiful, if not more so - including the abandoned boat that everyone takes a photo of. Don’t venture off into the side roads for the mountains to see the eagles unless you have a 4x4, as you can very quickly get stuck on a snowdrift and there’s no mobile signal there to call for help. Some mountains are snow-capped all year round. The weather can turn in an instant, getting stuck is not an option. I speak from experience. Luckily I was eventually able to extract the car from its compromise, I kept the engine running to melt the snow beneath it. If you do venture there, or even sticking to the main roads, you’ll be graced by golden eagles, possibly a white-tailed sea eagle (though they’re seen more on the roads towards Skye), red kites, and other very large raptors I forget the names of, maybe ospreys.Your windows in Scotland will likely be triple glazed, not just double. Just thought I’d throw a random fact in. Houses in the Highlands are often built using a very pleasant looking almost pinkish granite. Crofters’ houses are brilliant white.Conveyancing in Scotland is vastly faster than in England & Wales. You can buy a property in as little as two weeks and move in, unlike in England where it can take at least several months. Even with a deceased owner - see point 4 above.Despite having much cheaper property prices, things like council tax and factors (site management for blocks of flats) cost about the same as southern England. This makes it tough for those on low incomes, like me.Electricity prices are about the same as England, if not more expensive despite there being a lot of hydroelectric and wind farm plants in Scotland. In the Highlands, there might not be a gas supply to your property. Edit I spoke with an energy supplier today, and he told me we’re, the customers, paying for all those new wind farms, hydropower, and infrastructure additions. /edit.Water is unmetered (we have enough of it!) and included in your council tax. It’s very soft water, so we have our own special Scottish blend of teabags. Even Yorkshire Tea have a Scottish blend! There is a God!The Highlands are very remote in places, and amazingly beautiful. There is a very good train and bus service even in the most remote places. The train or bus might only be once an hour or less, but it will be there more or less on time. You’ll get a mobile signal in the cities, though it might be patchy. My town at least has free public service WiFi, but not in the more rural areas. Inverness has no free public WiFi that I’ve found, but some shops do - including Nero’s coffee.Mountain rescue is the 4th emergency service, alongside the coastguard and the RNLI - Royal national lifeboat institution charity, both free to use. If you’re mountaineering, it’s best to carry a satellite communication GPS device such as a Garmin Explorer Garmin 010-01735-11 in Reach Explorer+ Satellite Tracker (subscription required), for if you have no mobile service and get into trouble. But always carry a paper map (in a waterproof ziplock bag) and a compass and a torch with fresh batteries and spares, and know how to use it all and be able to read the map. If you’re out at sea, carry emergency flares. Wear or carry sufficient clothing to protect you even if it was warm and sunny when you set out. Bagging a Munro is a popular Scottish pastime. Finding and rescuing injured or lost or hypothermic climbers is another popular pastime. Addendum: Thank you Loz Squire: The mountains on Skye and Mull are magnetic. This can throw your compass out. If the mist comes down and visibility is bad. Then they are some [of the] worst places in the world to try to navigate. View topic - Cuillin magnetic deviation. There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad choice of clothing, preparation, and/or equipment. /addendum.If you’re out at sea, or even just kayaking or sailing off-shore, carry flares and a PLB - personal locator beacon. Press it and the RNLI will know exactly where you are, and come and rescue you. For free. In any weather, day or night. If you see a donation box for the RNLI they’ll appreciate whatever you give, no matter how small or large. They’re a charity run by unpaid volunteers.Roads can be narrow single track, but with frequent passing places. And we drive on the left, a lot of foreign visitors need reminding of that! There are not enough public toilets, so be prepared to have to stop discretely at the side of the road or pull into a pub and politely ask to use their amenities. The councils are trying to change this, but it’s a slow process.Highland cattle are not Anguses. An Angus cow is a different breed. “Heeland coos” are sooo cute and furry and very photogenic.Minimum alcohol pricing means that you pay as much for a cheap drink as a premium quality brand of a similar ABV%. Someone didn’t think that law out very well. A 500ml bottle of 7.5% McEwans Champion (very nice) costs about the same as a 440ml can of Fosters. I know which I’d rather have!Licensing laws in shops are strictly 10am-10pm, except for in pubs which are often open later in Scotland, especially at weekends when they might be open until 3am. Even in large supermarkets. In England, you can buy drinks any time in a 24hr Tesco or elsewhere. Not in Scotland. We have 24hr Tescos here but the licensing laws are still limited to 10AM-10PM.Deep-fried Mars bars are delicious, not sickly sweet as you might imagine. Try them if you get the chance. Despite Scotland having a reputation for deep frying everything except salad, there are far fewer obese people in my area than in England.The further north you go in Scotland, the easier it is to understand the accent, unlike England. I had a client on the Shetland Isles and thought he was a Londoner. The Aberdeen accent can be almost impossible to understandFish and chips frequently comprise haddock in Scotland, in England, it’s usually cod with maybe an option to have haddock, cod is a bottom-feeding fish which is why the Scots prefer haddock. The best chippy in Scotland is on the Isle of Skye. The road bridge to Skye is no longer a toll bridge, it used to cost £10 to cross it but doesn’t now. They’ve recuperated their building costs from the previous tolls.Haggis is lovely, especially if it’s from Co’burns - who are a 15 minute walk from me.Black pudding is also really good, and the stuff from Stornoway or Speyside is the absolute best. I’d tried black pudding in England, and thought what the hell is this shit, what’s all the fuss about? So I tried it again when I moved here. Lightbulb moment! Many thanks to a Scottish friend who persuaded me to try it again.The post, especially in the Highlands, takes a lot longer even if it’s coming first class.Gaelic is spoken in some parts of the Highlands, particularly so on the western isles, not so generally in the Lowlands, but everyone speaks English. Even in Glasgow, but you might be pushed to believe that. Scots ‘Gaelic’ is pronounced ‘Gah-leeg’, and the Irish language is pronounced ‘Gay-lig-uh’. Welsh is completely different.Aberdeen is not the Highlands, you’ve got a wee way to go yet. Inverness marks the start of the Highlands, and is also the capital of the Highlands. Edit: it starts lower than Inverness, but the A9 when you hit Inverness has a sign “Welcome to the Highlands:”. They’re widening the A9 in places so expect some traffic delays and roadworks. It's a much-needed upgrade The A9 is the main trunk road from Perth to John O’Goats - ish. It’s single lane some of the way and used by a lot of lorries, so can be slow. Don't speed, the cops have a lot of unmarked cars.Whisky is not spelt with an E in it, it’s the law, and you need to know if you prefer it peaty or non-peaty. You DO NOT put a mixer with whisky, or ice. Take note Americans! Punishment of having to drink neat Bells, or even worse, Jonny Walker, for the rest of the night. Half a teaspoon of water is quite sufficient. You can thank me later. If you’re not sure about the difference between a peaty whisky or a non-peaty one, take advice or a taster from your bartender. Peaty IMHO tastes more like cleaning fluid, but that’s just my opinion. A lot of people like the peaty ones. Lagavulin is an example of a peaty one, Glenfiddich is not. Talisker has two types, one peaty, the other not. The Skye branded one (it’s all made in Skye) is peaty, and the regular one is not. They actually make about 6 different ones in Talisker, so this is just a generalisation. If you want a distillery tour, book it well in advance.The popular travel tour company Rabbies do several guided tours of the numerous castles, lochs, islands, distilleries, and more. They’re well priced, and reviews I’ve seen are good. They can help you book accommodation for their multi-day tours, though this is at your own risk and expense.Scotland is also home to 70% of all of the UK’s gin production. In fact, alongside small-batch craft gins, three of the world's best-selling gins: Hendrick's, Gordon's and Tanqueray, are all made here, though I haven’t tried any of it yet.The Scots generally like and welcome American tourists. But keep your volume down please, we’re not deaf but we might be soon from very loud people, and remember to say please and thank you. “I’ll take” or “gimme” is NOT an acceptable way to ask for something. Neither is using a two-finger insult (palms facing inwards) to say two of something. You ask for things properly, “can I have … please” and say thank you when you receive it. Glasgow is pronounced as it’s written, glars-go, NOT glass-cow. Edinburgh is pronounced edin-borough (burra), NOT berg.Shops are generally local and smaller than in England, but far more friendly, especially compared with the south of England. Please support rural economies by buying local instead of from supermarkets. Even the smallest shops will have most things you’ll ever need, including sandwiches, cakes, and other delicious snacks, and most supplies you’ll need if you’re camping. See point 2 above, respect the countryside.Petrol stations can be few and far between in the remote areas, and rarely open late (after 5pm). Always make sure you’ve got enough fuel for your journey and any delays or detours. If you have an LPG campervan, it can be hard to find a refuel outside of the main cities. Apparently, we have a reasonably good network of charging points if you have an EV. There’s an app you can get which will navigate you to the nearest one. Some EV cars even have it built into their satnags (sic). But as with petrol or diesel, or LPG, never assume. Always make sure you’ve got enough and lots left over. It could be miles until you get a chance to top up.Americans, please call it PETROL not gas. If you say you need gas you’ll be directed to camping gas canisters or LPG.People smile at you in the street in Scotland, and it’s not weird. If you know someone you nod upwards in recognition, if you don’t know them, you nod downwards. With a smile.How you doing, is a question to briefly answer, among shop keepers or friends, not just a vague greeting. If you don’t know the person, just repeat it back, how ye doin.It actually rains less in most parts of Scotland than it does in England, and much much less than it does in Wales. Where I live, Ben Nevis shields us from the worst of the weather - especially the beast from the east. So, don’t expect snow, or at least don’t come here looking for it. You’ll get it on the mountain tops, but you might not see any on the lower lands.It can be sunnier and warmer in Scotland than it can be in England at the same time of year. Hey, it happened once! Lol.If you want to see whales, dolphins, and seals, the best place is Cromarty point - which you might know from the BBC shipping forecasts. Or, the Whale and Dolphin Centre just over the Kessock Bridge from Inverness. The seals are found along the coast from Dingwall towards the A9 for John O’Groats.Midges are a total nuisance. You can buy a spray called Smidge as a deterrent. Avoid dusk and wooded areas near water if you want to avoid the worst of the flying teeth, and cover up as much skin as you can. Only female midges bite, but I challenge you to be able to tell the difference in a swarm of thousands of the wee blighters.Scotland has a wide range of locally produced quality food, it’s not just all about haggis. We have some of the best seafood in the world, especially our salmon, scallops, and lobsters. And don’t forget the venison, when it’s in season!It can be almost as cheap to stay in a haunted castle as a Travelodge, and the castle will include breakfast in the price. You might even get a four-poster bed as well, especially if you ask nicely.Ghosts and spirits are described as green, not grey. I have no idea why. Edit: answer in the comments, thank you. Generally speaking, they can’t harm you, so don’t worry if you get things going bump in the night, it’s just their idea of fun. Trust me, I’m a seasoned senior paranormal investigator.A full Scottish breakfast is a thing to behold, and you won’t need to eat for the rest of the day, except perhaps dinner. Porridge, toast, cereal, juice, coffee/tea, and then into the full Monty - flat (Lorne) sausage, regular sausage(s), bacon, mushrooms, fried or grilled tomato, egg, beans, more toast, black pudding, haggis, tatie scone (flat potato cake), and more tea/coffee. If (like me) you have a smaller appetite your host will give you the option to choose which bits you want, though beware some hotels if you pay for breakfast will charge you as if you chose everything, even if you only had a couple of bits of bacon and some mushrooms - you’re deemed as having had the full breakfast of everything. A business hotel in Aberdeen did this to me, and my employer was not very happy at having to foot my expenses!Scotland has been voted one of the most beautiful places in the world by Lonely Planet, and for good reason. One day I will get to experience the NC500 - North Coast 500 mile driving route, which is a circular route from Inverness right up to John O’Groats. There’s a new one now, the midcoast 200 I think it’s called, starting in Glasgow. Check the guidelines as some roads are not suitable for caravans or campervans - RVs as the Americans call them. If you are towing a caravan, for God's sake use your mirrors and let people pass by pulling into the frequent passing places.Glasgow (see pronunciation above, NOT Glass Cow) is not the crime-ridden city it used to have a reputation for. In fact, it has a world-class leading hospital, as does Aberdeen and a lot of other cities including Edinburgh which has a class-leading cancer centre, in fact, if my memory serves me Glasgow was European city of culture fairly recently. Raigmore hospital in Inverness is the leading centre of Lyme disease detection, research, and excellence.No, we’re not going to tell you what we do or don’t wear under our kilts. Men, and women - yes you read that right. That’s for you to find out if you get lucky. ;)The mountain variety of haggis are easier to catch because their legs are shorter on one side and they can’t run as fast on the flat.My photos, from the oldest pub in Inverness. Which sadly isn’t haunted.I’ve added a few extra bits if you’ve read this before.Fàilte gu Alba

It's a far stretch from my usual to openly talk about finances, yet Quora has this wonderful "Make anonymous" button.Residence£110k after tax is not bad indeed. Living in a nice area such as St John's/Mayfair/Chelsea/Knightsbridge/Notting Hill/Green Park etc would be the logical step.Rent is the biggest expense. Unless you've been renting for 5 - 7+ years with no increases on the lease, you will spend around £2k for a place in a Central Area, with 2 beds starting at £3k per month and easily going very very far above that. I'm only discussing premium property where landlords have lived in, great space and amenities, not shoe boxes bought for rental income.Steer well clear of professional landlords with large property portfolios. The more they have the less they care about you and about improving the property. The more professional they are the more the game is about maximising return percentage. Casually ask the estate agent about this, most will give you a reply. "This home is beautiful, does the landlord have plenty of these?". Quite a few properties" generally means "don't rent", "1 or 2" properties is a good answer. Another way to get this answer is to ask if you can move out some furniture, like the couch, "to one of the landlord's other properties".Steer well clear of ultra modern newly re-furbished LED lighted kitchen places. The rent premium you pay for the amenities is incredible and while you may be "amazed" during the first week, that's about all you will get. The old school charm has the added benefit of no premium.Hunt for hidden gems, places in great areas which for some reason weren't let out immediately. This takes patience and cash and paying rent in advance for at least a few months is best. Month to month living is a great indication you are living above your means.Leases are sometimes longer, 3 to 5 years. If you feel you are committing to too much financially, that should tell you something.In contrast, living in an area considered upscale such as Shoreditch/Old Street and around, which are not really upscale at all, will also run you around £1500 a month and possibly more, for a new built 1 bedroom flat. At first glance you are saving around £500 a month in rent cost, but let's explore that further.Personally I work a lot so eating out and drinks are usually either provided or don't really constitute a significant part of my expenditure and I do in fact make it a great point of only drinking out of social obligation, which fortunately overlaps with "someone else is paying". It's why residence is a far bigger priority and it looks like you are alike in that regard. Meals are carefully planned and nothing is wasted.A civilised upscale area is extremely important to me as I like things clean and blending in. Contrary to what one might think, your fellow residents are far too busy running their companies and working 15 hour day jobs in the City to worry about what you have for breakfast or what you are wearing that day. The networking effect is superb and if career is your priority your choice of residence can be on many levels an incredible asset.There are people around you who probably make £110k per hour and nearby resident multi-billionaires are expected. Also, contrary to expectations, residences are not empty. Most people are simply very kept and very quiet. Security is paramount everywhere and armed patrols with automated riffles are not entirely unexpected.A few tricks of the trade:Council tax in Westminster is possibly the cheapest in the country. In contrast, the most expensive residences in London are all in Westminster Council.Living in a mansion block generally means free water, free hot water and free heating. Gas has also been removed from a lot of these buildings, to prevent fire risk and reduce costs. Electricity is more expensive than gas on a per unit basis, but the efficiency of electrical energy is superior. Long story short, it's much much cheaper.Renting in an old stucco fronted home or similar may be tempting, but stick to mansion blocks as much as possible. Homes are generally in poorer condition and rarely present the same perks when it comes to bills.You also get a porter to deal with package deliveries, mail incoming, and in a lot of places even take your trash out for you. Sure it's not a lot, but it saves you time.Internet is surprisingly bad in most of these areas. The nicer the area is the worse of an internet connection you get. Perhaps because you can't dig a whole in the middle of Knightsbridge to put fiber through. But it also makes it cheaper.Avoid British Gas like the plague and thieves they are. Gas is very expensive, meters are often overcharging you, and even calling them to ask for a meter check will cost you £600 "if the meter was not faulty". But as you have no possible way of knowing that, you also have no leverage.Central gas heating in a lot of these older properties is very expensive and the heating units are very inefficient, so stick to central building heating or underfloor electric if you are lucky, they are very very cheap, a few times cheaper in fact if you work out the yearly amounts.Cracks in the walls and similar wears and tears of time are common in period property. If you are picky about that like I am either get something freshly painted, be prepared to pay for the paint work yourself(Assured Shorthold Tenancy agreements actually make pain work the Tenant's responsibility), or make any demands outright, before the contract is signed and while you still have leverage.CarJust don't. You will curse the day you ever decided to buy a car in London, especially if you are in any of those areas. If you are extremely keen on this for whatever reason, then make sure you get a home with a parking place designated, which will never be any mansion block.Also means you will save nothing on bills. Public transport will get you everywhere you need and you will be able to walk to most places if you live in any of the areas I've listed above. Gym, parks, concerts at the Royal Albert Hall, chic restaurants, etc, you name it.A car will be a huge liability and it will only give you something to worry about while you waste a great deal of time. Setting money on fire is an equally quick way to burn through them in London. It's just not worth it, any way you look at it.The less you have to worry about, the happier you will be in here. Enjoy your personal life, don't willingly choose to waste large amounts of money and time for a box of metal that implies, parking, insurance, repairs, cleaning, petrol, taxes and a million other things.A cool £5 will open the doors to all of London as that is how much an Oyster card costs. It's a very important realisation to acknowledge that having more "stuff" will not increase your quality of life, instead it will vastly decrease it. Do you really want to spend your hard earned cash making insurance companies wealthier or would you rather by sipping cocktails in the south of France in the summer?Gyms/local amenities and quality of lifeVery few places in the world will rival South Ken/Mayfair/Knightsbridge in that regard. Even shopping at Waitrose in a Stucco fronted period building and that last minute shopping at the local Tesco will imply breathtakingly beautiful walks.Knightsbridge after dark when tourists leave is just stunning, everywhere you go. Hyde Park is a few minutes away, and the buildings all look stunning with the unique unmistakable Victorian charm. Restaurants, shops, clothing, gyms, anything you can possibly want, is right there.Sure there are "tourist traps" like the Harrods Steakhouse which I've heard charges 4x times the Waitrose prices for the same Aberdeen beef, but if you've got financial discipline, dress down and have nothing to prove, just like all the locals, you will love it. Anything else costs the same as everywhere else in the UK, with the apparent increase in rent almost always compensated by the decrease in bills. Anything that's incredibly overpriced is generally either a tourist trap or a place to show off for the nouveaus.If the Victorian ideal of architectural beauty is what your after, life is actually incredibly pleasant and tranquil even in the heart of Mayfair and even Knightsbridge. It's a 15 minute walk or 5 minute tube to reach Royal Albert Hall or Kensington Palace Gardens, you can enjoy a morning run in Hyde Park along the lake, go out with friends anywhere you want and even delight them with a night in, the views from your window alone will compensate.The best things in life are free(or included in rent). Back to numbers, £3k or a maximum of £4k per month(after tax) can provide a great life in some of the most beautiful and historic areas of London, all inclusive. £4K would probably be very luxurious already and unless you insist on file mignon for every meal you will get away with a lot less.Gyms are not that cheap and probably range about £60 - 70 per month for one person, 1.5 times that(usually couples have 50% off) for the two of you, as you mostly get a health club membership, not just a gym one. It also means you can enjoy sauna, massages and the usual spa days for a great price and always stay in great health.Expenditure£2k rent + ~£60 bills(electricity + cable/internet/broadband) + ~£90 council tax + £500 food + £500 entertainment = ~£3200 for high quality living in London's most expensive areas.Some lovely areas like Bayswater will give you beautiful good size 1 beds for £1.5k or less, so it's not entirely impossible to go even lower than that, and you're still right next to Hyde Park.I WOULD NOT recommend spending your last penny just to live in these areas, 100k a year before tax, either by yourself or as a couple is what you should be looking at. If all you have is £3200 spending all you have with 0 savings is definitely a bad way to do it.Finances and savingsContrary to your intentions, it would be very strongly advised that you do watch over every penny so that you can get the very best for your money and only pay for things that warrant their value and stand on their own merit. Think of it as a chore such as taking the trash out and don't associate money with freedom on an emotional level. Strong financial discipline is the only way "you will never have to think about it" as you will always stay within your means as a matter of reflex. Perhaps I am biased in that way as I monitor every penny I spend, yet I do promise so do most people in these areas.That is the true luxury of money and doesn't matter how much you earn, what matters above all is your reflex and discipline and it translates to never buying that pretty dress from the high street shop as you are paying the high street rent and store profit when you could order online and get it for 30% less.TravelNow if you travel off season and you know the tricks of cheap travelling and avoiding tourist traps, travel won't be a big expense. Plan it way ahead of time, take the tube to Heathrow and never travel during peek season and you will rarely find any destination in the world you can't afford.Saving and investingSavings can be your top priority and ROI your focus. If you make friends here, you will likely meet a great deal of people who know a tremendous amount about investing, living well with less, and how to build wealth. P.S. your bank account interest rate is not the way and this will be a passionate topic for a lot of locals.Pensions are a terrible investment as they don't compound nearly as well as very basic investment strategies such as index tracing with simple hedges. Reading a few books on the topic will be the best thing you have ever done as you can get safe steady returns with basic knowledge of investing. As long as you don't expect to beat Warren Buffet without a matched effort and you don't gamble your money, it's not impossible to make noticeable steady returns.Rich dad, poor dad, Robert KiosakyThe intelligent investor, Benjamin GrahamThese are the iconic starter pack books and if you mix in basic knowledge of markets on top of that, the real game you are playing is not science, not advanced mathematics, it's discipline and that's what most people fail at.Can you stay within your means and only spend cash without ever borrowing a dime?Can you walk past all the pretty shops and only buy what you need?Can you make an investment plan and stick to it?If the answer is yes, you will do increasingly well. Most people make financial decisions for emotional reasons and that is the true downfall.It's like the story of homeless winning the lottery and going back there after 3 years and buying 50 cars. They are compensating for a lifetime of not having, but money cannot fill that emotional void. It simply can't, no matter how much you have, and if you simply splurge out cash on a lot of useless things, you are making yourself busy and miserable, having to worry about nonsensical things that bring 0 value to your life.In contrast, making friends here and having liquid assets at your disposal will mean an influx of financial opportunity as well as the means to take advantage of it.ConclusionMy long winded answer was given to make an extremely important point. To live well you need not the right salary necessarily, but the right mindset to spend as little as possible while getting the most out of your choices and to always explore the full depth of your financial decisions before making them and the will power to never spend money for emotional reasons.

I want to share a long-term strategy, because all entrepreneurs are in the game for the long run, right?Let’s start with a preface. According to Aberdeen Group studies:With that in mind, every company should definitely think about investing more in customer education.The more complex your product is, the more potent this issue is for your business. Even if you are simply in the business of making coffee — you can educate your customers about benefits of drinking coffee, how to brew coffee yourself and anything else related to your business niche.We at AcademyOcean focus on helping SaaS companies build learning academies for our clients. A couple of examples from our clients:Reply AcademySerpstat AcademyHow will customer education improve conversions?The answer may not be obvious, but it is very simple — increased brand loyalty.If you make your education free for everyone, not just your current clients, you will inevitably grow your brand image as an expert in the niche—teachers are often regarded as authorities on the subjects they teach. And who will your learners buy from, when they finally decide to act?—You.Another fact from our client to back up this claim:Important NoteDo not expect result on the next day or even month. You need to prepare well for teaching your audience. You want to be a good and respected teacher, not the other way around.Things to get ready before you start:Educational content—this can be your old FAQs, whitepapers, knowledge bases, repurposed for educationCourse structure—think this through, how are you going to lead your audience through your education?Learning format—where will people learn, will you track their progress, how will they access your materials?These are the main questions you should consider. Customer education is not set up in a day, but the long-term results from it can be amazing.If you have any questions about customer education or marketing your courses, I will be happy to chat.Best of luck!