And if you did escape the corporate rat race, how did you do it? How did you approach and plan for the transition.

Context: in my 30s, married, mortgage, ~120k yearly income, working in IT, increasingly dissatisfied with the corporate rat race and feeling like my life is passing me by and I am only truly living on the weekends or during time off.

Obviously, I know I am in a privileged situation, having a decent salary and having bought a house. But it does not change the fact that constant office politics, smart goals, revenue, stock price etc is pretty soulless.

I am interested to hear from people who pivoted into something else, whether it’s becoming a contractor, starting your own business, maybe changed industries etc

Imagine telling me as a 15 year old that I'd be making posts online asking for good tea towel recs 😭

Anyway, dishwasher is on the blink and hand washing everything is the way forward for now... I want a few good very absorbent tea towels that I can buy in store today. Any suggestions?

Said something very stupid today, need to feel better 😢

Why do we all accept this in ireland, €6.15 per item for anything arriving from 1 November. That's the €3 customs duty plus the €2 handling charge, with 23% VAT on top.

There are some other rules Ireland does not follow under EU law but we do these two! Why don't we protest like the farmers did on fuel.

Enough is enough, we have expensive fuel, houses, rent, food and now just top this on for the Christmas shopping. What is wrong with our government!

How can we organize a protest?

Is it normal in Ireland to wait almost 3 months for Disability Allowance? I have rheumatoid arthritis, chronic pain, mobility issues and MRI evidence of spinal arthritis, yet I was refused and had to appeal. Has anyone else experienced this?

Sometimes after work if im going for a nap ill take a quick 5min shower then shower later that night.

Looking for recommendations on a watch I can call my daughter on. Have seen kids with them and feels like something that will allow her some freedom, me peace of mind and still not the level of a mobile phone. She's almost 7.

My MIL is very much the stereotypical Irish mammy to four sons. We get on well. However, she does things quite a lot that I find a bit rude.

I’m not Irish, and have no other family here, so I very much consider my husbands family my family too.

At a dinner out with my MIL, my husband and his three brothers, she turns to everyone and says, "wow, it’s just so nice being here with my sons".

Me: the only other one at the table 💀

She does this kind of stuff all the time. I guess it hits harder because my parents treat my husband the exact same as their own kids. For example, my parents always get him a nice birthday gift even though they are overseas, and yet I never get one from mine that are here. That’s just one more small example.

Am I being too sensitive?

Edit: I think I figured out what bothers me. It’s the actual “Irish mammy” archetype. People here just find it normal, but I find it pretty dysfunctional imho. So many of the qualities are directly related to a society that expected mothers to be the moral authority in the home, but gave women zero power outside it.

We forget, but in the recent past, women could not access contraception, get a divorce, keep their jobs after marriage, or open a bank account without a husband's permission. Yet, they were held entirely responsible for the moral, spiritual, and physical survival of the family. There’s weird things that happen to maintain control in that kind of situation, and those traits get passed down culturally in what it means to be a “mother”.

There’s more to it than that but I won’t bore you with my theories. As an outsider I do think I can kind of see cultural dynamics in a different way than if I was born here.

I'm curious about peoples go-to 'hacks' or clever tricks for day to day stuff! Ive a few cool ones that save time and stress and would love to have some more up my sleeve!

The two great ones that work every time for me are:

Unblocking nose: Pinching nose, and while holding bend head down towards ground and then up towards ceiling, and repeat for and 10/20 seconds at a steady pace. Always opens my stuffy nose!

Cooling a warm can quickly: If you have some ice and cheap table salt handy, fill a pot with enough water to immerse the can, and chuck in an generous handfull of ice cubes and few tablespoons of salt, and stir rapidly. The salt forces ice to melt rapidly which requires a thermal exchange and it pulls heat from the can to do so. Takes about 2 minutes

As title says, curious to see others perspectives, I’m not big on the mad flavours they have nowadays but I love a good rip of menthol, as someone that used to smoke 20/30 fags a day moving to the vape has helped me get off them but now i’m wondering what will happen when this comes into law and what everyone’s thoughts are on this :)

Hello!! I’m always interested how people make a living from unusual careers or jobs that wouldn’t be the norm😊It’s interesting that people can make a living from being creative or finding a niche to make income!

Do you or anyone you know make a living in something that isn’t the norm? Or have you a business in something that is different from average job?

I have been using Hidden Hearing for several years now; I am currently wearing a pair of Oticon Hearing Aids. Unfortunately I think my hearing has declined, and I was wondering if anyone knows of any other companies that sell hearing aids?

I have no problem with Hidden Hearing; the service they've provided has been fantastic. I just don't think that I can afford their prices at this moment in time. My hearing has definitely dropped, and I would like a second opinion.

I have been to the GP, etc. so I know that my ears are clear.

My son now an apprentice electrician has been notified to pay back 1200 of overpayment of Covid benefits. They want 200 a month. Has anyone else negotiated a lower monthly payment?

After a few years of marriage my wife has zero interest in me and does nothing to work on our relationship.

We dont go anywhere as a couple unless I arrange, unless its a family day out. Even then its mostly/nearly all the time me arranging things.

Sex is very rare and normally before it starts I am told to hurry up Which has totally turned me off her. I dont want to be intimate with someone that is going through the motions. Not an inkling of physical interaction ever really. She gets dressed in another room behind a locked door. Our kids are teens and even on weekends when they are off on sleepovers, if we go for a pint and come back to an empty house I sometimes think maybe tonight will be the night! She goes straight upstairs and puts on massive PJS and a huge housecoat and basically thats the signal! Not a shred of interest in anything remotely romantic or intimate. Its soul destroying.

She keeps telling me she loves me but I am now starting to think she just loves the security provided for her by my salary. She makes the dinner and does the house stuff and I chip in with that at the weekend when I am not working. Most of the time she is in her little office doing her bit of work - she is self employed but she only makes about 10k per year. Enough to keep her going but I pay the mortgage and all of the bills and I pay to keep two cars running for us. When she is not in her office or doing house stuff she just doom scrolls. I slept in the spare room last night - I got up early to go to work. She came down the stairs as I was getting ready to leave and went and made tea then sat down and started doom scrolling. 7am. Barely said bye to me!

Is this normal for early 40s women? I am similar age and I am quite fit, have all of my own teeth etc - watch what I eat etc.

Is this the end?

I’m from Asia and moved to the Ireland for what I hoped would be a better quality of life. So far, quality of life is soooo much better apart from weather.

So I find it strange when I see Western men talking about booking a one-way ticket to Asia and staying there indefinitely almost as though it’s some kind of paradise.

I understand the appeal of sunshine, a lower cost of living and a different pace of life. But sometimes it feels like dating work and getting attention or validation is a big part of the appeal too. I wonder whether some men imagine they’ll have more success with women there than they do at home and that makes me uncomfortable.

I can understand a young person wanting to travel and experience something different. But when it’s an older man who seems particularly excited about going to Asia to meet women, especially much younger women, I find it more alarming. I wonder what he’s looking for and whether he sees those women as individuals or has a fantasy about them.

Obviously, people move for all sorts of reasons and there’s nothing wrong with moving to Asia or dating someone there. But I can’t help wondering how realistic or sustainable some of these plans are, especially when it comes to work, visas, healthcare and building an actual life.

There is one besides Fire Brigade but it is closed now. I couldnt find anywhere near. Could someone please hell me where to throw my old clothes…

Hi everyone, hope you're all having a great Wednesday!

I need some solid life advice as I am really struggling with the thought of continuing a potentially financially disastrous decision. But moving home might be an everything-else-disastrous decision just to save some money which will always come back.

I'm turning 30 in January and have been renting in Sandymount for the past 2 months after moving out of my family home in Swords where I lived for the past 3 years while working.

My workplace is a 20min walk door to door from my rented room which is in a 2 bed in a gorgeous area. I have my own bathroom and there is a very small kitchen and a large living room which I never use. I also feel like I cannot use it as the person I am sharing with constantly is in it and closes the door of it which directly leads into the kitchen, which itself directly leads into my bedroom. I have really severe social anxiety so struggle taking up space and bringing this up to them.

I was out of work for 4 months this year with a severe illness (near fatal) and am still recovering, perhaps will be for another few years. It has debilitated me on every front, so putting myself so close to town versus an at times >1.5 hour commute each way (those living in or around Swords would understand how awful the traffic has been of late with the R132 etc) is massive. But I have found it very tough to actually use my fantastic location and new-found independence to my advantage and force myself out there to meet new people. Still, being able to walk into the office daily and have social interaction is great and been measurably beneficial for me.

I earn €46,192 gross, and take home just about €3,050 per month. Taking home €2,873 right now as I was overpaid while on sick leave, which will end in December. The rent is €1,100, wifi share is €17.50, and only other bill is electric. My share was €170 for the past 2 months (sep and oct) despite me not using the washing machine once (I'm in Swords regularly checking in on my very ill mam), using the cooker only twice, and never stepping foot into the big living room which is constantly heated and lit as they wfh very regularly.

I anticipate a huge increase in the electricity bill in nov + dec and another step up in jan + feb. I have turned my heating on only twice for an hour each time in the past 2 months.

I toyed with the idea of moving back to swords as I can wfh half of the month, but the commute, social isolation, living with an over bearing mother who makes highly inappropriate comments on my health/ weight is devastating on my mental health. I am fighting for my life and mentally cannot afford another huge life change that could derail so much progress.

For 6 years I was fighting bulimia and it absolutely destroyed my life. I have no friends, my memory is wiped and I find the most minimally stressful and mundane task incredibly difficult. I am so proud of myself for getting to where I am, for returning to work, for starting to talk to people about things, but the mountain I have to climb is so daunting and I don't want to return to an environment that is so destabilizing even if I feel more comfortable at home in Swords just so i don't have to be forced to take up space elsewhere even though i know I really shouldn't be so fearful to do such. Even writing this makes me feel so silly as I could make Sandymount work, it just might take some more time.

I have about 50k in a savings account which is for a house deposit from an inheritance, and about 3k in my bank account. Bulimia is shockingly costly not just on the body.

I spent a crazy amount of money (ball park 20k) this summer, but I also had the happiest summer of my 20s and perhaps my life. I have a boyfriend, have met people through him, have gone to a handful of events that have really pushed me out of my comfort zone and have slowly fallen in love with the gym again.

I have a car, no debt, and moving home would entail rent of about €400 a month, and transport costs of about €200 a month.

What should I do?

Thank you so much 💚

I have a concrete tile roof and I want to get it cleaned and moss removed.

I've heard that powerwashing it is not a good idea.

I'm looking at cleaners in my area, how should I ask it to be done?

I'm not doing it myself, I don't do heights

Has anyone ever been to therapie clinic for botox? I have used them for laser hair removal, found them to be fine and the treatment has worked well, but im looking now at botox with them. I'd be a bit pickier about doing things to my face (my usual doc in eden medical is on mat leave), so would love to hear people's experience!

Working in a job I love but feel I'm not getting the support needed to help with admin tasks. There is an element of 'me not being in the 'in' group within the area I work in so I don't get any support, which is causing me to have MH challenges. As a result I feel I've lost all my confidence in the actual managerial aspect of the job, in particular I feel I cannot speak up at meetings and I have been spoken down to by my manager on many occasions.

Searching for a good course to help me...or any advice really as I don't know where to turn. Thanks

Hello There we are visiting Derry in this time and are traveling with car. is there anything to be noted when driving a car in Ireland? i ask because we live in switzerland and as i now i need to drive on the other side of the road?...

Thanks for your answers

I've just handed in my notice this morning. I've been at this job for 7.5 years and whilst there has been some downsides, I overall have loved this job and I have a great relationship with my Employer and everyone that works here. I am literally bawling my eyes out now because I feel so many emotions.

I am scared of regretting moving on, I am scared that the people wont be nice where I am going to. I am scared I'll miss my coworkers.

The move makes complete sense as regards career progression and increase in salary. It is also a massive difference in commute time.

Not sure why I am even posting this. Just want to let my emotions out and for someone to tell me things will be fine!