Mayor4Unley

I found the bargain of the year! Yesterday on eBay I found a used bridge for sale. It was the pedestrian and cycle overpass bridge on South Road at Tram Stop 6. Despite it being SA Government property, a frustrated commuter from Sellicks Beach (eBay account keynes8963 ) listed it for sale on eBay. The description said that it was only 7 years old and had cost $30m. Postage was $10.40 via Australia Post Parcel delivery. I placed a bid early in the day at $250. I was quickly outbid with the bids exceeding $100k. I did send the seller a message asking if the overhead lights were included. He replied that if I paid cash he would throw in the lights. Later in the day the advertisement and all trace of it was removed from eBay; probably at the instigation of the Government.

A new Sunday Market is starting in Goodwood. Here are the details ... Event:  22/05/2016 Sell your stuff or find a treasure A new fortnightly market in Goodwood near the Capri Cinema. The market is brought to you by Kazbah Cafe and Maisie's Books. The date of the first market is Sunday 22nd May 10.00am to 3.00pm, and then every second and fourth Sunday of the month. The market will be selling fresh produce, bric-a-brac, art, crafts and hobbies, household goods, clothing, baked goods, jams and preserves. Kazbah cafe will provide coffee, snacks and a sausage sizzle in their courtyard that opens onto the carpark (which will be closed to cars for the day). The organisers are looking for stall holders. See you there!

Investing a small (extra) amount each week in Super yields a high reward later in life. An example is by a abstaining from one glass of wine (or 2-3 coffees) each week will over 35 years add $50,000 to your Super account. A sobering thought. Imagine if you gave up a little bit of all our extras in life. Then again it relies on the discipline of making a regular extra contribution to Super. According to an article ... It’s a sobering thought that skipping just one glass of wine per week could add almost $50,000 to your retirement fund balance over the long term. The Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA) has calculated that if the cost of a glass of wine (an average of $10) was channelled back into a superannuation savings account as a regular, after-tax monthly contribution over a 35-year period, this would add an extra $48,033 to your retirement cash pile. Read the article

Fantastic news about Australia Post providing low cost flights on their freight planes. When available, there will be seats in the cargo section. It is envisaged that there will be 6 seats available per flight. There is consideration to removing a toilet and providing space for an extra 6, standing room only. Straps will be provided - like on the bus. The cost will be $35 for a 65kg person to any airport in Australia. Excess weight will be charged at $1 per kg. The scheme is to be called AirMale/Airfemale. Jetstar, Virgin and Tiger Airways are all believed to be bidding for the partnership. Here's a link to the story

Last night I went to pizza night at the Community Garden, Fern Avenue, Fullarton. A fantastic garden with heaps of fruit and veggies ripe for picking. The pizzas were home made using produce from the garden and cooked in a wood oven. I took a jar of home grown dried Cajun chilli. The pizzas got hotter as the night progressed. Wine was from a small backyard winery nearby. Absolutely superb. Good company made the night perfect. Now I'm not normally one to scrounge through pre-loved rubbish left on the verge (although I always have a good look), but it was rick pickings in front of a house on Fern Avenue. Good stuff was left abandoned on the verge, probably ready for a booked hard rubbish collection by Council. It was left overs from a recent garage sale. There was something for everyone. The top item I spotted and took was a good looking metal rooster. Despite the one wobbly and rusted leg, it will look nice in the garden amongst the chillies. All up, it was a good night.

The other day I bought a copy of Nero2014 online. Sucked in by end of financial year specials! A key feature is a tool to recover deleted files on disk and USB sticks. That's what sealed the deal! Reading further about the offer,  it also has a tool called SecurDisk 3.0 that enables you to burn critical data in a more durable and secure form on CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray disks. Sounds wonderful and it probably is. What struck me was some statistics viz. The average home PC hard disc breaks down after 3-7 years CDs/DVDs/Blu-ray disks break down after 2-15 years Only last week I had an old VHS tape of family memories converted to a DVD disk. I need to make a mental record to replace the DVDs in 5-10 years. If you're buying software online, then be patient and wait for the specials.

It's amazing how the retailers like Harvey Norman and Dick Smith exploit the end of financial year with sales labelled as End of Year (save on your) Tax Specials . This is prevalent in the sale of tools, gadgets and electronic goods. These are goods that we really don't need and yet we rush out to buy them if the price is right. A few items may be eligible (to some) as a tax deduction eg. phones, printers, PCs and tablets. But, the sale is across all items, especially the big ticket items like TVs, fridges, coffee machines, etc. The average person wouldn't have any hope of claiming a tax deduction. We get seduced by the advertising believing that the deal is good with the bonus of a tax deduction. That said, there are very good deals to be had up to 30 June. But, be cautious as there is a lot of old stock that will be moved. Retailers want to clear stock now to get in new stock for the lead up to Christmas. By the way, come Christmas time, the prices will be ab...

During May there is heaps happening as part of the SA History Festival. Here is information about a tour of the old Adelaide Gaol.  It's a worthwhile visit and only costs $3 per person. Get caught having fun with $3 entry to Adelaide Gaol On Sunday 25 May the historic Adelaide Gaol will throw open its doors for the special entry price of only $3 per person.  Explore the gaol that housed over 300,000 men and women from 1841 to 1988. Discover prison life on a self-guided tour of the cell blocks, hanging tower, gallows and prisoner graves and take home your very own mugshot. Catch yourself getting spooked with a mini ghost talk and other fascinating tales from the volunteers on hand. Captivating history talks and a sausage sizzle will complete the day. When: Sunday 25 May Time: 10.00 am – 4.30 pm (last entry 3.30 pm) Address: 18 Gaol Rd, Thebarton. (Please note there is no right turn into the gaol if you are approaching from the city, however there i...

It's Tuesday night and I volunteered to cook. Over the weekend I went to the the Sunday Farmers Market (at the Showground,  Goodwood). I bought a 1kg pack of Kinkawooka of mussels from the Eyre Peninsular - available year round, the size varies on the season. $9 per kg for non members. Fantastic value! I cooked thin spaghetti, boiled mussels for 3m45s tossed in a sauce of finely cut (half) onion and garlic, Italian parsley, butter, oil, cream and home made Harissa. So simple and fantastic. Left overs for lunch tomorrow. Yum! Next time at the Market, buy a pack of mussels. They are live and in oxygenated saltwater and keep in the fridge for 10 days. The female mussels are orange in colour whilst the males are creamy white. There seem to be more females than males. Further studies are required. Mussels are rich in omega 3, iodine, zinc and selenium - so go for it. Also they have more iron content than fillet steak. On reflection, that would be a rather small steak. Giv...

I was getting a bit tired of B grade comedy @ The Fringe. Went to see She was Probably Not A Robot , described as Phenomenal one man wonder show . It was terrible! I gave it minus1 out of 10. I was staggered that many in the audience laughed, giggled and tittered at absolute piff! Maybe I’m just becoming more discerning (actually I always have been), but I believe that people are becoming more ignorant of what is good/poor/average/bad comedy. Immediately after the above show I attended a show by Canadian Pat Burtscher @ Tuxedo Cat. He’s great, very casual and funny. During the show I raised the issue about our recent bad experience. Others in attendance also voiced concern about how the same show could get rave reviews and yet be so bad. So, getting tired of the B graders, last night I ventured out to see More Bange for your buck performed by magician Christopher Bange @ Nexus Cabaret, Lion Arts Centre. Fantastic! A great act, but sad that only 8 were in the audience (and a...

Now that Coles and Woolworths have been stopped from giving large fuel discounts, the 4 cents per litre vouchers are not worth the effort. It's not worth driving 10 minutes each way to get about $2 discount to fill the tank. Now, it's best to look for the best prices as you drive around and fill-up when you spot a good price. In my travels I spotted a bargain at  MOGAS @ 294 Marion Road, Netley. I was looking for good priced diesel and MOGAS was 19 cents cheaper than Coles Express @ Hawthorn. ULP was about 15 cents cheaper. The prices were also much lower than a heavy discounter on Richmond Road. I check the prices as I pass and MOGAS is consistently a lot cheaper. The prices were still low when I passed a few days later. So, if you want big savings, then go to MOGAS @ 294 Marion Road. Down Anzac Highway, right into Marion, after 2km it's on the left (before Galway Avenue). I am advertising this to keep a good volume going through the pumps - that wa...