# Forum More Stuff At the end of the day  Caffeine Hit Suggestions

## SlowMick

Given many people seem to renovate all hours of the day and night I figure there might be a few caffeine users out there.
I love good coffee but I am lazy.
It is too expensive to justify buying a coffee on the way to work in the morning (to make up for lack of sleep) and I am too lazy to make a plunger and clean it each morning.
Does anyone have one of the pod/capsule coffee machines?  That seems quicker and easier than the plunger and less cost (after enough cups) than buying fresh brewed coffee.
Any suggestions/recommendations are appreciated.

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## johnc

> Given many people seem to renovate all hours of the day and night I figure there might be a few caffeine users out there.
> I love good coffee but I am lazy.
> It is too expensive to justify buying a coffee on the way to work in the morning (to make up for lack of sleep) and I am too lazy to make a plunger and clean it each morning.
> Does anyone have one of the pod/capsule coffee machines? That seems quicker and easier than the plunger and less cost (after enough cups) than buying fresh brewed coffee.
> Any suggestions/recommendations are appreciated.

  
Check out Aldi, the machines are modestly priced and the capsules quite cheap in comparisson with the competition, there is nothing wrong with the brew either.

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## johnstonfencing

I have one of the nespresso pod coffee machines and I find it to be great.  Easy to use and quick!  Safeway also now stock pods that cost about $5-6 for 10 and these are compatible with nespresso machines so you aren't limited to ordering their pods online or finding one of their shops. 
Cheers

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## activeman

I find that Nescafe Short Black isn't too bad for a cup of instant.

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## Godzilla73

Give them a miss, the coffee they produce is pathetic. Never hot enough and the machines are fragile and stuff up easily. If you do get one at least buy a decent one from a reputable retailer that has a no fuss return policy, David Jones are good on this front. 
2 friends bought a name brand model from there, 1 had 2 units expire after a week and the other had 1 go south. The other thing you can do is go to a Nespresso store and get them to give you a sample shot.

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## mike_perth

I was a very early adopter of the capsule system and I truly love it I'm not a coffee snob but I know what I like and I'm pretty fussy and I cannot fault the pod coffee taste is great always perfect temp easy and very very consistent. 
Im on my second machine (first machine is now at work) and neither machine has let me down (new one is only months old)  
Id buy a new one tomorrow if either unit failed. 
Reuseable pods online are good if you have a favorite coffee as well.

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## ringtail

If there are any other hard core coffee junkies on this forum feel free to join. Its a very easy going forum full of great people and great advice  Crema Coffee Forum - Index

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## SilentButDeadly

Not tried the pod-ly things.  Been using basic thermoblock machine plus locally and freshly roasted beans (which we grind) for the last five years.  Takes only a couple of minutes to whip up a decent coffee and for bugger all cost wise.  Though we do go through a half to three quarts kilo of beans every month.  As with everything, fresh is best.

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## Moondog55

SBD you are not trying we use at a minimum double that EACH
 Seriously any-one who won't wait 5 minutes for fresh plunger coffee from freshly ground beans has no rights to the title "Caffeine addict" let alone :"Coffee Snob":
If the caffiene hit is all you really want may I suggest large tins of Caterers Blend, the stuff with extra caffeine from all sources added to get cooks and waitresses to run faster, it also has the side benefit of being the cheapest instant coffee on the market ; last time I looked anyway

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## Cecile

> I am too lazy to make a plunger and clean it each morning.

  Who cleans the plunger in the morning?  It'll still be there when you get home from work  :Redface:    

> we use at a minimum double that EACH

  Ted, I keep telling you, coffee is not a food group.

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## ringtail

Seriously guys, if you want to be educated  Crema Coffee Forum - Index  
SBD - I roast my own on a home built roaster and go through 1 kg per week.

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## Cecile

> SBD - I roast my own on a home built roaster and go through 1 kg per week.

  Holy cow...a kilo a week?  And I thought Ted was bad! 
Perhaps we should rename this post "Coffee Addicts Anonymous"

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## SlowMick

Coffee is one the special brown foods.  It is the same family as chocolate and steak.  The foods that mum's don't want you to introduce their kids to. 
1 kg of fresh roasted coffee a week.  Roughly how many cups is that Ringtail?  I checked out the coffee forum - I am not worthy of saying I love coffee. 
We have a great local cafe that does 3 shots for a jumbo coffee.  Puts a spring in your step. 
Seems I need to suck it up and make the plunger before work with our Favourite Byron Bay blend and stuff it in an insulated mug for the drive to work. 
Need to figure out what to do at work though.  There's no lawn to empty the coffee plunger on and i can't pour it in the fake indoor plants forever.
Maybe I'll have to keep trying different instants.  Used to use the Nescafe Short Black then moved on to Robert Timms coffee bags.
Don't enjoy them anymore.  Still they are better than the non-descript instant supplied. 
Maybe they will have pod/capsule machines on special for Christmas.  
 Is there a lot of cleaning involved? Are they tough enough to survive in an office where people leave dirty coffee cups in the sink to be dealt with by their "office mum"?

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## ringtail

Thats about 6/7 single shots per say of real coffee - espresso, from a real prosumer machine , not a pod POS. 
Just for the record, instant is made by using the worst robusta ( nasty) and the worst arabica beans, making a liquid brew, letting it dry out, scrape whats left into a blender and turn it into powder. It is total and utter @@@@@ and should not be consumed by anyone that even remotely thinks they like coffee.  
Yes I am a coffee snob, but life is too short to drink rubbish coffee :Biggrin:  :Biggrin:  :Biggrin:

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## SilentButDeadly

> ...but life is too short to drink rubbish coffee

  Here. Here.  Though I don't count myself as a coffee snob simply because I/we don't do espresso or 'coffee is like wine' flotsam.   
I just load up the typical mug with a decent double shotn plus, pour the milk over the top and heat in the microwave.  By comparison, in the semi commercial fully automatic Jura machine at the office, it takes two double shots in the mug to achieve something close to the same quite tasty result. 
As for the amount that we go through....I may be underestimating simply because I don't like the idea of thinking we are overdoing it.   :Shock:

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## SlowMick

Ringtail, what do you do for coffee while your working on site?  if you take your coffee half as serious as your carpentry i'd expect there to be a commercial coffee machine in the work trailer? 
My best mate is a concreter.  He sticks to private jobs where possible as they come with nice ladies with plates of biscuits and sandwiches.  Drinks coffee black, no sugar to make it as easy as possible for soemone to make it.  Has a bag of coffee and a plunger mug for people who have international roast on offer.  You can only imagine what a concreters plunger looks like...

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## ringtail

Ahh ya see, thats the beauty of only working local and not straying far from home. I have lunch at home everyday as most of my jobs are 5 mins away. For those times where I am out of my local area I am sufficiently connected in Brisbane to ensure a decent take away  :Biggrin:  :Biggrin:

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## shauck

Coffee is for morning
Water is for day
Beer is for night...arvo and night

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## Moondog55

> Coffee is for morning
> Water is for day
> Beer is for night...arvo and night

  I only have 2 or 3 cups, never after 11AM ( mind you Cecile calls my cup a bucket )
Beer is for hot afternoons and lazy evenings; Night time belongs to good red wine and the port decanter, unless there is muscat, old muscat takes precedence

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## SlowMick

Moondog, no coffee to finish your meal before the Muscat? 
I'd like to think you finish your meat a three veg in a smoking jacket with a vintage muscat and a Gauloises cigar... :Biggrin:

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## Cecile

> Moondog, no coffee to finish your meal before the Muscat? 
> I'd like to think you finish your meat a three veg in a smoking jacket with a vintage muscat and a Gauloises cigar...

  I suspect that is precisely how he would like to see himself.  It's a much more harsh reality.   :Rofl:

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## terminal_stance

Hi Slow Mick, 
I feel your pain. I ride to work and haven't figure out a way to drink coffee and pedal at the same time. Though takeaway cups do fit in my bottle holders... 
For the past year our office (5 coffee drinkers) has been using an Aldi pod machine. Economy is excellent and taste is pretty good. Machine itself is easy to clean (once over each Monday morning). Milk heater is separate, bit more annoying to clean but doesn't take too long. 
Over the year we've broken it once and Aldi replaced it no questions. It takes a reasonable hit 5x first thing, 5x morning tea, plus the stress reducing ones once things get busy. 
It's not the same as a friendly barrista but passes muster.

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## ringtail

As long as its fit for purpose thats all you can ask. Honestly, pod coffee is just as good if not better than 85 % of cafes out there. And that says more about the cafes than the pods.

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## shauck

I've noticed over the years that my body gets used to a certain amount of caffeine, say 1 cup a day and if I have a second, I'll suffer badly that night. If I persist with 2 cups for a while, my body adjusts to it. Then, if I try to have a third cup, suffering at night again until I get used to it and so on. By suffering, I mean panic attacks. I stick with two in the morning so I can have one when I get up and another when Tanya wakes up.  
Good old plunger style. I have a stove top but never use it coz I think it is too hot and ruins the flavour.  
SlowMick, maybe try setting up two small (1 cup) plungers, ready to go and take them to work. You can bring them home and clean them.

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## ringtail

I used to be the same Su. I cut coffee out all together once upon a time but then discovered espresso. Good quality makes all the difference. The actual caffine in the coffee is more evident in the blonde portion of the shot which is the end of the extraction process and right when you kill the shot. The more blonde extraction you let get into your cup the more you get the jitters. With other methods of coffee making you have zero control over the process so take the full belt of caffine. There are some excellent decaf beans out there too. I recently had some at a mates place and I didnt know I was drinking decaf until he told me. Of course they were quality beans that he sourced from a quality supplier and roasted himself. :Tongue:  :Biggrin:

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## shauck

Problem is, I like the caffeine.  
What I try not to do is mess with my daily dose. I'm happy with the two cup limit most of the time.  
I used to make coffee a while back. Wouldn't call myself a barista but made nice coffee thanks to lots of exposure to it. I hear you about the quick pour. Customers wanting weak coffee but long black... 
I was also taught that a good tasting plunger coffee does not need to brew. You pour in the hot water and it's pretty much done. That's how I drink it.  
Love a good flat white these days, with a good quality soy milk. Definitely nicer than plunger but I don't usually drink coffee out anymore as that would tip me into the three coffees a day and I'm trying not to go there. 
No room in the tiny house for a machine. Ah well....better build a bigger house.

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## ringtail

> I like the caffeine.  
> No room in the tiny house for a machine. Ah well....better build a bigger house.

  Yes, yes, yes :Biggrin:  :Biggrin:

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## Moondog55

Don't build a new house; just ADD a new outbuilding specific to coffee drinking and having a good time. Just include a wet-bar and open fireplace. 
We just bought a Brita filter, makes much better coffee taking all the crap out of our water

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## goldie1

> Ahh ya see, thats the beauty of only working local and not straying far from home. I have lunch at home everyday as most of my jobs are 5 mins away. For those times where I am out of my local area I am sufficiently connected in Brisbane to ensure a decent take away

   
One of these on the back of your ute, tools on a trailer could be a whole new source of income

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## ringtail

Believe me I've considered ditching the tools to follow my coffee passion but then once you turn it into a job you loose the passion for it. And the market is full of truly awful mobile coffee set ups and I mean awful - make gloria jeans and starbucks look good and those two are the dregs of the world industry - but beaking through to get a good rep is so hard when the general public either dont care or are so uneducated about coffee that they dont realise what they are drinking is vomit

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## Godzilla73

:What he said:   :Rotfl:    and very true...

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## Armers

there is always the AeroPress or the Presso Australia | Espresso Coffee Machine is you want to really snob it up then there is the handpresso auto E.S.E. - Handpresso plenty of onsite ideas  :Biggrin:  
I am a double mug shot in the morning from a decent machine + grinder. The wife and I go through a kg in 2 weeks... No were near as hardcore a ringtail!  
My issue is finding consistent coffee from a cafe out in the real world. That and buying is starting to get expensive i mean 3.8-4$ a cup these days is starting to get ridiculous! 
Cheers

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## m6sports

I love my coffee but if you after a hit of energy stick with the cans of V. The other week I did a 32hour straight shift at Work and over that time I drank 3 cans or 500ml V. I recon my heart didn't like it but I can tell you I stayed awake until around 3pm on the second day were all of a sudden it felt like I got hit by a bus........ The joys of being self employed in the last month I've done 2 of those 30+hour shifts and the only thing keeping me awake was the V's IMO coffee isn't that great for a energy boost its more for enjoyment  
ive got a saeco coffee machine at home and love it, I only use instant at work when I make myself a ice coffee  :Smilie:

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## boldor

Love my morning coffee or 3. use he aldi pod machine and it does a good job.
Have only ever had one of those energy drinks and thought i was having a heart attack....never again

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## shauck

We're really lucky here. Loads of cafes that make a pretty decent coffee. Being a tourist destination and having a lot of ex city residents, food, drink and coffee are a major part of this town. I agree tho, it's not cheap to do that all the time.  
When I lived in Fitzroy, I only ever had coffee out. Stumble out of bed, walk down a side street, cross the road and coffee at one of the best places in the street (Atomica). They roast on the premises and supply coffee to others, including public. Give it a go if you get a chance. Newtown or Newtown Social Club is a great little cafe up the top end of Brunswick St that is equally as good.

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## corbs

I use a plunger at home which I'm happy with but on the ship I recently came off we had an off the shelf Nespresso machine in the mess.  That thing easily made 20-30 coffees per day every day we were at sea and similar numbers alongside.  It never missed a beat in the 12 months or so that we had it.  I think that's a pretty good vote in their favour.

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## Gaza

> I've done 2 of those 30+hour shifts and the only thing keeping me awake was the V's

  WTF 
arnt you a denist ??

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## ringtail

I was thinking the same thing. Maybe doing mega hours doing work for the military since the Gov sacked all the dentists and now farm out all dental work to normal dentists, who are making a fortune out of rorting it  :Biggrin:  :Biggrin: - allegedly :Tongue:

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## m6sports

Dental Prosthetist, Aka I make dentures and thanks to the labour government cutting the dental funding, every Tom, dick and Harry wanted dentures in the last month. It's been great money wise but  I've been averaging 70 hours per week over the last 2 months. With one week even being a 85 hour week 
I wish I was a dentist  :Annoyed:  but what people don't know most dentist that work in hospitals make around 80k to 100k a year and in private practice make around 150k the big bucks are when you own the practice. But Don't most of these dentists have a HECs bill of over 100k+ I know plumbers and sparkies that make more money then that and they may have spent 5k on there tafe fees

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## ringtail

Not to rehash old who earns what income threads etc.... but dentists along with most other medical specialist charge around $ 300 -  $ 400 per hour. No tradies , even plumbers, are making that. Sure there are lots of overheads, professional indemnity insurance etc.... but what business doesn't have overheads. Of course, the major driver in dental prices is the lack of dentists. As for HECS debt, well a dentist would pay that off in 2 years, even less if they made a bulk payment and got the discount associated with it. Dental grads are still the highest paid of all professionals. 
Now, back to coffee. Mmmmmm, coffee

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## m6sports

But a dentist in a practice that just works there will only make 40% ( this depends on the practice some only make 35%) of the final bill minus any lab charges so let's say the crown costs you $1000 minus $400 in lab fees that makes it $600 so let's say its the 40% they will make $315 with 2 appointments the first being a crown prep of 1 1/2 hours and the fitting being another 30min  
i don't know why everyone reckons dentists make so much, IMO if people just went for a yearly checkup because of all the sugar in there coffees it would only cost them $150 for a checkup and clean, now tell me what plumber, sparkle or tradie will come to my house for $60 to do 30 min of work for me. Because remember that dentist will likely only make 40% of the clean and checkup  
i get this crap at work all the time some bloke that wears his dentures for 20 years comes in and complains that the bill is going to be $2000 for a new set. Divide that by the years and it cost them $100 a year to have a smile and be able to chew their food, and for me to construct these dentures takes me 6 x 30 min appointments and countless hours in the lab I recon if I added up my hours it would be less then the plumber that I use charges me  
End of rant but you guys were the ones that commented on my post so I just wanted to inform you on how my field of work functions.   
As for the Energy drinks they are great for a short pick me up just realise that you will run out of puff and it hits hard

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## ringtail

Who gives a crap what the ring in dentist gets as a percentage of each patient. The bottom line is it costs Joe Average $ 300 - $ 400 per hour to visit the dentist. If the ring in wants more money, do what everyone else has to do - take risks and open your own practice. Its the same for tradies on wages - a chippy may only get $35/hr on wages but he is getting charged out at 70 - 90 per hour. The aim of the game is to make money by leveraging off staff. Before I became a chippy I was a mechanic. Fully qualified A grade mechanic with over 10 years experience getting paid $ 19 per hour (that was above award) and being charged out for 80 + gst. I had a customer explode one day when she asked what the hourly rate was. I told her and she went nuts claiming I got paid more than her son who was a junior doctor. I tried to explain it to  her but she just wouldn't listen. Her husband got it and was most embarrassed by the whole thing and very apologetic ( once his wife buggered off). So yep, run the show and make serious coin or cruise and make less but that doesn't make it cheaper for the end consumer.

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## plum

Do dentists do home visits?

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## ringtail

Maybe in Thailand  :Biggrin:  :Biggrin:  
Oh and the $315 for 2 hours work is still $ 150 per hour, assuming a 8 hour day thats 1260 per day, which is $ 6300 per week, which is $ 327 000 per year. No dentists dont get paid much at all do they ????? Not bad for a ring in eh  :Tongue:  :Tongue:  
Edit - 40% of 600 is $ 240. So thats 120 per hour, 960 per day, 4800 per week, $ 249 000 per year. What was I thinking, that's rubbish money  :Biggrin:

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## SlowMick

I'd like to think that if Dentists made house calls they'd have a chair set up in the back in a trailer with a fibregalss surround.  Similar setup to the mobile dog grooming people. :Biggrin:

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## m6sports

> Maybe in Thailand  
> Oh and the $315 for 2 hours work is still $ 150 per hour, assuming a 8 hour day thats 1260 per day, which is $ 6300 per week, which is $ 327 000 per year. No dentists dont get paid much at all do they ????? Not bad for a ring in eh  
> Edit - 40% of 600 is $ 240. So thats 120 per hour, 960 per day, 4800 per week, $ 249 000 per year. What was I thinking, that's rubbish money

  These prices are the most a dentist can make as crown and bridge work is we're the money is but tell me one dentist that all they do is fit crown and bridges all day every day  
Im glad you got that off your chest..... If your so against how much dentists make. Stop working for the next 7 years and study full time end up with a HECs bill of 100k and then tell me they make to much money. 
once again I'm not a dentist so I don't care if you like them or not but I'm just stating they don't make as much as everyone thinks. I wasn't the one that made sly comments about my field of work so IMO if you want to take low shots at me then do so but don't expect me to stay quiet  
as for the Defence force getting taken over by medibank for the dental treatment, it was likely to save money and all dentists/prosthetists can only do the work referred to them by the ADF medical officer.  
So its not up to us on what we want or think  should be done but we work under instructions, we also work off a fee schedule so prices are governed by ADF and medibank I can't see anyone ripping the system off IMO it's a good system that I'm yet to see any work from 
ringtail get your facts right before bad mouthing other fields of work, it's people like you that give dentists a bad name nobody made you choose being a chippy if you not happy with how much you make go and study and pick another field of work.

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## ringtail

Whoa , take it easy tiger. As you said, you're not  a dentist, so why do you care ? I just wonder why you wont acknowledge the fact that dentists, as do other medical professionals, make a crap load of money. Maybe you* don't* think 150 k per year on wages is big money ? I do. There is absolutely nothing wrong with making a crap load of money either. I dont understand why you are so cranky about it. No one has taken a shot at you at all, merely your opinion that dentists don't make good money. I don't hate dentists. I hate going to the dentist like every other person on the planet - big difference. Blubbing on about a 100K HECS debt is just ridiculous. Their HECS debt is a reflection of the amount of training and education they get. The end result is a high income and therefore they have the ability to repay the debt fast. A tradie endures 4 years of rubbish money (among other things)and then a fairly ordinary money as a tradesman - unless they take the risk and go into business for themselves. Even then their income is proportional to economic conditions and the health of the building industry - nothing is guaranteed. Who said I was not happy being a chippy  - apart from you ? I'm perfectly happy.

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## SlowMick

Happy so long as the coffee in your cup isn't instant?  :Biggrin:  :Biggrin:  :Biggrin:

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## ringtail

Indeed

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## shauck

I studies to be a naturopath many years ago and at the time of graduating (15 years ago) I could expect to charge 70-80 per hour. Now I earn about 35 per hour (sometimes more). I know I'd rather be playing with wood, regardless. It's not always about the money. The other day I spent a fair bit of the day helping build a screen and doing some fencing. I don't have any work on and am sitting on my hands at the moment, waiting for the next big one. So at the end of a hot day working, I was asked what I was owed and I said, oh, just buy me slab. I just wanted to hang out and do stuff. That's how you measure your situation, in my opinion. Would you do it for fun?   
Tanya is making me a coffee. Yeah.

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## ringtail

> Would you do it for fun?

  
You betcha. 
PS, 35 is way too low ( get that or more on wages with full super/holidays/sick leave), should be 50 minimum for running your own business and more like 60 - 80 + gst. Just think of what a builder would charge you out for and come back a little bit from that - unless of course you are happy getting paid 35 :Biggrin:  :Tongue: . Also bear in mind that minimum adult wage is now around $21 per hour. As a skilled tradesperson you must be worth at least double or tripple the amount that some deadhead can get paid doing unskilled work. 
PPS - enjoy the brew

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## Armers

Well that thread went off on a little tangent! *he says as he sips his coffee*

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## ringtail

Yes it did didn't it - he says as he sips his coffee   :Biggrin:

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## PhilT2

Can't let that one slide by, basic wage in the aged care, disability support and a few others is just under $15.50hr. Lots of others,factory hands etc under $18hr Pay and Conditions Guides - Pay - Social and Community Services - Industries - Fair Work Ombudsman

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## ringtail

Wow, my bad. Just what I was told by a guy who just employed 2 staff in his warehouse. That's disgraceful. No wonder they have trouble retaining staff or attracting quality staff and expecting them to stay and put up with that . A bit like childcare I guess.

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## PhilT2

It's not just the money, there's the conditions as well. In aged and disability care you get to help all the people who can't wipe their own bum or don't make it to the toilet on time. Then there's the dementia patients and mentally ill who feel the need to assault those who care for them. At $15.50hr I'm surprised we get anybody. This is the other side of the coin; we hear lots about those who live on welfare and do anything to avoid work. We rarely hear about those who will put up with all kinds of s**t in order to stay off welfare.

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## shauck

I stick to a slightly low income (for what I do) to keep some pressure off. I don't advertise, so I only work for people who know me either directly or through others that know me. I'm still a bit scared of the demanding stranger type of customer so until I feel okay about that, I'll stick to low key. If I do a few hours work or a day or two for the local real estate, I'll charge 50 bucks an hour. My main goal is to encourage jobs that may never get done otherwise. Some people just can't afford it. It's still a learning process for me so I feel I'm being paid pretty well considering my experience. My rate will go up when I think it's time. Aside from that, the rate around here would be less across the board than in the city. I know of others charging a similar rate. But I hope to push that up at some point.  
Just finished first coffee.

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## ringtail

Whatever you're comfortable with is the way to go for sure Su. 
PhilT2 - totally agree. The people working in that industry are a special breed. No way I could do what they do  
Machine on, waiting for wife to get up......

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## shauck

second coffee down. better get out of bed and go do something.

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