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The cost of living in Dublin compared to Johannesburg

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It seems we have swapped one expensive city for another by deciding to move from Johannesburg to Dublin. Check out the cost of living in Dublin here:Johannesburg is known as an expensive city to live in in South Africa. The salaries are often higher than other parts of South Africa, but cost of living in Johannesburg can be costly. It seems we have swapped one expensive city for another by deciding to move from Johannesburg to Dublin. This is because Dublin is also known to be extremely costly to live in. By UK standards, Dublin is almost as expensive as London for people to live in the city of Dublin.

Since moving to Dublin, Rob and I have often tried to compared the cost of living here in Dublin versus back home in Johannesburg. I sometimes think life here in Dublin is better, simply for the fact that we are currently living on one salary, something we don’t think would be possible back in Johannesburg. It definitely would not be possible to live the life we had back in SA in the same way. Things would have had to have changed, and been cut down, and even still – I don’t think it is possible to live on one salary in South Africa.

The cost of living in Dublin compared to Johannesburg, check it out here: Click To Tweet

In some ways you just cannot compare the two cities – they each offer something different. But for the purpose of this post, I have outline a few differences that we have personally experienced (Disclaimer: this is our opinion of the cost of living in Dublin compared to living in Johannesburg).

Things that are without a doubt cheaper in Johannesburg:

  • Take out meals are super affordable, most noticeably a McDonald’s combo meal. Also, you can order in and get it delivered in Johannesburg for a small fee – in Dublin getting it delivered is a bit of a luxury. Personally we have found buying frozen pizza from Tesco is cheaper than to order from a takeout chain (Dominoes large pizza costs EUR22 in Dublin; compared to ZAR86 in Johannesburg)
  • Eating out in general. Back in SA we would eat out quite regularly. Just a regular dinner, dessert and couple of drinks (or bottle of wine) is something we did at least once every second week. But eating out in Dublin can cost you anywhere from an early bird special (before 6pm) EUR20 and up, per person.
  • Chicken Fillets. For some reason, buying chicken filleted breasts in bulk in SA was way cheaper than here in Dublin. It is almost cheaper to eat pork or salmon in Dublin than to eat chicken!
  • Beer/wine. *You knew I would go here*. Wine in South Africa is pretty hard to beat (and that is not just me being biased). There are loads of really good bottles of wine for under ZAR60 a bottle in the local shops throughout South Africa.  Whereas in Dublin you have to wait for Tesco to have a sale to get a half decent bottle for EUR10. You can get Spier here in Dublin, which honestly I absolutely hate it, but that costs over EUR12! Not only wine, but beer is also expensive here in Dublin. It kind of baffles me that local beer like Guinness is still quite expensive in Dublin, the home of the black stuff. Back in SA, most of the local beers are affordable (obviously not including the craft beer). Also, I am yet to find a good (cheap) cider like Savanna. Although you can get Savanna’s at certain stores and pubs – it is just really expensive in Dublin!
  • Monthly rent in Johannesburg compared to Dublin. Not only can you get a place that is a lot bigger, with a garden and a garage, and possibly some off street parking in South Africa, but rent is a bit cheaper there too. The only difference is that most places in South Africa are rented unfurnished. For the rand value price we are paying for rent here in Dublin for a 2 bedroom place with no garage, and a teeny court yard garden – you could rent out 3 places in some parts of Johannesburg (atleast!).
  • Buying a house/ getting a loan for a house is a bit easier to do in South Africa. Here in Dublin you need at least a 10% deposit, and you can’t borrow more than 3.5 times your annual salary so getting a loan from the bank is tricky. Cost of houses means that it is almost impossible for families to get onto the property ladder, so you find a lot people rent for a long time here. Whereas in Johannesburg, Rob and I went out and bought a place over a rainy weekend one day with very little issue.
  • Cleaning services. In South Africa, cheap domestic labour is rife (which is definitely not something I agree with). Many homes have a cleaner that comes in at least once a week to clean their homes. Here in Dublin, you would be lucky to find someone to come and clean for a few hours – and guaranteed they won’t really do the “deep clean” you are used to back in SA.
  • Medicine. This isn’t so much the cost of meds but more the shortage of strong medication over the counter in Ireland. If you are planning on moving to Ireland, stock up on your meds of choice before you get here!

Things that are considerably cheaper in Dublin

  • Clothes could be seen as being cheaper in South Africa, but Ireland has proper discounted sales, and a huge selection of fast fashion that are very, very affordable.
  • Milk, eggs and cheese. I find these to be quite a bit more affordable than back in South Africa.
  • Seasonal food can be very affordable. Over winter we got a bag of brussel sprouts for 12c in Dublin! and right now nectarines and peaches are 49c for a punnet.
  • Internet (and its faster!). We have wifi at the house and we honestly have no problems downloading, streaming TV and watching YouTube videos all day every day.  This also means that we save on paying for cable TV because we can access everything off the internet. (Read this post on how we save money in a foreign country)
  • Public transport might be more expensive in rand value, but it is more reliable here than in South Africa, and more of a network here in Dublin makes it well used by a lot of people. Some companies also offer bike to work schemes where they incentivise you to use a bike instead of driving in to work. Public transport is also capped daily and weekly so that it does make it more affordable to use regularly.
  • Phone and gym contracts don’t tie you in – so they feel like they might be cheaper in Dublin because it is so easy to switch and change if the prices increase. It takes as little as 2 hours to port your cell number so changing networks is pretty easy to do here in Dublin. Rob is currently paying EUR5 for unlimited data and calls within Ireland, since we can call home using whatsapp or skype – this makes it super cheap to do!
  • Water is free in Ireland. Bit crazy but true. Currently government is trying to change this, but the public are having none of it, so for now, water is free.

Other things that get a bit more complicated to compare:

  • Things like electronics, I think costly pretty much the same in both countries.
  • Electricity/Gas – In rand value it is more expensive in Dublin, but then we are needing to heat the house here in winter. But I think considering the portion of our salary that we used to pay for this, it works out a bit cheaper in Ireland that back in South Africa. We also pay this every second month, so its not a monthly cost.
  • Cars are cheaper in South Africa, but we think that compared to the salary you earn here in Dublin, it is cheaper to buy a second hand car here in Ireland than it is on a salary you can earn in Johannesburg.

DO YOU FIND IT EXPENSIVE TO LIVE IN YOUR CITY?

Unlock the simple life,

~Meg~

p.s. If social media is your thing (snap! It’s my fave too!), you should totally follow me on Instagram.

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It seems we have swapped one expensive city for another by deciding to move from Johannesburg to Dublin. Check out the cost of living in Dublin here:

The things no one talks about when you move to a new country

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The things no one talks about when you move to a new country - living abroad can be challenging, and being an expat in a foreign country is hard - here are some truths you need to know before you move over.I feel like lately I have been starting off most of my blog posts along similar lines. But seriously, moving countries is by far the hardest thing I have ever done. And I feel like the topic of emigrating from your home country to some place foreign is often romanticized. The cold hard truth is unless someone has done it, no one will really understand what it is you are going through. Since moving over, so many people have contacted me about making the same move. And while I fully support the idea that everyone should experience living in a new country, I do think some people need to remove the rose-tinted glasses and really get real with themselves for a minute. In most cases, it is not as simple as hopping on a plane and everything just working out grand. At least that has not been the case for us, it has not been all smooth sailing. If you have been following my blog for a while now, you know that I am all about keeping it real. So if you really want to move to a new country, let me just drop a couple of truth bombs for you, so you can go in with eyes wide open, and fully prepared for what could lie ahead of you.

Looking to move to a new country? Let me drop some truth bombs, so you are prepared. Click To Tweet

The comparison game is real strong.

Thanks to social media and the fact that just about everyone knows someone who has moved overseas, and all of them so successfully – you will think it will be easy. You will see your friends post selfies of all their travels all over the world and you will think it all looks magical, and fantastic, and that they just have life figured out while you are still trying to figure out the correct way to put your trash out on the curb.

There are many roads that you can take that, that will lead you to the same destination (hopefully).

What I mean is that your journey may be hugely different to someone else, but you might end up at the same destination. For example, we came to Ireland with Rob on a South African passport, and me on a Canadian passport – which for living in Ireland means that we are essentially the same. There are of course benefits to being an EU passport holder (even if it is just one of you), but it does mean that your path will be vastly different to the path that Rob and I are currently on. It makes it hard to get advice and help from the few people you meet along the way – because there are so many ways to skin this cat.

Plan for every eventuality.

The reality is that things never go as you plan or as you hope. No matter how much you save, and prepare for the worst, moving countries is expensive. It is important to know the details of your visa requirements, work permit issues, on top of things like finding a place to stay, paying bills, opening bank accounts, and basically trying to live in a foreign land.

You are the foreigner.

No matter how you look at it, you are the outsider. When we decided to move to Ireland, I kinda thought the Irish would be funny and welcoming. I also thought that because we both speak English, that it would be easy to connect here. But it hasn’t been so easy. No matter how good you are at making friends and connecting with people, you will always be the strange one, the one who thinks and acts differently from the rest, the one who is different from the rest. And that is something that is hard for someone who doesn’t like standing out.

Behaviours/ cultures/ attitudes will be different to what you are used to.

I have been told by some Irish that they find South African women aggressive and blunt. We personally have found it very hard to read Irish folk. They come across as very polite, and very relaxed but there is a definite undertone of the right and wrong way to behave here. You might also think that everything is grand, but behind your back they are frustrated that you are just not getting it. There is an awful lot of beating around the bush here (compared to back home where people openly speak their mind, whether you want to hear it or not!) and we have had a few indirectly misleading experiences with communication here.

Things turn very slowly here.

Processes and procedures often come across as a bit backward compared to back in South Africa (for example, you have to make and appointment to open up a bank account and you have to go into the bank to fill out the form – FNB, we miss you!). There is various paperwork you need to submit (again, depending on your visa status) to get a work permit, open up a bank account, set up a tax number, etc. The biggest learning curve I have experienced has been to not have things go as planned, and to just roll with it, sometimes things are out of your control and you just have to go through the paper work and wait for a positive response.

Making friends is hard.

It is harder when you get older, and you aren’t single, partying every night or studying with a class full of potential friends. When you move countries in your mid 30’s as a married couple, but also don’t have kids – you find you fit into quite a selective niche which makes making friends hard. We are also on an extremely tight budget right now, so we can’t go out and join a running club, or head to our local for after-work pints every week. Even going out for lunch mid-week with work colleagues is a no-go on our current budget. The truth is, making friends when you know absolutely no one in a country is hard. We have been here for nearly 8 months and I can still count on my hands the amount of people we actually classify as real friends here.

Finding fellow South Africans is inevitable (and also, irritating).

We have tried very hard to not just hang out with South Africans. Actually nothing drives us more crazy than when our parents make jabs that we only hang out with South Africans. Just because you meet fellow South Africans does not mean you have to be friends with all of them. We have been lucky enough to find people we really connect with – and it is regardless of if they are South African or not.

You will constantly be put out of your comfort zone.

Being an expat requires you to put yourself out there – all. the. time. You need to always be making the first move, getting to know people and making plans.

People will question your motives for leaving your country.

They will ask you about your home, and sometimes you will get annoyed at their small-minded perceptions of your country (or that they have only been to Cape Town – check out my 6 reasons why you need to visit other parts of South Africa). I think it is really important for Rob and I that we are brand ambassadors for South Africa, nothing makes me happier talking about how awesome South Africa is. And nothing annoys me more when fellow South African expats put down home and only list off all the reasons they left. Sure South Africa isn’t perfect, but its home, and we flippen love it. We will always be proud to be South African.

No one will ever understand what it feels like to live in a new country.

Unless they are going through it with you, or have done a stint overseas before – no one will get how emotional and hard it can really be. People look at your life in a new country as either 1) they left us; 2) living in a 1st country has got to be awesome; 3) why aren’t you guys just travelling all the time?

People often forget that we are not on a permanent holiday over here. We have to find jobs, work in a new environment, build new work networks and connections (from scratch, and knowing no one), live and pay bills, save for retirement, go to the doctor, grocery shop – just like everyone else back home. The only difference is that for us, nothing is the same as home. Everything is a learning curve just waiting to be figured out.

You will lose friends.

This truth breaks me a little. We are not new to this concept of moving places, and uplifting our life. On a very small-scale we moved from Durban to Johannesburg first. During this process, we lost friends. Some warned us that it would happen, and others just took us completely by surprise. Life gets busy, and I get that. Whats more frustrating is that on top of continually putting yourself out here in a new country, you also need to keep making an effort to keep connecting with friends back home. What I have learnt is that the effort needs to come from both sides. If you are the only one who is the first to send a text, and first to make contact and remind them that you are still here even if you are far away, eventually you take the hint and stop making the first move. I know that to most it is an unintentional “life gets busy” syndrome, and we all have our own shit to deal with. But honestly, knowing that doesn’t make it any easier to deal with when you lose mates back home. For some, you may lose connections with people who might have had negative hold on you, so I guess that is a good thing if you can let go of those friendships. For me, it’s the friends who have been around through so many of your other challenges in life that drift away the minute you are in a new continent that are a lot harder to accept.

Lastly, when people say “If it’s too hard, you guys can always come back” is a bunch of bullshit.

The fact of the matter is that we sold everything we owned to get over here, and the only way out  for us is to get through it. We have to make this work. There can be no going back. And the truth is, even if we were to end up going back sooner than we hoped, in 8 months our lives and minds have completely been shifted by this experience. We will be forever changed whatever happens down the line. This process has branded us, good or bad, we are learning through experiencing it all first hand. We are figuring out how to do life in a new country together and for that we are truly grateful.

Moving to a new country is the biggest life roller-coaster you will ever ride. It is challenging, but I am sure it will be rewarding. We are not quite settled yet, and honestly, we are taking it as it comes – let’s just hope we come out it alive!

FELLOW EXPATS, WHAT IS ONE THING YOU THINK PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT BEFORE THEY MOVE TO A NEW COUNTRY?

Unlock the simple life,

~Meg~

p.s. If social media is your thing (snap! It’s my fave too!), you should totally follow me on Instagram.

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The things no one talks about when you move to a new country - living abroad can be challenging, and being an expat in a foreign country is hard - here are some truths you need to know before you move over.

How camping in Ireland is different to South Africa

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So what are the differences between camping in Ireland versus camping in South Africa?Rob and I recently were lucky enough to be invited to our first camping trip in Ireland. Our new friends invited us to tag along for their 40th Birthday celebration. As with most campers we have met – these guys love camping. But more than a love for camping, they are avid campers. What makes them so over qualified for camping is that they are mountaineers! They all met at university – and were part of the moutaineering club back in the day. So you could say that we were safely in the hands of experts in Ireland.

Rob and I have always enjoyed the odd camping excursion. Back in South Africa, we enjoyed going camping with a few regular camping friends. In fact our first ever camping trip together was in the Pilanesberg. I tried looking through my pictures of that first camping trip, and realised the only pictures I snapped were of the animals we saw on our game drive (shame, tough life back in Africa – score one for South African camping!). For context, and for the purpose of showing the differences between South Africa and Ireland camping, I found this image via Google of the campsite in Pilanesberg:

pilanesberg-camp-site-bakga-South Africa

Image Source: Findtripinfo

So we like camping, and back home we had been slowly building up all the necessary camping equipment. Something Rob taught me very early on, the trick with enjoying camping is going away with the right gear. If you are kitted out enough – it makes the experience much more enjoyable. And he was right, even with our first experience getting off to a shaky start (we arrived at the campsite, at night, and had to pitch a tent that we were not familiar with – in the dark!), I have loved all our camping trips together. What makes it so much fun is that I get to plan and organise to a point, but once we are all set up – then its pure relaxing, you can really step away from the hustle and bustle, and just be at one with the great outdoors (I realise this sounds super cheesy, but it is true).

The differences between camping in Ireland vs South Africa? Read this post! Click To Tweet

The only major stumbling block to camping in Ireland was that we brought over absolutely none of our camping gear. Although we didn’t sell it with everything else we got rid over back home. All our camping gear is inconveniently sitting in storage, all the way back in South Africa. But Ruth and John were determined to have us join them. They arranged between the extra gear they owned, and all their mountaineering friends, and rallied to find us a tent, sleeping mats, sleeping bags – all the camping essentials. They even gave us a lift to the campsite and back home after. If that wasn’t enough, they fed us too. We were treated to the five star Irish camping experience, perhaps you could even call it glamping since someone helped us put up the tent when we arrived. So camping in Ireland definitely is way better than home (score ten for Ireland – thanks John, Ruth and friends!)

A little info on where we stayed:

We camped at a spot just outside of Tipperary, on the way to Limerick, called Ballinacourty House. It was an absolutely stunning location, with a beautiful view of the Galtee Mountains. Also close to a great biking park where the guys went off to mountain bike the one afternoon. It cost us 9 euro a night to pitch a tent, per person (excluding electricity). Camping in Ireland might be the way we explore more of this beautiful country, because under a tenner for a night is a huge cost saving in my books! Plus, this particular camping spot allows you to bring dogs! John and Ruth’s neighbours have the coolest giant schnauzer called Harper who got to come camping with all of us. On the camping grounds there is a walled garden with beautiful flowers, I took a million pictures of all the beautiful flowers – I definitely think it is a spot I would love to take Rob’s parents to, I know they would love it there!

Here are a few pics from the weekend:

Ballinacourty House. Camp site. Camping in Ireland. Galtee Moutains in the distance. Campsite is near Tipperary, on the way to Limerick

Our campsite (our tent was on the right)

Ballinacoutry House & Garden, Tipperary, Ireland. Camping, Campsite. Galtee Mountains.

The walled garden

giant schnauzer. dog. pet. Ireland

Harper! This picture really doesn’t show how big she is.

So what are the differences between camping in Ireland versus camping in South Africa?

  1. Pitching a tent in Ireland is a whole lot easier. (and that is not because someone did it for us). The ground is so soft that the pegs just sink into the ground – in South Africa one of the key camping essentials is a big hammer to hammer the pegs into the dry, arid ground.Caamping in Ireland. Ballinacourty Campsite, Tipperary
  2. Not every camp spot has their own BBQ facilities. Every campsite in South Africa has braai (BBQ) facilities next to every tent! In Ireland, you have to bring your own, or in some cases, there are communal facilities that you share with the other campers.
  3. Recycling depots. I love that all throughout Ireland there are facilities you can use that help you to recycle. It is not so big back home, and I have never seen collection points for plastic, bottles and general waste all separated at an actual campsite until we were in Ireland.
  4. Plan for all weather types in one day. In Ireland it can honestly be all four seasons in one hour. On our camping trip we had a bit of everything. It was cold at night (I did not pack enough warm clothes!), was misty in the mornings, and then it cleared up and was such a beautiful sunny day (I even got sun-burnt on my feet, because it was the first time wearing sandals in Ireland!). So bring sunblock, plus a thick coat. It is kind of weird that even though it rained, it didn’t ruin the camping experience. Back in South Africa, if you went camping and it started to rain, you would probably pack up and go home early. But I will say the rain here in Ireland is not like back home. It is more of a light drizzle, and you hardly experience thunderstorms, so it is not all together too bad.
  5. Midgies versus Miggies – it is important that you know the difference. In South Africa we have these pesty bugs that fly around in a group, just annoying you. They will fly into your face, and just generally buzz about. Those are called Miggies. Midgies are something we have only encountered in Ireland. These little buggers are lethal. They are like a cruel mix of a mosquito and a red ant. When they attack, you know it. But they are very tricky to really spot, they look like miggies, but they bite, so that means they are far the worst. We tried several midgie sprays, plus wore thick layers and covered up – and still got attacked.

I have to say that we love camping – whether it is in Ireland or in South Africa. It is great to be outside, and away from the city. It was just the kind of mini-break we needed. A huge thanks to our new friends, John and Ruth, for making such a big effort to make our very first camping trip in Ireland a memorable one. We know that there will be more camping trips in our future, and we hope that one day, we can pay it forward and help someone out just like they helped us.

Do you like camping? Where is your favourite place to camp?

Unlock the simple life,

~Meg~

p.s. If social media is your thing (snap! It’s my fave too!), you should totally follow me on Instagram.

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So what are the differences between camping in Ireland versus camping in South Africa?

How a pet improves your life as an expat

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Moving countries is hard. It is genuinely the hardest thing we have ever done. But I think it would have been so much harder if we didn't have our beloved pet. Only since we have moved over have I realized how much a pet can improve your life as an expat. #livingabroad #expatlife #puglife

Moving countries is hard. It is genuinely the hardest thing we have ever done. But I think it would have been so much harder if we didn't have our beloved pet. Only since we have moved over have I realized how much a pet can improve your life as an expat.#livingabroad #expatlife #puglifeWe always knew we would take Jack (our pug) where ever we went (Read how to bring your pet into Ireland). He is part of our family and we love him dearly. In truth, I love him more than most people. He has always brought us so many laughs and love in the 3 short years we have had him. But I never really knew how much we needed him until we moved to a new country.

Moving countries is hard. It is genuinely the hardest thing we have ever done. But I think it would have been so much harder if we didn’t have our beloved pet. Only since we have moved over have I realized how much a pet can improve your life as an expat.

Jack the pug

When everything is said and done, only people who have gone through a move to a new country, or are going through a move like this, can really empathize with what you are going through. People get busy, and when you are not around them, they move on and life happens. But a pet will always be there no matter what. Jack genuinely just loves us. I think he loves his little life with us, and having him around has lifted our spirits when we have felt despair and loneliness. The truth is, we have had an emotional year so far. As much as we have grown stronger as a couple, having Jack has improved our lives greatly too.

I have been unemployed for over two months now, and it has been a hard adjustment for all of us. You have this idea of how things will go: move over, get a job, start traveling, life is grand. But life doesn’t always stick to a plan you have designed in your head. We have had to work out a budget using only one salary. We have had to learn how to figure out this new dynamic of me being home all day, and Rob going off to work. Rob has had to figure out the new work culture here, and when I start work, things will change again. But every morning we start the same as we did back home, and every night when we go to bed, the same as we did back home. We do it with Jack. We do it all three of us together.

Jack the pug loves the beach. #beachpug

Jack gets up when Rob gets up in the mornings, and he sits with him while Rob eats his breakfast (hoping for treats, I am sure). Then when Rob hops into the shower, Jack jumps back into bed with me, for a snuggle. When I get up, we play with the sheets (I try to make the bed, Jack tries to sleep some more). We mission down the stairs and start our day. Jack follows me everywhere. He comes out and watches me load the washing machine, while I make coffee, while I iron and clean the house (except when the vacuum cleaner comes out because then he hides away). When I sit to blog, check mail, make calls, scan social media – he sits on my lap and snoozes. He loves to be where I am. And I love that he loves me so much. The best part of my day is when we go for our walk. The way that he runs and sniffs everything. I think I see him smiling. He is always so excited to get outside. To meet other dogs and get treats from other people. I could be having the worst, loneliest, saddest day but the minute we are in the park and Jack is off his lead, I can’t help but smile and love him even more. He lifts my spirits.  I think more people need to live life like Jack: care-free and with an open heart.

let sleeping pugs lie #puglife

When Rob comes home, often as he is turning the key, Jack is running to the door. He is the first one to greet Rob when he comes home. And it makes Rob so happy. I see it in Rob’s face – the love he has for both of us. Jack just makes our hearts happy. Rob goes up to get out of his work gear, and the two of them play while I cook dinner. Sometimes the three of us walk together; or we sit and watch series; or talk about our day. After dinner, we all get ready for bed. He is the first one to snuggle up in between us and usually starts snoring before we turn the lights off. We kiss each other good night, all three of us together. One happy little family.A family of reindeer for Christmas

I have heard all the benefits on owning a pet, and how a pet improves your life. But I can’t stress it enough, how much our pet has improved our lives as expats. When everything is foreign, and new – he remains the same, and loves us just the same.

If you are on Instagram, check out my stories, Jack features in a lot of them!

Let me know in the comments: Do you own a pet? How has your life improved since owning a pet?

Unlock the simple life,

~Meg~

p.s. If social media is your thing (snap! It’s my fave too!), you should totally follow me on Instagram.

p.p.s. I try post varied content once or twice a month, to be sure you don’t miss out on the new post you should sign up and get all the news straight in your inbox – Sign up now!