SWNS5:481 day ago"I spent two days in London with £0 - blagging free hotel, meals and 4* spa day"SWNSA man enjoyed two days in London without spending a penny - by blagging a free hotel, meals and even a 4* spa day. George Redfern, 21, decided to see if he could survive in the capital for two days without spending any money - starting his challenge on August 3. He arrived at Euston Station at 9.03am and headed to Premier Inn Westminster Abbey Hotel - where he was able to grab a free coffee and plan the day ahead. From there, George managed to blag free food from luxury hotel The Dilly and kip overnight in the lobby at The Generator Hostel, Shepherd's Bush, London. The next day he even snuck into a 4* hotel spa - enjoying a dip in the pool and use of their sauna. During the trip, George walked 50,000 steps over two days - unable to spend money on the tube or Ubers. He said he set himself the no spend challenge to step outside his comfort zone and to see what's possible with no money. George, a content creator, from the Wirral, Merseyside, said: "It's the most difficult thing I have ever done - it's the not knowing what is going to happen to next. "Before starting the challenge, I thought it would be best to dress smartly, so people had a certain perception of me. "The most difficult part of the challenge was finding a sleeping arrangement and the thought of not knowing where to sleep." George started by making his way to a hotel where he was able to get a free coffee and glass of water and plan his day ahead - including where to try and sleep and what fun things to do. He managed to sneak into the 4* Park Plaza London Waterloo and use their spa facilities - enjoying the pool and sauna. He said: "I walked past it first and usually with 4* star hotels they have someone at the door, but there was scaffolding on the building and that was the reason why they didn’t have anyone at the door. "I was just waiting to see what other people were doing to get into the spa and then a grandma just walked past and entered the spa, without speaking to anyone." George decided to do the same and strolled past the receptionist - who was distracted - before hopping in the pool for a swim and sitting in the sauna. George realised finding something to eat for free might be tricky - but he had an idea up his sleeve. He said: "I went into different outlets and said that my family ordered a load of food an hour ago and didn't get a burger to make it sound realistic. "I went into four shops and finally got a burger - which I was pleased about." George has now reflected on his …
SWNS1:041 day ago"We saved $11k doing a no spend year - cancelling Netflix and ditching meals out"SWNSA couple saved $11k doing a "no spend year" - by cancelling Netflix and Disney plus subscriptions and ditching meals out. Brighton Peachey, 33, and her husband, Michael Hofer, 36, a medical resident, decided to overhaul their finances after they realised they were living paycheck to paycheck. With Michael coming to the end of his studies in 2024, the pair realised they will have to pay back $120k in student loan bills - so needed to be smart with their money. The couple - who are parents to three children aged eight, six and three - also want to buy their own home in the future so cut back to be able to save up. During their no-spend year they continued to pay for essentials - such as rent, bills and groceries - but went without "luxuries" such as subscriptions, eating out, going to the barbers and expensive days out. They estimate they save $2000 every month - and say they've managed to save $11k overall so far. Brighton, an a content creator, from Portland, Maine, US, said: "As we were approaching this year, Michael was coming to the end of his medical training so we have a lot of bills. "We felt like we were living paycheck to paycheck. The month would roll around and we would be like 'where did our money go?'. "Last year I did four months of no spend. "Our motivation is to save money so we can start paying off our student loan debt and save for a house. "We went from saving no money each month and now we save around $2,000-a-month." With Michael coming to the end of his studies, the couple realised they will soon need to start paying off his student loan. Brighton said the couple also had $7k of credit card debt that they wanted to pay off before they started saving for a house. She said: "We got the idea to do this a few years ago and we have successfully done a no-spend January a few times. "We have only spent money on rent, food, gas and health insurance and really cut back everywhere else." Brighton said it was the small purchases would add up and made a big dint in their bank account. The couple used to spend $200 on subscriptions each month. Brighton said: "Our biggest problems were the small purchases - like meals out and subscriptions. "At the start of the year, we cancelled a bunch of subscriptions like Spotify, Audible, Hulu and HBO. "They were costing us $200-a-month." As well as giving up subscriptions, Brighton has stopped going for meals out - which would set them back £200-a-month. They have also given up having professional haircuts - …
SWNS1:181 day agoBristol, Birmingham and London businesses boarded up ahead of far right protestsSWNSShops and businesses across the country have begun boarding up their buildings amid fears right-wing rioters will cause chaos this evening. Pub landlords and estate agents are among those who are "concerned" after being warned by police of planned protests later today (Weds). Businesses in London, where protests are planned in four locations, say police visited them yesterday to warn them to take precautions. Meanwhile, shops in Bristol were also seen boarding up their windows for fear of being targeted by anti-immigration protestors. An immigration bureau near to the Walthamstow Central underground station in northeast London has been named online as one of four possible locations for protests across the capital. One popular pub in the area has confirmed it will shut for the day because of the protests, whilst several estate agents said they’d boarded up their high-street shops on the advice of police. Other protests across the capital are reportedly planned to take place at immigration centres in Harrow, northwest London, Hounslow in west London and Finchley, north London. Many businesses have shut up shop for the day or will be closing early due to fears of unrest. A nursery in Walthamstow has warned parents to collect their children "by 5pm" today (Wed) to "ensure children and staff get home safe and avoid potentially being caught up". One parent, posting the note on X, formerly Twitter, described the need for the advice as "beyond grim". Meanwhile, Walthamstow pub The Nag’s Head told its followers on Instagram it wouldn’t be open - telling customers to "stay safe". The pub said in a post: “We’ll be closed on Wednesday August 7 due to [a] potential protest in Walthamstow to ensure safety of our employees and customers. “Please everyone stay safe! We’ll be back again on Thursday 8.” An employee at the Walthamstow branch of Foxtons Estate Agents - which sits directly next door to the immigration centre - confirmed they had boarded up their office, as well as their Finchley branch after being advised to do so by police. “We have been advised by the police to put boardings up for safety,” the woman said. A woman working at Your Move Estate Agents, just a little further down the road, said they’d received similar advice from police yesterday. “We haven’t boarded up but we have the shutters down and we are going to close early, around five o’clock. We got the advice yesterday from the police, who came in to see us.” A manager at another estate agent on the …
SWNS0:571 day ago"We saved over £20k after buying second-hand kitchen for just £50 on Facebook"SWNSA couple "saved £20k" after building the bulk of their second-hand kitchen from Facebook Marketplace for just £50. Louise Horton, 35, and her husband, Peter, 37, a site manager, spent eight months transforming the kitchen for an estimated £1k in total in their three-bed house in Suffolk. After deciding they didn't want to fork out over £20k for a brand new design, they sourced almost everything second-hand, describing the process as a "labour of love on a tiny budget". Louise - who began tinkering with DIY projects during lockdown - says she looks at what she could "do" to a room, rather than buy for it. The couple struck gold when they found someone selling their entire kitchen for just £50 - including the oven - with the only catch being the buyer would need to collect everything. Louise and Peter went and stripped down the seller's kitchen before taking home all the cabinets, doors, shelves, carcasses and the Leisure oven - which costs over £500 alone brand new. They then began sanding, priming and painting every piece of wood in a deep green colour before reconstructing it. They were even able to score a free sink from a neighbour - who was also doing up their kitchen at the time. They combined their second-hand furniture with a modern compound laminate worktop - designed to look like marble - costing around £800. The only other costs the couple forked out were for a kitchen island - setting them back £300 and a set of double doors which they found on Facebook Marketplace. Mum-of-three Louise says the key to their success was having a "very clear plan and vision" before buying anything. Louise, an actress, from Bury St Edmonds, Suffolk, said: "We bought all the cabinets of that kitchen and the oven was included in that deal. "The guy was getting a new kitchen refitted and didn't want to go through the hassle of stripping it all out. "So he sold it really cheap and part of the deal is we had to remove it. "It's such a beautiful kitchen to work in now and I got quotes for an MDF kitchen and they were in the £20k region - so we saved a lot on it. "I had a very clear plan in mind and that's my advice on how to do it - you have to know exactly what you want. "I knew every part that we needed and the style for the theme. I knew where I wanted everything and I had the vision from the start." Louise's passion for interior design began during the first Covid lockdown when she and Peter renovated their house. She said: "I like pushing the boundaries and when I …
SWNS1:071 day ago"I live with my husband and boyfriend - it was the only way to afford a house"SWNSA polyamorous mum who lives with her husband AND boyfriend says inviting a third person into the relationship was the "only way" they could afford to buy a house. Jennifer Martin, 36, and her husband Daniel, 36, had previously struggled with their finances and had $50,000 of student debt between them. The couple - who have two children together aged 11 and 13 - decided to try polyamory nine years ago. Jennifer began dating Ty Simpson, 34, a process manager at a bank, six years ago and the family all moved in to a rented a house together initially. They couldn't be happier and Jennifer says they decided to pool their finances which finally enabled them to buy a four-bedroom, three-bathroom house for $325k. Jennifer, a writer, living in Richmond, Virginia, US, said: “I don’t think it would’ve happened without three incomes. "I don't even know if Daniel and I would've been able to buy a house otherwise - period. “Ty moved in with us not primarily for financial reasons, but it was definitely a big benefit. "It's changed my life." Daniel, a school teacher, said: "Finances are less of a worry since we all combined our incomes. "I enjoy the freedom that we all have together in our new home. There's space for everyone, and it is nice to own a property so we can make it our own." Jennifer met Daniel through the church at aged 18, they tied the knot at age 20 and had their children by aged 25. She said: “Daniel and I have never had separate finances. We’re very intertwined financially - it’s almost co-dependent. “We had kids young, and we were on WIC - a food program for women, infants and children - and then food stamps for a little bit.” The couple agreed to try polyamory in December 2015 and opened up their marriage in 2016. Jennifer said: “I posed it to my husband that I wasn’t sure whether I could do monogamy forever. “We read books, researched, went to therapies. We took it really slow because we didn’t have much experience in dating other than each other.” She began dating Ty in 2018 and in March 2020 they all moved in together. Jennifer said: “I talked to my kids about it, and we asked for their permission. It was a decision we made really mindfully and carefully.” The three also spoke at length about finances before deciding to combine them. Together, their income is around $160,000-a-year - Jennifer makes roughly $30,000, Daniel $55,000, and Ty, $75,000. Jennifer said: “We talked a lot about how to split costs, and we’ve never had a fight about it. "We’re …
SWNS0:531 day agoGirl, four, died after dog fell off balcony and landed on her in streetSWNSA four-year-old girl died after a dog fell off a terrace and landed on her in the street below. A video shows the dog plummet towards the ground and land on the girl who was walking with her mother in Mumbra of Thane district in India on August 6. A local source said: "Her mother quickly picked her up and, along with a few others, rushed her to the hospital as she had gone unconscious. "According to reports, the girl tragically succumbed to her injuries. "It's unclear how the dog fell from the building, but it's crucial to investigate the matter to prevent such incidents in the future."
