You’re not alone if you feel like you have no clue where you money goes.

You get your paycheck and have the best of intentions. You’ll save £300! You’ll stick to a budget! You’ll bring lunches in from home!

Then suddenly you’re skint with nothing to show for it.

How I Save is a weekly series to inspire you to get better acquainted with your saving and spending, the idea being that the more comfortable we are looking at and chatting about our finances, the easier it’ll be to get to a comfortable place.

Each week we look inside a different person’s bank account to see exactly how much they spend and save, then give them some expert advice to help them (and us) save better.

This week we’re looking at how Nina (not her real name), a 27-year-old PR living in Leeds, uses her money.

How Nina saves:

I earn £32,000 a year. In my savings account right now I have just under £5,000.

I’m saving for a deposit on a house. I would be looking to buy at some point next year, so there’s no major urgency… but it’s still a target to work towards.

The main way I save is moving 10% of my salary into my savings. I try to do so every month but this doesn’t always happen.  I do dip into it when I want to buy something and don’t quite have the money in my current account.

I struggle with saving because I tend to think quite short-term and see savings as still being disposable money even though I have put it to one side. It’s too accessible, basically.

How Nina spends:

Monthly expenses: 

• £650 rent and bills
• £20 phone bill
• £7.99 Netflix
• £9.99 Spotify – I don’t use it so I really should unsubscribe
• Petrol is about £50 to £60 a month

A week of spending: 

Monday: I spend £15 on lunch (it’s a special occasion), then £17 for an afternoon tea deal in advance.

For dinner I’m lazy and order Deliveroo – £11

Tuesday: Lunch at the work café costs £4.95. For dinner I do a supermarket shop for £6.35.

Wednesday: I get lunch from the corner shop at work, £4.35. Then dinner is another supermarket shop for £6.27.

Thursday: I go to McDonald’s for lunch and spend £6.28.

For dinner, it’s another supermarket shop – £13.89.

Then I spend £45 on an ASOS order.

Friday: Lunch at work café, £4.95.

I pay a friend in advance for a dinner deposit – £25.

Then I go for dinner out with friends that evening and spend £30. There’s an offer.

Saturday: £12 for a meal out at a Mexican for lunch, with another offer.

For dinner my takeaway is £8.70, but minimum spend for delivery is £10… so I spend £10.60 in the end.

Sunday: No outgoings. I ate food I already had in the house and had no social plans.

Total spent this week: £212.64

How I Save is a weekly series about how people spend and save, out every Thursday. If you’d like to anonymously share how you spend and save – and get some expert advice on how to sort out your finances – get in touch by emailing ellen.scott@metro.co.uk.

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When you’re having bad bouts of mental health, basic things like showering and eating regularly can become really tough.

Anxiety and depression can affect the way you eat, so people on social media are sharing the meals they’ve eaten to cope when they’re feeling low.

When Twitter user Hayley started the conversation on the ‘depression meals’ people had, others could relate.

She revealed that she eats toast with Chick-Fil-A sauce in order to get by during a depressive episode.

Calling it an abomination, Hayley asked others to share their weird and wonderful creations when cooking a meal seems insurmountable.

And her followers delivered, sharing images of un-shelled peanut cereal, inside-out hot dogs, nacho sandwiches and more.

Though they might be relatable, we don’t recommend living on a diet of these things.

Hey y’all please reply with the worst depression meal you’ve ever made…here is my abomination, toast with chick fil a sauce pic.twitter.com/9qIM8aQZ2T

— Saddington 2 ✈️😔 (@hayley_hud) June 18, 2019

The idea is to get nutrients and not go without nourishment, but some of the Twitter users revealed that they just grabbed the thing that was closest or easiest to make.

Some also shared stories of meals they got away with while living at home with their parents.

‘I used to just grab blocks of cheese and eat them whole for every meal for like weeks straight when I was in high school,’ wrote one person.

‘Worst part is no one in my family even questioned it they just started stocking the house with more blocks of cheese.’

One time I ordered mashed potatoes to be delivered to me bc depression and I didn’t have any utensils on me and was too depressed to move and get some from the kitchen, but did find a bag of tortilla chips near my bed so I ate my mashed potatoes with chips as the utensil. 😞

— Roald Doll (@rchlwtrs) June 18, 2019

Cheese was a popular staple as someone else wrote: ‘Taking bites out of the plain Philadelphia cream cheese (the one that comes in a box) like it was a giant cheese stick.’

Some of the meals were really random food combinations. One person wrote: ‘I dipped my salt and vinegar chips in peanut butter and washed it down with a pear Redbull’.

Others said that they weren’t necessarily eating random food, but instead choosing things that were filling and easy to access. Like the woman who ate potato every night during a long depressive episode.

Hayley’s tweet thread became a safe space for users who could relate but also encourage one another.

‘This one hurt to read, I hope you’re able to have more variety in your meals now’ replied one person to the potato comment.

Hey y’all please reply with the worst depression meal you’ve ever made...here is my abomination, toast with chick fil a sauce pic.twitter.com/9qIM8aQZ2T

— Saddington 2 ✈️😔 (@hayley_hud) June 18, 2019

We previously spoke to Nutritionist Clarissa Lenherr who explained to Metro.co.uk why mental health affects our ability to eat.

‘We have this fantastic connection that runs between our digestive systems and our brains, which is why our gut has now been nicknamed our “second brain”,’ she explains.

‘The two systems are connected by the vagus nerve, one of our 12 cranial nerves, that allows signals to flow back and forth between the two systems.

Cheese stick with Nutella and Gatorade. I got all the major food groups in. Cheese, sugar and sport

— sage parsley (@sisyphussage) June 18, 2019

‘This communication highway between the two means that when our mental health is compromised, the gut is one of the first things that can feel the repercussions.

‘Often those who have anxiety or depression can develop IBS-like symptoms thanks to this link.

‘For some, when they are anxious or depressed, they can find they lose their appetite or reach for “safe” and “comforting” foods. This can impact our dietary intake of essential nutrients and vitamins.’

For those who want ideas for easy to make meals that can provide nourishing nutrients, here are eight suggestions.

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Parenthood. It’s all about patience, compassion and unconditional love. Oh, and lies. Lots of lies.

Turns out, being a parent is surprisingly deceitful. Whether you’re trying to placate your kid, or your just bluff your way out of a question you don’t know the answer to – mums and dads are always telling lies.

People have taken to social media to share all of the fibs their parents used to spout when they were children – using #LiesYourParentsToldYou – and you will probably recognise a lot of these untruths.

Some are bigger than others, but all of the lies stuck with us – some of them we believed for years.

‘Driving a car with an interior light on is illegal,’ wrote one – a perfect example of a parental lie that lots of us believed to be true well into adulthood.

‘*At relative’s house* “We’re going home in five minutes, hold on,”‘ tweeted another.

‘If you tell me the truth I won’t get angry,’ added another – we definitely heard that one a few times when we were kids.

“Driving a car with an interior light on is illegal.”

#LiesYourParentsToldYou

— Amanda (@Pandamoanimum) June 20, 2019

"We'll go in 5 minutes baby I'm just talking to a friend" will we fuck maw weve been here 30 minutes as you talk shite with moira#LiesYourParentsToldYou

— deejay, whom creature (@DeejayStriddle) June 20, 2019

#LiesYourParentsToldYou the ice cream van plays music when they're all sold out

— Mrs P (@HelenElizzy) June 20, 2019

Lots of the lies seem to be about parents avoiding buying their children ice cream, the length of car journeys and what really happens if you swallow chewing gum.

Christmas is another hotbed of deceit for parents – who like to use the threat of Santa’s watchful eyes to get their kids to behave.

‘If Santa hears you up or if you go down stairs before us on Christmas Day all your presents will disappear!’ wrote one woman on Twitter.

‘If you don’t go to sleep Santa won’t come, and you’ll get no presents,’ added someone else. This Santa threat is a seriously common theme.

Laura’s parents took this idea one step further. They told her that there was ‘some sort of aerial across the field from our house and they told me that was Santa watching me.’ Not creepy at all.

#LiesYourParentsToldYou
You can only buy ice cream on a Friday. pic.twitter.com/HFvKp77Siu

— SixRocksWest (@SixRocksWest) June 20, 2019

If you go outside with wet hair, you catch a cold. #LiesYourParentsToldYou

— 𝔾𝕖𝕞𝕞𝕒 (@unpopularsoul) June 20, 2019

That I will grow a mushroom from my body if I don't take a bath.. and I'm continuing the tradition by telling the same lie to my kids. 😎#LiesYourParentsToldYou

— 🐨 RuBy 💜 aRMy 🐯[s/h] (@TaeAmoChurros) June 20, 2019

The hashtag also highlighted one of the most damaging parental lies of all – a lie that caused distress and great pain every time it was uttered: ‘dinner’s ready.’

But is it actually mum? If I go and sit at the table right now – will there be food waiting? Yeah, didn’t think so.

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Mash has been a staple of American KFC for a while – and it’s finally coming to the UK.

The fast-food brand has announced mash and two other sides for its new menu.

The Southern Rice, a lightly spiced rice with pepper and onion, and the Garden Salad, featuring crunchy lettuce, sweetcorn and fresh chopped tomato, will be added to the menu alongside the Creamy Mash.

The potato side means now you can finally create the ultimate gravy n’ mash in the UK.

Alongside the new permanent sides, they’re offering a limited edition bucket of Hot Wings – that’s 20 wings covered in a fiery coating for just £5.99.

The wings will be available from 17 June until 14 July.

They’re also trialling two brand new drinks. The Southern Refreshers Watermelon & Lime and Peach & Honey sparking drinks will be available at select restaurants for £1.19 until December.

The bad news is that the drinks will be replacing Pepsi in some stores until September.

It comes a week after they released the first vegan offering – the Imposter Burger – at selected stores.

The Imposter Burger is a Quorn fillet, in their special herbs and spices coating, in a roll with lettuce and vegan mayo.

We tried it last week, and it was pretty good.

The burger is being trialled in select stores in Bristol, The Midlands and one store in London for one month.

Next month, they will be trialling a vegetarian meal called the Southern Fritter Stacker – a mix of vegetables in a crispy coating.

We can’t wait to try it all.

MORE: People are sharing all the lies their parents told them – and we can relate

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When she was just two years old, Aminata’s village in the Democratic Republic of Congo was attacked and burned to the ground.

Her mother was out working in the field and her father, a small salt trader, was in town when their home in Makobola was raided by rebels, so Aminata and her older sister Johari ran for their lives. But, as they fled, both girls were shot.

Although they survived, Johari lost her arm and Aminata was left unable to walk.

Later that year their father was killed – a victim in the ongoing fight between rebels and the DRC army. ‘We were fatherless in addition to being disabled,’ says Aminata. ‘I was so disturbed that I gave up on life.’

All Aminata had was her love of learning. Because of the war in the DRC, sometimes she and her sister would go for two or three months at a time without attending school.

When it was safe enough to make the journey, Aminata, who had no equipment to assist her to walk, would be carried by her mother or crawl two hours to get to class.

‘I was able to learn, but with a lot of difficulty,’ Aminata says. ‘My quality of life was poor and I lived in a difficult environment. I pushed myself to get an education.’

Following further attacks on their new village of Lumogba, where the family had moved after Aminata and her sister were shot and their village was destroyed by fire, Aminata’s mother had no choice but to flee with her daughters to Nyaragusu refugee camp, having heard it was a safe place to go.

The family found a way to take a small boat not far from where they were staying to reach Tanzania.

Nyarugusu in Tanzania, close to the Burundi border, is one of the largest refugee camps in the world, now housing 150,000 Congolese refugees.

Aminata arrived in the camp in 2009, ten years after she was shot and left for dead. Although she found conditions in the camp challenging and doesn’t think of it as her home, Aminata found sanctuary through the protection of the UNHCR.

‘I like the camp because it’s peaceful,’ says Aminata. ‘In Congo I would always hear gunfire and sounds of war.’

What happened in the years to follow gave Aminata new hope.

In 2016, to help the vast number of refugees in need of a quality education, the Vodafone Foundation – the charity arm of Vodafone – set up its free Instant Network Schools programme in Nyarugusu and Aminata was able to get a window into a world that changed her outlook on life.

Instant Network Schools (INS) connect classrooms to the internet and provides tablet computers, digital educational content and teacher training, along with access to curated online content and resources. The programme has benefitted more than 86,000 students and 1,000 teachers across eight refugee camps in Sub-Saharan Africa.

‘The quality of education I got back [in the DRC] was very poor compared to what I have now and what the children have here,’ said Aminata.

‘Education is life. It’s taught me a lot about the digital age, about technology. I’ve gained knowledge on so many things. It’s boosted my self-confidence and made me a respected member of society. In 2017, I was employed as an [INS] coach. I was very happy. It gave me a lot of self-confidence as a woman – a disabled woman – to have the opportunity to share my knowledge with others.’

Now 24, Aminata supports teachers and students in the camp to adopt digital learning in the classroom.

‘I’ve been able to learn so many things and I’ve had the opportunity to teach these things to other people.

‘Initially, I didn’t even know what online learning was, but now technology has helped me to dream bigger,’ says Aminata.

‘In the past, studying IT didn’t occur to me because I knew nothing about it. My dream was to be a teacher. Now, I want to learn about computers and I want to learn how to make mobile apps that help people and create technologies that help disabled people to walk. I want to be a programmer. In 10 years my dream is to be a CEO of a big technological firm,’ Aminata says.

For Aminata, education is the key to broadening her horizons. She is exploring the possibility of relocation through UNHCR, which would give her the opportunity to apply to move to another country and start a new life, together with her sister and mother. She is also hoping to receive a grant to study ICT at university.

‘Children in the camp who are not educated don’t live a fulfilled life. Education will broaden their minds.

‘Many children in the camp were born here but never left for a single day. They know we’re Congolese but they don’t know anything about it. Through INS they can find out who the president is, learn about the various towns and provinces and other countries.’

And when it comes to children who have any disability, she’s mindful that they, too, have access to the same opportunities that will open up a whole new world to them.

‘Children with special needs especially tend to get left behind a lot. Their community needs to support them so they can become like me one day.’

It’s undoubtedly hard when a partner leaves, and people often use self-soothing techniques to ease the pain.

There are a whole load of songs, for example, about the lingering scent of an ex-lover on pillows or clothes left behind.

For this man, however, he’s looking for a whole lot more than a blanket with a spritz of Chanel No. 5. Instead, he wants someone to make him a sex doll that looks exactly like his ex wife.

On online marketplace HushHush (which is typically used by the wealthy) the man sent in a self-proclaimed ‘unusual request’.

Explaining in the email, he detailed how his wife left him in late 2017 after they’d spent 35 years together, saying she didn’t love him anymore.

He calls himself ‘bereft’, and says he has ‘exhausted all avenues’ but has not been able to find a solution to his sadness.

Although it may appear somewhat creepy at the first instance, the man says that – since his wife was the only person he’d slept with – he can’t face being intimate with another person, particularly as he met his wife before he made his millions and now struggles to trust new partners.

He also doesn’t seem to specify that he would be having full sex with the doll, rather that he want to ‘snuggle up as close as possible to it’.

The specification for the doll is that it has to have the same auburn hair as his ex, and be hyper-realistic (as he’s looked elsewhere in the past and not found anything that matched up to his standards.

The millionaire is happy to provide hundreds of photographs to help the manufacturer get things right, and says that ‘money is no object’ – as long as the look is right.

It might be a case for Jade Stanley, who appeared on This Morning this week promoting her sex dolls for widowers, which she says help their loneliness.

Perhaps it is slightly different given the fact their partners have passed on and this man’s ex is still very much alive. Do people need to give consent for others to use their likeness in an intimate way? It’s a question that will surely come up more in the next few years as realistic dolls grow in popularity.

If you think you can help this man with his request, you can contact HushHush for more information.

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After eight months of looking for a job, Sarah Hughes ended up taking a role in a cinema.

Although it paid her bills, she was worried she would be stuck earning minimum wage forever.

The 28-year-old,of Cinderford, Gloucestershire, started advertising her musical skills on freelance marketplace Fiverr to earn some extra cash – but six years on, she’s given up her job at the cinema and now earns up to £7,700 a month writing jingles.

Her business has been so successful, she’s managed to get on the property ladder, buying a three bedroom house with her husband, Gareth, also 28.

And despite the huge jump in salary, she only needs to work for three to four hours a day, four days a week.

She had the idea after training as a musician and completing a degree in creative sound from Newport University in South Wales, she said: ‘Not many jingle artists can play, sing and produce an entire jingle themselves.

‘Because of my degree, that’s something that’s second nature to me now and I think that’s why I’ve done so well.’

Every jingle Sarah makes takes roughly 30 minutes, not including any revisions.

For that, she now charges an impressive £200 – up to £100 more if she pens the lyrics herself – bringing in as much as £7,700 a month, which if it remains consistent could mean earning  £92,400 a year.

Sarah’s love for music started at a guitar class at the age of 12. She took music at GCSE and A Level, she then took a creative sound degree, forming Toy Pop, a student band with an emphasis on using toy instruments, including the kazoo, maracas and a melodica, while she was at university.

‘With toy instruments I found my niche,’ she said. ‘I set up a band with some fellow classmates as part of my practical study and we’d play the instruments over a pre-recorded backing track we’d made.

‘Then we’d start improvising or singing stuff we’d written ourselves. I guess, looking back, that was the starting point of my jingle career.’

She graduated in 2012 and moved back to her hometown of Bridgnorth, Shropshire, but after eight months of struggling to find a job, she started working at her local cinema.

‘After years of being told an academic career in music would land me nowhere, I suddenly found myself, as predicted, going nowhere,’ she confessed.

Keen to get out of her job and to make extra money, she heard about Fiverr through a friend and she decided to start advertising her skills online.

‘I knew there was quite a demand for cutesy, light-hearted instrumental pieces, so I started off by advertising 30 second instrumentals with toy instruments for £4 a pop,’ she explained.

After saving £120 in her first month, Sarah used the funds to purchase a microphone that she could hook-up to her computer, enabling her to add vocals to her services.

Equipped with new technical gear she began charging £20 for a fully packaged jingle, with the requests soon coming in thick and fast.

‘You’d be surprised how many people out there are looking for a jingle,’ she said.

‘It’s not just toy companies and children’s adverts. In fact, my biggest source of income for the first few months were podcasts and YouTube channels.’

Over time, her rating on Fiverr grew and she became a top trade seller in May 2013 and it’s gone from strength to strength.

Along with commercial jingles, Sarah’s services include professional voiceovers, personalised ringtones and bespoke love songs.

‘Everyone is looking for an alternative to a bunch of roses or some fancy chocolates when it comes to special occasions, such as Valentine’s day,’ she explained.

‘That’s why I started advertising personalised love songs on my profile too – and the rewards soon started to add up.’

With jingles for big name brands like John Adams’ Tiny Tears doll and Styling Head under her belt, by January 2017 Sarah was earning up to £3,000 a month from her jingle-making.

‘Hitting the £3,000 a month mark was a  big deal for me,’ she said.

‘I finally felt like I was making a proper salary from the work I was doing after nearly five years establishing myself as an artist.’

Two years later, she was making up to £7,700 a month, working for just 15 to 20 hours a week.

‘With my line of work you never know when the demand is going to fall and each month is different to the last,’ she explained.

‘It’s brilliant having the tools to make as much money as I have, but it is still freelance work and you need to make sure you have a contingency plan and factor in things like your tax bill.

‘That being said, it feels great knowing that we’ve been able to save up so much money from doing something that I love.

‘Even six years in, nothing quite beats the thrill of hearing one of my jingles being played on telly for the first time.’

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When 69-year-old Christopher McCarron lost his son, he decided to adopt a dog to cope with grief.

Visiting the Dog’s Trust centre in West Calder, Scotland, Christopher was immediately won over by a rottweiler called Jack.

While taking the doggo for a walk to get to know him, he bumped into Margaret, 56, who was at the rescue centre looking for a pet too.

The two hit it off and after falling in love, they decided to get married.

With Jack being a major player in his love story, Christoper knew his furry friend had to be there.

So he decided to put a wee tuxedo on him and make the doggie his best man.

When it came to Christoper and Margaret saying I do, little Jack got involved and sneezed to give his blessings.

‘We had a lovely sentimental day, and Jack played a big part,’ gushed Christopher.

‘He loved it, he really did. I wouldn’t have considered getting a rescue dog because of his age – he’s around six.

‘But when he went up to me, we just clicked. Little did I know that I’d meet my future wife at the rescue centre too.

‘I don’t believe that I rescued Jack – I think he rescued me.

‘When we decided to get married, Jack had to be there. This is our family now, me, Margaret and Jack.’

Margaret, a care home worker, had been initially looking to rescue a small dog at the rehoming centre but did not find anything suitable.

But when she met Christopher they bonded over their shared love of dogs and enjoyed watching Jack progress.

Both Chris and Margaret believe that rottweilers have an unfairly got a bad reputation as a breed and should be given a chance.

Their big day was a success too. ‘He was a star – he posed for all the pictures,’ said Margaret.

‘The registrar said it was the first time he’d seen a dog being the best man.

‘We did think about Jack carrying a cushion with a ring. He had his wee tuxedo on but he went into the garden and got a bit mucky.’

The pair had an intimate ceremony, inviting 15 people which included staff from the Dog’s Trust

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Sam Broadbent is an ‘entovegan’ – he eats a plant-based diet but also adds insects to his food.

The 18-year-old highschooler from Maine, U.S, swapped lunchtime chicken and cheese sandwiches for bowls of crickets swimming in lentils.

Nightly pork chops were replaced in favour of crunchy grasshopper burritos.

Sam also gulps down protein shakes made from crushed crickets and even grills scorpions on his barbecue as a special treat.

He said his diet has also helped him bulk up in the gym.

Sam explained that he got introduced to veganism by watching videos of animal rights group PETA.

Looking at the environmental aspect of agriculture, his dad Bill set up an online supermarket to sell insects to supplement for animal products in the diet.

The more Sam learned about the business and veganism, the more he was drawn to it.

‘At the beginning, you are a little squeamish, but you get used to it,’ he said.

‘I used to eat meat twice a day, maybe chicken or turkey with pepper jack cheese in a sandwich for lunch and beef or pork for dinner with sweet potatoes.

‘Now for breakfast, I have oatmeal with cricket powder, which has a nutty flavour, and a banana or some strawberries.

‘For lunch, I usually eat a big bowl of lentils and a big bowl of crickets with broccoli and asparagus. Crickets have a unique flavour which is not dissimilar to sunflower seeds.

‘For dinner, I try and incorporate insects too. I have burritos with beans, rice, and chapulines which are grasshoppers flavoured with garlic and lemon.’

To bulk up, Sam drinks protein shakes, adding crushed up crickets to the mix. Sometimes he’ll add cricket powder to cookies or a protein bar as a treat.

‘Sometimes I have scorpions but they are a little bit of a delicacy,’ he added.

‘They have a salty flavour and are delicious when barbecued or sautéed. After doing this diet for most of the winter and spring, I feel better than ever.’

The teen said he tried to keep his diet under wraps at school but word spread about his cricket-packed lunches.

‘I try to be low key about it.

‘There is always going to be a segment of the population that is put off by it. Some people just don’t want to even try. But most people can see the reasoning behind it.

Sam discovered a passion for weight-lifting in 2017 and said his new lifestyle has helped him improve his performance in the gym.

The teen works out six nights a week and went from deadlifting 190lbs in October to 330lbs in June.

Sam added: ‘Fitness was another major motivator for me when deciding to take up this diet.

‘I have really been able to push my weight training a lot father these past few months. Insects are a wonderful source of protein.’

This Autumn, Sam starts university but says he’ll be taking plenty of bugs and insects with him for nourishment.

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We all know and love Ikea’s restaurants for its famous meatballs and cheap cake selection – but now we’re going to love them for their breakfasts, too.

Ikea has just launched a new fry up for £1.75.

The breakfast includes bacon, sausage, egg, hash browns, tomatoes and beans.

Yep, all that for under two quid. Amazing.

However, like all things that sound far too good to be true – there is a catch.

To get the discount breakfast, you’ll need an Ikea family card, which means you’ll be able to pay less for your breakfasts and will also be able to have a free cup of tea or coffee alongside it.

Or, for 50p you can ugrade to a fancier coffee.

Without the loyalty card, the breakfast will cost you £2.50 – which still isn’t bad at all.

The breakfast offer is available in stores from Monday to Friday before 11am. So if you’re planning on an early start for a day of Ikea shopping, you might want to skip on having breakfast at home.

In other Ikea news, the furniture retailer has launched a new functional collection for people with disabilities.

The functional furniture will be released in May 2020, and was announced during the store’s annual Deomcratic Design Day.

The OMTANKSAM collection will be made to assist people with disabilities with different kinds of functional needs, to make getting around the house easier and more comfortable.

The range will feature products for the bedroom, bathroom and kitchen, with products including additional padding for seats, vases that are easier to lift and jar grippers.

Ikea is releasing the new furniture to change the way companies address disabilities.

They want to be a company who helps its customers overcome any obstacles they face – and the new range is a step in the right direction towards doing that.

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Sick of renting bouncy castles and clowns for your kids’ birthdays? Well, if you’re looking for something a little fancier, you’ll be delighted to know Lush does children’s birthdays.

The brand has done parties before but a new scheme has now launched, offering parties in every store, with exclusive products for guests.

The party will feature some ‘make your own’ activities, which can be selected during a Lush Party consultation.

The birthday girl or boy and their guests will get to create their very own bath bomb.

This includes a ‘Calm A Llama Party Pinata bath bomb’, a fragranced ‘Cilla The Caterpillar bath bomb’ and a ‘Party Balloon reusable bubble bar’.

And don’t worry about goodie bags either, as alongside getting to make their very own product, there will also be some to take home alongside this.

Each guest will receive one of the ready made bath bombs, while the birthday girl or boy gets three exclusive products of their choice.

As expected, the parties, which last an hour-and-a-half and can include product workshops and games, don’t come cheap.

They cost £25 a head – so if you’re planning on a party soon, you may want to make sure the guest list isn’t too big.

But considering Lush bath bombs can cost up to £15 a piece, this isn’t so bad considering it includes workshops, games and free products in the price.

Honestly, we’re a little sad these parties are just for kids – we’d love to have one ourselves.

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Attention, orange chocolate fans: Asda has brought back chocolate orange digestives, and we can’t wait to get our hands on a packet.

The chocolate orange digestives have made a welcome return to the supermarket after having only been available on Amazon.

They were spotted by Instagram account Kevs Snack Reviews, which took a photo of the new packet which has a big label reading: ‘We’re back!’

InstaFoodieTwins also shared a photo of what the biscuits actually look like – and they’re smaller and thinner than before, but apparently still as delicious.

https://www.instagram.com/p/ByzrrtuFh9d/

They wrote: ‘McVitie’s Digestives Chocolate Orange. We love choc orange especially Aero orange, so when we saw that @mcvitiesofficial had brought these back we just had to get them, so delicious it’s a perfect balance of chocolate to orange ratio but can’t help but think these seem smaller/ thinner to the old ones.’

Both posts received thousands of likes, and loads of comments filled with excitement at the fact the packets, which cost £1.50 each, are back in stores.

One person called them a ‘dream’, while another said the biscuits were right up their street.

Someone else wrote: ‘These and a cuppa tea. Omg.’

The McVitie’s Chocolate Orange DIgestive are available in Asda stores now, though they haven’t made a comeback online just yet, so you won’t be able to get them with your home delivery.

But, if you have an Asda nearby, you know what to do!

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Period pain is the worst. And when you’re popped every pill and used every hot water bottle it can be hard to know what else to try.

But yoga is known for being incredibly healing and can even help to relieve some of the nastiest symptoms.

On the eve of International Yoga Day – it seems like a good time to share these yogi-approved moves that can help you banish the cramps for good.

Intimate health brand Intimina, wants to encourage more women to get up and get active while experiencing their periods, and to show the benefits of alternative period pain management methods.

They partnered with Vinyasa Flow yoga instructor Flo Lefebvre, to share their top tips for using yoga as a way of easing pain.

Breathing exercise

Start by deepening the breath.

In yoga, most breathing exercises are done with the mouth closed, but don’t feel you need to stick with tradition on that one.

Inhale through the nose and feel free to exhale through the mouth (instead of the nose) if it comes more naturally to you. Then make your exhalations longer than your inhalations.

You can use a count: 5 on the inhale and 8 on the exhale. Do a minimum of 10 cycles, but do as many as you wish.

Viparita karani

This legs up the wall pose will relieve the legs, which often feel heavy during that time.

Sit with your right hip to the wall (profile) and from there, swivel your legs up and lie down on your back. Your body will be in a L-shape.

You can raise the back of your pelvis with a folded blanket. Feel free to bend your knees if your hamstrings feel tight.

Full forward bend as practiced on Yin Yoga

A well-known yoga pose to alleviate menstrual discomfort by stretching the back and encouraging discharge thanks to the gentle pressure of the abdomen against the thighs.

Start by sitting with your legs out in front, raise your seat with a folded blanket for added comfort and lean forward over your legs.

Modify this pose by bending your knees if you need to; you could also place a support such as a bolster or folded blanket across the back of your knees.

Rest your forehead on a cushion and let yourself melt into the pose. This pose is said to have a calming and re-energising effect on the body.

Supported butterfly pose

This is a nurturing way of opening the hips, another area which can feel restricted and tight during this time of the month.

Lie on your back either on the floor or with a bolster along the spine with the soles of the feet together to form a diamond shape.

Place blocks under your outer thighs to support the legs. Remember: you are not after a strong stretch but a sense of release instead.

Apanasana or knees to chest pose

We often feel like curling up into a little ball when period pains kick in.

It is a nice way to apply gentle pressure on your abdominal area, acting as a massage as you breathe deeply in and out.

You can also roll from side to side to massage your back and follow up with drawing circles with your knees still together to really target the lower back which is also a sensitive area during moon cycles.

This is due to contractions in the uterus which ripple through the pelvic region via a web of nerves.

Jathara parivartanāsana or revolved abdomen pose

This pose gently stretches the lower back.

From Apanasana, open your arms to the sides at shoulder-height and roll over to your right. After 10 breaths, switch sides.

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People always say, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

And the same can be said with recovery; in this crazy, fast-paced thing we call life we often punish our bodies in the pursuit of fitness, but never truly let our muscles cool back down.

This is as an important part of our workout routine as the actual exercise – so to ensure you aren’t doing more damage than good, here’s some top tips on how to help your body bounce back after you’ve hit the gym…

Stretch it out

Warming up and cooling down – both are essential in ensuring your body recovers.

See, when you work out, the blood vessels in your legs expand. If you suddenly stop exercising, this can make your heart rate drop, rather than getting it to resting level gradually.

Wat-er way to recover

A decent workout should make you sweat so it’s imperative that you need to replace that fluid.

While we should be sipping water throughout our sessions, a good old glug afterwards will also work in aiding recovery.

It also ensure that nutrients are transferred around the body to improve overall function.

Get active (but not too much)

It’s called active recovery. Similar to stretching, this entails low-intensity exercise after high-impact workouts to reduce the build-up of lactic acid in the muscles.

This goes a long way in aiding stiffness – great news for those of us who don’t want to walk like John Wayne the morning after the gym!

It also helps prevent us from being exhausted following exercise as well as promoting blood flow to the joints, stopping inflammation in its annoying tracks.

Never over-train

Quite obvious, really. If you want your body to run like a well-oiled machine, it’s best not to drive it to the brink of collapse.

This is why you need to plan your workouts – or work with a professional trainer or class leader to ensure you’re not risking an injury.

If it’s high-intensity exercise, you don’t necessarily need to do a full hour, while you need to make sure you’re not unwittingly straining muscles while trying to fly high in an advanced yoga class.

Take an ice bath

Yep, it’s gonna hurt for a few seconds but after that, you’ll be feeling like a new person.

So, how does it work? Well, it’s believed that dunking the overworked muscles in freezing cold water will help battle the small tears in the muscles and stop you feeling so sore the day after repetitive exercise.

Simple R&R

That’s it. Just relax. Sometimes whether we are super-active or more of a desk-dweller, we need to listen to our bodies.

If you don’t feel any effects the day after a workout, feel free to go back to it. If you feel tired or under the weather, just do yourself a favour and relax.

The best way to do this is at home; feet up, herbal tea in hand and a good box set to binge on. We all need a little bit of balance in life, after all.

Although it’s set to take a week or so for the sun to fully show itself, it’s certainly on its way. Plus, it’s that time of year that many people pack their bags and head off on holiday.

Burnt skin and tan lines are a relatively common sight around the pool, and peeling may seem like just a natural part of life for those of us who like to soak up the rays.

It’s not just the soreness of the burn that can be detrimental, though. As well as advancing the signs of aging, sun damage can lead to skin cancer in some cases.

That’s why it’s extra important to make sure you’re applying sun protection, and doing so correctly.

Here are some of the most common misconceptions people believe when it comes to suncare, and what you should be doing to keep safe when the big lad in the sky comes out.

You don’t need to use sun protection in the UK

According to a YouGov survey by Cancer Research and Nivea, 68% of people would be more likely to use sun protection abroad rather than in the UK, and 1 in 10 UK adults don’t use any sun protection at all in the UK.

Although the UV index can be a good way to gauge whether or not you’re likely to burn, the actual warmth and brightness of the sun are not.

Emma Shields, Health Information Manager at Cancer Research UK advises: the ‘sun can be strong enough to burn in the UK from the start of April to the end of September, even if it doesn’t feel that warm, or it’s a cloudy day, so it’s not just on holiday that you need to think about protecting your skin.’

There are waterproof sun creams

No sun cream is 100% waterproof, and this term was actually banned in the US by the FDA, as it was deemed to stop people effectively reapplying throughout the day.

If you do decide to go for a water resistant cream, this can help it not slide off when you go swimming, but you’ll still need to reapply every hour or two.

If you’re conscious about the environment (and the petrochemicals used to help the sunscreen adhere to your skin in the water) go for a beeswax-based version.

I’m not burnt, so my skin isn’t damaged

Just because you’re not red, doesn’t mean it’s not being damaged by the sun’s rays.

If your skin has burnt, that’s bad, as it’s your body’s way of reacting to the UVB rays.

But even a tan is a sign of sun damage, as it’s your body overproducing more melanin to ensure no further damage occurs. There is unfortunately no such things a healthy tan.

So, less of the smugness around your fair and redhead friends; although they be pinker than you, your sun exposure is just as unhealthy as their.

I have dark skin, so don’t need sunscreen

It’s definitely true that people of colour have a lower chance of getting skin cancer, but it’s certainly not impossible.

Non-white people have higher levels of melanin, which can protect from some UV rays, but certainly not all. Not only does that make unprotected sun exposure risky in terms of your health, but it can also speed up the aging process too.

Some studies show that non-white people are more likely to die of skin cancer, too, which could be down to the myth that only white people can contract the disease.

With that in mind, keep yourself protected. There are amazing sunscreens designed specifically for dark skin – that won’t leave a chalky film – such as Black Girl Sunscreen.

I can apply my sun cream when I get outside

Sunscreen takes time to absorb into the skin.

It’s recommended that you apply at least 15 minutes before you head out, but half an hour means you’re guaranteed to be protected.

A quick spritz or small blob of cream is enough

If you’re using too little sunscreen, you won’t get the advised level of protection. When it’s tested, 2mg of cream is applied on each square centimetre of skin, so any less that that isn’t enough.

For an average adult body, this means you need 35ml to get the same SPF, or at least the size of a large shot glass. Apply in areas, making sure to cover the head and neck, arms, legs, torso, and back.

I can use this cream I had left over from last year

Like with any cosmetics, sun cream has an expiry date. On the back of your bottle, there’ll be a small pot symbol with something like 12M written above it.

This is the amount of months you have to use the cream from the point of opening. So while you could crack out last summer’s bottle if it’s fresh, you should make sure you’re adhering to these dates.

UVA and UBV rays are the same

The Cancer Research and Nivea study also found that over half of UK adults don’t know or hadn’t heard of SPF and star ratings.

The SPF or Sun Protection Factor number refers to the protection from UVB rays, which cause sunburn and DNA damage, and the star rating indicates the level of protection against UVA rays, which can cause premature skin ageing and DNA damage.

Look for a sun cream that protects from both, and has as high a star rating as possible.

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B&M has just launched a brand new range of CBD oil, with prices starting from as little as £1.

The CBD tongue shots are available in three different strengths: 100mg, 300mg and 500mg – and they all come in a mint flavour.

Each box contains four ready-to-use foil sachets which contain 1.5ml of CBD rich hemp extract.

CBD is cannabis without THC – so it won’t get you high but does offer other positive effects – for instance people with chronic conditions such as arthritis often use it as a pain-reliever.

People also use it for mental health conditions, such as to calm anxiety – though it’s important to mention that it is not a cure, and that it doesn’t work for everyone.

As mentioned, the CBD shots cost just £1 – which is a bargain, considering other CBD oils can cost upwards of £30.

B&M is the first variety retailer to stock the product – and alongside the shots, the store will also be stocking a range of Hemp based beauty products, which come infused with Hemp oil to nurture the skin.

This includes the Cold Pressed Hemp seed oil, which is a natural moisturiser and apparently helps make your skin feel smooth and soft while acting as a barrier and preventing moisture loss.

The CBD and Hemp ranges are available in selected B&M stores nationwide.

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Mac and cheese fans, prepare yourselves.

Aldi has launched a chicken kiev, with the cheesy pasta dish stuffed inside.

It sounds seriously amazing.

Instead of the normal garlic butter filling, you’ll find mac and cheese, surrounded by the chicken fillet and coated in breadcrumbs.

The fillets are just £1.59 for a pack of two.

The store said: ‘A fusion of classic comfort foods, the Mac & Cheese Chicken Kiev combines two of the nation’s favourite dishes.

‘The Kiev is made with 100% British chicken, scrumptious macaroni and cheese and coated in crunchy golden breadcrumbs.’

We absolutely can’t wait to try this.

If you need something to drink with it, four of their whiskies have been named as some of the best in the world at the the highly acclaimed Spirits Business Scotch Whisky Masters – a global competition that pits spirits against each other in a series of rigorous blind taste tests.

The award-winning whiskies include the £13.49 Malt Black Scotch Whisky, the £17.49 Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky, the £17.49 Single Malt Scotch Whisky and the £14.99 Hogwash Blended Malt Scotch Whisky.

They also got a Silver medal for the Highland Black Scotch Whisky, £13.49.

Elsewhere in food hybrid news, Lidl has launched the Croll – a croissant and roll in one.

The Croll costs 49p and is onsale in stores from today.

It combines the flaky buttery pastry from a croissant with the convenience of a roll.

The store suggests having one for breakfast or going for something a bit more unusual and using them for a burger.

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Wearing white to a wedding when you’re not the bride is possibly one of the biggest social ills and when your own mother-in-law breaks the cardinal rule, well, there’s going to be drama.

After an image of a woman confronting her mother-in-law for wearing the same white wedding dress went viral, bride Amy Pennza was stunned.

But the author, from Ohio, U.S, tells Metro.co.uk that she wasn’t as livid as one might expect.

Amy’s tweet blew up on Twitter after U.S TV host Jimmy Fallon asked his 51 million-strong followers to share their wedding fails.

The story of wedding day twinning tickled many but Amy explained that there was more than meets the eye, in that the mother-in-law (MIL) wasn’t malicious, just extremely frugal.

She explained that the dress purchase was a result of a bargain that the thrifty MIL couldn’t say no to.

‘When you grow up with nothing, it stays with you,’ said Amy. ‘Forever, I think. No matter how much money you earn, there’s always that little fear in the back of your mind that someone might take it all away.’

Amy said her MIL had grown up in poverty and was used to buying things only when they were on offer so when she saw the white dress, she didn’t say anything.

But still, it was her wedding day and Amy was still pretty shocked.

‘I was more stunned than furious,’ she told Metro.co.uk.

‘Probably because I spent the day in that “wedding haze” that comes over you on the big day.

‘I think it sunk in when I saw my wedding photos. She definitely apologised. And she really is the quirky, loving woman I described in my follow up tweets.

‘I know it’s hard for people to wrap their minds around anyone breaking that etiquette rule for any reason, but she saw a steal and couldn’t turn it down.’

Since the tweet blew up, Amy added more tweets explaining her MIL’s frugal nature, for example how she takes olives out of martinis to save for salads.

She also fills up a plastic water bottle that she carries with free water from restaurants.

But the family have a laugh about it.

‘It’s funny, because she and I were at my son’s baseball game yesterday when this starting blowing up. So we talked about it, and then the whole family was texting back and forth stories about her money-saving antics.

‘For our family, it’s really just a story about how funny-crazy she is.

‘I hugged her and said, “You know I love you.” And she said, “I love you, too.” Weddings really are just one day.

‘It’s a big day, to be sure, but it’s how you spend all the rest of the days that matter. And my mother-in-law spends hers loving us and supporting us. So I think I got pretty lucky.’

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City breaks can be pretty full on, especially if you’re only there for a few days.

Rome was, I always thought, a dusty, busy city where it would be impossible to rewind, fearing for my life every time I crossed the road and difficult to navigate because it is such an ancient city.

But then we found an oasis with breathtaking views overlooking the city and its famous domes that have been an inspiration for architecture across the world.

Normally city breaks would take place over a weekend, but being my birthday we opted to stay for a few days at the Rome Cavalieri.

That gave us time, armed with our Omnia travel pass, to do things at a much more relaxed pace, allowing us to explore the city’s winding side streets, taste food from places off the beaten track or sit outside a bar taking in the sounds of the city.

Rome is known for being quite a hot city over the summer, so we were there a little earlier in the spring. If it’s hot weather you’re after, May to September is almost guaranteed to give you sunshine.

The Cavalieri, where we were staying – so lush that they have a pillow menu – was about half an hour’s walk from the Vatican. There’s the option of catching a shuttle bus that is put on by the hotel, but we chose to go into the city on foot to get the blood flowing early.

The downhill journey winds around the hill where the hotel is positioned, giving more views and helping you to plot that day’s sightseeing.

If sightseeing is what you’re in Rome for, it is highly recommended that you book time slots for certain activities – and get fast track passes to jump the queues.

You’ll be utterly bombarded, particularly around the Colosseum and outside Vatican City, by ‘Tourist information’ guides. Having the pre-booked slots and fast-track passes will help reduce that stress, you’ll just have to get used to saying ‘no grazie’ to every guide you meet.

If you happen to be there on the first Sunday of the month, access to museums – including the Colosseum – is free. Sounds good, right?

Well, the problem is that pretty much all of Italy seems to descend on the city on that day, so if you’re in town for a few days it is probably wise to leave Sunday as a day of rest. Go for a walk along the river, sit in a bar, eat until you are rolling home, or enjoy some time in the spa.

Incidentally our steam room was so good I’m considering getting one installed in my own flat. If only I had the budget.

One thing that we enjoyed most was visiting the Roman Forum and we kept going back there. There’s not just a tonne of history to take in, but it’s also just utterly stunning.

It’s definitely not something that can be done in just a day if you want to enjoy it properly.

Set over a large area, it’s easy to get lost, to find a little quiet space to sit down and just relax. Far from the dusty hustle and bustle I thought I’d relax.

If you like pasta and pizza, obviously Rome is the place to be – and don’t just stick to the main streets. As well as being more likely to get some authentic cuisine, you’re likely to find that you’ll save yourself a pretty penny or two.

As with any city, the restaurants with views of tourist attractions, rivers or parks are usually considerably more expensive even if the food is not quite as good.

One of our favourites was Pancia Felice – within spitting distance of the Vatican, but a little more difficult to find, the pasta was divine.

For a special treat – my birthday dinner – we ate in the restaurant back at our hotel. The homemade bread was so delicious I would have been happy to have eaten that for the entire meal.

In reality, we had a platter of meats sourced from Bassiano, just to the south of Rome, followed by sliced pork fillet that melted in the mouth.

Far from coming back from Rome dead on my feet, I returned on a high from la dolce vita.

A cleaner quit her job in the best way – by sending a ‘sorry for your loss’ card telling her bosses that they were ‘arseholes’.

Lisa Bell had been working at the Lyndene Hotel in Blackpool for four months before she resigned last Tuesday.

Lisa, 40, chose the ‘cheapest’ card she could find, and sent it in the post to her now former employers – telling them that she wouldn’t be returning.

She also explained that her co-worker, Karan, 57, would also be quitting with her – and that the pair were leaving to work together instead.

Inside the card read: ‘Dear [employers’ names], As you may have noticed I’m not in work today.

‘This is because you are arseholes to work for so I have got a new job.

‘I was planning on giving you a week’s notice but whilst I was on my unpaid break, [name redacted] radioed [name redacted] to come tell me not to sit down on my break. Why not grow some balls and tell me yourself?

‘Because that would mean you getting off your arse and leaving the office!

‘I hate the fact that even whilst on my unpaid break [name redacted] is sat in his office spying on me.

‘Maybe if you two worked constantly, on your feet for six hours you also would like to be able to sit down for ten mins!”

‘P.S. Karan quits too, you’ve treated her even worse, made her ill, we’re off to work together.’

Lisa explained that it’s ‘not every day you call your employer an arsehole’.

She said: ‘[Working there] was really awful. I was at the end of my tether.

‘I chose the card from Morrisons because it was the cheapest card and the only one I could find saying ‘sorry for your loss’. It cost £1.50 – which is £1.50 more than I’d want to spend on them.

‘My pay day was Wednesday so my wages went into the bank at midnight Tuesday night.

‘I bought the card on Tuesday and posted it first class, knowing they’d receive it on the Wednesday.

‘They’ve lost two good cleaners – reliable and hardworking.

‘I’m quite a bubbly and outgoing person. Luckily my new boss has got a sense of humour.’

Lisa has an ongoing back problem which she says was made worse by the fact she couldn’t sit down during her breaks.

She also says she had to go into the toilets for water because staff were banned from drinking while working.

Lisa said it was like ‘slave labour’, and that she would dread going into work every day.

She explained: ‘I’d do three hours constant hoovering from the minute I got through the door without having a break, lifting heavy chairs.

‘After that, you need to sit down. Sometimes I’d clean the skirting boards just so I could.

‘From the day I started I was made aware that I was on camera constantly and they were watching us.

‘In the smoking shelter there’s no chairs or anything. And I’m on the go for six hours, so when I do go outside I want to sit down for 10 minutes and have a coffee.

‘The other day I sat down and got told off for sitting on the floor because it’s unhygienic.

‘I wasn’t allowed to sit down. They’d speak to me like a piece of dirt.

‘We’d even been told you don’t have a drink during working time. Even if you want a water and have a dry mouth, you have to wait until your break.

‘We weren’t ever allowed to be spotted on the camera with drink or food.

‘Sometimes I’d discretely go into the toilets to get some water from the tap.

‘The whole time you’re working you’re on camera. We worked constantly.

‘Everyone is scared to talk, even to say good morning. Everyone is terrified.

‘[The manager] just sits in the office and watches the screen. He really made my life a misery.

‘I really did not stop. I worked my hardest.’

Karan also had similar feelings towards the job.

She said: ‘When I saw the card, I thought it was funny. I didn’t think Lisa was like that – she was always quiet at work so it was a funny shock.

‘We were constantly told off about drinks, whereas reception staff always got food and coffee and nothing was ever said.

‘It was a lot of bullying towards Lisa and myself.’

On Wednesday, Lyndene Hotel issued a statement on Facebook claiming they were ‘disappointed’ to read Lisa’s comments about her time working at the hotel.

The post read: ‘We are disappointed to read Lisa’s comments regarding her time with us and regret that she felt unable to speak to the management of the Lyndene directly to address these issues.

‘We would welcome the chance to discuss the matter with her privately and listen to her concerns regarding the time she spent as part of our team.

‘We wish Lisa success in her next role and will not be offering further public comment on the matter.’

Lyndene Hotel were contacted for comment but are yet to respond.

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