Mental Health has been talked about a lot so far this year. The fact it is being spoken about is fantastic and is helping to break the attached taboo and stigma, yet people still struggle to open up about it. Financial worries are also something people often keep to themselves. In this blog post, I…
Health & Beauty
Why the UK needs ‘Baby Boxes’
Every expectant mother in Scotland is eligible for something called a ‘Baby Box’. In the Scottish Government’s own words: “The Baby Box is a welcome gift for every baby born and living in Scotland. It’s packed full of all the essential items your baby will need to give them the best possible start in life.”…
2018 – the year I gave up public transport in London
In January this year, I moved for the fourth time in two years. Not through choice – I was happy where I was – but because my lovely landlord needed his flat back, and my other two flatmates were buying their first flats. Given how much I hate moving house, I decided to live in…
Smiles cheaper – the secret to white teeth…on a budget
I’ve always been an avid drinker of tea. Green tea, red tea, camomile – you can’t beat a soothing cup of something hot. It’s one of life’s few simple pleasures. When I got my braces at the age of seventeen, I was cautioned against this habit; while the benefits of drinking green tea are plenty,…
Our NHS is a modern miracle – and we shouldn’t need “Call the Midwife” to remind us
Recently I’ve discovered a new show that I can binge on. It’s not really new, but it’s new to me – Call the Midwife, based on books of the same name by Jennifer Worth, a midwife who began her career in the 1950s. Reflecting true events that happened in the period, this drama opens up a…
Emma Leaven and the false economy of flu
This cartoon is part of a series of graphic strips by Steve Bee, author of the Pension Guru cartoons. Join Emma and her family as they muddle through life puzzling over any-and-all things personal finance.
Are you running indoors? You’re wasting money! (And other savings tips).
Mid-January is the time of slowly diminishing New Year’s Resolutions. It’s a scientific fact that changing behaviours in any significant way goes against human nature. However, even the smallest of changes can make a big impact, on both your health and your wallet. Here’s some suggestions. Breakfast Let me just start by stating the obvious,…
Emma Leaven and the weighty puzzle
This cartoon is part of a series of graphic strips by Steve Bee, author of the Pension Guru cartoons. Join Emma and her family as they muddle through life puzzling over any-and-all things personal finance.
Long read: What’s the true cost of a hearing loss?
Is there a way to accurately count the true cost of a disability? I’ve often wondered whether ‘I coulda been a contender,’ had I not been born half deaf. It is a phrase I’ve always joked about when I think about how my hearing loss might have affected my career and future earnings. Did being…
Would you have your hair cut by a trainee?
In my twenties, when I couldn’t stretch to exorbitant salon prices, I was usually very happy with free, or almost free, hair cuts done by trainee hairdressers. I say ‘usually’ because there was just the one time when I emerged from the chair distraught after a scissor-happy frenzy had ensued and I was convinced my…
