I wasn’t a popular child. This was never more obvious than during PE, where the combination of my reputation as a boffin and the fact that I was comprehensively terrible at sports meant every lesson I was unable to skip due to “tonsillitis” became an interminable exercise in doing the bare minimum, and having no-one…
Leisure
Embracing lagom – the biggest Scandi trend since hygge
Forget hygge, ignore ikigai – 2019 is all about lagom (yay, another Scandinavian word we can’t pronounce). Roughly translating as ‘not too much, not too little, just right’, lagom is the art of living frugally, which is a pretty essential life skill if, like me, you’ve still got a £9,000 student loan to repay. Lagom…
Fresh air, family spirit and scenes worthy of the Edinburgh Fringe: why I won’t be joining a gym this January
“Guys, I shall be holding a Christmas circuit training bootcamp every morning in the garden. It will take place in the small window of time between my lie-in and my midday drinking.” This is the announcement I send to my siblings via the family “Christmassssss” WhatsApp group, before our descent to Kent for a week…
The Ultimate Guide to Going Out and Having Fun for Less
Fun never seems to be on the agenda if you’re constantly working. Add trying to save money into the mix and the concept seems a very, VERY long way off. Don’t worry. It is possible to lead a fun life while also keeping your finances in check. It can’t all be work work work… plus…
Nadia Nadif: A Brit Abroad
I’ve just come back from my first experience of touring in the Middle East. I was part of a three-hander comedy about buying and selling cars for a corporate theatre job. It was a gift of a job, full of opportunities. Here are some of my musings since I got back… 1) The Middle East…
Money lessons from the movies
At the rate that Hollywood pumps out films, there are an abundance of lessons we can take from the world of cinema. Grab your tub of popcorn and chomp away as I run through some financial tips from the flicks. If you say film and finance, the first movie that comes to mind for most…
The library: a money-saving miracle of Christmas
December has barely begun and already I could fill an article with ideas on how to haemorrhage money whilst attempting to have a ‘holly, jolly Christmas’. From polystyrene cups of mulled wine at £4 to fairground rides for a fiver, you name it – I’ve been fleeced. But kids need entertaining over the festive period…
How to get your money back
I recently had an issue with my gym. I signed up with a special offer – giving me a free month – and it has failed to materialise. They also subsequently said they’d give me another free month – this time, because the pool was closed for a whole month – and this, too, has…
Rainy holidays? Rubbish – it’s just the Green Season!
Rainy seasons, rather unfairly, in my view, get a bad press. The phrase invokes images of storm-whipped palm trees, evacuations and TV news reporters being swept away in freak winds, live on air. The reality (often nothing more hazardous than a warm afternoon downpour) is that you’ll find fewer crowds and you’ll see a big…
Travelling with your pet? Here’s how to save a fortune
Planning an overseas trip with your furry friend can be a headache, but it is possible to minimise the cost with a little planning ahead. Here’s my guide to getting your pet from A to B with your sanity, and contents of your wallet, intact. Vaccinations Each destination country has its own requirements. You can…
