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I’m A Mum And Money Expert. This Hack Helped Save Me Thousands

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If life seems expensive right now, that’s because it is.

Between high energy costs, spenny supermarket bills and extortionate childcare expenses, your bank balance probably looks a little worse for wear by the time payday comes around.

For those looking for ways to accrue a bit of extra cash, a personal finance expert has shared the one hack that’s helped save her thousands of pounds a year – and it’s surprisingly simple.

Gemma Bird, who is known on social media as @MoneyMumOfficial and is also a member of ITV Lorraine’s Saver Squad, told HuffPost UK that she stopped paying for parking when she worked for a bank.

What did she do instead then? Well, she found somewhere to park for free just over a mile away from where she worked.

That might sound like your worst nightmare – especially if you’re prone to running late. But the hack actually helped save her a lot of cash in the long-run.

“I also cancelled the gym because I was getting my steps and could do home workouts instead. I ended up saving on the gym and parking all at once,” Bird revealed.

In addition to avoiding daily parking charges, Bird rented her driveway during the daytime when she was at work, and claims that in total she saved £250 a month.

That’s £3,000 a year.

Sites like JustPark enable you to rent out your driveway each month. You can see how much you could earn here.

Recently, Bird also shared a handy hack on her Instagram account for Lidl shoppers.

The money pro said if you spend £250 at Lidl within a calendar month, and you use their Lidl Plus app, you can get 10% off your next food shop.

She also revealed how she bought some brand new games and puzzles for her kids from a charity shop – with four items costing her just £12.

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Marjorie Taylor Greene’s ‘Disturbing’ Post About Reporter’s Foreign Accent Is Slammed

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Conspiracy theory-peddling Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (Republican, Georgia) drew criticism this weekend for a social media post about the foreign accent of a journalist ― who asked a question during a White House press briefing ― and her subsequent suggestion to “throw out all the foreign press.”

“How about that accent from that reporter? I think we need to throw out all the foreign press! American media first!”

Dridi shared Greene’s post on social media and noted: “Marjorie Taylor Greene thinks I should be thrown out of the press room because of my accent.”

While some commenters lapped up Greene’s comment, critics expressed solidarity with Dridi and accused the Georgia congresswoman of using divisive language.

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Here’s How Alcohol Affects Your Cholesterol, And I Had No Idea

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Did you know that healthy cholesterol levels can change a little by age?

They also differ by gender ― women usually have lower cholesterol readings than men, but this can change after menopause, which causes some peoples’ levels to skyrocket.

And while most of us know that fatty foods, smoking, and staying inactive can also put your cholesterol levels outside of the healthy range, I for one wasn’t aware how much of an effect booze can have on the metric.

According to cholesterol charity Heart UK, alcohol’s better-known toll on your liver can have knock-on effects on your heart.

How does alcohol affect cholesterol?

When we drink alcohol, it gets broken down into triglycerides (a type of fat) and cholesterol in our body.

Triglycerides can settle in our liver, which causes fatty liver if it happens too often.

In that case, Heart UK says your liver stops being as good at removing cholesterol from your system as it should be. That leads to higher cholesterol levels.

“Alcohol can lead to the combination of a high triglyceride level along with low HDL cholesterol,” they add, which may cause heart disease.

Over time, drinking a lot of alcohol can lead to high blood pressure too (this is sometimes referred to as a “silent killer” because it’s linked to heart health issues like cardiac arrest and stroke, but shows few symptoms).

Drinkaware adds that you can even develop a condition called ‘Holiday Heart Syndrome’, when you experience an irregular heartbeat following a period of binge drinking.

How much should I drink to prevent heart issues?

The Chief Medical Officers’ guidelines read: “to keep health risks from alcohol to a low level it is safest not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis.”

If you do go over those limits, it’s better to do so over three or more days, they advise.

Drinkaware offers a test to see whether your relationship to alcohol may be unhealthy.

If you’re worried about it, seek help ― you don’t have to manage any concerns alone.

Help and support:

  • Drinkline ― call 0300 123 1110 (weekdays 9 am to 8 pm, weekends 11 am to 4 pm).
  • Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) ― available online and in-person
  • Al-Anon Family Groups offer support and understanding to the families and friends of problem drinkers. Alateen is part of Al-Anon and can be attended by 12 to 17-year-olds who are affected by another person’s drinking.
  • We Are With You is a UK-wide treatment agency that helps individuals, families and communities manage the effects of drug and alcohol misuse.
  • Adfam is a national charity working with families affected by drugs and alcohol. Adfam operates an online message board and local support groups.
  • The National Association for Children of Alcoholics (Nacoa) provides a free, confidential telephone and email helpline for children of alcohol-dependent parents and others concerned about their welfare. Call 0800 358 3456 for the Nacoa helpline.
  • SMART Recovery groups help people decide whether they have a problem, build up their motivation to change, and offer a set of proven tools and techniques to support recovery.
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Yvette Cooper Hits Out At ‘Really Damaging’ Tariffs As Trump Slaps Them On Canada And Mexico

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Yvette Cooper has described import tariffs as “really damaging” for the world economy as Donald Trump slapped them on Mexico and Canada.

The home secretary said the UK government was focused on “removing barriers to trade” rather than putting up new ones.

Trump said most goods entering the US from Mexico and Canada will have a 25% tariff added to them, except for Canadian oil, which will see a 10% tariff.

He said it was because the two countries were not doing enough to stop drugs entering the US, or tackle illegal immigration.

Trump also said he was imposing a new 10% tariff on goods from China on top of existing duties.

The US president has also threatened to impose tariffs on EU exports to America – raising fears that he could do the same for British goods being sold to the US.

Asked about the move on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme this morning, Cooper said: “Tariff increases right across the world can have a really damaging impact on global growth and trade so I don’t think that’s what anybody wants to see.

“The focus for Johnny Reynolds, our business and trade secretary, is on building trade links and better trading relations and removing barriers to trade with the US and also with other European countries and with countries right across the world.

“We want to reduce the barriers to trade, make it easier for businesses.”

Tariffs are charges placed on imported goods as they enter the country, paid by the company or individual bringing the good in.

Economists are almost unanimous that tariffs are passed on to the consumer as higher prices.

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Yvette Cooper Rules Out The UK Signing Up To Giving Young People Free Movement To The EU

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Yvette Cooper has ruled out agreeing a deal with Brussels to allow young people to move freely between the UK and the European Union.

In comments which will be a huge blow to millions of young Brits, the home secretary said it was “not the right starting point for us at all”.

A so-called “youth mobility scheme” is believed to be one of the EU’s main demands in negotiations over a new trade deal with the UK.

Cooper’s comments came as Keir Starmer prepares to travel to Brussels on Monday as part of the Labour government’s attempts to “reset” relations with the bloc.

On Sky News this morning, the home secretary told presenter Trevor Phillips that not returning to free movement, the EU’s customs union or the single market were the government’s “red lines” in the talks.

Phillips then said: “Let’s test that out. How are you getting on with negotiating a youth mobility scheme with the EU?”

Cooper replied: “We’ve been clear that we need net migration to come down. Under the Conservatives, net migration quadrupled in the space of four years. That’s the wrong thing for the UK.

“So we’re clear that net migration needs to come down, so that’s why this is not an approach that we are looking for.”

Phillips then said: “So no youth mobility scheme?”

The home secretary said: “That’s not the right starting point for us at all because what we need to do is to bring net migration down.”

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Yvette Cooper, moments ago, ruling out any chance or possibility of a Youth Mobility Scheme with the EU.

\"This is not an approach we are looking for\" pic.twitter.com/smr92c3yOA

— MrBounceBack.com (@Bounce_BackLoan) February 2, 2025

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Yvette Cooper, moments ago, ruling out any chance or possibility of a Youth Mobility Scheme with the EU.

“This is not an approach we are looking for” pic.twitter.com/smr92c3yOA

— MrBounceBack.com (@Bounce_BackLoan) February 2, 2025

Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesperson Calum Miller said: “The government’s refusal to negotiate a youth mobility scheme with the EU is short-sighted and a bitter blow to young people across the UK.

“A youth mobility deal would be good for our economy, especially our tourism and hospitality sectors, while giving young British people the opportunity to work and study abroad.

“This would be a win-win, Labour ministers need to stop repeating the failed approach of the Conservatives and listen to young people instead.”

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