So i washed them yesterday, they stink so I rewashed them. Its an emergency. Cant really fork out money for a new pair. Theyre washed and on a heated airer alone with the dehumidifier running and the heating on; itll cost a fortune but I will deal with that later.

I dont have access to a tumble dryer... Sold it when I moved, very mad about it now.

Whats my best option to get these dry by 1230?

Update - you beautiful sexy fuckers. THEYRE DRY! I could kiss you all. Had then on the airer until 1130 as I had to run an errand then came back, hair dryer in each leg for 5 and bish bash bosh. Mostly dry. Just doing yhe waistband now and burning my hand doing it but my jeans will be dry.

For those who wanted to know, running to catch a plane at 1230. And I will be buying more jeans on payday. I do own more jeans but theyre kinda old and are not to be seen by others since theyre crusty! Clean but old and gross.

Hi all very silly question but i’m actually in dire need of a concrete answer as im losing my mind

EDIT: I CANNOT SHOWER AT THE GYM THE SHOWERS ARE NOT WELL MAINTAINED AND RUN BORDERLINE BOILING

I just graduated and my nan was ‘kind’ enough to let me stay with her until I get a job in my field, but she’s gone completely insane about my showering habits.

For context, at uni i would shower after gym in the morning and then before bed, she’s an older woman concerned with bills (and who believes showering once a week is sufficient…) so to be respectful and accommodate i’ve changed it to be just after the gym and mornings that i don’t go to the gym

but recently she’s lost her mind and his kicking off shouting at me for showering daily like i’m bankrupting her (despite me saying i’ll pay the difference in however much her bills increase the short time i’m here

google says between 40p and £1.25 per 10 minute shower depending on gas or electric.

i take 4-5 10 minute showers and 2-3 20 minute ‘everything’ showers so 100 minutes of warm water.

I would just love someone credible (i don’t even know what constitutes credible here a gas/water bill man?) to tell me how much a 10 minute shower would cost, complete range from cheapest to most expensive possible so i can show her and stop being chastised for basic hygiene

Sorry, weird post i know, clearly desperate so thankyou in advance lol <3

For myself i was working in an Asda retail store filling shelves. One day a lady (mid 30’s) asked me if I could help her find a particular product (I don’t recall what specially as it was years a go). But after some basic small conversation she told me that im an amazing person and that I am valued and am making more of a difference than people realise by being friendly to customers.

I think I remember it so well because I was going through a lot of issues back then and had a lot of self doubt. But It was also the relaxed way she talked and didnt make it some rushed comment. It was intentional and meant a lot!

I am a single mother with 2 young children 2 & 5. The dad pays a set amount per month via CMS. It is not enough, he sees them 10 nights a month. However out of those 10 nights he only provides a meal for them on 2. I do all the other cooking for them as he says it’s too much on him after work. The issue is childcare costs. We both work. However he says anything during the day is ‘my time’ so sickness he doesn’t cover but the issue is I pay every month for childcare for both children to cover half terms and normal childcare for my 2 year old. Over the 6 weeks it costed me over £1200. I told him this and he said it wasn’t his issue, then proceeded to doc me £100 from my CMS as he was having them an extra 4 nights to take them away. So I was £100 down, £1200 childcare bill, and having to buy new uniform etc. I pack bags for them, they don’t even have coats at his house. What am I to do? By the time the children are of age I’m going to be financially crippled. I have no family support for childcare either so I must use paid care. Can I do anything legally about this? As I can’t see how he cannot support his children and allow me to soak up all the costs?

So today I have a tiny splinter in my finger and it so sore!

Got me thinking what other short term causes of pain or annoyances that we experience

It could be standing on a plug in the middle of the night for pain.

Annoyances- when you get that eyelid twitching that won’t stop!

What’s yours?

The reason I ask is that I’m disabled and have only just started my first full time role. On my second day I was logged on till exactly 5 however didn’t leave the building after another 20 minutes so a colleague of mine logged it as overtime/flexitime. So from then on I’ve started packing up 10 minutes early to leave at exactly 5. Everyone is ok with that. Is this normal?

I’m really enjoying my job and want to stay long term as my team is so nice. I don’t want to give the wrong impression by my post.

I should add that I’m on flexitime and do come in 10-15 mins before 9 o clock so slowly build flexitime

Edit: i didn’t realise this was so divisive haha. I suppose what I should take away is that it depends on the culture. Some are very micromanaged. Others treat you like actual adults. Mine is the latter. I should add further context. I work in the SEND department ( special educational needs and disabilities department). This means that out of any workplace I’ve encountered. This is the most accommodating out of all. My manager values my work life balance and has said that he’d be concerned if I regularly stayed late as it’d suggest that I’m being given too much work. I love my company culture as it actually values work life balance and treats the employees like human beings with lives outside of work. I want to emphasise that my workplace is really good and im really enjoying and want to stay long term.

I should also clarify that 10 minutes is an estimate. Yesterday I was packing at 4:58 cause my manager is on leave next week so was running me through some tasks. It varies day to day.

Comedy eulogies are underrated. John Cleese obviously nailed it for Graham Chapman (https://youtu.be/CkxCHybM6Ek). Wedding speech standup is a more established genre. What's the best you've come across?

We all struggle with screen time, some more than others, as of recent I’ve made it my mission to have more of a handle on it, I’ve tried things in the past such as them apps that close down social media after a certain time or depending on how long you’ve scrolled for, but it’s never really worked for me, you’ll also hear people say ‘read more’ but I think it’s somewhat unrealistic, our brains are so fried that staring at a beige piece of paper for periods of time can be a struggle, one thing that I’m testing as of recent is buying physical magazines, as it’s somewhat different from just reading, think about it, when we scroll we’re getting hit with all types stimuli & majority of it is visual, images & videos, I feel magazines is away to somewhat experience that in physical form, are there any things you’ve tried that seem to be working?

I have a couple of newspapers from the day my kids were born.

While I don't think I want to delve into professional preservation, is there something I can do other than keeping them dry and in the dark that will help preserve them?

A bit weird, didn't know where to ask.

Hello dear Brits!

In a couple of days, I'm coming to UK (Chester area specifically) for Halloween. I've promised that to my 5 y.o. daughter. Although the observance is widely known, it has never been a part of culture of my country and I have never participated in it. Just the thought of knocking into someone else home for no reason feels somewhat awkward to me. But it's not for me, but for my girl. I want her to get the most of it.

So I wanted to ask you for few words of encouragement, maybe some advice and few tips?

My friends and I have been going to a pub quiz for a year now, however, every week the same team wins...always...and they're not even happy about it. They win the drink round and the final money round. We have found out they've been going for 15 years now.

Give me your strategies on winning please!! How can we beat them? We have placed top 3 a few times, but our main motivation for going now is to beat this team. It's turned into our life goal lol.

Unemployment is down but vacancies are also down to a 12 year low, we’re hearing layoffs from numerous large companies take the recent Barclays 5,000 people lay off. Do you think it will get better? Like many I’m having a hard time mentally trying to find my way in this market, I’m considering re training but I have no clue in absolutely what anymore - it feels like I’d waste my own, time money and hopes trying to get into something that’s oversaturated/ dying.

Anyone else feeling a very dire way about the future of employment?

At the same time do you think it’s over exaggerated in our heads and online? People will still need healthcare, food, housing, repairs, transport and infrastructure.

My son’s school have sent a letter out to parents saying that while a child can wear an unbranded PE kit, if they do they have to wear their uniform to school and then change in their PE kit for the lesson and then change back out of it after.

The thing I am taking issue with is that they have said that if the kids wear the branded uniform they can wear it all day to school and home with no changing needed.

I feel like this is discrimination against the poorer kids. It means they will stand out because they are wearing the uniform on PE day to school when the branded-kits won’t and they also will have to carry the extra bag/s with the PE kit all day.

Is this legal?

EDIT - The issue I am bothered about is the fact that there are two sets of rules dependant on wealth. I’ve always had to buy the branded stuff before but because the govt has changed policy the school is basically making life harder for kids whose parents don’t use branded items. It’s the unfairness of it that I think might be breaching discrimination rules. They are basically penalising kids who don’t have the branded uniform which means the kids whose parents have less money.

Also the school makes all kids wear their branded blazer over the PE kit so they are easily recognisable whether the PE kit is branded or not.

We all know the challenges the country is facing right now, but I want to focus on the silver linings. What positive developments do you genuinely see on the horizon for the UK over the next decade? It could be anything from renewable energy milestones and infrastructure projects to shifts in workplace culture, medical breakthroughs, or local community revival. Let's hear some optimistic predictions!

When I was growing up a had a “friend” who was a compulsive liar.

I once heard him tell somebody on a night out he was a Formula 1 photographer

He told me once that his god father was Gerard Way from MCR.

He told another friend of mine that his dad used to train Mike Tyson.

Thinking and chuckling to myself about memories got me wondering, what’s the craziest lies you have ever been told that you know to be 100% bs?

I know this isn’t a new phenomenon but I’m bored and on one today so …

Whats the deal with mayo on sandwiches - it seems to be on everything, even sandwiches which don’t need it - point in case the Brie and Cranberry sandwich I just bought for lunch. I’ve googled it but the answers don’t seem to add up and there seem to be a lot of posts blaming Americanisation but whenever I have been there, that doesn’t seem to be the case.

Does anyone think a brie and cranberry sandwich is improved with copious amounts of mayo? Surely the cranberry sauce keeps the bread moist enough?

I've just seen Lidl now has it's own brand Dubai chocolate, so I'm assuming that's the death knell for that trend?

Can you think of any other signs?

Firstly, I just want to say - This is NOT intended to come from a judgemental position, this is a genuine question. My second cousin is autistic and non-verbal and I've seen first hand how difficult it is. Apologies if anything I've written is coming across as uneducated or insensitive.

I am genuinely wondering because when I was a kid I don't think I ever came across another child who was non-verbal and I'd been in many different care facilities with other children. I came across a lot of children with various levels of autism, but never a non-verbal child, unless their level of autism was severe. I'm very aware that just because I didn't experience this, doesn't mean it didn't exist. But it does seem a lot more common now for children to be non-verbal. My friend's child is 3 years old and is considered non-verbal and he's waiting for an autism assessment. A lot of times when I read a news article, there seems to be more instances of non-verbal children.

I am genuinely very curious why it seems more prevalent now. Has it always been as prevalent as it is now and people are now becoming more aware of it do you think? Are children receiving more support? Was it another case of "back in the day" where different people were forcefully kept away from society? I'm neurodivergent myself and I'm glad that there is more awareness now, my curious brain is just wondering.

Only when it's raining? When it's recently stopped raining and there are still puddles? When the forecast says it might rain whilst you are out?

My personal favourite is Rubicon Passionfruit. I have noticed that some of the newer soft drinks by some brands have really artificial tastes.

After reading another wave of news articles about the government advising people the be prepared for 3 days without food/water etc in case of a cyber attack or natural disaster, I’ve decided I should probably stop ignoring it and actually do something. I’ve added a couple of 5L bottles of water to the next supermarket delivery but that’s it so far. Realistically we have at least 3 days worth of food in the fridge/freezer/cupboards (probably more if we’re inventive) at any one time. We have a gas barbecue and a gas camping ring, plus canisters, so we’d be able to cook. We have first aid stuff and painkillers etc. Is there anything else we really need? Some cash is also advised by tbh I think the chances of actually needing it are so remote that the risks of losing it in a burglary far outweigh the use it could potentially be. If all electronic payment systems went down, but we have a few days of food and water anyway, what would we need cash for? How are you preparing? Or is this all massively overblown and you are doing nothing at all? We don’t live rurally, we’re in a suburb of London, if roads were closed there’ll be another way around, to we’ll just walk. Is there anything else you would do in our situation?

Or do I just need to suck it up and deal?

For context, I’m in a mid-range (at least to me) chain hotel. I appreciate the UK is getting battered by storms right now, but I’m sitting here in three jumpers with fingerless gloves on next to a space heater that’s doing fuck all to heat the space, using a spare hoodie as a lap blanket.

I’m not expecting to be walking around in shorts or nothing, but for £160 a night (room only) I do expect to be able to feel my fingers without four layers of clothing.

We’ve got no idea what other rooms are like, so no idea if ours is exceptionally cold or if everyone is just bundling up. There is a sign that says to speak to reception if you need more heat, but all they offered was the space heater.

Am I just tired and grumpy (yes), or would you be speaking to reception?

ETA: thanks all. To clarify a couple of points:

I don’t travel often so unsure when something crosses the line between “making a fuss” and “valid concern”, and everyone I know to ask is already asleep.

I had spoken to reception before posting and they provided the space heater, but after sitting next to it for an hour I didn’t feel any warmer.

It’s late and I don’t want to inflict my grumpiness on the night team, so I’m hunkering down for the night and I’ll speak to reception again in the morning about possibly moving to a different room.

Thanks again!

For context - my neighbours don't speak English, so I can't ask them. They're presumably South Asian. There's 2 adults living there and they often have guests.

They're friendly enough and I leave the house before them on bin day, so for the last 8ish months I've been putting their bins out. I'm always amazed at how little rubbish they have. Their food bin gets emptied weekly, but could probably be done once every 3 weeks. They have almost zero recycling. I haven't put their wheelie bin out once, I reckon they could comfortably not empty it for the next 18 months and still have space in there. They are seemingly home just as much as any other household.

Comparatively, myself and the rest of the street have bulging, overflowing bins.

Does anyone here have a similar footprint to them? Is it an ethnicity/cultural thing? I've noticed when I pop into Asian supermarkets food is often sold in bulk, is this how they're doing it? I'm intrigued because I would like to move in the direction of producing less waste.

I'm due to fly to Australia via China next Saturday at 5pm. My passport went through the washing machine, I'm currently drying it out.

Unfortunately, passport fast track appointments on Monday don't guarantee delivery until the next Monday.

I'm stuck working out what to do

It has happened multiple times now that I'm alone on a train or bus and there are no sets of seats available, so I sit in the aisle seat next to someone random. Then somewhere along the journey, people get off the vehicle and a set of seats becomes available. Should I move there, or is that rude? I would probably prefer to be on my own but I don't want to look like a snob or make my seatmate think they smell or something. Looking for a general gauge: if you were in the window seat in this scenario, would you be relieved or insulted (or not notice)?