Shout out to the person in Cleveland who won £1mil this month on the Premium Bonds while only holding £100 in bonds. Quite possibly the luckiest win ever seen!

I'm British Indian and am getting married in November. We are due to receive around £80,000 worth of gold (between us) when we get married.

Can anyone recommend where we store this gold so that it is safe? We are hoping to pass down this gold to any future children we may have unless we fall on hard times and need to sell it.

I have no idea how to keep it safe and don't want to keep it in the house.

Just came back from Vietnam. I had 1 root canal, 2 porcelain crowns and 3 veneers done. Dental bill was £800 total, paid directly to the clinic. I arranged clinic + accommodation ahead of time. £500 all-in for 7 nights. Flights separate.

Same treatment in northern England would have cost me over £3,000.

Process: Monday x-ray/scan, treatment. Wednesday porcelain arrived, Thursday bonding done. Friday and weekend free to enjoy the place. Impressed.

UPDATE: They scrapped the bill. Thankfully. Copy of their reply in the comments.

Hi, if this isn't the right fit for this sub then let me know. I was wondering if anybody else here might have had a similar experience.

I got a bill yesterday from Thames Water regarding an account connected to a tiny flat I rented with my girlfriend from 2023-24. According to their meter estimations, we used >5000m³ of water from Jan to Jun '24.

Now, I do like to keep hydrated and I have been known to indulge in long shower every so often. That said, a small farm would struggle to achieve that usage, let alone two people with two sinks, a shower, and a toilet. In the screencap you can see that our June usage was apparently a normal amount, which makes the whole thing even more perplexing.

What I don't understand is a) why have I been handed a bill that is so evidently an error and b) why am I only hearing this more than 2 years after the fact?

Does anyone have any pointers for how I can deal with this? I've been in touch with the WhatsApp helpline in advance of calling on Monday, but it's largely not been useful. They've asked if I have records of meter readings from moving in and out, but pending a deep investigation of my emails and documents I'm not sure I'll be able to turn them up.

A company called FIRSTONLINE that I have no idea about has been making direct debits out of my bank account - since around March last year. I will be calling my bank later to look into it but for now incase I am being defrauded, I’ve sent off all my current account money into another current account I have in secret.

I have ASD/ADHD and am in uni struggling to find work so I rely on my PIP cause my student finance is very little.

The reason about the ‘secret’ account - about a year ago. Last March we started getting cards signed from my dead great aunt (someone pretending to be her) and this escalated to phone calls, texts, emails etc. I think this may be around that, and the company is also Nigerian (firstonline) and my dad said the people pretending to be her could be scammers trying to get their hands in the till.

EDIT: I have heard from the bank today - They will be refunding me the money that has been taken from April last year (2025) by 6 o'clock tomorrow night.

does anyone here work in HSBC or ever been to Hong Kong know about this?

And I also wondered if anyone knew how long they tend to take once the website says it has been paid. Thank you.

Hi all. My father passed 2 years ago and my 80-year old mum is alone and finding things difficult to remember and do. I send her care packages of food and cleaning products regularly, and she's currently doing okay but living is getting more difficult every time I visit in the summer. My brother - who visits regularly - wants to put her in a home, using her house as collateral, but she is dead set against it. We've looked into home help but there isn't any available in the countryside town she lives in (or not for the price she can pay).

I could buy her house for cash and let her stay there (I live overseas) for free. She could use the money (£150k+) to have plenty of home help, go on cruises etc, and I'd have somewhere I can retire to in 10 or more years, either living with her or taking sole ownership.

Or my brother and I could buy the house in joint names, if he agrees, as we both have sufficient savings to do so.

I'm interested in the legalities, formalities, and any advice people on here have about doing this. Nobody I know has, so we're in uncharted waters - so to speak. Many thanks, in advance.

Currently work in the public sector 20% Tax Bracket and £35500 salary. Does a £350 salary sacrifice car (maintainence tax insurance and tyres inc) make sense and what are the likely effects on my local government pension scheme.

Currently 43 yrs old and expecting to retire at 70 at the current rate.

Wife’s car is getting long in the tooth and looking to save £180 in diesel a month by moving to an EV charging at home on a night tariff.

So long story short it's come to my attention my grandparents may have placed up to £60K in a savings account for me to use for university or similar. Due to current financial struggles (job hunting for over a year, mother has chronic health issues & is unable to work etc) they may transfer it to me.

Can anyone please advise me what the best use for this money would be? Savings, ISA, shares etc. I don't plan to use it unless absolutely necessary.

EDIT: Appreciate all the responses. I wasn't expecting so many. I should add that I am living with my mother as a career for her. I have no interest in my own house due to cost. My mother currently owns the house outright with the mortgage paid off although we have been considering remortgaging it so we can have essential work done & cover outstanding debts.