UK’s standard of living is lagging behind Europe
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What to read right now…
Plummeting investments aside, here’s a useful explainer on what Trump’s tariffs might mean for UK consumers.
Incidentally, it’s also a good time to resurface this piece on what to do if the value of your pension has fallen.
Meanwhile, the standard of living in the UK has fallen behind counterparts in Europe in the last 15 years – since the last economic crisis, in fact.
This study is a bit more nuanced but… the value of having friends in mixed socio-economic groups can add an extra £5,000 a year to your salary.
Finally, this is an interesting look at the side of your portfolio 10 years after you retire with a pension pot worth £100,000.
The deal that’s a steal…
If you, like me, aren’t that into chocolate, you may well prefer LookFantastic’s Beauty Egg* instead.
It’s basically an egg sized version of their beauty boxes with a mix of trial and full-size beauty and skincare products.
Currently it’s retailing for £60 – LookFantastic says the products are worth over £205, though of course it’s only worth that much to you if you’ll use all the products and will find them useful.
If you’re shopping across the site, there’s also currently 20% off selected summer products* if you use the discount code TREAT20.
And an actual freebie…
If you love going to the cinema, do bookmark Escapes, the film programme sponsored by the BFI and the National Lottery.
Once a month or so, they host screenings of big blockbusters at independent cinemas around the country – and tickets are completely free.
Because the screenings don’t have set dates each month, the easiest thing to do is to sign up to their newsletter to get updates on the next one.
You can only book one ticket per account, but you can also reserve a ticket for someone else. They have to confirm the ticket through their own account within 48 hours though.
Read this: How to watch free TV and films
If you only do one thing…
Sign up for the Secret Flying newsletter if you love to travel.
It scours the web for super cheap fares and sends you an email alert every time something comes up.
This week I got an alert for return flights from London to the Maldives for just £396, for example.
It’s completely free – although a premium version of the newsletter is also available – and you can choose your departure city so you only get relevant alerts.
