Help to Buy ISAs: How It All Works

I’ve never been overly-knowledgeable when it comes to matters of personal finance – too much talk of variable interest rates and AERs and I start to zone out.

It’s quite contradictory really, as I’m quite a good saver and I generally have a clear idea of exactly just how much money is going in and out of my bank account. You would think I’d be keen to be banking-savvy to maximise my saving potential.

A guy I was formerly seeing introduced me to the world of ISAs, practically begging me to open one up. He went as far as to setting the whole thing up for me online.

And I’m glad/grateful he did, because I now earn an extra £100 a year…as opposed to the 0.02p I was earning from my savings before.

But now that time has come around again, as there’s a new type of ISA account on the market that I really need to brush up on.

Help! My Washing Machine Leaves White Streaks On My Clothes

I’m a bit of a neat/tidy/clean freak but laundry has got to be my least favourite domestic chore, not least because my wardrobe consists of a lot of black and after EVERY wash I have these annoying white streaks on my clothes.

Once dried and ready to wear, I would have to get a damp sponge and pat the area to get rid of the white marks. I can’t believe I’d been dutifully just doing this for years before I finally decided to Google a remedy.

So, first things first – locate the source of the problem. Answer: surplus detergent. I decided to go easy on the washing powder with my next wash but sadly, the white streaks remained ever-present

I then came across some advice which suggested just doing an extra rinse with your wash. Unfortunately, my washing machine doesn’t have that option so once the cycle was complete, I just ran the "prewash" programme. I believe the "handwash" setting will work too if you have it.

I was pleasantly surprised that this actually worked! If you’re worried about the extra cost, you can always run the wash during off-peak hours where the energy tarrif is cheaper. Generally, these progammes only add an extra 15-20 minutes onto your wash anyway.

Comment Of The Day #7

In the ongoing train wreck that is YouTube star Trish Paytas’s love life, she was recently left wondering if a guy she dated had been using her to raise his profile the whole time.

When Trish detailed how the guy had ended things and how sad and hurt he seemed to be by it, she was left reeling when his social media posts told another story. She took to YouTube to vent her frustration in a (now deleted) video and soon her fans descended on his Instagram page:

instagram.com/seanvanderwilt

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned…or indeed, her loyal online following.