I’m going to Norwich on the 29th and would like to know what other freebies I can get.

I don’t have Starbucks on the list as it’s expensive and it’s not my top hot drink choice.

Thanks in advance!

I had a McDonalds Happy Meal today and didn’t want the toy so I offered it to a family next to me who had kids. I asked the parents not the kids.

The two blokes sitting there raised their voices and shouted NO! at me like I was the devil!

I wasn’t trying to be a weirdo, I just didn’t want the toy.

What are your thoughts on this?

Hypothetically, what would people think about a government funded National Fitness Lottery?

The premise is simple. You sign up for free, link a fitness tracker such as Strava or Fitbit, and complete a reasonable amount of exercise each week. Say 3–4 sessions of 30 minutes, with appropriate targets for different physical abilities.

Maintain that activity throughout the month and you're entered into a prize draw.

Rather than offering one enormous jackpot, the lottery could award thousands of £1,000 cash prizes every month.

For example, 4,000 winners each month would cost £48 million annually in prize money. That's a relatively small amount in the context of national healthcare spending, and sponsorship or advertising could potentially contribute towards the cost.

But the real idea goes beyond simply encouraging people to exercise.

Imagine a few million people who currently exercise infrequently suddenly becoming consistently active.

More people walking, running and cycling. More demand for gyms, sports clubs and leisure facilities. More people taking an interest in their diets, sleep and general wellbeing.

There are obvious potential benefits for physical and mental health, but also for the wider economy. Healthier workers, fewer sick days, less pressure on the NHS, more active commuting and increased spending at local businesses.

And perhaps most importantly, there's the potential for a longer-term cultural shift.

The more people exercise, the more visible and socially normal it becomes. Businesses respond to demand, facilities become more accessible, and children grow up in communities where being physically active is increasingly ordinary.

That could encourage even more people to adopt healthier habits, creating a positive cycle over time.

Personally, I think the lottery aspect is particularly appealing. The possibility of winning £1,000 could be a meaningful incentive to establish and maintain healthier habits.

So I'm curious what other think?

Would the possibility of winning £1,000 motivate you to exercise more consistently?

And do you think a scheme like this could genuinely influence people's habits, or would it make little difference to you?

I grew up in Dorset and we always had apple crumble with either ice cream or cream. Never custard.

My wife grew up in the Midlands and thinks I’m mad because she always had hers with custard!

It’s got me wondering whether this is actually a regional thing or just down to what your family did growing up.

So, where in the UK did you grow up, and what did you always have with your crumble?

Curious to see if there’s a north/south divide or whether it’s completely random!

Edit - oh god what have I started…

People seemed to be obsessed with Costco and seem to think it's some sort of great cheap shop. A lot of the things they have are similarly priced to the standard supermarkets and they don't really have anything different or great. What's the big deal about it?

Was listening to old XFM with Ricky Gervais, Steve Merchant and Karl Pilkington. Karl uses the word 'grid' in a sentence and is corrected by Ricky, 'he means grate'.

I live in NW England and have always called it a grid (or drain), eg 'I dropped my keys down the grid' - I think most people would gather what was meant by that sentence even if they didn't call it a grid themselves.

Any other offerings? Is it region specific?

I just went to the GP for an emergency appointment after a 111 call yesterday and at the end she turned a screen around mentioned using AI and I saw the software summarise the consultation. She edited it for accuracy and that was that. I've heard this was coming but I can't believe I wasn't asked for consent to record. And didn't expect to be confronted with it like that.

Has anyone else had this happen? I don't like it one bit. No advanced notice or anything. My main thing here is consent. I wasn't asked and feel like I should have been. I think it's something I should be able to opt out of.

I hate how AI is seeping into every area of our lives and I appreciate that this tool makes it easier for their records and note taking. I know time and efficiency is important but I don't think it should trump my desire to not have my voice recorded. I know GPs do a lot for us, I really appreciate the NHS and don't take it for granted but this just makes me feel uncomfortable.

Is it asking to much to want to have the ability to opt out of, or am I being unreasonable?

My wifes grandfather still uses an iPod Nano while doing the gardening, even though he has an iPhone (no idea which gen).

He still plugs it into one of those clock/speaker/charger things at night. Don't think it's had a song added to it in over 15 years.

I have a record player, but it's modern tech (uses Sonos etc).

I’ve had a couple of funeral processions drive past me recently while I’ve been driving . How do you show respect? Is there a standard/ well-known way?

ETA: wow thanks everyone. I’m so sorry that some people are inconsiderate!! I’ve been nodding my head to funeral processions that went by, so its nice to see that others do the same

The heating is kicking in to keep the house at 19 degrees which is honestly too cold for me, jumper and slippers on and it's still chilly indoors but at £7-£8 a day when we're not even in winter yet I'm not sure on turning the temp up higher.

I'm shocked at how expensive it is and worried about the price in winter. It seems ridiculous to feel like we're asking too much to afford to have our home be a comfortable temperature after both working 40 hours a week.

Is this around a regular price or is ours silly expensive?

Edit as asked in comments - It's a 4 bed Victorian terrace, seems like a lot of people are paying a similar price! It's the heat loss that's killing us, as soon as the heating is turned off we lose 1.5 degrees within an hour so it's working a lot to keep the temp higher.

i’ve had thai food in Teesside, York, Chester and Northumberland this year and it’s all been amazing. why is it all so nice? have i just been to 4 really good places?

eta also had some in Gateshead that i forgot to add. was also banging

Lately i have been trying to give some old british sitcoms a go, to see if i like them or not and how funny do i find them. Please dont suggest to me Dad's Army or Fawlty Towers, i already know that both of them 2 are good (esp the latter). Also do not suggest to me Only Fools & Horses, i already know that one is great. But here are some others i have tried

It Aint Half Hot Mam - I didnt really find this one that funny to be honest. It seems that the bulk of the jokes in this one come from either Windsor Davis shouting, or impersonating that guy who sounds like Alan Carr when he talks,

Open All Hours - Im rather disappointed in this one to be honest. Cause both Ronnie Barker and David Jason are very funny comedians, but this sitcom with both of them in just doesnt really have that it factor about it, the jokes just seem too mediocre

Are You Being Served? - Im gonna need more time with this one, ive only seen two episodes so far, and it didnt seem too bad, but too early to assess

On The Busses - I gotta admit, this one seems pretty alright. Esp the episode where they buy a new toilet for their house, and it just causes problem after problem lol. The inspector is a good ongoing villain character, I think id happily give this one more watches

Allo Allo - Now this one does seem good i must admit. Ive given the first 5 seasons a go and id happily watch more, but i got this feeling that the best seasons are behind me now. The relation Rene has with the Colonel is good, and the way they both try to pull fast ones past Hairflick (sp?) of the Gestapo. When Rene had to keep pretending to be his dead twin brother hand me laughing alot.

I’ve noticed that most of the music I listen to which are video game and anime soundtracks aren’t enjoyed by any of my family to my knowledge. I like metal too which they also don’t listen to. How about you lot?

Have you ever been in a physical fight like fist fight and if so what was the outcome did you win, did you lose, were there multiple people involved, were there weapons involved and what was the reason for the fight in the first place?

I am currently in central Europe (Czechia) and have visited two different spas in the last week one of which was today, both of which do not allow swimwear at all. In the past I've visited similar nude spas in European countries like Belgium, the Netherlands, and Poland.

The first time was a bit daunting but I can honestly say that I now much prefer these spa experiences to the ones back home. There is something about nude spas that means it is treated much more like a bathing ritual. The whole process feels cleaner and frankly more purposeful, like it's being treated with more respect. It also really makes you notice the difference between feeling the hot sauna air directly on your skin and not traipsing around in wet swimwear.

People are respectful, there's no weird staring or unwanted behaviour, you can just go about your business despite the fact that you're naked. There's people of all ages and genders too and it's not in any way associated with naturism, people wear a towel if they want when wandering around outside the sauna or pools.

In the UK it seems the default is to tag a sauna and steam room onto a pool and call it a spa, or you're looking at extortionately expensive spa weekends to get into somewhere decent.

You can spend £20-£40 to get into a really nice little spa that has no pool but a few of saunas/steam rooms, plunge pools/snow showers, and a hot tub/hydrotherapy pool of some description with the option to order a massage or get some food.

I'd rather fly to Europe for a spa break than go anywhere in the UK.

So, if the UK had a good quality little spa with a European culture of no swimwear, would you go?

I've always been an excessive sweater, but I'm now on medication that makes that problem even worse.

Summer ironically is the best time for me, because the weather is warm enough for me to wear shorts and t-shirts.

With winter approaching though, I'm getting apprehensive about having to wear warm waterproof jackets, which I know from past experience means I'm going to be arriving everywhere feeling warm and damp - not from rain, but from the sweat caused by the clothing I wear.

Mods, I genuinely did search but I couldn't find answers that were specific enough for my problem (I'm happy to be directed though, if my search skills were just rubbish).

Asked by someone who has too many fivers. What if I wanted £25? I’d have to dispense £30 and hope I get a fiver.

Whether it's the sparkly lights, full beam lights on, bluey-white ones, straight up ridiculously bright lights, or the vans and vehicles where their headlights are at the height of normal cars, how do you minimise the blinding light both in front of you and behind you?

I recently got stuck in the right lane on the motorway because I couldn't see the lane next to me in any of my mirrors so didn't feel safe moving over, in general I drive an hour to work and back every day so spent a fair amount of time squinting it through now it's always dark

I've tried the yellow glasses, having my rearview mirror permanently tilted, flicked my fog lights on when they're behind me, just leaving it on when someone's lights are on full and they've stayed behind me - am I seriously the only one struggling with the lights? Am I missing something? Do I just join in and drive with full beam on all the time?

i’ve worked in nurseries for years and my hair has never been a problem. i like to express myself through my hair and i’ve had hair colours all across the spectrum, from blue to purple to red

i’ve been attempting to branch out and apply to schools instead and i had an interview as a TA. at the end of the interview they told me that the job was mine if i was willing to change my hair colour to something more natural. it’s not fully dyed, it’s just got pink strands in it

they went on to say that it would upset children and parents alike and that it reflected badly on the school. i was a bit surprised because at my last nursery i had wonderful relationships with the parents. i babysat for quite a few of them and my hair was never an issue. the kids loved it too and called me a mermaid

i mentioned this and they told me that nurseries were less professional than schools and they didn’t want to risk any complaints. at that point i was done and told them i didn’t want the job and walked out

i genuinely never thought i’d be met with such hostility over a bit of hair dye. so parents, would you be upset if your child’s teacher had an unnatural hair colour? it’s a good thing i wore long sleeves to hide my tattoos lol

Please also state the year/decade. Trying to find happy stories to cheer everybody up. Sometimes one wonders if people were more friendly in the past or whether it is just nostalgia.

I remember that was the glaring thought I had when I first came across reddit several years ago. It's noticeable when people recommend products that cost way more than they need to, attitudes towards poor areas with crime (eg that it's safe because you can just avoid those areas, as if nobody has to live there), and talk of what people do in their spare time while young, and the average redditor's disbelief at certain socioeconomic barriers even being worth consideration.

I think it probably skews to middle class and quite stable homes, as that's who's more likely to be on a computer a lot while young, or to be very into gaming and other activities that get people onto reddit.

After an argument at dinner yesterday, i hoped the internet could help me settle this once and for all. i’m a firm believer you keep the skin-on and should keep the skin on, however my mother cut the skin off the breast pieces, is this as much as a cardinal sin as i believe it to be?

We feel like we have exhausted TV / Netflix / YouTube / Amazon / Disney+ and are looking for ideas.

I'm a remote IT worker getting a bit bored of my four walls I've been in coworking spaces a few times and they seem pretty cool, but seem to be mostly self-employed people. I'm an employee, not self-employed. Cheapest place I've seen locally (Manchester suburbs) is about £180/month which is enough to discourage me, but not totally prohibitive.

I wondered:

Is 180/month the going rate?

Can you somehow pay this out of your pre-tax pay?

Has anyone managed to get their employer to pay, or contribute?

Can you mentally offset this against saved heating/electric/internet bills?

Is it social - do you get to know the other co-workers?

How is it for taking calls? I think one place I saw had private booths for calls but most did not.

Have you bumped into any other issues? e.g. confidentiality of working in a public place

I'm primarily interested in people sharing their experience.

For the past 6/7 years I have used Mealime but it has just closed. It was perfect for what I needed. I select however many meals and it creates a list of ingredients. The recipes were added to each month and it had quite a large library. You could favourite the regular recipes into a custom list. It wasn't linked to any specific supermarkets and was generally just really easy to use!

I've just looked at Cherrypick but it seems to be forcing you to Sainsburys, added a simple recipe and the list was 10p of onions at £0.95/kg, guess you have to do your own maths to work out how many you need! Was similar for nearly every ingredient. £0.89 of green pesto at £4.68/kg... I switched it to Tesco but it omitted almost every ingredient and said the experience was better with Sainsburys.

So, Is there anything thats fits the bill? Anyone else use Mealime and are now switching to something else?