whenever i go to a hairdresser in the uk i am left feeling disappointed and unhappy with my haircut. today the lady cut off much more than i had asked for, and gave me choppy layers that only look good with curls. took her about 10 minutes as well and cost nearly a days worth of pay.

whenever i get my hair done in another country, not only is it way cheaper but it also looks so much better, the stylists seem to really care about their work and put lots of effort into the haircuts/dyes and the style always seems to frame my face better.
maybe i’m cursed and every hairdresser i go to here but it honestly always feels like a waste so i wait until i’m on holiday to get my hair cut.

Hi,

I live in greater London (born and raised here) and recently received some inheritance money, which is enough to pay for the deposit on a house.

However, as I work full-time in an unskilled, just above minimum wage job and my partner also earns a small part time income, we'd only qualify for a mortgage of about 130k.

From what I've seen online, the closest house to London we can buy with that amount is about a 2.5 hour drive away.

So I was just wondering if anyone has been in a similar situation to me (especially with respect to not currently having a professional career) and then made a big move like this. E.g. any tips for finding a job in a new city? Etc. I would be the first person in my immediate family to buy a home after the financial crash, so I don't really have any relatives or friends to ask about all this, so I'm asking here.

Also, if anyone advises against this, your suggestions are welcome; e.g. I'm currently studying for a degree part-time, so I could wait until I complete that, then try to get a well-paid career, then buy a house

Thanks

ETA: also I'm not interested in what seem to be the typical London USPs of nightlife etc

Hello, my name is Kevin and i live in Italy. Throughout these months i've had a lot of trouble finding a job here and it's driving me nuts because i have no work experience and most employers don't reply to me or straight up reject me. So for now i haven't made any official plans but i've been looking for options to move to another country. And today i've considered the UK as a place to move to because i'm pretty fluent in english, including on the job i want to do and have little experience on, and i believe i could find work here far more quickly than in Italy.

My only questions are:

• How are rural areas compared to big cities like London, Birmingham, Manchester ecc... in terms of cost of living and wages ? I don't want to live on big cities because I've heard of the crimes and stuff like that that occur over there. The outskirts of big cities are fine for me too, as long as crimes there aren't too common.

• Are apartments, shared or studio apartments, affordable for young people ? Which ones would you suggest ?

• How available are workplaces to young, inexperienced folks like me ?

If I have more questions, I'll edit this post.

I’ve just heard the trailer for it. I normally like Diane Morgan stuff, but that sounded terrible, like Mrs Brown Boy’s level bad.

So bit of context, I was friends with a group of people and there was these two girls who wanted to go to a concert. one girl who wanted to go didn’t have the money yet and the tickets were going to go very fast. I offered to lend the money (£75) and she could pay me back in her own time with no rush or interest added. Since then I am no longer friends with that group and I want my money, I’ve talked multiple times to this person and the other friends in that group about it and they aren’t taking it serious anymore. Me and her did come to the decision of weekly £10-15 payments until it pays off the total but I’ve only had 1 payment so far. It’s been almost 2 weeks without payment and I’ve contacted her and her friends multiple times about it and nothing is happening.
I’m very lost on what to do, I don’t really want to get police involved as I live with my parents and I don’t want to bring police here. Is there anything I can do (which isn’t majorly tedious) to fully get my money back?

I mean a pack of cigs cost around £18 now, I’ve been thinking, if I was to book a flight to Paris for the day pick up a deck and fly back home I would have had a nice day out, and some cheap cigs. Am I missing something here ?

Somewhat serious here.

What's with this walk that I've always associated with chavs?

It seems really inefficient and just weird. Had some kids on my street laughing at the super speedy, arms swinging, stiff torso (accompanied with the outward feet) group of people and it made me think about how odd it seems.

Has it always existed? Or just an early 2000s throwback?

Just watching ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire’ the question was “what day of the week is colloquially known as hump day?” Jeremy Clarkson had never heard of it and neither have I. Have you?

We have the cycle to work scheme that allows people to buy bikes from their gross salary so they pay less tax.

However, if your employer offers you private healthcare insurance it's treated as a taxable benefit.

This seems utterly insane to me, why have a scheme that allows people to buy something as trivial as bikes but then tax them on healthcare coverage when the NHS has become a joke and it would actually take pressure off it if more people went private.

Say I'm digging a hole to china (someone asked about this before) and I find an interesting looking bone. Who do I call to check if its a Dinosaur or former monarch rather than like, a dog.

Assuming I have mineral rights, how do I profit from this discovery?

I can understand diet drinks and lite versions having artificial sweeteners such as aspartame or saccharin etc….but why do the normal versions of cola and other soda drinks have to use artificial sweeteners? To me you can taste that artificial sugar taste and I don’t particularly like it.

The second ingredient will be sugar, after carbonated water, but why then further down the ingredients list do they need to add an artificial sweetener ?

In some drinks more than others you can taste that chemical/artificial sweetener taste.

Thankyou , just wondering before I possibly waste any time

I'd like to introduce some Japanese songs, but I'm wondering which artists would be popular in the UK?

I think the UK has one of the world's best music cultures, so I'd like to know what kind of music people there would like.

For example, songs like "Whatever" by Oasis have a style that's easily appealing to Japanese people.

It really hits home with the Japanese heart and sensibility.

It's strange, but I feel like there are certain songs and musicians that are more easily accepted in specific countries.

So, I'd like you to listen to some Japanese songs and let me know if there are any songs or artists that you think would be popular in the UK.

Let's put aside the practicalities like, "Songs not sung in English won't be popular in English-speaking countries," or "People in English-speaking countries aren't interested in Japan," or "There are so many great music artists in the UK that we don't need to listen to music from other countries." I know all that. (laughs)

1. Hitsujibungaku - "Koe（voice）＂This alternative band is a newcomer that has broken through in recent years. This song is the theme song for a drama about emergency medical dispatchers, and the lyrics were written specifically to match the drama.

 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yDLQztkxCR0&ra=m

1. AKB48's "Koi Suru Fortune Cookie" is a song by a female idol group. This song was a huge hit. It became a topic of conversation for its dance, which resembles making rice balls.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dFf4AgBNR1E&pp=0gcJCWQCo7VqN5tD&ra=m

1. Asian Kung-Fu Generation - "Rewrite"

(The song is characterized by the chorus, "Erase it! Rewrite it!" The members were asked by Noel Gallagher at a music festival, "Can you guys do kung fu?" and when they answered no, he reportedly said, "What? (laughs) But that's a F***n cool band name.")

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cr8magEp0Ho&ra=m

4.Fujii Kaze - "Workin’ Hard"（A male singer-songwriter. He can write catchy songs, but he also has a somewhat calm and stylish image. He speaks in the Okayama dialect, and he's incredibly skilled at blending it with hip-hop and jazzy music.）

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=88wHgiUAKoI&ra=m

1. Hikaru Utada ＂First Love＂（a Japanese artist born in New York and currently residing in London. She has successfully incorporated the essence of R&B into Japanese, and accomplished this at the young age of 15.)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=o1sUaVJUeB0&ra=m

6.Mrs. Green Apple - "Lilac" (They dominated the Japanese hit charts the year before last and last year. Every song they released was a hit. The vocalist writes and composes almost all of their songs. It's no exaggeration to say they are currently the best-selling band in Japan.)https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QjrkrVmC-8M&ra=m

1. The brilliant green - "Cold Flower"

(They're a band that debuted in the 90s, influenced by British music, and I learned about Oasis and Britpop through them. They're like benefactors to me, the band that introduced me to British music. I'm not a native English speaker, so I don't know for sure, but the English in the chorus sounds a little negative (maybe intentional?), so I hesitated to introduce it, but the sound is similar to Oasis's "Don't Go Away," so I thought it might be easy for people in the UK to listen to.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XsV8SElEHkg&ra=m

8.Perfume - "Polyrhythm" (A fusion of technopop, idols, and dance. This song, released around 2008, was the catalyst for their breakthrough.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KbiSxunJatM&ra=m

9.ONE OK ROCK - "The Beginning" (A rock band that has enjoyed consistent popularity for nearly 10 years) https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Hh9yZWeTmVM&ra=m

10.Aim to be a Pokémon Master (The theme song for the very first Pokémon anime series. Despite being for children, it features a serious performance using professional studio musicians. The guitar solo in the interlude, starting around 2 minutes and 25 seconds, is a highlight. The song is sung by the voice actor for Ash. Pikachu also participates. The CD sold 2 million copies in Japan alone. Of course, I bought one too.) 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=E_BsL8_cFnE&ra=m

1. Creepy Nuts - "Otonoke"

A hip-hop group known for their skillful rap. The opening, with its eerie yet addictive loop of words, is fascinating.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tRwHpyOq4P4&ra=m

おまけ

Morning Musume. (A song from 1999. Like One Direction, they were an idol group formed from those who failed auditions. They're famous for their producer's interesting musical taste, releasing quirky and slightly eccentric songs. This song is actually one of their more normal ones.)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6A7j6eryPV4&ra=m

Japanese idol groups tend to lean towards comedy and release crazy songs, sometimes even surpassing bands in popularity and sales.

It's like British humour, which is difficult for people from other countries to understand. It's funny, but it's a concept that's hard to explain to people from other countries. I'd like to introduce it, but it's difficult to explain, so I haven't introduced it much this time.

(It's like a combination of comical, surreal, absurd, and cute—a top-quality kind of madness.)

There are probably many more songs and artists out there, but I don't know what will resonate with people in the UK, so I've made a selection that seems plausible, incorporating some of my personal tastes.

Strange pair of semi circles near my house on the road, seems to be spray painted. What does it mean?

For context; I am a British citizen who had a small mental breakdown a few months ago and decided to run away to live with my partner in another European country. Things with him quickly devolved to unliveable, I can’t legally work here, and I have no savings, family or friends in the UK, and have only a rudimentary understanding of the language here. I would like to rebuild my life in the UK, however would find myself homeless as soon as I get back, and am not eligible to apply for any kind of housing support or universal income whilst I’m abroad. I’m trying to find jobs with accommodation provided, but am struggling to find listings save for a few randomly placed hotel ads, so was wondering if anyone had any suggestions

It’s quite a new friendship and we get on really well. She got a new pup back in December’25 and it’s gone though all it’s puppy milestones. (Injections, grooming, puppy training etc.) I feel the training didn’t go as well as it should as it takes no notice of ANY commands. If she pops round and said pup is with her I have to make sure all inside doors are closed and we sit in the dining room, otherwise it tear arses it all over the house. Once when muddy. How do I tell her this (her puppy is her world)

Bit of a weird post this, but I’m planning to buy this gel blaster that looks quite real, do you think it would be allowed or seized by uk border force?

In 1997, pre-social media, I met a British police officer named Bob through an early travel bulletin board; we met in a pub in Covent Garden. He showed me around Harrods and the Natural History Museum. I met his friends and even stayed a couple nights. I remember he lived about 100 miles north and took the train in. Just, love to reconnect after all these years.

Would you say the UK is a good country to live in, generally speaking in 2026 despite it's issues of Col, public services etc or not, and why so if you do or don't think so.

Weird question but I’ve been dwelling on this for hours and I’m hoping that people who know more can help me. EDIT people seem to think that by this I mean I’m upset or bothered, I’m not! I’m just a bit puzzled and curious!

I’m staying in Birmingham for a few days, and while I was exiting the train station yesterday a total stranger started chanting “Everton” over and over, making direct eye contact with me, as he walked towards me. He stopped when he passed me.

I know so little about football that I had to google and check that it was the name of a club.

Some more information:
- I have brightly coloured hair
- I was wearing a plain white t-shirt and trousers with yellow/green/white stripes
- He didn’t seem malicious or aggressive, he was grinning (like maybe he thought I’d understand a reference?)

Anyone able to shed some light?

This story popped up in my feed - not sure why but what do we all think about the guidelines at the end of this for a safe route to school? It appears all the things that the average person would take into account when assessing safety are excluded.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm2gnl00m27o

As per the instructions on the paper copy, both parts are meant to be kept together so both can be produced when needed, but does anyone actually do this?

To me it doesn’t make sense to keep both together. If my handbag got stolen, then I’ve lost both parts of my license. I keep my paper copy at home with other important documents like my passport etc

For context I’m 20F. I work as a TA in a primary school with an agency and I don’t have anything to do now that summer has started. I’m not allowed to go out so I would prefer any indoor hobbies. (don’t say I’m over 18 I can do what I want because thats is not how it works in my household lol)

I’m currently just bedrotting and have been scrolling on social media these past few days so today I have decided to deactivate my socials. However I’m just so bored!!

I’m learning how to drive so I guess thats going to occupy me for two hours once a week. I’m looking into buying some paint and small square canvases so I can do mini arts and also want to buy some crocheting stuff.

What do you do to occupy yourself during the summer holidays
?

When someone says "can you do mine too?" when I'm cleaning my car, or when someone on the radio says "I was listening on my smart speaker". Those two things really annoy more much more than they should! The car cleaning comment annoys me as it always comes with a stupid grin, and there's not really anywhere to go with the conversation as it's a shit joke. For an age I've been trying to think of a witty reply or a decent comment back without being rude as I know the other person is only trying to be funny, albeit shit funny. And the smart speaker thing is just a dick swing for the person to announce they have a smart speaker. Who cares if you're listening on the car radio, a normal radio, or a stupid smart speaker????

What things really annoy you more than they should, and have you got a witty reply comment you fire back? (I'd really like a reply back for the car thing, as the best I've got is "yeah but it'll cost you") 🫪

I do not have special education, am over 40 and have mostly worked in customer service jobs.

I have traveled to the UK and love the country, the people and just so much there.... maybe not all the food 😄