The buyers taking out the shortest mortgages to be debt-free in their forties

Three families reflect on the early signs of the illness, which affected their parents.

They include the things they missed or dismissed, what they’d do differently and what they’d want other people in the same position to know.

She fell for a scam

One of the first incidents that rang alarm bells for Robert was his mum falling victim to a suspected scam from someone selling mattresses door-to-door. 

She also started to struggle with cooking and making her special dishes she’d been making for decades without a problem.

I think we missed some of the really early subtle signs.

Rosie’s mother was diagnosed with Young Onset Alzheimer’s Disease at 58 but some symptoms, like brain fog, were put down to the menopause.

She had become more forgetful, and was repeating herself, but as she had always “been scatty” it was dismissed.

Another time Sarah, who was diagnosed in her forties, forgot how to boil an egg.

On Saturdays, when she’d usually go shopping, she’d go out and come straight back home, almost like she was forgetting
what she was going out for.

Unused or unwanted subscriptions cost consumers £1.6bn.

Writer Sadhbh O’Sullivan looked into her own forgotten subscriptions when she became a first-time buyer, and realised how much she was wasting on things she wasn’t using.

I’d long considered myself to be quite a reasonable spender. 

But the hidden costs across her bank accounts, like free trials that hadn’t been cancelled and memberships for abandoned services, proved otherwise.

It was full of small amounts, £2.99 here, £4.50 there. These small amounts added up.

Sadhbh isn’t alone.

19%

According to a Nationwide survey almost one in five Brits don’t use every platform they pay for.

The bank suggests they could save as much as £400 a year by ditching them. 

4.7 million

National Trading Standards’ 2025 research found 4.7 million people were paying for subscriptions they didn’t know they’d signed up for.

In 2024, a government report found unused and unwanted subscriptions cost consumers up to £1.6bn a year.

Hunt them down

Banking apps usually list your ‘subscriptions’ separately from direct debits and standing orders so you can easily spot what you’re shelling out on.

Look over 13 months

Many businesses have changed from monthly to annual payments so look further back.

If companies don’t let you cancel online, don’t fear the customer service line.

• With TV and broadband, call the new customer number as it’s often answered more quickly.
• If you’re happy with the service, but not the price, speak to a real person that may offer a better deal.
• Look for a phone number and press the ‘thinking of leaving us’ option. It’s usually a fast track to a team with authority to offer bigger discounts.

Donations to charity have increased dramatically

But staff say many people treat their shops like a tip.

Here they share the most useful donations they get, and the
ones that drive them mad.

The quality of donations over the last year has diminished.

Claire Stockman, head of retail for St
Luke’s Hospice [pictured], says many donations include used items from fast fashion like Boohoo and Primark, which they cannot sell for more than £2, if at all.

60%

of what comes into St Luke’s Hospice is unsellable, Stockman says.

She adds its soiled, damaged beyond
repair or smelly.

Vinted

Harriet, a volunteer at Crisis in Dalston,
says people bring in clothes that are dirty and stained – things that they cannot sell
on Vinted.

She also sees dirty kitchenware and technology that no longer works.

A good donation is anything new with tags on, anything that hasn’t been opened, or higher quality items.

Items that have been well looked after are more likely to sell and generate a better price for charity too.

Harriet adds that knick-knacks and wine glasses are surprise hits in her branch.

The feeling of dread that the weekend is over is all too familiar.

Here, psychologists, career consultants and sleep experts give their best advice on how
to beat the gloom that the
work week is looming…

Pave the way on Friday

Psychologist Maria-Teresa Daher-Cusack says to wrap up tasks and not to leave big or difficult things for Monday. And write a to-do list for the next week so you know what to expect when you return after the weekend.

Structure your week

If possible don’t stack your Mondays with high-pressure tasks.

If the Sunday scaries are constant, listen to them. If every Sunday fills you with dread and nothing seems to quell it it’s worth asking if it’s the job, the culture or the career itself. No one should spend half their weekend bracing for impact… ” says Victoria McLean

The UK has one of the most stable electricity grids in the world.

But no country’s energy system is 100 per cent secure and large-scale blackouts, although rare, are possible.

Here’s how to prepare, and what could happen, if we do have a blackout.

For EV owners that are already on the road, Professor Keith Bell, who works in electricity planning, recommends that those with an EV with reasonable charge use it as a generator, like your own store of electricity.

In the case of the power system going down, petrol isn’t a totally safe option as queues at petrol stations could be huge and places are likely to run out of fuel.

The longer the power takes to return the worse things are likely to get. In 2021 Storm Arwen physically damaged power lines across the UK.

Bottled water

A minimum of 2.5-3 litres of drinking water per person per day is recommended.

A blackout is unlikely but we should make small changes.

• If possible, don’t let your petrol tank run down to almost empty. Keep it over half full so you’re never caught short.
• Always have a portable power bank, and spare batteries, to charge your phone and other essentials.
• As card machines could fail, keep some cash at home.
• To keep yourself distracted and entertained, keep board games and a pack of cards handy to play.

Create a schedule

Designated screen-free times helps children develop a routine that balances screen use with other activities.

Creative hobbies

Getting creative, through drawing, painting or model construction, enhances cognitive skills and offers an alternative to screens.

Have a reward

Implement a reward system where screen time is earned through positive behaviour. 

Can following a particular diet
help prevent or delay dementia? 

Some studies suggest so.

These are the eight brain-boosting foods registered dietitian Fareeha Jay
recommends people consume as part of a weekly diet…

Coffee

Caffeine can reduce inflammation and
slow the degeneration
of brain cells.

Walnuts

These improve heart health markers, which is linked to a lower risk of neurological disorders.

The diet aims to reduce dementia risk and the decline in brain health. 

• It was created in 2015 by Dr Martha Clare Morris and colleagues at Rush University Medical Centre and the Harvard Chan School of Public Health.
• It encourages vegetables, berries, nuts, whole grains, olive oil, fish, beans, and poultry.
• These foods contain nutrients that promote good brain health by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation.

By 2030, almost half of all employees in the UK workforce will be over 50.

36%

Now one in three workers are over 50. 

Yet more than a third of those between 50 and 69 believe that their age puts them at a disadvantage when they apply for jobs. 

37%

The Age Without Limits study from 2024 shows that 37 per cent of workers between 51 to 70 felt badly treated in work because of their age.

Embrace technology

It’s nonsense that older people can’t pick up how to use new tech.

Become full-time childcare

Grandparenting on the horizon? If you don’t want to do childcare, have the conversation early – even before a child becomes pregnant – that you plan to continue working and love your job.

Rush into retirement

Everybody thinks early retirement is the dream but the reality can be different. There can be loneliness, lack of purpose and a sense of invisibility.