Hailed as the ‘front page of the internet,’ Reddit is so much more than a place to enjoy funny cat memes and keep up with the latest gaming, movie, and TV news. We share eight subreddit communities to help you better understand your finances, create a workable food budget, and expand your skills to help take the edge off of growing financial worries

I love Reddit. Despite not being their target demographic (around 70% of the site’s users are American, with 18-29s making up 64% of their user base), Reddit is one of those sites where you can find a community for everything. Literally.

Want nothing but cute photos that make you go aww? There’s a subreddit for that (r/aww). Need a good laugh, but tired of the same old memes? r/BirdsWithArms has nothing but bird videos with hilarious clipart-drawn arms and expressions. Want to find a supportive community, filled with others who are sharing their lived mental health experiences, and experts highlighting advice and guidance? Well, there are dozens of dedicated mental health and wellbeing subreddits to help you feel accepted and connected.

When it comes to talking about our finances, things can feel tough. Research from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) revealed that 42% of us who have borrowed money and are struggling choose to ignore lenders’ attempts to contact us, due to feeling ashamed. A lack of knowledge is also causing us unnecessary stress and strain, as 40% who are struggling financially incorrectly believe that talking to a debt advisor will have a negative impact on their credit file.

Over half (52%) of us wait more than a month to seek help when we are struggling financially. New data from Financial Capability revealed that over 20.3 million adults (39%) in the UK don’t feel confident managing their money and over 11.5 million of us have less than £100 is savings. With nearly 9 million in serious debt, and only a third receiving help, things are only set to get worse over the coming months, as prices continue to rise.

We’re not saying online communities are the answer to all of our money problems. But talking about our struggles, reaching out to others, and sharing tips and tricks to make our money stretch further can all have a significant, positive impact on how we feel.

Feeling anxious or stressed about talking money with your partner? Counselling Directory explains more about how you can get the conversation started.

Feel more confident managing your finances

Financial literacy (having the skills and knowledge to make informed, effective decisions about your financial resources) is an area that is so important, yet many of us feel we lack the tools to understand

Peaches and cinnamon pair perfectly in this recipe for Baked Peach Oatmeal. Eaten on its own or topped with whipped cream, it’s a hit.

Anytime I bake peaches into something it reminds me of my favorite peach cobbler or crisp. What’s not to love?

Baked Peach Oatmeal

So, the fact that I love this breakfast really shouldn’t come as a surprise. And, yes, the fact that I want to make another pan of it tomorrow morning just goes to prove my addiction to the fresh peaches that are finally in season.

The smell of this oatmeal baking lures my family out of bed every time. In their sleepy state, they might think it is a peach dessert for breakfast, but they are never disappointed by a pan of baked peach oatmeal.

You probably notice in the photos I skip on peach peeling. There truly is no need to peel your peaches in this baked oatmeal. I do suggest using freestone varieties of peaches for how easy it is to remove the flesh from the pit.

Old-fashioned oats bake up nicely. Quick oats are often good for crisps or cookies or that quick morning oatmeal. But old-fashioned is best for this dish as they keep their shape and it doesn’t turn to mush. They have a rich nutty flavor as well.

You can easily bake this in a small casserole or 8×8 pan. My preference is muffin cups or individual little casseroles. My family fights for those buttery crisp edges.

Toppings, dressings, and condiments are one of the best ways to add flavor or make a dish more decadent. When it comes to oatmeal I am all about the toppings.

Our favorite way to enjoy it is topped with drizzled with honey or maple syrup. If I am really trying to sweeten my kids up for a day of t

Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

Chocolate peanut butter chip cookies are the impeccable combination of two of the world’s best foods (imho)! These cookies are thick, chewy and irresistible!

It’s time for chocolate and peanut butter to dance again! One of my favorite dessert combinations ever. It’s sweet, it’s salty, it’s perfection every time!

Have you tried our peanut butter blossoms? It’s pretty much these cookies but in reverse. Sometimes two things just belong together, like Cade and I! He’s the chocolate to my peanut butter! And speaking of pb and chocolate, our peanut butter bars are a MUST!

Ok, I’m getting all distracted! Back to these cookies…they are tender and so chocolatey! With those little morsels of peanut butter loaded inside, these cookies are absolute bliss.

What Ingredients Do I Need for Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies?

This recipe is going to look very familiar. It’s the same as our chocolate chip chocolate cookies just with peanut butter chips instead. I would say the only ingredient that might be unexpected is the Devil’s Food Pudding which I’ve written a whole section about below. Here is what you will need:

• Butter
• Eggs
• Sugar
• Brown Sugar
• Vanilla
• Flour
• Salt
• Baking Soda
• Cocoa
• Devil’s Food Pudding (see section below)
• Peanut Butter Chips (3 10oz bags)

Head down to the recipe card below for all the exact measurements.

Read more

The effects of poverty can last a lifetime, regardless of your current financial position. So how can you recognise the damage it causes, and begin to live life on your own terms?

Coming from a place of financial poverty, I have become all too familiar with money trauma.

Moving homes nine times before the age of 10 years old, I didn’t have a place to call ‘home’. Even then, when I say home, I mean a shack.

I spent part of my childhood living with my grandparents in Cairo. We didn’t have clean water, and had little food. Being the poor girl, with dirty, hand-me-down clothes from my uncles, you can imagine I wasn’t the most popular kid.

Even when I lived with my mum in the UK, and we were in a better financial position, I was still unpopular. All the other children had new clothes, video games, and went on days out – all of which were beyond me.

The teasing was humiliating. Kids would shout at me, tell me I was garbage, point, laugh, and make gestures that I smelt. One of the teachers actually joined in, publicly yelling at me for not wearing the correct uniform, because I couldn’t afford it.

As you can imagine, I felt abnormal, like there was something fundamentally wrong with me. Even though I progressed from a place of third-world poverty to the breadline, I was always falling behind. I was inferior and never good enough.

Money and self-beliefs

Anyone can see the negative impact of poverty in terms of quality of life. We hear how money worries can be stressful, but I’m not sure we appreciate its magnitude.

As a clinical psychologist, looking back at my upbringing, I know that I suffered traumas attached to money. My story is not unique, and money trauma, sadly, often leads us to have an unhealthy relationship with ourselves and with other people.

I’ll never be good enough

This was hard for me. Having those negative and critical messages from other people in society was excruciating. On top of that, the messages I received from family members were also painful (“We can’t afford X”, “We’re not good enough to deserve Y”, “We must accept being below the threshold”).

I ended up believing that I wasn’t good enough, that other people were better than me, that I deserved to be treated badly, and that was my life forever.

Unfortunately, these beliefs continued through my life, and negatively affected my self-esteem, mental health, and relationships. I would constantly be living in a state of anxiety, watching my every move to make sure I wasn’t being ‘weird’ or ‘shameful’.

I would tolerate emotionally and physically abusive behaviours from friends or ex-partners, because I felt that was what I deserved and I was worthy of no more. I would constantly try to please other people, so they didn’t have a reason to criticise me. I worried that if I voiced my needs, I would be rejected, and all I wanted was to be accepted.

I’ve got crabs, and I bet you do too

Have you ever heard of what happens to crabs in a bucket? One crab may want to escape – and why not? It’s crowded in that bucket, and there’s the e

Across the country, our feathered friends are supporting people in new and surprising ways

Gentle coos, methodical scratching, and a brisk ruffle of feathers; anyone who has had the pleasure of spending time around chickens will be able to relate to the soothing qualities of this particular poultry. Even so, they may not be the first creature that comes to mind when you think about therapy animals. But that’s about to change.

In south-east London, The Growing Lives project invites adults with mental health problems and autistic children to visit Sydenham Garden, which was founded in 2002 when a small group of local residents had the vision to convert a neglected nature reserve into a thriving community garden. Today, co-workers (the titles given to the beneficiaries) come together to garden, spend time in nature, and, importantly, care for a flock of 12 adopted hens.

The community project is supported by the British Hen Welfare Trust (BHWT), a charity that saves 60,000 hens from slaughter every year, and rehomes them as pets and – now – as therapy animals. Jane Howorth MBE is the founder of the charity – and, for her, the decision to bring chickens into therapeutic environments just made sense.

“We all know how much joy animals can bring as pets, and chickens certainly fit into that category,” Jane explains. “But we hear so much anecdotal evidence of the way keeping hens can benefit human wellbeing.

“We’ve seen chickens being kept in prisons and probation hostels to help people not only learn responsibility, but also open up and develop empathy. We’ve seen them kept by community groups and other charities to bring people together and support mental and physical health.

“And we hear so many stories from our adopters about how hens have helped to give them a positive focus and provide so many bright moments in life. They have so much love and affection to give that you can’t help but feel better when you’re around them.”

David Lloyd is the coordinator for Growing Lives, and he’s seen first-hand the impact these feathered friends can have on the people around them. He shares how children from a local special school visit them several times a week and, while some are non-verbal and avoid eye-contact with humans, they happily stroke, interact, and chatter away with the chickens in a way they can’t with other people.

“Having rehomed chickens fits with our ethos; they’re a bit of a metaphor for the work we do here,” David explains. “They’ve had a difficult first part of their life, they’re saved from death, they’re then given a lot of love and nice surroundings, and within months they’re thriving and growing into their potential.”

Out of London and down to Cornwall, mother-of-three Billie-Jo Pascoe has also seen how beneficial chickens can be when it comes to supporting children with autism.

George, her son, didn’t speak until he was five-and-a-half-years old. But, after noticing that George smiled and made happy sounds whenever he saw chickens, the family adopted five from the BHWT.

“George was instantly in love,” Billie-Jo says. “He spent ho