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SETTING aside money can feel like an impossible task right now as bills and food costs climb higher and higher. 

But even very small amounts can add up over time, and there’s things you can do to help you start saving even if you’re on a lower than average salary. 

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Plum’s personal finance expert Rajan Lakhani explains how to start saving on a low salary[/caption]

The Sun has chatted to Plum’s personal finance expert Rajan Lakhani about how you can start saving on a salary of around £25,000. 

Here’s what he said… 

Work out how much you can afford to save 

The first step you should take is to sit down and work out what’s affordable for you to save. 

You might want to do this manually by listing all your incomings – such as your salary and any benefits you receive – and then all your outgoings, such as rent, bills and average food costs. 

From here you can work out how much you have left over per month. 

Alternatively you can use an app like Plum which connects to your bank account and can calculate how much you can afford to save based on your outgoings. 

Rajan says most people are surprised by how much they can save, but you shouldn’t be put off if you can only afford to set aside £5 or £10 a month for now. 

“That might not sound like a huge amount but that money will build, particularly if it’s earning interest,” he says.

“It’s really important just to take that first step and then see what you can do.”

Reduce your spending

If you want to give your savings an extra boost, you should look at where you can cut costs. 

Many people saw their bills rise in April but there are some ways you can reduce the costs of essentials. 

For example, you should use price comparison websites to look for better deals on your mobile phone, broadband and energy bills. 

Of course you’ll need to take into account any exit fees if you currently have a contract with a provider. 

“A lot of these organisations are relying on you not taking any action and just simply renewing.

“And actually, it really, really does pay to have a look, compare the markets, compare the different prices,” Rajan says. 

“If you really want to stay with your provider, there’s no harm in giving them a call and saying ‘look I found this deal, I might switch to it, what’s the best offer that you can give me’.”

You should also do a sweep of your subscriptions to make sure you aren’t signed up to anything you’re not using. 

Another option to save money is to sign up to as many loyalty schemes as you can – if you’re happy with shops using your data. 

You can often get cheaper prices or build up points to spend in stores when you sign up to shopping loyalty schemes, such as Tesco’s ClubCard or the Boots Advantage Card. 

Check if you can get any benefits

You could give your income a boost by taking advantage of any benefits you’re eligible for from the Government. 

For example, lots of parents are unaware of the benefits available to them such as 30 hours of free childcare, Child Benefit, and extra Universal Credit payments.

If you’re married, you can get Marriage Tax Allowance which could help you reduce the amount of tax you pay.

By cutting your outgoings and boosting your income, that can give you more breathing space to save extra. 

Have an emergency fund in place

If you’re earning around £25,000, it’s really important to have an emergency fund to fall back on in case you have an unexpected big expense or you lose your job. 

Experts typically recommend you have about three to six months worth of your salary set aside.

So if you’re on £25,000, this would work out at between £5,316 to £10,632 after tax. 

This emergency fund should be in an easy access savings account so you can get it quickly if you need to. 

Rajan says it’s better to have this money in cash savings rather than invested as you want your money to be secure in case you need to dip into it. 

He recommends looking for savings accounts that have interest rates above 4% currently as these will give you a decent return on your savings. 

How much should you aim to save?

Exactly how much you can save will depend on factors like your outgoings, your lifestyle and whether you have children or not.

Rajan says a ballpark figure you can use is the 50-30-20 rule. 

This means spending 50% on your “needs” like housing costs and bills, 30% on your “wants” like clothes and entertainment, and 20% on your savings. 

So if your take-home pay is £1,772.58 per month, you can expect to spend £886.29 on your “needs”. 

Then you would spend £590.86 on your “wants” and save away £354.52 per month. 

However, Rajan says saving 20% of your salary can seem like a “large figure” and whether that’s possible depends on your circumstances.

For example, households have seen expenses like rent, energy bills, council tax and water bills increase recently. 

“For a lot of people, 20% will be very difficult to put aside.

“Having that 20% ambition can encourage you to save more but it depends on your circumstances and what works for you,” he says.

“The key thing is just to start giving saving a go and you may be surprised by how much you are able to set aside.” 

Small ways you can save

If you’re not sure how to start saving, Rajan recommends using apps to automate setting money aside for you. 

Plum has a round-up feature that rounds up every purchase you make to the nearest pound and then saves away the extra money. 

So if you’ve bought something for £1.60, the app will automatically save 40p for you. 

Another feature you can try is the rainy day rule, which sets money aside whenever there’s a day it rains in the UK. 

Or there’s the 1p Challenge, which starts off by saving 1p on your first day and then sets aside a penny more every day.

It means you’ll save up to £667.95 over the course of a year.

How to put your savings to work

Once you’ve started saving, you should make sure you get the most out of your money. 

That means helping it grow by either putting it in a savings account where you are receiving interest above the rate of inflation, or investing it. 

For reference, the current inflation rate is 3.5%. 

Rajan says you can get better interest rates by putting your money into a fixed-term savings account – but you should make sure you have an emergency fund set aside first for any immediate expenses. 

If you lock away your money into a fixed account, your interest rate will typically be higher than with an easy access account. 

You should also shop around for the best rates. 

Often online-only banks offer higher rates as they have fewer costs, but you should check they are registered with the Financial Conduct Authority and that your money would be protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. 

Rajan also recommends looking at ISA accounts as you’ll be able to earn interest on your savings tax-free up to £20,000 per tax year. 

Plus, the interest rates on Cash ISAs are some of the highest available right now. 

Another option is to invest your money. 

Rajan says investments have typically outperformed cash savings over the years – but there are things you should consider. 

Firstly, you’ll need to be willing to put your money away for a longer period of time – at least five years – because markets can fluctuate and it will give your money a better chance of growing if you keep it invested for longer. 

You should be aware that you can lose money by investing and be prepared to take that risk. 

Because of this, it’s crucial to still have an emergency fund in case you have any unexpected expenses. 

Rajan says: “The most important thing for you is, is this something that I’m happy to do? Is this something that I’m comfortable doing?

“When it comes to your savings it’s really important to make sure that you are comfortable with the choices you make.” 

I WILL never forget the morning we found my nine-month-old brother Neil dead in his cot.

Mum had come to wake me first so we could get the baby up and dressed together. 

Emma Murray

Emma Murray

I was three and a big girl now, with big sister responsibilities and a grown up-looking bedroom with orange flowery wallpaper – the sort interior designers now call retro. 

I was already awake, and I held mum’s hand as we walked to Neil’s room. She let me go in first. 

I peeked over the top of the cot and said: “Neil’s not there, where is he?”

Mum rushed over, pulled the blanket back and her face was frozen. It was so scary. 

Did I scream or was it her? Someone screamed. And then it becomes a blur. 

The shockwaves of that morning continue to affect our family, from Beckenham, London, over 40 years later.

It was February 1973, and cot deaths, as they were then referred to, were something that happened to other people, spoken about in hushed tones, and, let’s be honest, often viewed with an element of suspicion.

It was also a time when the best-selling book on babies, which had pride of place on my parent’s bookshelf, told mums and dads to put tots to sleep on their stomachs and wrap them up warmly. 

In 2025, thank goodness, there is far more awareness of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) – the sudden and unexpected death of a baby where no cause is found – which killed my brother.

We now know the safest way is on their backs and a cool environment, with no danger of overheating, but SIDS still affects around 200 families every year in the UK, and the emotional toll of the losses remains as difficult as ever. 

After Neil died, my mum Carol and dad Ian became advocates for the Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths, which is now The Lullaby Trust. 

Dad, a journalist, wrote a heart-wrenching story for the local newspaper, which described that terrible morning. 

I even stayed up ‘late’ with nan and grandpa to watch him speak about it on the BBC TV show Nationwide, and there were numerous bake sales at local fetes to raise funds.

When my brother Andrew came along in 1974, I think it was this very newspaper that published an article with a photo of our family alongside an article about how it’s possible to exist after losing a child. 

We looked happy – but the problem was, we were falling apart.

We’d had no proper support, no room to grieve, and we still had so many questions about how and why Neil was gone. 

This came to something of a halt when dad’s job took us to live in Paris. 

A line of some sort was drawn, except, of course, it wasn’t.

We were left with the black silent hole of his absence. There was nothing that could fill the ghastliness of my son not crying

CarolNeil's mum

Mum threw herself into Paris life. She had learnt French as a teenager and had already lived there in the 60s, working as a bilingual secretary for the Ariane space project.

But she had changed. I knew it, and I could feel it more and more as I grew older.

Dad’s job, now foreign correspondent, took the family to different places – Brussels, Jerusalem, Bonn.

Mum played the part of the supportive other half, but she had lost her mojo.

She’d had all sorts of ambitions – teacher training college, a master’s degree, the job for Arianne – but she never really went back to work. 

Over time, she stopped being sporty, when she used to play tennis, hockey and swim a lot, and she put on weight. 

There was drinking, perhaps not that unusual in an expat journalist house in the 70s and 80s, but still, it was different. 

Don’t get me wrong, Andrew and I had a marvellous childhood, full of love, fun holidays, travel, fascinating people, and lively chats.

But as we got older, we could feel the tension growing between mum and dad. 

Emma Murray

Carol, her husband Ian, and their children Andrew and Emma[/caption]

Emma Murray

One day, there was yet another stressful exchange between our parents, with mum flouncing off to bed.

This time, Dad, teary-eyed, said: “She has never been the same since Neil died.”

I was stunned. I had never heard him say Neil’s name before. 

I must have been about 18. I’d grown up used to saying: “Oh yes, I had a brother who died of cot death,” without really connecting the words with my memory of that morning or my understanding of what it must have done to my parents.

After that, I did ask a few more questions. 

My aunt sent me that first article dad had written; my uncle agreed that mum was never the same since Neil’s sudden death. 

Then, in 2000, Dad died, aged just 59, of cancer. He missed meeting his first grandchild, my daughter, Izzy, by four months.

Again, this was all played out in public, with dad writing his final article days before he left us.

He described his feelings, the ones he wouldn’t talk to us about, to the readers of The Times newspaper.

In that article, he wrote: “My pregnant daughter has a little lump inside her kicking and fighting for life.

“I have a little lump in me which is kicking and fighting for my life and it will win.”

He must have been thinking about Neil, but, again, we did not talk about it.

Dad’s death catapulted mum into a deep despair.

More drink, angry moods, strange behaviour, until eventually, she moved to a home in Deal, Kent, where she left us in February 2025. 

Did my mum resent me because I survived?

In her last years, mum had started talking about Neil, but our relationship was so strained by then, I didn’t have the courage to ask her more.

Did she resent me because I survived? Was she worried that Andrew might feel he was here because Neil wasn’t? Did she blame dad for the media coverage? 

So many questions. In the end, I asked none.

Who could ever get over the death of a child? I can’t imagine anything happening to my amazing three children, Alfie, Maddie and Izzy, or to my brilliant niece and nephew, currently living, as fate would have it, in Paris.

My family’s experience could have turned me into an anxious mother.

But by the time Izzy arrived, there was so much good advice on how to keep babies safe when they are sleeping, I was able to build a bedtime and sleep routine quickly, and with confidence.

It’s thanks to The Lullaby Trust, the charity that mum and dad were such great advocates for in its early days.

We were pleased to reconnect with them when mum died to make them the beneficiaries of all donations for her.

It was at mum’s funeral that I met her friend from the local writer’s club.

She asked me if I had read mum’s story, written as part of their ‘17 minutes series’, where members were given 17 minutes to write something down.

Emma Murray

You have heard my story, now here is my mum’s. 

Carol Anne Murray, mum of three, survived by two, written in 17 minutes, 45 years after losing her son, Neil.

We talked together, Ian and I. We spoke about everything under the sun, except for the one great hole that was in our lives.

How could it have happened? We had a beautiful daughter, chatty and bubbly. We now had a son. 

How wonderfully lucky, we thought, one of each. How neat.

But then, one morning, I went to his cot to get him up and there was no response. 

The unbelievable had happened. Why? How? I screamed. Ian came upstairs. He was silent. 

It was then that I knew he had already gone into the bedroom and found what I had found. He had gone downstairs in disbelief.

We called an ambulance, of course. We hoped desperately that something could be done.

But what could they do? They just swaddled him and took him away.

Forty years later I still feel it, just as if it had happened yesterday

CarolNeil's mum

We were left with the black silent hole of his absence.

Later that day the doctor told us that it was certainly a case of SIDS. 

It now had a name. But that was all. There was nothing that could fill the ghastliness of his not crying.

Neil had cried a lot. I wondered if his crying had been a warning. Had he known all along he would die? 

But there was no going back, his absence was so obvious.

Our daughter’s tears said it all. We would never be able to see him again.

One day, as we walked home from nursery, we passed by a dead pigeon.

“Hmmmm,” she commented. “He’s just like Neil Bruce John, he won’t move again either.”

Her philosophical analysis became an acceptance.

We went on to have another son a year later.

Forty years later I still feel it, just as if it had happened yesterday. 

I have never forgotten Neil Bruce John.

SARA King – AKA Lady Mafia – had the designer clothes, pink champagne and a husband descended from royalty – but her addiction to excitement turned this glam American lawyer into a lawless criminal.

Dressed in head-to-toe Christian Dior, Sara looked every inch the high-powered lawyer as she strutted into federal court in Orange County, California.

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Her hair extensions were pulled back into a sleek bun and she was ready to do business.

But she wasn’t there to defend a client. It was the summer of 2023 and the 41-year-old attorney was facing charges of financial fraud and money laundering.

It was part of a criminal career that saw her swindle an estimated $10million from friends and business associates to fund a lavish lifestyle that included designer clothes, jewellery, a suite at the Wynn Las Vegas hotel and the best seat in all the casinos.

In a case that both baffled and gripped America, King was dubbed “the Anna Delvey of the OC”, “the Slot Whisperer” and – her favourite nickname – “Lady Mafia.”

After pleading guilty to her crimes, she was sentenced on May 5 this year by an Orange County federal judge to 21 months in prison, and ordered to pay more than $8million in restitution.

Her shocking story has been laid bare in podcast The Binge Crimes: Lady Mafia, in which investigative journalist Michele McPhee spends hours with the glamorous scammer trying to unpick her tall tales.

“Her charisma pulls people in. She’s obviously very attractive – she’s not just pretty, she’s glamorous – so I’m sure that helped her navigate her way around the shady underbelly,” Michele tells Fabulous.

“I think she spent most of the money on clothes. She’s one of those people who has to be head-to-toe in designer labels,” says Michele, who believes that King doesn’t quite comprehend the damage she has done, and points out that she changes her story many times during the podcast.

“It’s very unusual that somebody would participate in anything like this podcast before they’ve faced a judge [for sentencing]. But I think she was motivated by wanting people to think she’s innocent and that it was all a big mistake.”

King grew up in Newport Beach, Orange County, home to sprawling mansions, golf courses and Ferraris.

Money wasn’t tight, and her parents enjoyed a happy marriage and were successful insurance brokers. She wanted what they had – and more.

Before embarking on a life of dodgy deals, King built a successful career in law, fuelled by her burning ambition to be a badass businesswoman instead of a trophy wife.

“I wanted to be the ‘It’ girl. I wanted to have a seat at the boys’ table, without sleeping around,” she said in the podcast. “I can sell anything. I can sell fire to the devil.”

With a million-dollar home in Newport Beach, and an ambitious husband, Gerar Jamal – a consultant in the environmental industry, who she married in 2014 – King soon had everything she’d dreamed of. But she didn’t stop there.

I wanted to have a seat at the boys’ table. I can sell anything – I can sell fire to the devil

Sara King

Describing her high-flying job at a law firm as “a lot of work and not a lot of money,” by 2017 King was looking for new opportunities to fund her pink-champagne lifestyle.

She and Gerar began to invest in different ventures, including money lending, where they would rake in high interest for funding short-term loans.

King – who hung out in Orange County’s hottest spots, where she met men who’d offer her more chances to invest in their dodgy deals – said: “I was looking for a way out of law. It was so miserable and I needed to make money.”

She soon earned a reputation as a “fixer” who could help rich people get anything they wanted, from prostitutes to puppies.

In May 2018, after her marriage had broken down, a mutual friend introduced her to Kamran Pahlavi, the handsome grandson of Iranian Princess Ashraf, who apparently invested in real estate.

After a two-hour dinner in Beverly Hills, the pair clicked.

“I was just taken aback by the pizzazz of it all,” said King. “I felt a connection, and to this day I wish I never did.

“He told me, ‘I have no money, all my watches are fake, I have nothing to my name, so if that’s what you’re interested in, please walk.’ He came clean about everything, saying, ‘I have a lot of baggage, I have three ex-wives, I have kids. But I want to make something of myself’.”

Fixer for the rich

Besotted, King suggested they start a business together – but the pressure to make more money led her to take more risks.

“I think they genuinely had love for each other,” says Michele.

“She was the female Bernie Madoff [the US fraudster who was jailed for operating a dodgy ‘pyramid’ investment scheme] and he was the real housewife of Orange County, who got to sit around and not do much.”

In January 2022, business was booming for her company, King Family Lending.

She established herself as someone who could supply short-term loans to celebrities and professional athletes – as long as they were happy to pay the 30% interest.

Hobnobbing with NFL stars, including Tom Brady, bragging about her high-profile connections and shopping for designer clothes were all in a day’s work for her.

United States District Court, central District of California Southern Division

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She also reportedly harboured ambitions of going into politics.

She and Kamran married in February 2022 – but behind the facade, King was doing less lending and more spending.

She was using her investors’ money – which was intended to fund high-interest loans – to splash out on her own lavish lifestyle and gambling habit. And the collateral she claimed she had collected to guarantee them didn’t exist.

By November 2022, Kamran had called time on their relationship – later claiming it was due to all her lies – and moved to Morocco.

By the end of the year, they were divorced, after Kamran cited “irreconcilable differences”.

Meanwhile, King moved into a $6,000-a-night suite at the Wynn in Vegas, which she’d been gifted because she was such a “good customer” – complete with marble counters, a private infinity pool and a butler.

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In the casinos, where she was once known as The Slot Whisperer for her winning streaks, King’s luck was starting to run out.

At one point, she was gambling away $20,000 a day.

“I always had that kind of money, so 20 grand a day is no big deal,” she said. “It got scarier when I was dropping $50,000 to $100,000 a day.”

On November 11, 2022, it all fell apart. King was lying in the bath of her suite when hotel staff burst into her room and ordered her to leave.

Gambling $20k a day

A Beverly Hills lawyer named Ronald Richards, who was representing one of the clients she’d swindled, was on her tail and had informed the Wynn of her dodgy deals.

He also set about shutting her gambling down by making sure she was barred from casinos.

“As she got kicked out of each one, I’d call her and say, ‘How was your escort today?’ because I wanted her to know I was on to her,” Ronald told Michele in the podcast.

“Sometimes she was mad, because she was embarrassed. I told her, ‘I’m going to cut off everything you like to do. Your days of gambling are over and we’ll make sure no casino allows you to ever wager a dollar’.”

On February 11, 2023, he filed a lawsuit against King on behalf of the man named “Laurent R”, just one of the investors in King Family Lending who’d lost millions, and the federal prosecutor drew up a criminal complaint of wire (financial) fraud and money laundering charges.

Ronald also tipped off the media, and King hit the headlines for being a scammer.

That’s when she realised she’d reached the end of the road.

In March 2023, she checked herself into rehab – then checked out again, heading to her LA apartment, where eviction notices were waiting for her.

Betrayal, lies and theft

Her parents took her home to Orange County, then her mum drove her to the FBI headquarters in Los Angeles.

There was no warrant for her arrest, so she claims she wrote to the Attorney General to get a meeting about her case.

In June 2023, King appeared in federal court and pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud and money laundering, admitting she’d caused five investors to lose more than $8million.

Three of them – all former close friends – were watching from the gallery, including trauma surgeon Amal Obaid-Schmid, who’d lost her family’s life savings of $400,000.

While King agreed to pay restitution of at least $8,785,045, the real total of her scamming has been estimated to be nearer to $10million, with more possible victims who, as yet, haven’t come forward.

Before King’s sentencing, which was postponed twice, she was lying low in a small apartment with her parents back in Orange County and joking that she was taking Prozac to get through it all.

Kamran is still in Morocco, a non-extradition country, and hasn’t faced any charges.

“She betrayed me. Lied to me. Stole from me. Embarrassed me. Humiliated me. That’s not bad for a reason to break up,” he has said.

He added: “When I realised what she had done, I left and never looked back. To tell you the truth, it kills me to do this, but she is sick and she needs to be stopped before she scams the wrong person and she gets in real trouble.”

He also claimed that King had sent him threatening messages following their split, including one that warned: “Just wait and see, your time is coming.”

“Obviously, he’s going to want to separate himself from all this,” says Michele.

Anna Delvey comparisons

While awaiting her sentencing, King tried to find employment.

“Everybody recognised her, so she couldn’t work,” reveals Michele, who says she forged a genuine friendship with King over the course of making the podcast.

“She got a job at Nordstrom [the department store], but got fired once they realised who she was, so ended up working as a home helper for the elderly, which was a huge step down.

“People have compared her to Anna Delvey, but Sara herself points out she’s not a total fraud because she had money, she was an attorney and she’s savvy,” says Michele.

“I have respect for her work ethic. She wa­­s definitely a hustler and that’s what’s so mesmerising. She could have easily lived that Real Housewives life and gone to Pilates at the country club all day long, but she wanted to work.

“She’s a smart woman, but she had such a facade, and she told so many little white lies.”

• Live News  The Binge Crimes: Lady Mafia is out now on all podcast providers

MARCUS RASHFORD is one of four wingers being eyed for a stunning transfer by Barcelona.

The La Liga champions saw their attack explode last season with Ballon d’Or candidates Lamine Yamal and Raphinha contributing to 102 goals by scoring themselves or assisting a team-mate.

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Barcelona want to add to their blistering firepower this summer[/caption]

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Transfer chiefs have drawn up a list of four main targets for Hansi Flick’s squad[/caption]

However, Hansi Flick wants to add even more firepower to the ranks in a bid to retain the Spanish league title and better their semi-final appearance in the Champions League – where they lost to Inter Milan.

According to Mundo Deportivo, after adding goalkeeper Joan Garcia in a £21million transfer, the priority now is to add a left-footed attacker.

A four-man shortlist has been drawn up to that end.

The number one target on the shopping list is Liverpool star Luis Diaz, who has been on their radar for some time, while exiled Manchester United ace Rashford is also on there.

Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams is another name on the list, along with cut-price option Ivan Perisic who is available on a free after being released by PSV.

Below we take a look at each of the options and what they offer the Camp Nou outfit.

Luis Diaz – Liverpool

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Luis Diaz is a childhood Barcelona fan and wants to leave Liverpool[/caption]

Colombia talisman Diaz – a childhood fan of the club – has been flirting with a move to Barcelona for some time now and is said to have “made up his mind” on wanting a transfer to Barca.

The 28-year-old is said to not feel valued at Anfield, where he scored 17 goals and added eight assists in all competitions.

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The Reds have not offered him a new contract ahead of his deal expiring in 2027, and he could fall down the pecking order with the imminent arrival of £116.5m ace Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen.

Reports suggest Diaz has been told he can leave Liverpool for £51m, although that is above the price Barca want to pay and his current employers have already rejected an approach this summer.

Marcus Rashford – Manchester United

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Marcus Rashford is available for a cut-price fee following his Man Utd exile[/caption]

Rashford is on the for-sale list at boyhood club Man Utd after being exiled by Ruben Amorim.

The 27-year-old was offered to Barcelona last January before he completed a loan transfer to Aston Villa, where he put in some impressive displays while racking up 10 goal contributions in 17 games.

It is understood Rashford will be available for £40m this summer, while he would also be willing to take a wage cut from his current £325,000-per-week earnings at Old Trafford.

Barca transfer chief Deco has already said Rashford is a player the club “likes” and Rashford is said to have told his agents to push for a move to Spain.

Nico Williams – Athletic Bilbao

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Nico Williams was their primary target last summer and has struck up a friendship Lamine Yamal[/caption]

The Spanish winger was the club’s primary target last summer after a breakout season for club and country, and while he added more goals to his game in the last 12 months, he overall had a more low-key year.

Barcelona now have rival interest in the attacker in the form of Arsenal and Bayern Munich.

However, the 22-year-old is reportedly desperate to join Barca as he hopes to link up with Yamal and made his ambitions clear to Deco.

He is understood to have a release clause of £53m.

Ivan Perisic – Free agent

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Flick is familiar with Ivan Perisic, who will be available for free[/caption]

Former Tottenham star Perisic is a seasoned veteran and could be the perfect foil to the relatively inexperienced attacking set-up at Flick’s disposal.

Flick knows him from their time together at Bayern Munich, when Perisic bagged 14 goal contributions in 26 games.

As a free option on the market Barcelona could do far worse, and the 36-year-old Croatia international is said to be willing to wait for Barcelona to make an approach before deciding on his future.

His plan is to reach the World Cup with Croatia and knows competing for a spot at Barcelona will improve those chances.

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THE final day of the World Cup of Darts is now UNDERWAY – but Luke Littler and Luke Humphries have suffered a SHOCK early exit at the hands of Germany.

Defending champions and top seeds England – with World No 1 Humphries and world champ Littler – lost 8-4 to the pair of Ricardo Pietreczko and Martin Schindler representing the hosts in Frankfurt.

Elsewhere, Belgian pair Mike De Decker and Dimitri Van den Bergh were BEATEN by the Philippines, who went on to lose to now-favourites Wales with the pair of Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton.

• Start time: From 12pm BST
• TV channel: Sky Sports Action
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EVER heard a name that left you completely gobsmacked?

A post on Reddit has gone viral after a woman shared a baby shower invite, which revealed the name planned for an unborn baby.

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The mum-to-be wanted to name her baby Chernobyl Hope[/caption]

Traditionally, parents share the name of their child after it’s been born, rather than beforehand.

This is usually down to superstition, but also to avoid scrutiny and negativity over the chosen name.

Posting in the group r/tragedeigh, the Redditor said: “I’m speechless…

“Welp.. I just got invited to a baby shower…”

The invite read: “Please join us for a baby shower. Join us to celebrate the upcoming arrival of a little bundle of joy.

“In honour of Chernobyl Hope.”

The time and place was redacted but the invite concluded with: “We can’t wait to celebrate together.”

Someone replied: “I refuse to believe this is real lol.” But the original poster added: “I have a feeling they don’t know what Chernobyl meant. I asked them where they got the idea from and said it just sounded nice????”

Another was unconvinced: “This has to be fake. There’s no way this is real.” But the OP doubled down: “Imagine my shock when I received the invite.”

The OP later explained how the parents of Chernobyl wanted their daughter to be known by the nickname ‘Cherry’.

“I’ll let you guys know when I have an update. This invitation was sent in a group chat and was also personally sent to me,” they added. “I just can’t believe they would name a baby girl Chernobyl. I’ll gather enough courage to tell them my thoughts.”

One comment read: “This has gotta be a top ten worst names posted in the sub.”

Someone else felt the baby name was finally suitable for the Reddit thread and said: “FINALLY! a child named after a LITERAL tragedeigh!”

One person hoped the parents-to-be could be convinced to change their unborn baby’s name: “Thankfully it’s just the baby shower; there’s still time for someone to talk sense into them.”

But another thought the name wasn’t that uncommon: “I worked with a lady named Chernobyl. She went by Che.”

“Kid is going to think it’s cool that she was named after a show and then find out the origins of her name, lol,” a Redditor remarked.

What is the meaning behind ‘Chernobyl’?

The word Chernobyl refers to the Chernobyl disaster which was a catastrophic nuclear accident that occurred on April 26, 1986, at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant near Pripyat, in the Soviet Union.

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View of the Chernobyl Nuclear power after the explosion on April 26 1986 in Chernobyl[/caption]

During a late-night safety test, a sudden power surge led to a reactor explosion and fire, releasing massive amounts of radioactive material into the atmosphere.

The explosion killed two workers immediately, and acute radiation sickness claimed 28 more lives within weeks.

However, around 600,000 ‘liquidators,’ involved in cleaning up the accident, were exposed to high doses of radiation, with various studies reporting that those affected by the blast could be in their thousands.

The Chernobyl disaster was a devastating tragedy, meaning it’s not a word associated with a person’s name.

But, there are other meanings to the word Chernobyl. One defended the possible new baby’s name, writing: “I mean, the word Chernobyl was originally the name of a common mugwort plant, a medicinal herb.”

They followed up their sentiment with the phrase: “But there’s a reason we don’t name children Adol[f] any longer, even if that name was relatively innocuous before 1939.”

“This is so, so bad. They have to be told. Give them a book about Chernobyl as a gift for the baby shower. Because no,” replied someone else.

DRIVERS could soon be hit with a wave of new costs, including a $340 annual charge, under a wide-ranging proposal targeting everything from gas pumps to electric vehicles.

The plan also tacks on new taxes for car sales and hikes fees for licenses and renewals.

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Drivers could soon face a new $340 annual fee (stock)[/caption]

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The proposal also hikes license renewal costs (stock)[/caption]

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One of the most controversial parts is a mandatory road usage charge for electric vehicle owners (stock)[/caption]

Even gas prices are set to climb under the measure, which lawmakers rolled out Monday.

The changes are part of a 100-plus-page bill being debated in Oregon’s Legislature.

It’s part of Oregon’s House Bill 2025, also known as the Transportation Reinvestment Package.

One of the most controversial parts is a mandatory road usage charge for electric vehicle owners.

Starting July 1, 2026, EV drivers would have to pay per mile driven or opt for a $340 flat fee, The Bulletin reported.

The per-mile charge would be pegged at 5% of the state’s gas tax.

According to Bike Portland, the gas tax itself would rise from 40 cents to 50 cents per gallon in 2026 and 2027.

In 2028, another 5 cents would be added, and by 2029 it would be tied to inflation.

New cars would be hit with a 2% “transfer tax” on the retail price.

Used cars wouldn’t escape, a 1% tax would apply to those sales.

The registration fee for a new car would more than double, from $43 to $113.

Getting a new driver’s license plate would cost $33, up from $12.

Taking a driver’s skills test at the DMV would spike from $45 to $111.

Renewing a driver’s license would jump from $48 to $74.

Eight-year ID cards would increase from $44 to $66.

The bill would also raise the state payroll tax for public transit from 0.1% to 0.3% by 2030.

A new $20-per-vehicle permit fee would be charged to corporate delivery fleets.

Oregon dropped earlier plans to raise the $15 bicycle tax, which will now stay the same.

Lawmakers say the cash, which is expected to generate $125 million a year, is going toward overdue projects.

For example, officials say it would fund the state’s “Anchor Project Account” — covering major efforts like the I-5 Rose Quarter and the Abernethy Bridge.

The bill also sets aside money for bike lanes, safer school routes, and fixing “orphan highways.”

Another $125 million would go to the state’s “Great Streets” program for safer road designs.

There’s also $25 million per year marked for Safe Routes to Schools — and $5 million annually for wildlife-vehicle collision prevention.

The initial version of the bill changed within hours of its release and is still being debated.

A WOMAN has bought her first home at the age of 26 with a modest salary and no savings to speak of.

With the property costing over six figures, it’s left questions about how it was possible to budget such a transaction.

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A woman bought her first home at 26 with no savings (stock image)[/caption]

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The three-bedroom residence (pictured) was initially listed at $95,000[/caption]

The first-time home buyer, Madison Hill, 30, told SWNS recently that four years prior, she didn’t have any “help from the bank of mom and dad and no savings” while looking for a place in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

In July 2021, the three-bedroom house Hill decided on was $95,000, and she decided to go ahead with finalizing her offer at $105,000.

“It was listed for $95k, but as investors were buying for cash, I offered $10k over the asking price, and it worked,” she said.

That summer, Hill was working as a graphic designer in a position that only paid $45,000 a year, she had no cash in savings accounts, and there was no financial cushion from her parents.

“I was making $45k a year, I barely had any savings for a home and didn’t have to empty my account to buy the house,” Hill explained.

For perspective, the average hourly wage in Tulsa at the time was about $24.44, or around a $50,020 salary, per data from the Bureau of Labor statistics.

So, Hill was making under the average and bought a six-figure property, something that might make a financial advisor wince.

To get in the right position for the buy, Hill used her education to assist her in the buying process.

LOANS TO THE RESCUE

She knew that, given her salary, she was eligible for a Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loan.

“FHA loans are typically reserved for people with low to medium incomes, and they let you buy a home with a down payment of only 3.5%,” Hill said.

“I worked with a lender who was setting up the mortgage lending for me.”

Hill added that “the money goes from the person who is setting up the loan to whoever is selling the house to you.”

After getting approved, it meant she could put the 3.5% down payment on the property, contributing about $3,500 herself.

Then, she applied for a down payment assistance program that helps eligible homebuyers cover those amounts.

That was also approved, which took away the $3,500 out of pocket she would’ve had to pay.

Basically, the loans covered all of those initial costs.

“I did a master’s in city planning, and that is where I learned about programs like these,” she said.

Hill noted that she’ll only have to repay the loan from the down payment assistance program if she moves out or refinances the Tulsa house, but she currently only pays about $900 monthly for mortgage, insurance, property tax, and other costs.

Still, there was around $6,500 in closing costs to consider.

The $6,500 covers lawyers and surveyors final checks and ensures the transfer of property ownership and a securing of the mortgage is legal and financially sound.

EARLY WITHDRAW

To pay for this, Hill made a controversial decision, drawing the amount from her 401(k) retirement account.

Financial advisors typically tell account holders to refrain from withdrawing early, which would be before the age of 59.5, out of a 401(k) as much as possible.

Doing so could result in a 10% early withdrawal tax penalty if an exception doesn’t apply.

Some exceptions include financial hardship, which does include costs related to buying a primary home, so Hill would be exempt from that penalty.

“The purchase of your primary residence is an allowable reason for early withdrawal from your 401(k),” Hill emphasized.

Considering her situation, it was a smart move to secure the property and likely not a significant enough amount to cause a drastic decline in her future retirement fund savings.

There’s also a new “like you own it” program that helps renters save for their own homes with one crucial requirement.

Some Americans are also looking at tiny homes, and Amazon sells an option for $11,700 that’s “perfect” for families.

THE best friend and roommate of the suspected Minnesota assassin revealed the final chilling text he received from the alleged killer.

Suspected gunman Vance Boelter is believed to have killed Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband at their home while disguised as a police officer, according to cops.

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Vance Luther Boelter, 57, has been named by police as a suspect in connection with the Minnesota political killings[/caption]

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Best friend of the suspected shooter, David Carlson, revealed his roommate’s final text messages[/caption]

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The shooter was seen wearing a latex mask and police uniform[/caption]

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The killer, who is still on the loose, also seriously injured Senator John Hoffman and his wife at their residence in Champlin just hours before, early on Saturday morning.

The alleged shooter’s friend, David Carlson, has now detailed his childhood pal’s final goodbye message, according to KARE.

Reading his text messages with Boelter, Carlson said: “David and Ron, I love you guys.

“I made some choices, and you guys don’t know anything about this, but I’m going to be gone for a while.

“May be dead shortly, so I just want to let you know I love you guys both and I wish it hadn’t gone this way.”

Footage showed the suspected political assassin‘s friend read the eerie messages in front of his home in North Minneapolis.

He continued to read the texts: “I don’t want to say anything more and implicate you in any way because you guys don’t know anything about this.

“But I love you guys and I’m sorry for all the trouble this has caused.”

Fearing his friend may have done something to harm himself, Carlson immediately called the cops.

The 59-year-old, who met Boelter, 57, all the way back in fourth grade, was shocked at the prospect that his friend could have carried out the ruthless killings.

“He wasn’t a hateful person,” Carlson said.

He added: “But he needed help.”

The haunting texts were revealed after the accused killer’s wife was detained following a dramatic traffic stop – before cops said they found weapons and passports in her car.

Jenny Boetler was stopped by police while driving with several relatives near Onamia, Minnesota, on Saturday at around 10am, according to KTSP.

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Hoffman and Yvette have both undergone surgery and are said to be in a stable condition[/caption]

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Boelter was last seen wearing a light-colored cowboy hat in the Twin Cities area on Saturday morning[/caption]

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The wife of the suspected political assassin Jenny Boetler was stopped by police and questioned[/caption]

In the car she also had cash and ammunition, local cops said, adding that the wife was also held for questioning but not arrested.

It is currently unclear whether the Boetlers lived together – since Vance is understood to have lived at a residence in Camden, Minnesota.

The couple are understood to have joint-ran Praetorian Guard Security Services, a Minnesota-based security company.

Their website says: “Here to set up security options and provide security services right to your doorstep and property to keep what you own safe and secure.”

The site also says that Boelter had experience working with “security situations” across Eastern Europe, Africa, North America and the Middle East.

Online biographies also showed he was the CEO of Red Lion Group – which is based in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Additionally, he is said to have worked with Minnesota Africans United – a local organization working with African immigrants in the state.

2022 footage showed Boelter speaking about Red Lion Group’s ventures in the DRC, claiming to have business ventures there in fishing, farming, media, security, and motorcycle-taxis.

Last month, his online profiles said he was open to work.

Boelter’s longtime pal Carlson seemingly confirmed his search for work, and added that his friend was experiencing financial trouble, according to CNN.

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Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz called the shootings ‘an act of targeted political violence’[/caption]

Minnesota Department of Public Safety

Cops believe Boelter is attempting to flee the area and are asking the public for any information[/caption]

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No Kings protest fliers were found in the suspect’s vehicle[/caption]

Carlson said: “He was looking around, but maybe things didn’t work out and he just gave up and decided to go out in a blaze of glory.

“I have no idea what he was thinking.”

Boelter was twice appointed to Minnesota government by different Democratic governors.

In 2016, then Governor Mark Dayton appointed Boelter to the Workforce Development Council.

Later in 2019, current Governor Tim Walz enlisted him to serve a four-year stint on the Workforce Development Board, according to documents.

Despite his work under Walz, roommate and friend Carlson revealed that Boelter had voted for Donald Trump at the last election.

The security services worker also last registered to vote in 2022 as a Republican, according to the New York Post.

Carlson added that he wasn’t aware of what Boelter’s political leanings on state politics were, however.

He also shared that Boetler was also strongly anti-abortion – but not in a way that could have motivated him to kill.

“It wasn’t the thing that defined him,” Carlson said.

“I mean, it wasn’t his total existence. He would talk about other things.”

Boelter lived at Carlson’s home in North Minneapolis just a few days a week, according to the roommate.

He explained how Boelter was not at the residence at the time officers executed a search warrant on Saturday.

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Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark are survived by their two children[/caption]

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Senator John Hoffman Minnesota and his wife were shot multiple times[/caption]

Vance Boeltner/Facebook

Vance Boelter, A former appointee of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is being sought in connection with the shootings[/caption]

Cops were called to Senator Hoffman’s home at 2:08am on Saturday and responded to Rep. Hortman’s home at 3:35am — where they exchanged gunfire with the suspect.

The shooter was seen on home security footage released by the FBI outside one of the victim’s homes, wearing a fake police uniform and an eerie latex mask.

As cops launched an extensive manhunt for the killer who is still at large, they named 57-year-old Vance Luther Boelter as a suspect in the shootings.

He should be considered armed and dangerous and the public should not approach him, the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has warned.

A $50,000 reward for information leading to his arrest and conviction has been announced by the FBI.

A motive has not been released by cops, but the shootings come as millions take to the streets as part of the anti-Trump No Kings movement.

They came during and in the lead up to the President’s huge military parade in Washington DC.

Minnesota State Patrol Col. Christina Bogojevic said: “We don’t have any direct links, however there were some fliers that said ‘No Kings’ within the suspect’s vehicle.

“And as we know, the events planned throughout the state of Minnesota is a No Kings event.”

Boelter was last seen in the Twin Cities area wearing a light-colored cowboy hat, a dark long-sleeved shirt and light pants.

He is described as 220lbs and 6 foot 1 and cops believe he is trying to flee the area and may be carrying a dark bag.

The public should call 911 or sent tips to bca.tips@state.mn.us or call 877-996-6222.

There's a US-led "revolution" at foot.