World Leaks

NETFLIX isn’t getting any cheaper – but that doesn’t mean it can’t cost less for you.

We’re all exhausted by ever-climbing TV bills, but you might be overpaying without even realising it.

Netflix

Netflix offers a mobile version of the app, but if it’s your only way to watch then 4K might not be worth it[/caption]

The Sun

The Sun’s Sean Keach reveals why you might not need to pay the high Netflix Premium prices any more – watch the full video at the top of this page[/caption]

I’ve found a few simple Netflix mistakes you need to check.

With easy fixes, you can instantly cut your monthly streaming bills and put that money towards something more exciting – like a massive pizza order for movie night.

4K FAIL

Your first mistake is paying for a 4K plan when you just don’t need it.

Netflix’s top subscription is the Premium plan, which costs £17.99 in the UK and $22.99 in the US.

It’s not an insignificant amount of money to be paying every month.

The big perk is that you can watch 4K Ultra HD content (and in HDR, or High Dynamic Range too).

Of course Netflix is packed with 4K content so what’s not to like?

Well there’s every chance you’re not watching Netflix on a 4K TV.

Many televisions don’t have 4K screens, and you’ll be capped to the max resolution (the number of pixels) of the display.

And if you’re streaming via an Amazon Fire Stick or Roku box, you’ll need to make sure that it supports 4K too – or you won’t see an Ultra HD picture.

Importantly, most tablets and smartphones don’t have 4K screens either.

And on a tiny mobile screen, having ultra-high-resolution is even less important because the pixels are packed into a more dense space.

So if you’re a regular mobile watcher, the Premium plan might be an even bigger waste of money.

Instead consider downgrading to the Standard plan, which is £10.99 in the UK and $15.49 in the US.

That’s a big monthly saving that adds up over the year.

In fact, you’d be saving £84 in the UK and $90 in the US just by making this simple switch.

The Standard plan still gets you multiple-device streaming (two at a time), the option to download offline content, and Full HD streaming.

And its library of content is exactly the same as the Premium plan.

Netflix

Netflix offers an ad-supported tier that can help you save money each month[/caption]

NOT SO BAD ADS?

The second mistake is ignoring the newer and far cheaper Standard with Ads plan.

This is a way to save vast sums of money in an instant.

It’s a lot like the Standard plan, but (as the name suggests), you’ll be viewing commercials.

If you’re a long-time TV viewer then the idea of watching ads won’t seem that bad.

Ads are now increasingly common even for paid content – and you’ll be used to see them if you’re a YouTube fan too.

The Standard with Ads plan still gets you streaming and downloading on two devices at a time.

And it’s still Full HD resolution, which your TV is far likelier to support.

Full HD is also totally fine if you’re watching on a mobile screen too.

The advantage here is that Standard with Ads costs just £4.99 a month in the UK and $6.99 for the US.

So over the course of the year – versus a Premium plan – you’ll be saving £156 or $192. Giant savings.

STREAM SWAPPER

The final question you should be asking is: do you even need a monthly Netflix subscription?

Your immediate answer is probably “yes”, but hear me out.

Roku

Roku offers some 4K streaming devices – but not all of its plug-in sticks support Ultra HD[/caption]

There are two big mistakes you might be making.

Firstly, there is a vast selection of content out there that costs no money.

There are loads of TV streaming apps that have thousands of live channels, movies, and shows – all funded by showing you ads.

Try downloading apps like:

• The Roku Channel
• Tubi
• Pluto TV
• Amazon Freevee
• Plex

They’ll give you vast libraries of no-cost content in an instant.

In fact, they might be so packed with TV that you might decide to ditch Netflix altogether.

Secondly, try stream swapping.

This involves simply rotating through paid TV apps month by month.

That way you always have fresh content to watch, but you’re not constantly forking out for Netflix.

So you could sign up for Netflix for one month, then switch to Disney+, then Amazon Prime Video in the third month.

Pick four or five apps and then by the time you cycle back to the first one, there’ll be new movies and shows to enjoy.

It’s an easy way to save money and means you won’t miss out on premium content from those paid-for apps.

DEAR DEIDRE: SECRETLY meeting up with our third partner for illicit sessions has been thrilling and yet I’m unsettled.

I haven’t done anything with this other woman that my wife hasn’t seen me do with her already but still I feel bad. 

I’m a man of 35 and my wife is 33. We’ve been married for five years and we have a baby and a toddler.

My wife is a stay-at-home mum and I work in construction.

Our relationship is great but since the kids have been born, sex feels vanilla and dull. It’s a quickie at best at bedtime because we are so tired.

A mate raved about a hook-up website he joined boasting he’d had some great sexual encounters.

So after a glass or two of wine one night, I suggested spicing things up in the bedroom with my wife.

She agreed but wanted to go with another woman, not a man. We filled in a dating profile and several women matched with us. We chose the one who we were most attracted to.

We hired a babysitter, went to a hotel and met our date in the bar. She looked amazing, was 29 and single.

We took some wine to our room and the fun started. It was great to feel desired by two women and to see them together. 

The following weekend the woman contacted me again, asking to meet. I went to her place and we had oral sex together.

It was exciting but now I feel guilty towards my wife. Should I see if she will give me a pass?

DEIDRE SAYS: Opening up any relationship is a delicate business and strong communication is the foundation of success.

You both agreed to a one-off threesome, but did you discuss the boundaries around this?

I doubt your wife would have sanctioned you meeting this woman alone – and certainly not without discussion.

Some people can make non-monogamy work but bringing people outside your relationship into your bedroom is fraught with risk.

And this woman’s requests suggest she could be getting emotionally involved with you which could jeopardise your marriage.

When you have a young family, your sexual relationship does take a back seat, but with effort you can still connect and have fun.

Nothing stays the same forever, in the future you will find you both have more time and energy to invest in each other. 

Don’t jeopardise your good relationship by having secret meetings. My support pack called Fancy A Threesome? explains more.

‘He never asked for help and when he asked, he never got it.’

Sinn Féin is holding its annual think-in at the Clayton Hotel in Dublin before the Dáil resumes on Wednesday.

The post Mary Lou McDonald: ‘It’s become clear in many communities who the traitors are’ appeared first on Gript.

IT’S Autumn and there’s nothing better this season than cosying up in pyjamas.

So it’s no wonder shoppers are racing to Primark to snap up their latest comfy range.

And it’s great news for 90s fans as the new items are themed with a classic movie.

Staff at the Braehead store, in Glasgow, have been showing off the Toy Story swag.

Among the items is a beautiful, fluffy Lotso dressing gown.

Themed on the lovable bear turned bad guy character from Toy Story 3, the dusky pink night-time gown comes complete with strawberry pockets and a hood with eyes and ears.

And if you’re a fan of Lotso, there’s also pyjamas, a make-up bag and cute personalised purses.

Also in the new Primark collection is a powder blue snoodie with cute Toy story character design with everyone from Rex and Woody to Mr Potato Head and Slinky included.

It has a fleece-lined hood and oversized pouch pockets too.

Shoppers are ‘buzzing’ for the range.

One said: “That dressing gown!”

While another gushed: “Need that oodie.”

And another said she’d be gutted if she doesn’t get the Lotso dressing gown.

She admitted: “I literally sleep with three bears of him – I NEED.”

And Primark staff revealed there would be MORE Toy Story goodies to come.

They said: “More items coming soon.”

Melanie Hall was murdered in 1996, but her killer still has not been caught.

 So who was the 25-year-old that Channel 5’s documentary Body in the Bag focuses on? Here’s everything you need to know.

PA: Press Association

News Group Newspapers Ltd

Who was Melanie Hall?

Melanie Hall was an NHS worker and university graduate from Bradford-on-Avon.

Prior to her death, she was employed as a clerical worker at the Royal United Hospital in Bath.

She disappeared on a night out at Cadillacs nightclub in Bath in 1996. 

For years, her whereabouts were unknown, but her body was finally found 13 years later by the side of the M25.

What happened to Melanie Hall?

Alarm bells were raised when Melanie failed to show up to her job at the Royal United Hospital on June 11, after going to a nightclub on June 9. 

Mum Pat, who worked at the same hospital, had called dad Steve to report that Melanie had failed to show, with Steve then ringing Mel’s sister Dominique.

Dominique said: “From what I remember both Mum and Dad felt from the onset that something terrible had happened.

“It wasn’t a sixth sense, but just the fact that Mel was such a home loving woman without a care in the world.

“I was more hopeful than Mum and Dad in the first few days that she may come home. I hoped she had just got into a bit of trouble and was embarrassed about coming home for a couple of days.

“However, by the end of the first week I thought she would really be missing her home comforts by now, and she was too kind to cause this sort of worry (especially to Mum), if she actually could come home.

“Also, her bank accounts and car hadn’t been touched, so it wasn’t hard to work out something was seriously wrong. And then the dread sets in – and as time goes on you go from hoping she is alive to knowing that the best outcome is probably finding a body.”

After reporting her disappearance, police launched a huge search.

Thousands of clubbers and taxi drivers were interviewed, while elsewhere, the River Avon was also searched several times.

It transpired that someone matching Melanie’s description was seen talking to a man in Cadillacs nightclub, but CCTV cameras failed to capture any footage of this or of Melanie leaving the club.

Despite police efforts, no trace of Melanie was found and she was legally declared dead in 2004.

News Group Newspapers Ltd

Has Melanie Hall’s body been found?

13 years after she vanished, Melanie’s remains were found on the edge of the M5 motorway in October 2009.

Melanie’s father Steve said: ”We had a beautiful girl, now we have a bag of bones, and when you try to get your head around that, it is a terrible thing.”

No one has been charged for the murder and police are still looking for Melanie’s killer in 2024. 

Several known serial killers were considered as suspects to Melanie’s murder, but the police were unable to establish enough of a link to her case.

Here are 10 things to catch my eye in the 49ers' road opener Sunday at the Minnesota Vikings.

DEAR DEIDRE: WHEN I finally told my girlfriend the things that had been annoying me about her for months, she said she felt attacked.

It’s because I’ve never been much of a talker. I’m a shy man of 28 and she’s 30. We met online and it took huge courage for me to actually show up for a date.

We now live together and it’s been great but last night, I told her I didn’t like the way that she dumped her shoes, bag and coat in the hall, leaving them there until the next day – then a load of other complaints came spilling out too.

She stood there with her mouth open and I could tell I’d gone too far.

I apologised but told her that I bottle things up, hence me complaining about things that happened months ago. She’s speaking to me now but only just.

How can I express how I feel right away, so that our relationship becomes easier.

DEIDRE SAYS: Your girlfriend won’t feel attacked if you use the word ‘I’ rather than ‘You’. Saying, “I feel upset when…” comes over in a softer way than saying, “You annoy me when…”.

Take your time to express your feelings and think about how it will come across to the recipient.

You could begin by asking whether you could talk about something which is bothering you and then she will be prepared.If you need to practise, find some help through a local counsellor at BACP – British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, (bacp.co.uk, 01455 883300).

MARRIED At First Sight bride Lacey Martin has already appeared on the small screen in another reality show.

Lacey was filmed for an episode of Dress To Impress after her twin sister signed up to the show four years ago.

Channel 4

MAFS UK star Lacey Martin has already appeared on a reality show[/caption]

Channel 4

The newlywed was on Dress To Impress with her twin sister Paige[/caption]

Matt Monfedi / Channel 4

Lacey will be seen tying the knot with a total stranger on E4[/caption]

Paige – who together with Lacey describes themselves as “IVF miracle twins” – was dressed by three style conscious single guys in an attempt to find love.

In a throwback clip on TikTok, they can both be seen on the ITV2 show while wearing some very garish outfits.

Lacey wrote alongside the footage: “SERIES 2 EPISODE 25’ on ITV2. #family #dating #dresstoimpress #whodidipick #itv2 #twins #besties.”

The new series of Married At First Sight UK kicks off tonight (September 16) and Lacey is among the brides who will be walking down the aisle.

She will be seen saying ‘I do’ to a complete stranger in an attempt to find The One after relationship experts Paul C Brunson and Mel Schilling matchmake her with a groom.

It is expected that her twin sister Paige will appear in front of the cameras as her bridesmaid, before giving her verdict on her new husband.

Away from the TV screen, 27-year-old Lacey works as an office manager and she lives in Hertfordshire.

She describes herself as confident, loud and sassy, while insisting that she “brings the fun” to social situations.

Lacey says her “positive and vibrant attitude” has seen her
through ups and downs and has “shaped the person she is
today”.

Despite being a serial dater, the stunning brunette has been single for the past four years, following the end of a 10-year relationship.

After it was revealed she would be on the show, her sister Paige posted online: “Wooooo yassss my incredible amazing twin sister you deserve the world!

“You are my inspiration, I am sooooo proud of you goooooo Lacey gooooo Lacey gooooo Lacey goooo Lacey gooo Lacey!”

But Lacey’s husband-to-be not only need’s her twin sister’s seal of approval, as he also needs to impress their mum.

Speaking to Channel 4 before walking down the aisle, Lacey said she is very much in it for the long-term.

“I’d love to get a husband. I’m thinking long term so husband, babies, travel then move in together,” she said.

She also says she wants to “get rid of all the f*** boys in her life and find someone who will love her for her.

Lacey shared the big news about her being on MAFS on Instagram and said: “The hardest kept secret is out..I said, ‘I Do’ and married a complete stranger.”

The new series of MAFS UK kicks off on Monday, September 16, 2024, at 9pm on E4, and will then air on weekdays except from Fridays.

Instagram / @lacemartin_

Lacey describes herself as a ‘miracle IVF twin’[/caption]

Instagram / @lacemartin_

She works as an office manager[/caption]

DEAR DEIDRE: MY husband loves meeting other women. He flirts and chats with them but never gives me a second look.

We’ve been married for 10 years. He’s 45 and I’m 41. He’s not affectionate towards me these days. I get a peck on the cheek when he goes to work but that’s all. 

We don’t have sex any more but he says it’s because he “has problems”. When we used to have sex, it would be over very quickly for him and I’d get frustrated.

Now if we get invited out anywhere and there are single women around, he gets them a drink and engages with them as if he wants to get their number. I’m fed up.

DEIDRE SAYS: If sex is over quickly for him it’s denting his pride. He’s checking in with other women to build his self-esteem to prove that he’s still attractive.

This is hurtful to you though and you deserve better.

In a quiet moment, explain to him that you want the attention on you and not on other women.

Ask him what you can do to improve your relationship from his point of view and listen carefully to what he has to say.

Tell him how you see your relationship improving, and that you miss the intimacy.

My support pack about helping your partner to last longer, explains how to slow everything down when it comes to sex.