spending

OLIVIA ATTWOOD has branded her personal life was ‘garbage’ after spending Christmas Day alone.

The TV presenter, 34, made the admission on the Sunday Roast podcast with close pal Pete Wicks, as the pair discussed their personal lives during the Christmas special.

The former Love Island star revealed that she wants to “really get my s*** together in 2026” as she and Pete read out new years resolutions sent in by fans.

“I want to really get my s*** together in 2026”, she said on the podcast.

Olivia continued: “I feel like I had a good work year. I think my personal life was garbage, so I’d like to have more of a balance in 2026.”

Pete, 37, responded by telling pal Olivia that he would aim to settle down in the next 12 months, but his claim was swiftly dismissed by Olivia.

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Knowing Pete for over eight years, she branded him “

Pete, 37, responded by saying that maybe he would aim to settle down in the next 12 months, but Olivia refused to believe him. 

After knowing Pete for over eight years, Olivia branded him “attention-seeking”.

And she suggested that the said the TV star is more likely to settle down when he’s 45.

The pair first met back in 2017 after appearing on ITV2 reality show The Only Way Is Essex.

They quickly became pals and have remained close ever since, and this year that friendship became a working relationship as the pair managed to bag their own The Sunday Roast podcast on KISS FM.

Olivia spoke candidly about her festive period – and told how she’ll be enjoying December 25 with her dogs instead.

It has been a tough few weeks for Olivia, who recently broke down in tears as she bid farewell to the Cheshire mansion she shared with Gillingham footballer Bradley Dack, 31.

The couple, who tied the knot two years ago, moved into the stunning pad in 2021, with the star hailing it her “dream home”.

But the pair are relocating back to London – nearer to Brad’s Kent club – for their next “chapter” amid a difficult time for the couple.

After admitting Brad will be playing football or training “most of the time” she said: “I’m in London for Christmas.

“I’m staying in London but going to a hotel, we did the family already, we’re done… We can’t go skiing because of the football.’

She told Towie star Pete on their show: “I decided to do a hotel which is just 10 minutes from my house, I feel I physically, mentally needed a break from where we’re currently living, because we’ve got s**t everywhere, boxes, suitcases.

“I just need to not be there.”

It came after she previously uploaded a video to social media where she wrote over the clip: “Saying goodbye to the house I will never call home again.”

The video finished with a heartbroken Olivia seen waving goodbye to her home.

Writing over the last bit of the clip, she said: “Next chapter pending.”

Dec. 24 (UPI) — Americans are not in a jolly mood when it comes to spending for the holidays, with a majority saying it’s been difficult to afford things, according to a CBS News/YouGov survey released Wednesday.

The nationally representative sample of 2,267 U.S. adults was interviewed between Dec. 15 and 17, and asked 16 questions about the holidays and the economy in general.

With items costing more now than they did last year, respondents cut down on gifts, entertainment and travel.

When asked about things to buy for the holiday, 58% said it would be difficult, including 17% “very difficult” and 41% “somewhat difficult.” Conversely, 8% said it will be “very easy to afford” and 34% “somewhat easy.”

Regarding prices compared with last year, 27% said they cost “a lot more,” 44% “a little more,” 24% “the same” and 5% “little less” or “lot less.”

People with lower incomes obviously are struggling more.

For family incomes under $50,00, it is “difficult to afford” for 71% versus 56% for $50,000 to $100,000 versus 58% more than $100,000.

Based on the type of gifts, 42% say they are buying fewer gifts for others, 32% less for food and drinks, 48% for airlines/travel and 50% for entertainment. Of those categories, more spending was 5% for airlines/travel, 6% for entertainment, 16% gifts for others, and 17% food and drinks.

Despite financial concerns, the respondents are more positive this holiday season with 48% saying they feel “grateful,” 43% “happy,” 39% “stressed,” 29% “excited,” 29% “exhausted” and 23% “sad.”

People are preferring to avoid paying for things on credit. It breaks down to 45% using no credit, 30% using some, 16% using mostly credit and 9% using all credit.

People were also asked about the economy in general, with 32% saying it is good and 63% bad.

Thirty-two percent of people said their financial situation was good for them, down from 39% in July. Since January is has been in the 30s.

Compared with past years, 41% said it is worse in 2025, 36% not changed and 22% better.

Inflation is on people’s minds with 76% saying their income hasn’t kept up with their income, which is close to 75% in July and 77% in February. The annual inflation rate in the United States is 2.7% ending in November compared with 3.0% in September 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Respondents were negative about the job market with 5% saying it’s “very good,” 29% “fairly good,” 32% “fairly bad,” 20% “very bad” and 14% not sure. The national unemployment rate was 4.6%, released by the U.S.Bureau of Labor Statistics, reflecting the labor market status for November.

Among the bright spots, more Americans rate the condition of the stock market as good than bad, especially for those whom the market’s performance matters a lot to their finances. The stock market was listed as 10% “very good,” 32% “fairly good,” 14% “fairly bad,” 6% “very bad” and 38% “not sure.”

Another good sign is gas prices, with 32% saying they are going down compared with 12% in October. Only 20% say fuel prices are going up vs. 34% in October, with 33% saying the are the same vs. 38% two months ago.

The current average is around $2.85 per gallon for unleaded, compared with $3.04 a year ago, according to AAA. The highest average was $5.02 on June 14, 2022.

The sample was weighted to be representative of adults nationwide, according to gender, age, race and education based on the U.S. Census American Community Survey and Current Population Survey, as well as 2024 presidential vote. The margin of error is 2.5 points.

Dec. 23 (UPI) — U.S. consumers showed steady confidence this holiday season, with retail spending up 4.2% from last year, according to preliminary data via Visa released Tuesday.

Despite ongoing economic challenges, shoppers continued to buy especially tech and personal items. The analysis — based on Visa payments data from Nov. 1 over a seven‑week period — excluded auto, gas and restaurant categories and wasn’t adjusted for inflation.

Michael Brown, principal U.S. economist at Visa, said the “underlying surprise” was that U.S. consumer spending “is holding up reasonably well in light of softer consumer confidence than we had this time last year and a number of headwinds and concerns about inflation.”

In-store purchases made up 73% of total spending, though online sales rose by 7.8% and were the main source of growth fueled by convenience and early holiday deals.

Brown said the 2025 holiday season signaled a clear change in shopping habits, driven in part by artificial intelligence reshaping how consumers discover products and compare prices.

“We are seeing consumers use AI in a big way in comparison shopping and then helping to narrow down that perfect gift,” Brown told CNBC.

Electronics saw the strongest gains, with sales up 5.8%, driven by demand for newer, high-powered devices linked to the AI boom.

Apparel and other accessories rose 5.3% and general merchandise retailers offering one-stop shopping recorded a 3.7% increase.

But home-focused categories lagged. Spending on building materials and garden supplies slipped 1% and furniture and home furnishings were nearly flat edging up just 0.8%.

Although overall retail growth appears solid, the figures are not adjusted for inflation, meaning actual inflation‑adjusted gains were likely smaller once Consumer Price Index data was fully factored in.

Meanwhile, a recent survey found that 41% of Americans intended to cut back on holiday spending this year, which was up six points from 2024.

“This is the first holiday shopping season where roughly half of the consumers in that survey responded that they are going to leverage AI for one of those two tasks,” Brown added.

MUSIC star Lily Allen has made a shock confession that she’s now in therapy for her addiction to spending.

The 40-year-old admitted that she can’t stop shopping after purchasing designer handbags and an £120,000 Porsche.

Following the success of her latest album, West End Girl, the singer has revealed that she has put herself into therapy over the last four months to cope with her spending habits.

Speaking on her podcast Miss Me? alongside co-host Miquita Oliver for a Christmas special episode, Lily opened up about EMDR therapy.

She said: “I actually did EMDR therapy yesterday on my spending and how it’s related to my sense of self-worth and we tried to separate the two. So let’s see how that goes.”

Lily admitted: “I think I try and get rid of it (money) because I don’t think I deserve it.”

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Miquita later quipped: “What is EMDR again?

Lily replied: “EMDR therapy is a special type of therapy. There’s like, what do you call it? Like stimuli that stimulate the left side and the right side of your brain and basically try and create new pathways in relation to certain behaviours or traumatic experiences or traumatic interactions with certain human beings or anything really. 

“I started doing EMDR about four months ago, five months ago and it’s like been life changing. I just absolutely love it.

“I am not a doctor and I am not qualified to give that kind of advice but this is what is working for me currently,” she added.

Speaking about how the therapy works for her own addiction, Lily continued: “You usually start by sort of deciding on which area you’re gonna focus on during that session and then you visualise the experience. 

“If you’re trying to change your attitude towards a traumatic event, you try and think about how painful that event is from one to 10 and then you activate the stimuli, which in my case is these two vibrating balls that I put in each hand and you sort of close your eyes and put yourself in that situation and then try and identify what the feelings are that are coming up actually in your body, and in your mind. 

“And then you do that sort of five or six times and you find that the pain level associated with it goes down and down and down.

“If you’re trying to get rid of a negative behaviour like spending or drug taking or drinking or addiction to sex or whatever it is, you do the opposite.

“In my case a handbag, you try and separate yourself from thinking this handbag is going to make me a better person. Its really interesting type of therapy and I’m not clear on the science of how it works but its working for me so I’m very happy about it.”

Earlier in the episode Lily revealed she had bought herself “a little present”.

She said: “I’m just playing with my huge diamond and emerald ring, I bought myself a little present but it’s not that little.”

And earlier this week the star was snapped getting out of her new £120,000 porsche and £16,500 Hermes handbag in London.

Lily’s shopping revelation comes during a significant year for the star, who has launched new music widely described as a “revenge” album following her split from husband David Harbour. 

The record, West End Girl, draws on heartbreak and betrayal after Lily publicly accused the actor of cheating. 

Fans have praised the record for its raw honesty and cutting lyrics.

Singer Lily split from Stranger Things actor David, 50, in December 2024 and it was later reported that he’d had a three-year affair.

The details of her open marriage and split were laid bare on her 14-track West End Girl album.

On the album, Lily took aim at David and claimed how he allegedly ­bedded a woman called “Madeline”, which was later revealed to be single mum Natalie Tippett.

She came forward recently with a statement to categorically deny having a three-year affair with the actor.