You’d be forgiven for thinking Melbourne-based stripper Will Parfitt was Hollywood heart-throb Channing Tatum.
Parfitt, originally from London, has gained millions of followers on social media through his uncanny resemblance to the magic mike star – and he’s made a fortune along the way.
With nearly six million followers on TikTok, the British-born performer is now Australia’s most-requested male entertainer, revealing to news.com.au podcast I’ve Got News For You he makes between $700 and $1000 per show, “depending on how long they want me to stay”.
The Magic Men co-owner has been performing since 2015, and shared with host Andrew Bucklow the sex question “every girl” asks male strippers – whether they get “excited” during a show.
“We always get this question. But it’s so different – when you’ve got the adrenaline and you’re nervous, and you’re obviously performing in front of sometimes up to 1000, 2000 girls in the crowd, it’s the last thing you’re thinking of,” Parfitt said.
“Even though you’re doing sexual movements or you’re grinding on the girls, you’re not in that mind frame. You don’t think of it as sexual. Because it’s like, I guess, dancing on stage – so you’re just thinking about your choreography.
“But every time we get asked this question. The girls are like, ‘How do you not get turned onstage?’ But every guy I’ve ever performed with says the same thing – we just don’t think of it.”
Asked whether women get handsy, Parfitt admitted that “they sometimes do.”
“Because I always go on at the end of the show, I always get the drunk girls, and they’re always the hardest to deal with,” he explained.
“We do pick girls out of the crowd, so you’re trying to communicate with them while you’re on stage, or try and give them little instructions so they know what’s going on, but they do get a bit handsy. I’ve definitely left the stage with a few scratch marks.
“But some girls don’t care. If they’re wearing dresses – sometimes I try and pick a girl who’s wearing pants because I’m like, if you’re wearing a dress, there’s a high chance it could go above your head when we’re doing like different moves and stuff – but they just don’t care.
“They’re like, ‘I don’t care, I just want to go on stage’. They’re on stage in their underwear – they’re stripping more than us on that stage sometimes.”
As for whether women request him to perform “other services” after a show, Parfitt said it wasn’t out of the ordinary.
“They do sometimes. I think with the industry we’re in, obviously, they put us in the same category as doing more than just performing,” he said.
“I’ve definitely had a few offers for that, especially at private events that you go to. But no, I’m just a performer.”
You can listen to the full chat with Will Parfitt here.
Heavy spenders Chelsea have already been busy during the transfer window, and are almost certainly not finished despite spending €186.59m ($A270m) so far.
According to reports, the club are reportedly prepared to sign both Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona, as well as Wesley Fofana from Leicester.
Chelsea have already signed Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly, Gabriel Slonina, Carney Chukwuemeka and Marc Cucurella in their squad overhaul.
World-class striker Aubameyang, a former club captain of London rivals Arsenal, would represent the latest in a long line of superstar strikers to have joined Stamford Bridge – although many have struggled to make their mark.
Indeed, Chelsea’s number nine jersey has been worn by so many flops in recent years that coach Thomas Tuchel revealed that no-one will wear the number this season.
“It’s cursed, it’s cursed, people tell me it’s cursed … nobody wants to touch the No 9,” he said.
But it’s not just the number nine jersey that has been a curse at Chelsea. Dating back to the end of the last century, many of Chelsea’s big-name attacking signings have failed to make their mark.
Here are some of the great Blues flops of the modern era.
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CHRIS SUTTON
Transfer fee: £10m ($17m AUD) from Blackburn in 1999
Playing record: One goal in 28 Premier League games
Chelsea reached deep into their pockets to lure Sutton to Stamford Bridge from relegation stricken Blackburn, for what was then a club record fee.
The striker had signed from the Rovers, where he starred alongside Premier League icon Alan Shearer, after they placed second-last in the 1998-99 season.
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But the former England international had a forgettable debut campaign with the Blues, scoring just one goal from his 28 Premier League appearances.
Sutton’s sole contribution on the scoresheet came in a 5-0 thrashing of English giants Manchester United, which was a highlight in an otherwise quiet tenure in London.
His season went from bad to worse when he failed to make Chelsea’s bench for the 2000 FA Cup Final against Aston Villa, which the Blues won 1-0.
Sutton was a one season flop at Chelsea, though, after securing a transfer to Scottish giants Celtic.
ADRIAN MUTU
Transfer fees: €22.5m ($32m AUD) from Parma in 2003
Playing record: 10 goals from 38 games
Mutu began his Chelsea career in fine form, scoring four goals from his first three appearances for the giants of English football.
Playing in front of new fans for the first time, the Romanian scored the winning goal on his club debut against Leicester City.
But drama ensued as his relationship with Jose Mourinho reportedly reached its boiling point, with Mutu facing backlash from his manager after he claimed to be injured.
Chelsea later fired the striker after he tested positive for cocaine use in 2004, and was suspended for seven months.
Although he was not at the London club anymore, Mutu failed another anti-doping test in January of 2010, as reported by the Guardian.
Mutu, who also wore the number seven jersey at Chelsea, was handed a nine-month ban for that incident.
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ANDRIY SHEVCHENKO
Transfer fees: €43.9m ($63m AUD) from Milan in 2006
Playing record: Nine goals from 48 Premier League games
Chelsea splashed the cash once again to sign Ukrainian Andriy Shevchenko, who became the biggest signing in English football at the time.
Shevchenko, who was 30-year-old when he moved to London from Milan, was handed the number seven jersey under decorated coach Jose Mourinho.
But he failed to live up to the hype, scoring just 14 goals from 51 games during his first season with the famous London club.
Andriy Shevchenko had a forgettable spell with Chelsea.Source: AP
Shevchenko was loaned out to AC Milan, the club he’d signed from, during the 2008/09 season after failing to hit his stride at Stamford Bridge.
As reported by The Guardian, manager Carlo Ancelotti believed that Shevchenko was the fourth best striker at the club, just three years after he secured his record transfer.
Shevchenko was left out of Chelsea’s squad for the 2009/10 Champions League, and later returned to Dynamo Kyiv.
FERNANDO TORRES
Transfer fees: £50m ($85m AUD) from Liverpool in 2011
Playing record: 20 goals in 110 Premier League games for Chelsea
Fernando Torres rose to footballing stardom during a successful stint at Liverpool, where he truly embodied the phrase ‘human highlight reel’.
Torres had already made his name in Spain, after being handed the Atletico Madrid captaincy at just 19 years of age.
The Spaniard left Madrid for Liverpool, although he’d return to the club at the back end of his career, and quickly proved himself to be one of the most exciting players in England.
Fernando Torres struggled to find some form after completing his move to Stamford Bridge. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
But drama struck early in 2011, as Torres completed a sensational transfer to Premier League rivals Chelsea.
The Blues again broke the British transfer record for a reported fee of £50 million, as the striker completed a mid-season move sent shockwaves throughout the league.
Hollywood couldn’t have scripted it better, though, as Torres made his club debut for Chelsea after Liverpool.
The Blues lost that 1-0 and maybe it was a sign of things to come, as Torres went on to score just 20 goals in 110 Premier League appearances for Chelsea.
But while he failed to fire, these big money moves are all about making an impact when it counts, and Torres did that in the biggest competition that world football has to offer.
While he was far from an overwhelming success at Stamford Bridge, Torres did score a game sealing goal against Barcelona in a Champions League semi-final.
Chelsea went on to win their first ever Champions League crown in the 2011-12 campaign, beating German powerhouse Bayern Munich 4-3 on penalties.
MOHAMED SALAH
Transfer fee: £11m ($18m AUD) from Basel in 2014
Playing record: Two goals from 13 games
Mohamed Salah has cemented his legacy as a Premier League legend after a stellar career with Liverpool, but his career in England wasn’t always so successful.
The ‘Egyptian King’ made just 19 appearances for Chelsea, before he was loaned out to Fiorentina just 13-months after moving to London.
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Salah’s two best Premier League games in Blue came in a 6-0 win over rivals Arsenal, where he scored, as well as a promising showing against Stoke.
Salah was later loaned out to Roma, before securing a permanent move to the Italian capital soon after.
But the scintillating winger really took his career to the next Liverpool after he secured a well-known transfer to Liverpool.
Not only has Salah tasted success in both the Champions League and Premier League with the Merseyside club, but he’s widely considered to be one of the best footballers on the planet.
In fact he’s become so popular, the Economist revealed that more than one million Egyptians spoiled their ballots by trying to vote for Salah during the presidential election in 2018.
With many noteworthy individual accolades on the football field to speak of as well, Salah is certainly another gem that Chelsea failed to cherish when they had the chance.
ALVARO MORATA
Transfer fees: Around £60m ($103m AUD) from Real Madrid in 2017
Playing record: 24 goals from about 72 games
After impressive spells with European giants Juventus and Real Madrid, Morata was brought into the club as a replacement for Diego Costa.
Costa, who won two Premier League titles and scored 59 goals for Chelsea, returned to Atletico Madrid after being told he was free to look elsewhere.
Morata was another striker who had the weight of the world on his shoulders when he moved to Stamford Bridge, due to the hype surrounding his arrival.
But the Spaniard failed to make an impression on the scoresheet, scoring just 15 goals in his 48 games.
After initially signing for the club on a five year deal, Morata was eventually loaned out to Atletico Madrid on an 18-month deal.
Atletico signed him on a permanent deal later, although he was loaned out to Juventus soon after in September, 2020.
TIMO WERNER
Transfer fees: €60m ($87m AUD) from RB Leipzig in 2020
playing record 23 goals in 89 appearances
Werner was one of the hottest properties on the football transfer market as European giants came looking to sign the star striker after an incredible spell at RB Leipzig.
During his four years at the German club, Werner scored 90 goals and had 40 assists from 156 competitive games.
Liverpool were also believed to be in the hunt for his signature, before he completed an expensive move to Chelsea on a five-year deal.
But the German quickly fell out of favor at Chelsea, having scored just 23 goals in 89 appearances.
With Chelsea reportedly looking to sign some strikers in the ongoing transfer window, the 26-year-old left the club and returned to RB Leipzig.
ROMELU LUKAKU
Transfer fees: £97.5m ($167m AUD) from Inter Milan in 2021
Playing record: 15 goals in all competitions from 44 games
Belgian Romelu Lukaku may have had a fairly expensive price tag to his name last year, but that didn’t stop Chelsea from making another mind-blowing investment in their future.
Once again, the Blues broke their transfer record to sign the striker from Italian giants Inter Milan.
Romelu Lukaku was a marquee signing for Chelsea, but he failed to make his mark on the scoresheet. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
With their Champions League glory still fresh in the minds of football fans, Chelsea managed to lure the powerful striker back to Stamford Bridge on an incredible transfer.
Despite their European success, Chelsea had come fourth in the Premier League the year before, but this signing was widely considered to be a difference maker.
Many believed that Lukaku could fire for the Blues after a previous stint at the club earlier in his career, before more well-known and successful stints with the likes of Everton and Manchester United.
But it was a disastrous return to the Premier League for Lukaku, who scored just eight goals before completing a loan move back to Inter Milan – and leaving the number nine jersey vacant.
Australian cricketer Marcus Stoinis has sparked fury after seemingly accusing Pakistan paceman Muhammad Hasnain of having an illegal bowling action during the Southern Brave’s seven-wicket loss to the Oval Invincibles.
Stoinis top-scored for the Brave on Sunday evening, dismissed by Hasnain for 37 (27) after sharing a 55-run partnership with Captain James Vince for the second wicket.
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The 32-year-old all-rounder attempted to slap a 142km/h short delivery down the ground, instead gifting England’s Will Jacks a regulation catch at mid-off.
But as Stoinis made his way towards the pavilion, he implied the 22-year-old’s bowling action was illegitimate by miming a chucking motion – a not-so-subtle jab at his recent suspension from the sport.
In February, Hasnain was found guilty of having an illegal bowling action after a Big Bash League umpire reported him during the Sydney Thunder’s victory over the Adelaide Strikers.
Hasnain underwent biomechanics tests in late January, with the findings from the Lahore University of Management Sciences confirming his action breached the ICC’s 15-degree limit for elbow extension.
The Pakistani quick has since been declared fit to bowl again after undergoing remedial work, and Stoinis could face disciplinary action for the misdemeanour.
The Age’s Daniel Brettig tweeted: “This is poor. There’sa system in place to regulate bowling actions and it doesn’t include publicly questioning your opponent’s integrity.”
The Times’ Elizabeth Ammon posted: “Wonder if Stoinis will be in trouble for this implication.”
Stoinis is not the first Australian cricketer to accuse Hasnain of chucking; During last summer’s second Sydney Smash contest at the SCG, Sixers captain Moises Henriques yelled, “Nice throw, mate” to Hasnain after he unleashed a bouncer.
“Right from the first game he played and through to the tournament, it seemed that there was a few question marks there,” Henriques told reporters at the time.
“I didn’t have the protractor out.
“I guess from my point of view, we already knew it had been reported. I feel like the umpires are a little bit hamstrung in terms of what they can actually do on the cricket field, because they’re so worried about backlash and public opinion.
“I could definitely argue that what he was doing was not in the spirit of the game.
“And I also agree that possibly I got a little bit emotional and frustrated and I was a bit overt with my comments out in the middle. But you know, I called a spade a spade and that was my opinion.
“From afar, he seems like a good kid… hopefully he can get that action right and pass the test and hopefully he can have a long career.
“As long as he’s playing within the rules of the game that everyone else has to abide by.
“Good luck to him. It looks like he could have a long future if that all gets sorted.”
Hasnain has represented Pakistan in eight ODIs and 18 T20Is since making his international debut in 2019, taking 29 wickets at 33.68.
The Invincibles chased the 138-run target with 18 balls to spare on Sunday, thanks largely to a blistering century from Jacks – the second hundred in the competition’s short history.
The 23-year-old smacked an undefeated 108 off 48 deliveries at The Oval, clearing the boundary rope on eight occasions.
Hasnain finished with figures of 1/27 off 15 deliveries, while Invincible teammate Reece Topley claimed 3/24 to help restrict the Brave to 6/137 from their 100 balls.
Elsewhere, Australian superstar Glenn Maxwell scored an unbeaten 43 (25) and snared a wicket in the London Spirit’s victory over the Northern Superchargers in Leeds.
The Brave will next face the Manchester Originals at Southampton’s Ageas Bowl on Friday morning AEST, with the first ball scheduled for 4pm.
Manchester United slumped to a 30-year low as their shocking start to their Premier League campaign continued, proving again when it rains it really does pour.
And monsoon season might be rolling in at Old Trafford ahead of a crunch clash with fierce rivals Liverpool next week.
After losing their opening match of the season at home against Brighton, United were heavily favored to bounce back against Brentford on Sunday morning (AEST).
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But disaster struck, with a goalkeeping howler from David de Gea allowing the Bees to strike first in what would become a 4-0 first-half riot at the Gtech Community Stadium.
It’s safe to say few saw that coming.
Manager Erik ten Hag, much like the rest of the world, was left stunned as the halftime whistle marked both a moment of reprieve and realization for the Red Devils.
The damage had already been done by that point, though, as a scoreless second period saw United languish at the bottom of the Premier League table for the first time in 30 years.
This is also the first time since 1936 United have lost seven straight away league games, while Brentford recorded the biggest win in the top division since 1938.
Premier League greats Gary Neville and Jamie Redknapp reached their boiling points after the abysmal display, as the extent of the defeat added more chaos to the existing drama the club.
“At this moment in time, it’s really desperate. There’s no leadership, there’s no voice, you can’t blame the individual player or the manager, you’ve got to look above and look to the very top,” Neville said on SkySports.
“This week, they’re going to get peppered those players, the coach, the sporting department, the new CO – they’re all going to get peppered. But there’s a family over there in America who are just literally letting their employees take all the hits for them – and that is unforgivable.”
Frustration, shock and disappointment was felt across the country with many of the UK’s leading football scribes weighing in on the reality facing the English giants – if they’re still worthy of that moniker.
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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was at the wheel for the Red Devils until he very much wasn’t, as a poor run of form saw the former United star fired.
Louis van Gaal and David Moyes, another two managers who promised so much before they were sacked, still hadn’t sunk as low as Erik ten Hag after just two matches in charge.
Ten Hag is the first United manager to lose his first two league games since John Chapman in 1921.
Former Chelsea striker Chris Sutton told the BBC United have “hit rock bottom”, while Sky Sports pundit Karen Carney believes that the club “can’t get any lower”.
Premier League legend Alan Shearer believes that issues have been festering for years at the famous club.
Shearer added that the Red Devils are currently “miles away” from the level that they should be playing at — and even suggested recent speculation about a shock move for 33-year-old striker Marko Arnautović may have been an inside job.
“I’m convinced that someone from Man United’s leaked the story linking them with (Marko) Arnautovic, just to see what the reaction was,” Shearer said on Match of the Day.
“I think that sort of sums up where United are.
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“They’re in a mess and it’s going to take time, an unbelievable amount of money to get things right inside the football club and in terms of the right recruitment and it’s going to take a lot of patience from the Manchester United fans because of where they are now to where they want to be – miles away.”
The Telegraph’s Jim White didn’t mince his words as he provided his analysis of United’s “humiliation”, saying that it was the worst performance he’s ever seen by the club.
“Having watched Manchester United for over 50 years, this performance against Brentford is without question the worst I have ever seen them deliver,” White wrote.
“The grim times of Dave Sexton, the misery of the David Moyes era, the negativity of Louis van Gaal, all looked like halcyon days compared to this performance.
“No joy, no coherence, no spirit: this was a team in name only, delivering the kind of performance that Frenkie de Jong would have had on the phone to his agent with instructions to quickly follow up any interest from Chelsea.
“Mistakes happen. But it was the response to that setback that spoke so damagingly of what is going on at Old Trafford. Instead of launching the kind of fight back that once characterized the club, United folded.
“Everywhere they looked hapless, hopeless and haunted.”
Goalkeeper David de Gea, who was once considered to be one of the best players in the world in his position, had an outing to forget in what is becoming a key issue for the club.
Two mistakes from goalkeeper David de Gea saw Manchester United trail 2-0 to Brentford early in their clash on Sunday (AEST). (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
The Guardian’s Jonathan Wilson said that while de Gea was still an “excellent shot-stopper”, that his inability to play with the ball at his feet was an issue.
“Can you play out from the back with De Gea? De Gea remains, despite Saturday’s howler, an excellent shot-stopper, which is why last season he was named United’s player of the year for the fourth time,” Wilson wrote.
“But there is a reason he has not played for Spain since October 2020 and why he has apparently fallen behind Brentford’s David Raya in the pecking order.
“He is simply not comfortable on the ball. Last season he completed just 71.3% of his passes. By comparison, Ederson completed 88.1% and Alisson 87.1%.
“While it’s true that’s partly because De Gea was encouraged to play more longer balls, it’s also true that one of the reasons United played more longer balls is De Gea.
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“This is a major problem for United: De Gea is one of the few United players who has performed consistently in recent years and yet those struggles with the ball at his feet make it very hard for them to switch to a modern style.
“That, perhaps, is the most disconcerting thing for United. This is supposed to be ten Hag’s honeymoon period, but already he looks in danger of being overwhelmed by just how shambolic the club is … And they’ve got Liverpool next.”
The Athletic’s Adam Crafton said “each week manages to conjure a new sense of stupefying shock” when it came to United, with their fans ruthlessly mocked at half-time.
“At halftime, Brentford, who had not beaten Manchester United since 1938, led their opponents. And this was more than a lead. This was 4-0 and deservedly so,” Crafton wrote.
“There was, in the press box, almost a numbing madness to it all. Brentford’s supporters, too, stared at one another, open-mouthed.
“They taunted their United opponents, telling them they’d be ‘going down with the Fulham’. Fulham, on two points after two games compared to United’s zero, may be offended by the comparison.”
The Red Devils appear to be at a crossroads after failing to sign Arnautovic, as well as other players during the English summer.
Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong has been heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford for what feels like forever, although Chelsea have since emerged as another potential destination.
According to the BBC, United have spent £672 million ($1.14 billion AUD) since winning their last major trophy in 2017, which was the Europa League.
So far during the transfer window, United have signed Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez.
Club great Rio Ferdinand said that he feels “sorry” for ten Hag after an uneventful transfer window has so far failed to add key players to a struggling squad.
“I don’t feel sorry for the players, I feel sorry for ten Hag,” Ferdinand told the Vibe with Five podcast.
“He’s coming under false pretenses. He’s coming expected new signings.
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“He’s probably sitting there thinking, ‘I’ve been sold a dummy here. I didn’t know I was coming into this’.
“This is an indefensible situation right now because it’s so bad, it’s terrible.
“I mean, we’re only two games in, but we’re two games in on the back of what happened last season as well by the way.
“I wouldn’t blame ten Hag right now. You can pick at his team selection or whatever but this is a bigger problem, a wider problem.”
Midfielder Bruno Fernandes, meanwhile, has been accused of getting “away with murder” on the football field by a former Premier League striker.
Gabby Agbonlahor blasted the Portuguese star on the well-known British radio station talkSPORT.
“For me, Fernandes, since he’s been in the Premier League, yes he’s had great stats, goal scoring and assists but he looks like the worst teammate,” Agbonlagor said.
“Every time a player gives it away, every time he gives it away, he throws his arms up at his teammates, he throws his arms up at the bench.
“I’ve played with players like him, you’d be smoking at him. He’ll press now and then. If that was Paul Pogba they would be slaughtering Pogba in the media.
“Fernandes gets away with murder. Did you see Fernandes do anything? It’s easy to say (Harry) Maguire, (Cristiano) Ronaldo, (Marcus) Rashford, (Jadon) Sancho.”
The Red Devils failed to qualify for this year’s Champions League after finishing sixth in the 2021/22 Premier League season – 35 points behind champions Manchester City.
While they appear set to sign Adrien Rabiot from Juventus, French journalist Julien Laurens also slammed United’s transfer strategy.
“They are not helping themselves,” Laurens told BBC Radio 5 Live’s EuroLeagues podcast.
“The non-existence of a transfer strategy, not just now but since Fergie (Sir Alex Ferguson) left, is not just baffling, it’s outrageous.”
The club have reached a new low as a non-league side threw a jab, literally laughing in the wake of United’s horror loss.
Oldham Athletic’s chairman Frank Rothwell was interviewed after his side’s 3-2 win over Dorking Wanderers, where he made the most of his chance to have a dig.
“Do you know what’s happening to United?” Rothwell said, before he reportedly began to laugh.
Manchester United face rivals Liverpool at Old Trafford on Tuesday week and when it comes to their future
Millennials struggling to build their wealth have flipped the idea of having a cashless society on their head by reviving a saving technique that originated well before their grandparents’ era.
“Cash stuffing” is the latest money-saving trend growing in popularity in Australia, after it educated hundreds of young people in the UK and US on how to successfully budget.
Also known as the envelope method, cash stuffing involves withdrawing money – typically your monthly earnings – from your bank account and allocating it to a folder which represents a specific spending category.
Folders may represent weekly shopping budgets, holiday savings, fuel costs, mortgage repayments or bills.
The “cash stuffing” hashtag has accrued over 532 million views on TikTok, while sites like Amazon and Etsy have too jumped on board, selling folders, stickers and stationery specifically made for the trend to help kickstart the saving journey.
Daniel Jovevski, CEO and founder of budgeting and debt management app WeMoney, says the saving technique has re-emerged as Australians learn to cope with the rising cost of living.
“Cash stuffing or what budgeters call the ‘Envelope Method’ is back in vogue. This is largely driven out of the requirement to budget now more than ever with envelopes or pencil cases being the primary tool for people to squirrel money away,” Mr Jovevski told news.com.au.
“Tougher times with inflation and cost of living pressures have brought back this old but effective method as consumers combat increasing petrol and food prices.”
Caroline from CAROCASH, commenced her cash stuffing journey last year after learning about personal finance expert Dave Ramsey’s envelope system, which closely mirrors cash stuffing.
The small business owner told news.com.au that she has since saved almost $30,000 using the system.
“I saw how by dividing up your income into separate envelopes, you can save up and prepare for annual bills, holidays, medical and of course for savings,” Caroline said.
While Caroline insists that she is not a financial adviser, she has shared with others how simple the technique can be by documenting her journey on her YouTube channel.
How does cash stuffing differ from internet banking?
Simply put, cash stuffing is a physical method of internet banking.
Rather than splitting your weekly earnings into separate online banking accounts as some budgeters do, those using the cash stuffing method split their income into physical folders.
However Mr Jovevski said there is a psychological aspect to cash stuffing that most don’t experience through online banking or paying for transactions using their credit or debit card.
“This trend has deep behavioral benefits with prominent behavioral scientists identifying the method as helping people increase their “pain of paying”, meaning when we pay with cash we feel a little pain when we see the amount of money leave our wallets or envelopes,” he said.
“Contrasting this against tap-and-pay, where you don’t really see the physical movement of cash, it makes it easier to spend as all the friction has been removed.”
Caroline admitted that this was her situation prior to jumping on the cash stuffing bandwagon. Her de ella old spending habits de ella meant she would unknowingly use all her income de ella on other purchases prior to paying her bills.
“By doing the Cash Envelope System, you budget out your pay and then physically see the money grow or see where your money goes,” she said.
The benefits of cash stuffing
As the cost of living continues on an upward trend, Australians are becoming more conscious of their spending limits and habits.
The search phrase “what is budgeting” has jumped in interest by more than 65 per cent in the last year on Google Search whereas “budgeting apps” has been the most searched query in relation to the word “budget”.
And with budgeting the entire purpose behind cash stuffing, Caroline said there’s no other reason as to why someone who is struggling to manage their savings shouldn’t give the technique a go.
“Benefits include changing spending habits and your mindset on spontaneous spending, living within your means and being prepared for bills,” she said.
Other benefits Caroline mentioned include not feeling the need to get a credit card or use Afterpay and having less financial stress once you’ve mastered your budget.
“The more friction we have in paying, the less we spend and the easier it is to stay on track with our budgets,” Mr Jovevski added.
Being aware of the risks
While it’s great to have cash in hand, it doesn’t come without a heightened risk of losing your money. This may be through theft, fire, or simply misplacing it.
One way Caroline has overcome the threat of mishandling her hard-earned cash is by saving up to a certain amount before banking it, and then using “prop” or “fake money” to represent the savings in her account.
“As a graphic designer myself, I was able to create some fake play money for larger denominations – starting from $250 all the way to $10,000 – that we do not officially have here in Australia,” she said.
“Once I reach $1000 in cash, I swap that with a prop note and get the $1000 back to the bank.”
Another disadvantage associated with cash stuffing is its inability to earn interest as well as the time it takes to separate your money into folders and record the value in a spreadsheet or notebook.
“While there are plenty of upside benefits, the trade-off is additional work,” Mr Jovevski said.
“You have to consider if the cash-stuffing method aligns with the outcomes you want to achieve with your budget.”
end tips
One question that a lot of people ask Caroline is “how do you work out how much to budget for?”.
The savvy saver said she works out how much her bills will cost her on a monthly or yearly basis and then divides that amount by the number of weeks she has until it needs to be paid.
“Say you get paid weekly and you have an annual bill that is $700. You divide 700 by 52 which equals $13.50. That is what you would put aside each pay to have that bill “fully funded” in a year when it is due,” she said.
With a little bit of extra time and preparation, Caroline said anyone can give the saving technique a try.
“Honestly, just give it a go. There’s no schemes or tricks. All that is required is a little more than your time; time to go to the bank or ATM for the cash withdrawal, and time to sit down, make a budget and divide your cash into envelopes.”
When the current history of Hollywood gets written, April 19, 2022 will go down as the day that everything changed.
It should have been a routine earnings call during which Netflix co-CEO Reed Hastings took tech and business reporters through the company’s latest figures. Instead, Hastings revealed that the company had lost hundreds of thousands of subscribers for the first drop in numbers in 10 years.
The revelations immediately set off something of an earthquake from Wall Street to Los Angeles, with $75 billion in value being wiped off the company’s value in 24 hours.
Why this matters are the consequences this precipitous, stunning reversal in fortune could have for two people about 450km south of Netflix’s headquarters, in the wealthy enclave of Montecito.
In the course of that one earnings one call, not only did the streaming giant’s once-unassailable hold on the entertainment industry come unstuck, but so too did the supposedly cashed-up future of Harry and Meghan, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, start to look much less certain.
Monday marks 712 days since the world learned on September 2 2020 that the newly self-emancipated Sussexes had signed a reported $US140 million ($A197 million) deal with Netflix via no lesser news outlet than the New York Times with the story trumpeting the duo’s “new Hollywood careers”.
But today, those “new Hollywood careers” have yet to actually take off while once mighty Netflix has lost more than $US200 billion ($A280 billion) in value (yes, billion with a ‘b’) this year.
Nearly two years on from all the self-contributory ballyhoo of September 2, 2020, the landscape for both the titled duo and the streamer has significantly shifted beneath them all.
Will – or even can – the Sussex/Netflix marriage survive?
Not only have the fortunes of Netflix lurched wildly since 2020 but so have Harry and Meghan’s.
At the time the deal was announced, it seemed like the most obvious and logical pairing: Two of the most famous people in the world would worthily churn out documentaries or some such; inreturn; Netflix got to tout the fact that they had a real life Duke and Duchess on their books. Harry and Meghan would get squillions; the company would reap the rewards of the PR coup of the decade.
However, the royal duo are not exactly the sizzlingly-hot property they were back then now are they?
More than 30 months have passed since Harry and Meghan absconded from a life of stifling royal duty for the greener pastures of California and that lucrative embrace of corporate America.
In that time they have managed to ink a series of headline-making deals, including also with Spotify, the coaching company BetterUp and with Ethic, a fintech asset manager, along with launching their charitable foundation and undertaking a seemingly never ending parade of photo opportunities. .
On paper it sounds like it’s been a whirligig of achievement and just the sort of industrious self-starting that America was founded on. Except … what have they actually achieved?
Yes, they have made a series of donations to causes ranging from the World Food Kitchen to helping fix a women’s shelter’s roof after a storm which reflects their generosity and hunger to help others. Kudos. But writing a check here and there is hardly the sort of work that will ever see them make the long list for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Sadly, for two people who seem to truly care, there is not one issue, not one cause they have really moved the needle on since they embarked on this new life of theirs.
More importantly for their Netflix and Spotify paymasters, they have failed to genuinely set themselves up as leading voices of the day. They might do their darnedest to sell themselves as inspiring leaders but the proof is in the flaccid pudding that was the lackluster turnout to Harry’s recent UN speech from him.
The international community was hardly turning up in droves to hear him speak while Washington has largely ignored them.
Meghan’s cold-calling of senators about paid parental leave last year went down about as well as a gluten and dairy-free scone at a Buckingham Palace garden party and the Duchess has yet to emerge as any sort of powerplayer ahead of the midterm elections later this year.
In late June, the former actress took part in a conversation with feminist pioneer Gloria Steinem for fashion after the horrendous quashing of abortion protection, saying: “Well, Gloria, maybe it seems as though you and I will be taking a trip to DC together soon.”
Nearly two months on, the Duchess has yet to turn up inside the Beltway.
The bottom line is this: Harry and Meghan have proven totally unsuccessful at making themselves matter in the corridors of power in Washington, New York, Silicon Valley or Los Angeles.
The magic dust of their royalty has largely dulled in the last two years and the novelty factor has worn off. So too has their deal-making momentum seemed to have waned with them not having announced any other venture since July 2021 last year when it was revealed Harry was busy working on a memoir.
Things might look different today if in the last 712 days the Sussexes had been churning out series after doco after one-off specials for Netflix, but as we all know, that is not the case. The company has only ever publicly announced two Sussex projects: Harry’s documentary about the sporting event for wounded armed services personnel Heart of Invictus (an amazing initiative he started years ago as a working member of the royal family) and an animated children’s series from Meghan called Pearl.
In early May it was announced that Netflix was axing the Duchess’ show as part of a much bigger cost-cutting move, with numerous high-profile projects canned as the streamer dramatically tighten their belts.
Then later the same month came news that the company was about to get, as Page Six put it, their “pound of flesh” from the duo with the revelation that Harry and Meghan were already filming something called an “at home” docu series which has a hint of the ignominious about it. (More recent reporting has suggested that Netflix wants it to air before the year is out.)
Potentially hundreds of millions of dollars are riding on this docu series for the self-supporting, private jet-flying, polo-loving Sussexes.
If it turns out that the Duke and Duchess are TV gold, if they are about to demonstrate that they are binge-worthy stars who can pull in streaming viewers globally, then their US careers are set. Get another polo pony! Hell, buy seven.
But, if they fail to live up to the hype and the rhetoric? The huge sums being touted and all those lovely millions supposedly coming their way could dry up faster than a Californian lake.
(And it’s not as if their docuseries is likely to feature much royal access given that Harry and Meghan were embarrassingly sidelined by The Firm when they were in London for the Platinum Jubilee.)
Netflix is clearly a very patient company when it comes to their superstar recruits. Take Barack and Michelle Obama who signed to Netflix and Spotify after they left the White House.
However, this week, Harry and Meghan will break the Obamas’ track record of the 716 days which elapsed between their Netflix deal being announced and their first marquee project starring one of them, coming, being released. (And in the interim they had released two children’s shows and produced two documentaries, one of which won an Oscar.)
Harry and Meghan might have titles and the Buckingham Palace Wi-Fi password but that is not enough of a distinction for big companies to merrily tip millions into their bank accounts for the chance to work with them. They have to actually do something to provide themselves.
They can’t just hope they can coast along on the whiff of a mothballed HRH here forever more.
Since that earnings call in April, Netflix has laid off hundreds of staff and made the drastic decision to finally introduce advertising to the platform. Can the company still afford to carry big name stars who don’t deliver on their books?
Just how much patience and faith will this newly humbled Netflix have for their yet-to-perform big-name hires?
To some degree, the same goes for Spotify too here.
In April, Meghan’s first outing for the audio giant called Archetypes was announced, promising a “groundbreaking” series would launch during the northern summer. With only weeks to go before autumn begins, again, the clock is ticking.
Daniela Elser is a royal expert and a writer with more than 15 years’ experience working with a number of Australia’s leading media titles.
Sydney FC has added further English Premier League experience to its squad with the signing of attacker Joe Lolley.
Lolley, 29, made six appearances for Huddersfield Town in the 2017-18 Premier League season.
Since then he has spent the past five seasons in the second-tier English Championship with Nottingham Forest, helping then gain promotion the Premier League for the 2022-23 campaign which started this month.
However, having been deemed surplus to requirements at Forest, he grabbed the chance to move to Sydney FC, where he will team with another ex-Premier League player in former Everton, Manchester City and Sunderland midfielder Jack Rodwell, who joined the Sky Blues last week after a season with Western Sydney Wanderers.
“I’m extremely excited to be joining Sydney FC,” said Lolley, who has signed a two-year deal with his new club.
“I know there’s a lot of expectation to win every season, which is a great challenge,
and they’ve got a fantastic plan in place to do that, which really attracted me to
make the move.
“I really appreciate the intent shown by the club in bringing me to Sydney.
“The club expects to win and I’m looking forward to getting on the pitch with the lads
ahead of the season starting in around eight weeks.”
Sydney FC coach Steve Corica said Lolly had “proven quality at a high level in England”.
“He is the type of player we were targeting and we had to be patient to secure him,” Corica said.
“He brings a goal threat with his ability to cut inside and can also pick a pass.
“He’s got great energy, an amazing ability to carry the ball and works hard for the
team.
“Fans love him because he gives his all and I know he was hugely popular at
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag reportedly canceled a planned day off for his players and forced them into a humiliating running exercise as the fallout from the shock Brentford defeat continues.
Ten Hag, who oversaw a successful pre-season but has endured a nightmare start in the Premier League, was helpless as he watched his side capitulate at the Brentford Community Stadium.
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It was United’s second straight defeat after the opening day loss to Brentford and consigned the Red Devils to the bottom of the Premier League ladder for the first time in 30 years.
And according to The Telegraph’s Jason Burt, ten Hag was furious with what his team served up against the Bees and ordered his team to come to the club’s training ground for a punishing extra session.
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“With United not playing again until next Monday, at home to Liverpool, ten Hag had intended to allow his squad not to report to their training HQ, Carrington, for a recovery day,” Burt wrote.
“Instead, having told the players that their performance was ‘shocking’ and agreeing with the post-match analysis that they had played ‘like kids’ ten Hag demanded a response with an intense training session which, surprisingly after a game, included an element of running.”
Over the course of 90 minutes, United ran 95.6km as a team while Brentford chalked up 109.4km.
The shocking margin was another element of ten Hag’s brutal punishment, as Burt claims the Dutchman forced his players to cover 13.8km throughout the training session conducted in 30-degree heat, “exactly the distance they collectively ran less than the Brentford players during the game .”
With a clash against bitter rivals Liverpool on the horizon, things could get much, much worse before they get better for ten Hag and Manchester United.
Socceroos star Ajdin Hrustic appears destined for a late transfer after being exiled at German club Eintracht Frankfurt.
Hrustic played 38 times for the German first-tier side over the past two seasons – mostly off the bench – culminating in scoring a penalty in a shootout win over Rangers in the Europa League final.
But the playmaker has been entirely left out of Frankfurt’s match-day squads for the opening three matches of the season, including their UEFA Super Cup clash with Real Madrid.
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Tuchel & Conte see red in feisty derby | 00:42
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Reports from Spain claim Real Betis – which finished fifth in La Liga last year – is interested in his signature, having previously considered a move for the classy 26-year-old in the last transfer window.
Serie A battler Salernitana are also rumored to be interested in signing the Aussie, whose priority is gaining match minutes ahead of the World Cup, in which he should play a key role for the Socceroos.
Salernitana narrowly avoided bankruptcy as well as relegation last campaign, presenting a high-risk option for the Australian.
AUSSIE GETS PREMIER LEAGUE MINUTES
It might have been brief, but Australia has a Premier League player once more. Young Tyrese Francois came off the bench for Fulham in stoppage time of their 0-0 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers.
A Fulham Academy player, Francois previously managed one Premier League appearance when Fulham were last in the top flight in 2020-21.
Having just turned 22, Francois has reportedly signed a new two-year deal with an option in the club’s favor for a third season.
The Olyroos star will be hoping for more minutes in coming rounds to build his case for a shock World Cup call-up.
MOOY BUILDING
Veteran midfielder Aaron Mooy is showing promising signs at Celtic. He has now appeared off the bench in all three of the Scottish giant’s league matches so far this season, but having been given just eight minutes then five minutes in the first two rounds, the Australian played 24 minutes in a 5-0 win over Kilmarnock FC. The win took Ange Postecoglou’s men top of the table on goal difference.
Also in Scotland, Aziz Behich made his Scottish Premiership debut, starting and playing the full 90 at left back for Dundee United. Kye Rowles also played the full match for Dundee United at centre-half in a crushing 4-1 win. Meanwhile Martin Boyle came off the bench for Hibernian at halftime in a 2-1 defeat.
In Spain, Awer Mabil made his debut for Cadiz CF in a 1-0 loss to Real Sociedad – the team that Mat Ryan recently departed. Mabil played the second half off the bench but could not find the all-important equalizer.
Over in Japan, Mitch Duke played 61 minutes for Fagiano Okayama in the second tier in a 3-2 win over Renofa Yamaguchi, the victory taking their unbeaten streak to seven games.
Australian cricketer Marcus Stoinis has sparked fury after seemingly accusing Pakistan paceman Muhammad Hasnain of having an illegal bowling action during the Southern Brave’s seven-wicket loss to the Oval Invincibles.
Stoinis top-scored for the Brave on Sunday evening, dismissed by Hasnain for 37 (27) after sharing a 55-run partnership with Captain James Vince for the second wicket.
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The 32-year-old all-rounder attempted to slap a 142km/h short delivery down the ground, instead gifting England’s Will Jacks a regulation catch at mid-off.
But as Stoinis made his way towards the pavilion, he implied the 22-year-old’s bowling action was illegitimate by miming a chucking motion – a not-so-subtle jab at his recent suspension from the sport.
In February, Hasnain was found guilty of having an illegal bowling action after a Big Bash League umpire reported him during the Sydney Thunder’s victory over the Adelaide Strikers.
Hasnain underwent biomechanics tests in late January, with the findings from the Lahore University of Management Sciences confirming his action breached the ICC’s 15-degree limit for elbow extension.
The Pakistani quick has since been declared fit to bowl again after undergoing remedial work, and Stoinis could face disciplinary action for the misdemeanour.
The Age’s Daniel Brettig tweeted: “This is poor. There’sa system in place to regulate bowling actions and it doesn’t include publicly questioning your opponent’s integrity.”
The Times’ Elizabeth Ammon posted: “Wonder if Stoinis will be in trouble for this implication.”
Stoinis is not the first Australian cricketer to accuse Hasnain of chucking; During last summer’s second Sydney Smash contest at the SCG, Sixers captain Moises Henriques yelled, “Nice throw, mate” to Hasnain after he unleashed a bouncer.
“Right from the first game he played and through to the tournament, it seemed that there was a few question marks there,” Henriques told reporters at the time.
“I didn’t have the protractor out.
“I guess from my point of view, we already knew it had been reported. I feel like the umpires are a little bit hamstrung in terms of what they can actually do on the cricket field, because they’re so worried about backlash and public opinion.
“I could definitely argue that what he was doing was not in the spirit of the game.
“And I also agree that possibly I got a little bit emotional and frustrated and I was a bit overt with my comments out in the middle. But you know, I called a spade a spade and that was my opinion.
“From afar, he seems like a good kid… hopefully he can get that action right and pass the test and hopefully he can have a long career.
“As long as he’s playing within the rules of the game that everyone else has to abide by.
“Good luck to him. It looks like he could have a long future if that all gets sorted.”
Hasnain has represented Pakistan in eight ODIs and 18 T20Is since making his international debut in 2019, taking 29 wickets at 33.68.
The Invincibles chased the 138-run target with 18 balls to spare on Sunday, thanks largely to a blistering century from Jacks – the second hundred in the competition’s short history.
The 23-year-old smacked an undefeated 108 off 48 deliveries at The Oval, clearing the boundary rope on eight occasions.
Hasnain finished with figures of 1/27 off 15 deliveries, while Invincible teammate Reece Topley claimed 3/24 to help restrict the Brave to 6/137 from their 100 balls.
Elsewhere, Australian superstar Glenn Maxwell scored an unbeaten 43 (25) and snared a wicket in the London Spirit’s victory over the Northern Superchargers in Leeds.
The Brave will next face the Manchester Originals at Southampton’s Ageas Bowl on Friday morning AEST, with the first ball scheduled for 4pm.
