to think that going on Rich House Poor House is horrible

[Brizzledrizzle]

I can't understand why people would do it if they are the poorer half of the programme, it must be so hard for the children from the poorer families - I wonder why they do it?

We had a leaflet through our door about this too. (We live in an ex-council house, so I guess we'd be the poor family). I didn't follow it up as I knew DH would hate it, but I thought it would be interesting to see what they did with our lives on screen because actually we aren't that poor - we just chose to live in a small house because we'd rather have our money in savings, because we both have unstable earnings/careers (we're early-career academics) and because I wanted to be able to take time off work when my kids were small without having to worry about mortgage repayments. We're planning to move to a bigger house when the kids are a bit older.
I think we've made quite unusual financial and work/life choices (we both work part-time), and I think it'd be interesting to have a space to talk about that, particularly if we swopped with a workaholic family.
But our kids are tiny and we aren't really poor, so from what pp have said, we probably wouldn't have been picked anyway.

I have never watched this programme or this sort of programme. It is exploitative to some of the people involved and it is the worst sort of cheap television. Don’t add to their audience figures.

The one I saw the poorer family had a sofa discarded on the front lawn, it had been there for months. The rich family didn't have transport but made the effort to carry the sofa to the tip a few miles away.

I have only seen one and the rich family were appalled at how much the poorer family were having to pay in rent. They couldn’t be,Ive it and said they could easily see why the family were struggling. It gave them food for thought.

I think positives can be made from the poorer side seeing how a richer side can live. I myself grew up on 'the poorer side'. We didnt have much money, but enough to live on, but my parents also didnt encourage education, activities or doing anything productive to move out of the situation.
Luckily for me we did actually live in a 'nice' area. I ended up seeing other lifestyles through friends, went to a good local grammar school, and moved out of 'poverty'.
I think had I been surrounded only by people in a similar situation, with little to aspire to, i would have been more likely to have followed my parents path

The rich family didn't have transport but made the effort to carry the sofa to the tip a few miles away.

Yeah because it was a novelty for them.

The poor family last week were paying 1500 a month rent, so not poor just 'not much disposable income'

I watched a couple. On one the rich family, though they had good jobs, admitted they lived the standard they lived ( private schooling etc) because of selling a painting that had been inherited. Not exactly an inspiration to the poor family.... So you can do this if you are born into money!

Can't people understand that if you are working in a physical job - most lower income jobs are, looking after your kids, struggling to pay bills, and doing things to cut costs like walking to cheap shops - that just maybe carrying a sofa to a tip a few miles away is not a priority?

What's clear is that all the 'rich' families have earned their wealth, doctors, vets, solicitors and accountants, many of whom admit to having working class backgrounds. The 'poor' house always has a huge TV, games console, laptop etc. Bullshit is poverty the issue for these people, it's bad financial management and having multiple children they can ill afford

What's clear is that all the 'rich' families have earned their wealth, doctors, vets, solicitors and accountants, many of whom admit to having working class backgrounds. The 'poor' house always has a huge TV, games console, laptop etc. Bullshit is poverty the issue for these people, it's bad financial management and having multiple children they can ill afford

You sound nice.

What's clear is that all the 'rich' families have earned their wealth, doctors, vets, solicitors and accountants, many of whom admit to having working class backgrounds. The 'poor' house always has a huge TV, games console, laptop etc. Bullshit is poverty the issue for these people, it's bad financial management and having multiple children they can ill afford

Bullshit! The majority I've seen come from middle to upper middle class backgrounds and had huge advantages in their childhoods. But hey, I guess that doesn't fit your agenda

I understand what you mean stylish, but MN doesnt like rich people, those who have worked hard to get to where they are.

Robotic Could be, but there was nothing to stop the poorer family from doing it either.

but MN doesnt like rich people, those who have worked hard to get to where they are.

Oh, that ol' chestnut. It's a laugh. Warren Buffet put it all so well, pointing out that yes, many wealthy people work hard but money breeds money and they had huge advantages in early life and 'I wonder how well they'd have done if they'd been born in Bangladesh to rice farmers, who also work hard?'

thisputsitperfectly

I understand what you mean stylish, but MN doesnt like rich people, those who have worked hard to get to where they are.

I have absolutely no issue with rich people. I have an issue with the concept of the program and the particular type of "rich person" who would think it tasteful to take part in it..

Don't Say what you want but it's true.

I would have like to see if the richer family ever sponsor the poorer family, like paying for an after school activity..

We had a leaflet though our door but I think they must have blanket done our village which does include some multi million pound properties but lots that are much more normal and I assume they were after the former. First reaction was why the hell would anyone apply. One you’d have your financial details made public and second there would be better ways of explosing kids to some of the harsher aspects of life without doing a bit of poverty tourism.

It always really annoys me as the rich family generally manage pretty well but they only have to buy food and entertainment. They never have to budget for clothes or other stuff and doing it for one week is different to a lifetime. Then the poor family get an unrealistic view of how much cash available the rich family has. I.e you can bet the rich family has savings or bills like childcare to pay for and they aren’t randomly spending 2 grand in a week on shite. If sure she’ll bread the disposable income is calculated on money- mortgage and council tax only so that’s not really a fair reflection.

Say what you want but it's true.

Um, no, Neshoma, it's not.

RoboticSealpup

I don't understand; you appear to be saying the poorer family didn't do the 'tip run' because they often have too many sofas in their garden to cope with? Or is it that they are so poor they don't understand it looks crap & reflects on them badly?

I know I am being facetious. The point the PP was trying to make was that the visiting family showed some effort/pride, when the resident family had just left the sofa there.... it reflects badly on them, sorry.

Totally agree with what abucacat said -"Often because of childcare costs and benefits, it is not worth the second parent working minimum wage jobs." Basically, if one partner takes on minimum wage work, they will have to fork out for childcare and lose much more in benefits that they can actually earn back. It's an impossible situation.

Neshoma

I've only seen a few, but on 1 the richer family bought the poorer mum a mobilisty scooter, to better her life. On another, the exiting richer young man bought the children membership to an afterschool club/activity park.

Or was that missing your point?

Boopsy, maybe it's because the "benefits Britain" type are actually decent, clean people with a decent house and moral values AND rich families are never really polished and seem quite down to earth and humble too. I think the good thing about this programme is that it possibly challenges stereotypes about what poor and rich people are like.

Poverty porn is disgusting but rich house, poor house is not poverty porn. It shows both sides in quite a good way.
And yes some of the poor aren't actually that poor but just in the lower 10%.

But to summer and other posters not all areas have jobs paying over minimum wage and in a lot of areas parents are poorer if they both work outside the home. And what's wrong with a minimum wage job, do you not need shop assistants, barrister, cleaners and all the wages just over minimum, do you not want clean roads and empty bins and nursery assistants??

Also why should a mother not stay at home to look after her children, what's the point of getting minimum wage and it all goes out on childcare? Not everyone has a career or even aspires to one.

The last 20 years in particular, has seen the push too far the other way, so that only people with jobs are valued and carers and mothers and sahp are not recognised for the role they play. Only monetary roles and high monetary roles are given any value and that's bullshit, as no way is the banker more valuable than the carer or the nursery assistant.

This programme shows different lifestyles and different viewpoints and I think there should be more programmes like this.

There used to be wife swap and the programme that's sent UK children to experience life abroad (Cbbc) and the difficult children living with a family in another country and seeing the school and family discipline. (BBC3)

Actually they often do nice things. Someone did a climbing frame, someone got rid of a sofa, there was the scooter and one wrote of a lot of debt. But almost always they do something kind, like offer professional financial advice.

There's only one family where the child (who was about 26) couldn't deal with the poorer house, she was awful. All of the others have been lovely! I think it's an interesting programme. I wouldn't mind a week with 2300 spare!