To want to shake the couple on Secret Spenders?

[SophieHMS]

How can people be this dim?
It's not that they spend a bit ... they spend a LOT. They don't know how much they spend. They "treat themselves" non stop. They don't have a any idea how stupidly high their loan interest rate is. They are FUCKWITS.

How do people - perfectly nice, working couple - behave like this?

[quote Juno231]@takehomepay ha a couple the other week even had an amazon prime subscription each, I nearly fell off my chair![/quote]
NO!!!!
I was going to watch this but now I’m not sure - that’s too annoying for me 🤬🤬

@MiddleParking

Ah, I remember my first time watching TV.

🤣🤣🤣

People like this can add and subtract, they are choosing not to. She wants her beauty treatments, gin subscriptions etc. He wants whatever it was he was wasting his money on (not seen the program and no one has mentioned his stupid buys)

Just watching it now. She's ended up with egg on her face, as the vast majority of the overspending was her subscriptions, beauty treatments and mini breaks with the girls while he stayed at home with a takeaway and bought their DD some sweets and a magazine every Thursday.

But it seems she was trying to make up for lack of confidence due to being overweight and probably the pandemic making her feel down.

You sound like me. I rarely ever watch tv so when I do, I go from zero to outrage in seconds (I know it’s ridiculous of me). Such a lot of crap on.

You know you are in a different world when you have set up a 0% card to pay for your bus fares as there is 25% off sale of yearly bus fairs this month. And done want to miss it.

@BarbaraofSeville
“lack of confidence about being overweight”

• no, her overweight was part of the same problem. She seemed incapable of realising that she is overweight because of her ridiculous expenditure on takeaways!

I don't think these people are stupid - I think often they are shopping to fulfill emotional needs, to feel better. People like to treat themselves, it makes them feel better about having to work long hours, or the other things which aren't right in their lives.
For example, a woman unhappy with her weight might spend loads on beauty treatments and face creams, to feel better about herself. Because society isn't always nice to overweight women.
Small amounts of money spent on each treat does add up and unless you are looking, you can't see the 'big' spend which is sicking all the money.

That being said, if you need to save for a house deposit, the normal thing to do is to look at spending and cut down. So if they haven't, it's probably because they don't really want to. I've just watched the Joanna Page & Melanie Sykes programme where the dad has 3 expensive bikes. He has them because he wants them more than he wants to save money.

That would be Shop Well for Less, I don't think he rode those bikes, but it's commonly said amongst cyclists that the desired number of bikes is n+1, where n = the number of bikes you currently have.

But the write up of the latest SWFL seems deliberately written to wind up the OP and contains the gem As their flat has its own social media account, Melanie also talks to the couple about their relationship with social media. She wants them to realise they don’t need to continue spending as much as they do on their flat in order to increase their likes, this being a (rented?) flat when they're on the programme because they can't afford to buy a house, due to 'pricey wardrobes and designer shoe collections, monthly massages and personal grooming routines, as well as a love of interiors'

www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000z370/shop-well-for-less-series-5-3-ross-and-george

[quote Gassylady]@R0tational I hear what you are saying. Background plays a large part I think as very little of this stuff is covered in schools so what we see as kids/teens has a big effect.
Very little money about when I was a kid. Now I have a professional role and household income is in top 10%. But I still struggle to spend on myself in case it all disappears 🤷‍♀️ I dithered for about four months before buying a sewing machine for example in case I didn’t use it enough. I also still have to double check what gross and net mean 🙄🤣[/quote]
Absolutely. I’d be interested to hear from other parents on this, but from my own experience the basics of finance is not taught in schools. Should be as part of PSE in my opinion.

Martin Lewis produced a book for 14-18 year olds about money and gave it free to schools a few years ago. I got hold of one for £10 off Amazon. It’s brilliant, covers all the basics. Wages, savings, tax, etc. And it’s really come into its own now my eldest has left school and is working.

But back to this couple I do not believe for a single second that they reeled off all those subscriptions and then believed they were only costing £60 a month. I’m just pleased they have seen the light and will hopefully keep going with the savings.

I watched 10 minutes of Shop Well for Less and lost the will to live. Both presenters are super annoying. It reminds me of Spendaholics.

@Mercurial123

I watched 10 minutes of Shop Well for Less and lost the will to live. Both presenters are super annoying. It reminds me of Spendaholics.

Aaah spendaholics was the one I was thinking of with Benjamin Fry ‘Life Coach’ I thought it was bank of mum and dad I remember one years ago when the chap was really angry they said the bailiffs could take his Bengal cat, (I would have been too) surely they aren’t able to seize animals ? That one stuck in my mind but ‘life coach’ Benjamin Fry really irritated me

Fuck me - I love shows like this! Gonna stick it on now.

Yes spendaholics - I LOVED that!!!

@SomeoneInTheLaaaaaounge

Me too (apart from ‘Life Coach” 😭) I’ve just seen there are many episodes on YouTube

Hoping Bengal Cat episode is there !

I liked Jay in Spendaholics, she was supportive but could be quite firm. The presenters in SWFL are annoying.

Jay was nice ‘life coach’ was awful just so monotone and bland - almost like he was an automaton

Can’t wait to watch them again on YT though

I've just watched the subscription box episode and I felt very sad for her. All those mini breaks, alcohol deliveries, the ridiculously expensive makeup and beauty treatments and thinking it was her husband overspending. She needs therapy not public shaming.

Completely agree with OP. Fuckwits. Think they just do it to go on tv. I dont know where my money is going... look at your bank statements - job done

@NameAlreadyTaken16

Completely agree with OP. Fuckwits. Think they just do it to go on tv. I dont know where my money is going... look at your bank statements - job done

Agree, all you have to do is sit down with your bank statements and write down your outgoings. I used Spendee to get my budget under control.

I'd never heard of this so downloaded and watched one. It's an eye opener on how others live. Quite fascinating. I think that the presenter is great and saw her in Celebrity SAS this week.

@GrandmasCat

What’s the name of the program?

Secret spenders - on All4

Just tuned in to first episode. Following

@CurlsandCurves oh do you remember the name of the ML book please? Sounds great for my teen DC just started a weekend job.

I feel sad that mum is rolling her eyes and complaining about the kids getting a magazine from the spar when she's spending £400 a month on alcohol subscriptions!!

I haven’t seen the program but I do know these programs are heavily edited for maximum effect: show subject(s) in worst possible light; bring expert in as saviour; subject shown error of ways; subject happy and redeemed.