Oprah – America’s Debt Diet

WLITC

Interesting Oprah in the states on Friday. She’s started a new ‘Debt Diet’ campaign, helping America’s pay down their debt. The show on Friday focused on three families all who had major debt (not including their mortgages) and each was given one of the Debt Diets three experts to work with them. In was quite an interesting show, but just like fat people seem fatter in America, so do their debts and lifestyles. The Bradley’s for example had a house they couldn’t afford, owned 5 cars and spent $100 every DAY on takeout/fast foods. :eek:

Although Oprah is now airing on ITV2, this particular episode probably won’t air until the summer here (were about 5 months behind) but you can follow the campaign, gets advice, read Q&A’s with the experts, follow monthly updates on all the families and much more at Oprah.com. According to the show, they will be following the families over the next several months and next Friday we’ll see what happens when the experts move in (temporarily) and show them how to pay down their debt and forcing them to cut their spending.

Anyway, I thought some people might be interested in this and perhaps help inspire people on their journey to becoming debt free (ooh, that sounded very Oprah! )

If anyone is interested in watching this particular episode. You can find out how to download it from here.

bank_of_slate

5 cars and $100 per day?

Lordy that's insane!
...Linda xx

Kateelizabee

I'm an American expatriate and all I can say is :eek:

WLITC

I know I couldn't believe $100 a day on takeout and she also didn't like to wash any dishes, so they bought disposable plates, cuts, etc. Bonkers! :rolleyes:

Locana

disposable plates! What a waste of money and how lazy is that!!

Locana

Actually, I just looked at the site and the people who are helping them with their debts say that the woman spends 7,000 dollars on her hair a year!! they said she must cut the bill in half! And that they must get rid of 2 of their 5 cars! How bout getting rid of all the cars and spending minimal on her hair! Outrageous! They also say they have to cut in half their 30,000 dollar take away bill. How bout eating at home. It would do Oprahs people well to read this site!!

gallygirl

<LI class=bulletli>Instead of spending $7,000 a year on her hair, Lisa will have to spend half that amount. <LI class=bulletli>The Bradleys spend $30,000 eating out, but on the Debt Diet, they'll have to cut that amount in two. <LI class=bulletli>They spend $5,000 a year on their cell phone bill—that's 1 out of every 4 waking minutes! On the Debt Diet, the Bradleys will have to limit their phone chats and cut that bill in half. <LI class=bulletli>They will also have to give up 2 of their 5 cars. <LI class=bulletli>Jean also says the Bradleys need to start using real dishes and silverware, instead of disposable dinnerware.
• And that piano Lisa leased? It's going back to the showroom!

This is a joke, right? crikey, they really are a different species aren't they!

dmb37

Aww.........maybe they needed five cars????? and Hair grows very fast!! LOL

WLITC

dmb37 wrote:

Aww.........maybe they needed five cars????? and Hair grows very fast!! LOL

No, 3 cars max, one for each of the parents and one for the teenage son. The other kids is like 6 yrs old or something, so I dount she's driving yet . As for the hair, well it was funny, on the show when the expert mentioned about cutting back the hair salon costs, Oprah laughed and said to the woman expert who is helping the family (who was white) that you gotta give her a little slack because us black ladies can't just sort of wash and go and therefore had to have hair treatments (i guess straighhening, etc), so I guess she probably would need hair treatments/appointments more so that someone who could just get away with a cut every 6 weeks.

I do agree with Ali007 tho, its a bit of a joke in terms of the cut backs, but I guess its about a compromise, not forcing a total change on them, so instead of going from takeout for every meal, meeting them half way and have them make half their own meals.

Alfie_E

ali007 wrote:

This is a joke, right? crikey, they really are a different species aren't they!

And we, the UK, look just as profligate to most of the population of Eastern Europe as the Americans appear to us. You just have to accept that there’s a lot of affluence in the USA.

There are plenty of times in UK financial makeovers where certain expenditures are halved, where in practice it would be possible to reduce them to almost nothing. But, if you ask people to change too much, you end up with them not even trying, and no change is made at all.

It all comes down to perspective.

magentadreamer

$7,000 is roughly £4200 on haircuts! :eek: Jeeeeeeeeeeeeeez I thought I spent a bomb at the hairdressers! As for paper plates, that is pure utter laziness. I'm gobsmacked I really am!