Super Scrimpers

quintwins

i watched last weeks today (good old sky+) and had to say i don't think i'd be into wearing boys pants or diluting my fruit juices because it's a good way to squeeze in my fruit to the kids and oh

mmmsnow

I really don't know who Channel 4 are aiming this show at. Anyone who is a little money savvy will feel patronised by most of it (make your own sandwich! Look how easy it is! How cheap! Wow!). I mean, the people who get lunch at Pret everyday aren't going to be watching this show. I mean, if you don't miss the £1000 a year you spend on sandwiches then why not keep buying them? After all, as long as their sandwich habit isn't getting them into debit, there's no reason to guilt them into making their own.

They seem to have chosen the silliest people to feature on the "help a family" segment of the show. This week's couple would probably be best staying where they are until they have some sizeable savings. They seem very immature (and having twins, a great combination) so I think they should take all the parental help they can get. Also, BENEFITS? Why not showcase some ways they can supplement their income by working as well as telling them which benefits they are entitled to? I mean, why not sell the clothes and DVDs on eBay? While it's important they know what they are entitled to, I don't like the passive attitude of the show - Orange Hat Woman never mentions selling stuff or the housewife maybe getting a p/t job when the kids are at school or playgroup.

As mentioned above, the cottage cheese thing was funny. A pint of whole milk is 48p, the lemon juice is 45p (although you do get to use it over and over) and the gas to heat it all will cost money. Suddenly Asda's SP cottage cheese at 58p looks like a bargain!

toasterman

horsechestnut wrote: »

I have disliked the way that they make the older money- savers seem quite eccentric. The young lady, who did the nails yesterday, was what people need, because whilst people want to save money, they don't want to look like their great-grandmother in order to do so.

She's fun. I love that she got Mrs Moneypenny to smear mayonnaise all over her face, THEN told her "oh it might look a bit blotchy afterwards". Brilliant.
And the voiceover guy has even commented on her being so much younger than most of the oaps in the "army".

I also found the painter-and-decorator guy interesting. Nice to see some DIY tips.

The welsh guy, with his home gym...I'm still not decided on. I had no idea gym membership was so expensive though. £800 a year?! Can't believe anyone would pay it.

The lunch thing is interesting. On the one hand I think it's pretty obvious now. However, when I got my first flat after moving out of my parents' house, I was spending a lot of money on lunch food, wasting a lot of lunch breaks in queues in supermarkets and cafes, and tipping money down the drain. I realised my overspend relatively quickly, switched to packed lunches, and I've never gone back.

mmmsnow wrote: »

why not sell the clothes and DVDs on eBay?
The cottage cheese thing was funny. A pint of whole milk is 48p, the lemon juice is 45p (although you do get to use it over and over) and the gas to heat it all will cost money. Suddenly Asda's SP cottage cheese at 58p looks like a bargain!

Yes I'm amazed they haven't told anyone since the musician guy, to consider selling anything.
I couldn't fathom out how the cottage cheese cost her "pence", unless she didn't pay for the milk. And it's a lot of effort, to save a very tiny amount. Cheese isn't one of my bigger outgoings.

JackieO wrote: »

last nights one seemed to be absurd to the point of banality.The young couple seemd not to have a clue as to what they were spending and most of it was definitely junk (magazines and DVDs)

I was surprised to hear that the average household only spends £40 a year on magazines. How on earth do publishers keep going? I'll never understand why people pay good money for gossip articles about celebrities - it's all on the Internet for free, in numerous places (Dailymail, Mirror, TMZ, etc.)
For the money they were spending on dvds/blurays (£80 a month), they could have the top package 3-film-at-a-time unlimited-rentals LoveFilm option for themselves, 4 times over. Ludicrous.

mioliere wrote: »

It really is the most bizarre programme yet I can't bring myself not to watch it - I'll be glad when the series has finished!

Yes. I'm having exactly the same problem.

culpepper

Do you know ,I think it would have been good to have directed that young lady to the library, she enjoys a good read but really doesn't need to pay for it when there are all those books on the shelves that she can borrow for free.

I did like the paint brush tip. Excellent.
The gym blokey was a lucky to have somewhere to put all his machines and weights.

grimsalve

toasterman wrote: »

The welsh guy, with his home gym...I'm still not decided on. I had no idea gym membership was so expensive though. £800 a year?! Can't believe anyone would pay it.

Looked like he'd turned his whole house into a gym - no sign of a wife though (maybe she left when all the gym equipment started turning up!) - so he's saved loads of money on gym fees and spent it all on gym equipment, mad!

They should have mentioned that it's far cheaper to just slob out on the sofa every night instead (that's my SuperScrimper tip of the week)

toasterman wrote: »

The lunch thing is interesting. On the one hand I think it's pretty obvious now. However, when I got my first flat after moving out of my parents' house, I was spending a lot of money on lunch food, wasting a lot of lunch breaks in queues in supermarkets and cafes, and tipping money down the drain. I realised my overspend relatively quickly, switched to packed lunches, and I've never gone back.

I prefer going out for a sandwich anyway, it gets me out of the office and away from the rabble for anything upto an hour - if I made my own sandwiches I'd probably eat them by 10 and then have to work over my lunch hour, and then be cheesed off and starving by the time I went home.

toasterman wrote: »

I couldn't fathom out how the cottage cheese cost her "pence", unless she didn't pay for the milk. And it's a lot of effort, to save a very tiny amount. Cheese isn't one of my bigger outgoings.

and wouldn't it taste of lemons? Must be about 15 years since I've had cottage cheese, is there anything exciting you can do with it? Also, just checked on Asda online (other supermarkets are available)...

Smartprice cottage cheese 300g = 58p
2 pints fresh milk = 89p (I'm guessing you'd need 2 pints to make around 300g of cottage cheese plus lemon juice?)

...unless you have your own cows in your back garden?

...and a lemon tree?

toasterman wrote: »

I was surprised to hear that the average household only spends £40 a year on magazines. How on earth do publishers keep going? I'll never understand why people pay good money for gossip articles about celebrities - it's all on the Internet for free, in numerous places (Dailymail, Mirror, TMZ, etc.)
For the money they were spending on dvds/blurays (£80 a month), they could have the top package 3-film-at-a-time unlimited-rentals LoveFilm option for themselves, 4 times over. Ludicrous.

The overspending family section of the programme seems a bit patronising, condescending, and patently obvious - "you spend X pounds a week on Y, if you didn't buy Y then you'd save X pounds a week... that's a saving of X*52 a year" - Duh!

spandles

Re the sandwiches, they looked really unappetising. Cheap white bread and plastic cheese.

We (me, DH & DDs) have made pack-ups for the last 6 years, ever since the kids started school (when school kitchens were long gone). Yes, it can be a pain in the @r$e but it's not difficult to get some decent bread, and exciting/healthy filling and a bit of green salad to make you want to eat it. I could make my pack-ups for pence by using supermarket basics but the kids won't eat them.

Thanks to Jamie Oliver (other celebrity chefs are available!) we now have hot dinners at school - for £1.80 per day:eek:. The kids now choose one hot meal a week as a treat.

Aril

I see from the Channel 4 programme info the young lady superscrimper has her own blog for those who are interested [gem fatale]
Aril

Spring_Time

Sorry, I could not see another thread, I just thought others may like to know that super scrimpers is on C4 now :money:

Penelope_Penguin

I'll add this to the existing thread I watched the first episode and wasn't impressed, TBH

Kantankrus_Mare

Loved the woman this week who writes small so she doesnt use much ink :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

In fact she makes me laugh every week............was it last week when she was snuggling up in bed in all her clothes to keep warm?

Liking the blokey tips as well...............my OH would do well to use the tip about lining the paint roller tin with foil.......everytime he paints he seems to need to have to go out and get a new one