Spendaholics - BBC3 now.

lilmisskitkat

I was watching this last night, couldn't believe it! I'm 21 and i have been having major panic about the £800 i owe lol. How on earth has she got into that much debt?

£52,000!!!!!!!!!!!!! and £10,000 of that was interest and bank charges!

Made me feel a whole lot better about my debts anyway and what makes me feel even better is knowing that by the end of the year i'll have cleared them!

Kate xxx

Bargain_Rzl

scootw1 wrote:

I think the problem is not the charges but the amount of the charges. yes, you should pay a penalty but not the amounts they impose

Exactly. The reason bank charges at £25-£30 a time are deemed illegal is that they are punitive charges which are making the bank a big profit. £12 seems to be the going rate after recent changes - I assume these can't be claimed back.

However, illegal or not, the charges are laid out in the terms and conditions of the accounts she signed up to. It's not as if she fell on hard times and suddenly found charges spiralling out of control, or was making a genuine attempt to clear her debt but finding that the value of the charges was exceeding her monthly payments. She seemed to think it was a big joke when she spoke about bouncing cheques for takeaways. Banks aren't charities and have to make their money somehow, and in the case of this girl, she deserved every £12 if not every £25-£30 she was charged - if you see what I'm trying to say!

Mc4ndy wrote:

Her bank were writing to her constantly, and trying to phone her (she cancelled the call when Halifax tried to phone her). She ignored all the letters they sent. She was spending more than she earned. She was bouncing cheques on her account still with complete ignorance to charges and interest.
To then turn around and say I want all this money back? Some of it maybe, but not every last penny.

jm28cardiff

Her boyfriend reminded me of Eugene from a previous series of Big Brother

I could say that there was no point her spending lots and lots on make up and clothes, being a larger lass and all, but I won't cos that would be terribly rude and insensitive!

steve700

Originally Posted by Mc4ndy
The food thing was funny too. Instead of ordering pizzas from the takeway she went out and bought the cheapest stuff she could find and aldi or wherever and then complained it tasted bad. Her budget for £15.60 for a week was for non-essential items anyway so why did she go to aldi and spent £5 on food out of this budget. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with Aldi, I mean it's just extremes for the sake if it. She could have gone to any supermarket and bought perfectly good tasting food and made a nice meal for not much cash. Instead it's a meal of instant rice and nothing else, just so she could throw it in the bin.

Her attempt at a ham sandwich was poor too. It is possible to make ham sandwiches that look nicer than hers did. At the end of the day it's just a show, and the format is there to get viewers, it's not really a serious look into someones lifestyle and spending habits.

scootw1 wrote:

Well, I would say she cooked the rice wrong as it looked murky. I very often have a packet of rice with some bread and butter and it is a very filling meal and tasty. I think she had been used to takeaways so it just needed adjustment.

I would have thought the point of the show was to examine spending habits and lifestyle in order to help the person in trouble and others to change.

I thought that this had turned in to a cookery thread for a moment.......:p

Mc4ndy

steve700 wrote:

I thought that this had turned in to a cookery thread for a moment.......:p

I think she should do a cookery show too. One where they show you that you don't need to eat re-formed ham and boiled rice for a staple diet if you are on a budget.

jm28cardiff wrote:

I could say that there was no point her spending lots and lots on make up and clothes, being a larger lass and all, but I won't cos that would be terribly rude and insensitive!

'Fit Club' too, then Trinny and Susanna?

By that time she'll probably be a celeb anyway, made a few million been on big brother and paid off her measely 52k debt with small change.

BettiePage

As I said, I've not watched it before, do they all turn out like this one?

scootw1

I've never seen them do a follow-up on anyone. May be an idea to pitch to the BBC, perhaps through their website?

kathfisch

scootw1 wrote:

I've never seen them do a follow-up on anyone. May be an idea to pitch to the BBC, perhaps through their website?

As someone said, there was a 'Spendaholics Changed My Life' show that followed up on some of the people featured. Will be interesting to see if they do the same with this series!

clarab_3

Repeat on now folks.

21 and on her 4th brand new car... and she doesnt drive!

loftygirl

I saw it on Tuesday. Shouted at the TV for almost the whole hour. I really can't imagine that she has learned anything from the experience, she was still buying shoes well into the new budget. "They are only £14 (each)". Despite the fact she had over 30 pairs already.

So, she sells her house and wipes her debt, I think she will now go and get the dream wedding she desired and rack up the debt again.