Spendaholics programme

Bargain_Rzl

lipidicman wrote:

I agree. I dropped down to 4.5k a year while I finished my PhD - that is hard to live on. But I cut everything to the bone and managed. I guess it is easier when it is only for a while, for me it lasted only 2-3 years.

I lived on £3k the first year of my degree, £4k the second year (due to job), and £3.5k in third year (due to remains of proceeds from job in second year). The 3k a year came from my dad, and I also took out student loans (now paid off) but did not use these for living expenses, only for important one-offs mainly AFTER uni (like my computer, an accommodation deposit when I moved to London, and money to tide me over for the 2 months after graduation before I started earning). I therefore consider that I didn't rack up any student debt.

I used to find it difficult to understand how I was the ONLY person I knew who never got overdrawn, or asked their parents for additional money. My younger sister, I think, asked for extra and got it, which makes me feel a bit hard-done-by for managing my money more responsibly! But also, since living a very contented life on £3k a year, I have found it difficult to grasp how people who get more than this in benefit find it so hard to manage. (Especially when they can get a council flat with rent paid, and people who work for a living and pay taxes cannot get the equivalent size of accommodation at an affordable rent - but that's a whole different rant).

I had a friend at uni, who was later my flatmate for a while, who served for a year as a students' union officer after graduating. The wage for this was something like £6k. It seemed like untold riches at the time - I remember thinking how well I could have lived on it.

I'm now earning six times what I lived on as a student, and I wouldn't want to go back to living on virtually nothing. But I know that I could.

MSE_Martin

Galitz, love your idea - unfortunately ITV turned it down two years ago when i presented it.

As for the BBC1 programme let's just say I filmed the pilot, kicked up a fuss about 'thrift not being the start point' put lots of MoneySaving in and was told on commission great programme but you don't fit the audience demographic!

Martin

badgermonkey

I watch all these programmes - I like Spendaholics on BBC3 as they try to get to the root of the problem by looking at the reasons why they overspend. Smart Spenders on BBC1 is atrocious, I feel. I hate the presenter, who is stupidly gimmicky, and all the 'money saving' is superficial, like trying to paint over crumbling plaster. I feel like saying, of course they can shop on £40 this week with a full freezer, but if you never learn to cook from scratch you'll be in the same place in two months. And in both cases they cut down the budget but don't even address how they are going to pay bak the debt, and don't even acknowledge that for most of these people it's going to take years, and just bringing a calculator to Asda isn't really enough.

MSE_Martin

Hmmm you could all write to the BBC and tell them that you don't like it

Ticklemouse

Martin, maybe it's time to go back to ITV (or whom-ever) and knock on their doors again. After all, we're all jumping on the band wagon/been on it a while and I know for certain that a lot of my friends would like to, but just haven't got there yet. I've even had friends say there should be a prog on about all this Ol' Style I go on about - they'd love to watch it.
Hmmm - I do have a friend at the BBC

Iona_Penny

OK Martin your on. Smart Spenders is an affront as they are not at the start and leave me mostly unconvinced they will be after that dreadful woman leaves.

What the new format should be is you moving in with a family for a year - Yeah well ok not literally with your jim jams - and seeing the process unfurl that addresses all their spends utilities, credit cards, groceries ( I think you should get them to visit my veg man on the market for example ) and even what to do with their savings they will have by the end of the year!

Teach the nation - God knows it will be more worthwhile than watching boring people locked up in house for 10 weeks which is what summer viewing seems to be. Off to pen my letter to the BBC....

MSE_Martin

Well all cross your fingers. My ITV series (daytime) is now in 'audience testing' with the pilot prog - if the test audience like it it may just go on air.

The format is simple.

1 day to save people as much as possible

Step 1: Pain-free. Cutting all the bills without cutting back
Step 2: Pain-ful. If needed, showing peope how to restrain their spending

tru

Excellent :j


If all else fails, start your own cable channel

Lucie_2

MSE_Martin wrote:

Well all cross your fingers. My ITV series (daytime) is now in 'audience testing' with the pilot prog - if the test audience like it it may just go on air.

Fingers crossed for lots of MSE-ers in the audience!

Queenie

MSE_Martin wrote:

..... - if the test audience like it it may just go on air.

Well? Were's our complimentary tickets to be part of the Audience Test? ... not that we'd be biased, of course!

Fingers X'd for you!