Hey big spenders
SORRY to break it to you, but we are completely out of control. Britons can’t stop spending money on stuff. Lots and lots of stuff that we don’t need.
This is why business journalist Steph McGovern and presenter Alex Jones, tell us we need them.
Steph knows how we can save cash, while Alex is a shopper – she UNDERSTANDS.
In this penny-pinching series, they challenge families to try money-saving alternatives, while also running little experiments to compare brands.
The first big spenders to get a slapped wrist are the Rodger family from Glasgow.
Colin and Karen have three sets of twins – Kyle and Lewis, 17, Finn and Jude, 15, and Rowan and Ayla, three. This supersized family are desperate for their first ever holiday abroad, but they will need to get their spending in check first.
Karen has a serious shoe addiction, owning more than 200 pairs that she is horrified to discover cost £12,000. Her daughters have an entire wardrobe of expensive fancy dress costumes.
“How can you say no to a three-year-old who wants a princess dress?” bleats Alex.
From personal experience, I can tell you I’ve done this and it’s not pretty.
Meanwhile, an industrialsized washing machine does five loads a day, with branded detergents costing £2,500 a year.
They have spent £10,000 on dozens of electronic items like TVs, iPads, laptops and X Boxes.
That’s not to mention £3,000 on iPhone contracts and a whopping gas bill.
Alex and Steph switch their products, tape off the shoe cupboard, and leave them to it.
Would I want the interminably cheerful duo busting into my house and throwing out my Fairy washing detergent and binning my Nike trainers? Not on your life.
But the juicy carrot is the holiday... and they are determined to get it.