It had three parts. The first concerned the main presenter, "Mrs Moneypenny", an FT columnist and former investment banker. She introduced us to the Spendthrift Family who, on an income of £103,000 per annum managed to overspend by £2,000 per month and had in consequence a lot of CC debt. I assume that we are going to see such a family on every episode, but maybe not so wealthy as Mr. and Mrs. Spendthrift, who must be in the top income decile. The trouble was, despite Mrs. M's mantra that a household should be treated like a business, we were not shown the profit and loss account, nor the balance sheet. The recommendations were as follows: fewer takeaways, a smaller car and not to buy clothes that are never worn. Difficult and subtle stuff, obviously. No wonder then that we were not allowed to see the real causes of their overspending in case our brains fried with the complexity of it all. My guess would be school fees.
Interspersed with this uninformative apercu into the Spendthrifts were the Frugalites. These were a three or perhaps four (I wasn't up to counting much)
Finally, the ubiquitous Merryn Somerset Webb popped up on the streets of London with lots of splendid piggy banks to give away. She had been looking at discarded cash point slips and concluded that rather a lot of people didn't have much money. Now, I must confess to looking at these myself and ruminating on the people who have to withdraw the last £10 in their account. What I don't understand, though, is why they ask for slips and then leave them behind. Anyway, Ms. Webb challenged people over their saving habits and, if they sounded poor enough and were willing to put some money in, they were given a piggy bank. I'm not sure if I would have been quick thinking enough to get one had I been stopped.
I've got fond memories of Alvin Hall's program, whereas it sound like I didn't miss much on this one. Mind you, £2000 worth of takeaways must be something to behold ;)
ReplyDeleteNettles are okay, the trick is to pick the young shoots. Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall did a TV show where he was on a canal boat in London going for a wild food tour, including nettles. Wild food has its hits and misses - if anybody offers you Alexanders, which often grow by the roadside and were introduced by the Romans, tackle with care - the smell when cooking is very pungent, though the taste is acceptable
Fair comment on the frugalites people, all of them were huge including Mrs Moneypenny. Strikes me that none of them were really struggling to find money as they obviously appeared to have enough for pies, burgers, etc.
ReplyDeleteThe backyard full of takeaway packets was brilliant though.
I too miss Alvin. He was just the right side of patronising.
Interesting. I found the format exactly the same as You Are What You Eat and Economy Gastronomy. I agree re the fat tummies! I thought that too. It struck me also that, while some of it was useful and I'm sure the presenters were doing their best, it was posh middle-class women telling people how to save money - a reason I also found the Kirsty & Phil's Christmas programme so nauseating that I had to turn it off, despite being a fan of Location, Location. Why can't we have real, ordinary people on a show like this for a change who know what they're talking about? People, as you say, who have been in debt themselves and know what living on the breadline is actually like.
ReplyDelete@ermine. I've nothing against wild food, just people who pretend they have to cook it.
ReplyDelete@Team Dave. Yes the kitchen/driveway stuffed with inessentials will obviously be the programme's USP.
@Anonymous. Forgot to mention the lovely wartime snippets when the middle classes really could tell the lower orders what to do.
Sorry feel i have to comment, nettle lady the stay at home over eater as you are implying runs a horse and livestock sanctuary in wales single handedly founded by herself and donations only, obviously any money spare goes towards the thousands of animals she has helped, saved, rehabilitated and rehomed over the years (try googling someone before asumming) . In reguards to weight obviously its no bodys business and what a small minded world we live in to be attacked still for the way we look but did you concider medical reasons? All done now
ReplyDelete@Anonymous. Fair comment on the nettle lady, insofar as she is funding her activities, but it reinforces my point that the programme withheld useful information.
ReplyDeleteMedical reasons for weight gain, in the sense of an organic disorder like PWS, are extremely rare and did not seem indicated. I don't think I attacked her, just pointed out a fact in the context of a programme about saving money.