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'When it comes to shopping, us Brits can blow a fortune...' | 0:00:02 | 0:00:06 | |
That's what I want, a single solitaire. | 0:00:06 | 0:00:08 | |
'..but how can we control our spending?' | 0:00:08 | 0:00:10 | |
-30,000 or something like that. -Oh... | 0:00:10 | 0:00:13 | |
'I'm business journalist Steph McGovern.' | 0:00:13 | 0:00:16 | |
-7,000. -What? -What? | 0:00:16 | 0:00:18 | |
'I want to help make our money go further.' | 0:00:18 | 0:00:20 | |
We are bringing down your spending. | 0:00:20 | 0:00:22 | |
'And I'm Alex Jones.' | 0:00:22 | 0:00:24 | |
Sale! | 0:00:24 | 0:00:25 | |
I know only too well the traps consumers fall into. | 0:00:25 | 0:00:29 | |
How many times have you used that, then? | 0:00:29 | 0:00:30 | |
I haven't. | 0:00:30 | 0:00:32 | |
'We're challenging families...' | 0:00:32 | 0:00:34 | |
No! | 0:00:34 | 0:00:35 | |
No. | 0:00:35 | 0:00:36 | |
'..to try money-saving alternatives.' | 0:00:36 | 0:00:38 | |
No! | 0:00:38 | 0:00:40 | |
'So we can all learn how to Shop Well For Less.' | 0:00:40 | 0:00:43 | |
Oooh. | 0:00:43 | 0:00:44 | |
We're talking hard cash. | 0:00:44 | 0:00:45 | |
-Really? -That is amazing. | 0:00:45 | 0:00:47 | |
Our job here is done. | 0:00:47 | 0:00:49 | |
ALL: Aw... | 0:00:49 | 0:00:51 | |
STEPH LAUGHS | 0:00:51 | 0:00:53 | |
'This week, a family whose reduced income...' | 0:00:53 | 0:00:56 | |
How big is the impact, financially? | 0:00:56 | 0:00:58 | |
'..hasn't reduced their spending.' | 0:00:58 | 0:01:00 | |
-It is so pretty. -Do you get out in it very often? | 0:01:00 | 0:01:02 | |
-Not really. -'Can we get them buying budget...' | 0:01:02 | 0:01:05 | |
Who is it? I mean, what is it? Who is it? | 0:01:05 | 0:01:07 | |
'..and back in the black?' | 0:01:07 | 0:01:08 | |
-Do I really have to do this? -Yes, you really have to do this. | 0:01:08 | 0:01:11 | |
Get in! | 0:01:11 | 0:01:12 | |
No, you have to stay close. Don't go too far ahead. | 0:01:17 | 0:01:19 | |
We're on the banks of the Thames, | 0:01:19 | 0:01:21 | |
with a Surrey family who want to learn to live within their means. | 0:01:21 | 0:01:24 | |
Could we have a crepe with Nutella, please? | 0:01:24 | 0:01:27 | |
Meet John and Flo. | 0:01:27 | 0:01:29 | |
He's a very practical, hands-on daddy. | 0:01:29 | 0:01:32 | |
-Is that nice? -Flo is the best wife in the world. | 0:01:32 | 0:01:35 | |
Good girl. | 0:01:35 | 0:01:36 | |
-Loving mother to our three wonderful children. -I am indeed. | 0:01:36 | 0:01:40 | |
High five! | 0:01:40 | 0:01:41 | |
Jacob is our eldest - he's six. | 0:01:41 | 0:01:43 | |
Tia is our middle child - she is five. | 0:01:43 | 0:01:47 | |
Ava is our youngest - she is four. | 0:01:47 | 0:01:51 | |
The kids keep us on our toes. It's good. | 0:01:51 | 0:01:54 | |
A year ago, part-time teacher Flo decided to take some time out | 0:01:54 | 0:01:58 | |
to look after the children... | 0:01:58 | 0:01:59 | |
-Wow. What's that? -Scorpion. | 0:01:59 | 0:02:02 | |
No, it's a crab. | 0:02:02 | 0:02:03 | |
..but less income hasn't meant a change in lifestyle. | 0:02:03 | 0:02:06 | |
And I am quite a social bee. | 0:02:06 | 0:02:08 | |
I really like going out, I do. | 0:02:08 | 0:02:10 | |
You do just spend when...when you want. | 0:02:10 | 0:02:13 | |
It's just life. Life is expensive. | 0:02:13 | 0:02:14 | |
Living where we live is expensive. | 0:02:14 | 0:02:16 | |
Having three children is expensive. | 0:02:16 | 0:02:18 | |
Basically everything they see, they ask for it. | 0:02:20 | 0:02:23 | |
"Mummy, can I have that? Mummy, I have that?" | 0:02:23 | 0:02:25 | |
Mummy and Daddy buy us a new toy about once a week. | 0:02:25 | 0:02:29 | |
I have been expecting you. | 0:02:29 | 0:02:32 | |
To cover her spend, Flo relies on the plastic. | 0:02:33 | 0:02:35 | |
A credit card is there for you to use, and you rack up a bill. | 0:02:35 | 0:02:40 | |
She spends a lot of money on clothes. | 0:02:40 | 0:02:42 | |
I think I'm of the generation where if you want something, you get it, | 0:02:42 | 0:02:45 | |
and if you've got the money to pay for it, great - | 0:02:45 | 0:02:47 | |
if you haven't, put it on credit. | 0:02:47 | 0:02:49 | |
Look. It's so pretty. | 0:02:49 | 0:02:50 | |
This includes a high-street storecard | 0:02:50 | 0:02:53 | |
she's also using regularly. | 0:02:53 | 0:02:55 | |
You can order at home up until midnight, I think, | 0:02:55 | 0:02:58 | |
and it comes the next day. | 0:02:58 | 0:02:59 | |
We can get your Next account locked. | 0:02:59 | 0:03:02 | |
Well, no, we won't. | 0:03:02 | 0:03:04 | |
But Flo's not the only big spender in this house - | 0:03:04 | 0:03:07 | |
broadcast engineer John has some rather expensive hobbies. | 0:03:07 | 0:03:12 | |
It's a Nissan 350Z, three-and-a-half litre V6, rather fast. | 0:03:12 | 0:03:17 | |
The main garage is so full of petrolhead John's stuff, | 0:03:17 | 0:03:20 | |
he can't fit a car into it. | 0:03:20 | 0:03:22 | |
Why have you got five steering wheels? | 0:03:22 | 0:03:24 | |
They're off of old cars that I've had. | 0:03:24 | 0:03:27 | |
This is your thing, and lots of husbands are down the pub. | 0:03:27 | 0:03:30 | |
I know you're not having an affair - | 0:03:30 | 0:03:32 | |
-you're just playing with your tools. -Yes. | 0:03:32 | 0:03:34 | |
I don't begrudge you your hobby. | 0:03:34 | 0:03:37 | |
Thank you. | 0:03:37 | 0:03:38 | |
But John's hoarding is also costing. | 0:03:38 | 0:03:40 | |
Can you get down to the back? | 0:03:40 | 0:03:42 | |
There's definitely things in here that I know I have, | 0:03:42 | 0:03:45 | |
but I can't find, | 0:03:45 | 0:03:47 | |
so I end up purchasing more of them. | 0:03:47 | 0:03:49 | |
You are a little bit of a shopaholic. | 0:03:49 | 0:03:51 | |
It's time for John and Flo to take control | 0:03:52 | 0:03:56 | |
and get their finances back on track. | 0:03:56 | 0:03:59 | |
Everything we bring in gets spent each month, doesn't it? | 0:03:59 | 0:04:03 | |
-Every penny. -And more. | 0:04:03 | 0:04:05 | |
And more, yeah. | 0:04:05 | 0:04:06 | |
'We've got to shock the Bances into action if they're to get back in | 0:04:09 | 0:04:12 | |
'the black, so we're raiding their home | 0:04:12 | 0:04:14 | |
to fill our pop-up shop with their possessions | 0:04:14 | 0:04:16 | |
'and show them how much they've spent.' | 0:04:16 | 0:04:20 | |
It's very tidy, isn't it? | 0:04:20 | 0:04:22 | |
Someone likes their catalogue shopping. | 0:04:22 | 0:04:24 | |
Oh, yeah, we've got the classic folded pages. | 0:04:24 | 0:04:26 | |
There's been quite a bit of shopping going on here, like. | 0:04:26 | 0:04:29 | |
Two laptops. | 0:04:29 | 0:04:31 | |
-Oh, my goodness. -Three laptops, four, five, six devices... | 0:04:31 | 0:04:36 | |
-Seven. -They're everywhere. | 0:04:36 | 0:04:38 | |
You could do a lovely display. | 0:04:38 | 0:04:40 | |
So there are five of them in this family? | 0:04:40 | 0:04:42 | |
Five, but the children are obviously really small. | 0:04:42 | 0:04:45 | |
Yeah, they're all under six. | 0:04:45 | 0:04:46 | |
That sofa now, with those on, is probably worth about five grand. | 0:04:46 | 0:04:50 | |
There's clearly a tech and catalogue obsession. | 0:04:50 | 0:04:55 | |
'Next, it's the children's bedroom.' | 0:04:55 | 0:04:57 | |
Oh, bunk beds! | 0:04:57 | 0:05:00 | |
Aw, look at all the toys in here. | 0:05:00 | 0:05:02 | |
It's hard for parents though, isn't it? | 0:05:02 | 0:05:04 | |
Because they're under so much pressure to buy the latest toys, | 0:05:04 | 0:05:07 | |
the latest games, and, I mean, all the books. | 0:05:07 | 0:05:09 | |
And they're expensive, aren't they? | 0:05:09 | 0:05:11 | |
-Ah, the master bedroom. -Mm-hmm. | 0:05:11 | 0:05:14 | |
-Look at all this. -We knew it. | 0:05:14 | 0:05:16 | |
We saw the catalogues - | 0:05:16 | 0:05:18 | |
-now here's the evidence of the purchases. -I know. | 0:05:18 | 0:05:20 | |
Oh, look. | 0:05:20 | 0:05:22 | |
-Oh, that's nice. -Oh, yeah, that is nice. | 0:05:22 | 0:05:24 | |
Oh, boots, that's a fair whack of money there. | 0:05:24 | 0:05:27 | |
That's out of that one bag. | 0:05:27 | 0:05:29 | |
-Uh-oh. -She hasn't even tried these on. | 0:05:29 | 0:05:31 | |
I wonder how long they've been sitting there. | 0:05:31 | 0:05:33 | |
-Ooh. -What's that? | 0:05:33 | 0:05:35 | |
That is a Next bill. | 0:05:35 | 0:05:37 | |
Ow. Is she paying the minimum payments, as well? | 0:05:37 | 0:05:40 | |
Yeah, yeah, that isn't good, actually. | 0:05:40 | 0:05:42 | |
Shall we put those all back in now? | 0:05:42 | 0:05:43 | |
-Nah. -Because they don't know we're here. | 0:05:43 | 0:05:45 | |
-See you. -Aw, see... | 0:05:45 | 0:05:47 | |
Every time, isn't it? | 0:05:48 | 0:05:49 | |
Hurry up! | 0:05:49 | 0:05:50 | |
'But we're not just interested in what's inside the house.' | 0:05:53 | 0:05:57 | |
Classic garage door. | 0:05:57 | 0:05:59 | |
STEPH LAUGHS | 0:05:59 | 0:06:01 | |
That is a lot of stuff, isn't it? | 0:06:01 | 0:06:03 | |
I can see about ten bikes, at least. | 0:06:03 | 0:06:05 | |
Is that a motorbike, as well? | 0:06:05 | 0:06:07 | |
-What are these? -That's what I mean. | 0:06:07 | 0:06:09 | |
Do you think they've got a bit of a thing about old bits of cars? | 0:06:09 | 0:06:12 | |
What's he doing with all of these? | 0:06:12 | 0:06:14 | |
And all the helmets - I mean, this is a man with hobbies. | 0:06:14 | 0:06:17 | |
Tools worth a fortune, bikes worth a fortune, | 0:06:17 | 0:06:19 | |
car parts worth a fortune... | 0:06:19 | 0:06:21 | |
This man is a shopaholic. | 0:06:21 | 0:06:23 | |
Come on, we'll take it all to the pop-up shop. | 0:06:23 | 0:06:25 | |
I'll let you do this, because I did the clothes upstairs. | 0:06:25 | 0:06:28 | |
You'll be all right, won't you? You'll be fine. | 0:06:28 | 0:06:30 | |
How many screwdrivers do you actually need, though, | 0:06:30 | 0:06:33 | |
do you reckon? Hang on! | 0:06:33 | 0:06:34 | |
Oh, hang on. Wait! | 0:06:34 | 0:06:37 | |
Al! | 0:06:37 | 0:06:38 | |
The Bances' finances have recently been under extra strain, | 0:06:38 | 0:06:42 | |
following Flo's decision to take a year out to care for | 0:06:42 | 0:06:45 | |
their daughter Ava. | 0:06:45 | 0:06:47 | |
Ava has Down's syndrome. | 0:06:47 | 0:06:48 | |
When she was born, it was a big shock. | 0:06:48 | 0:06:51 | |
Now it's the best thing - she's lovely. | 0:06:51 | 0:06:53 | |
# The wheels on the bus go round and round | 0:06:53 | 0:06:55 | |
# Round and round... # | 0:06:55 | 0:06:56 | |
She likes babies, and dollies, and picnics and that sort of stuff. | 0:06:56 | 0:07:00 | |
Definitely more of a girlie girl. | 0:07:00 | 0:07:02 | |
But, despite her reduced income, | 0:07:02 | 0:07:04 | |
neither Flo or John have altered their spending habits. | 0:07:04 | 0:07:07 | |
I, sort of, feel that life costs what it costs. | 0:07:07 | 0:07:10 | |
Some things you just have to buy - | 0:07:10 | 0:07:13 | |
that's just the sort of world that we live in. | 0:07:13 | 0:07:16 | |
And I don't like to deny myself. | 0:07:16 | 0:07:18 | |
If friends are going out for dinner, I'll go out for dinner - | 0:07:18 | 0:07:21 | |
even if I know I'm going over my overdraft, I will. | 0:07:21 | 0:07:24 | |
'And it's this attitude we need to change, | 0:07:24 | 0:07:27 | |
'so we are building a shop with their belongings to show them | 0:07:27 | 0:07:30 | |
'exactly where their cash has been going.' | 0:07:30 | 0:07:32 | |
'Time to surprise our unsuspecting shopaholics.' | 0:07:34 | 0:07:37 | |
Hello, world. | 0:07:37 | 0:07:38 | |
Do you want us to take that for you? | 0:07:38 | 0:07:41 | |
Hi! | 0:07:41 | 0:07:42 | |
-Hello! -Hello, sir. -Hello. | 0:07:42 | 0:07:45 | |
-Lovely to meet you, John. Hiya. -How are you? | 0:07:45 | 0:07:47 | |
Are you surprised to see us? | 0:07:47 | 0:07:48 | |
-Very surprised, yeah, yeah. -Yes. | 0:07:48 | 0:07:50 | |
We're going help you save some cash. | 0:07:50 | 0:07:51 | |
-Fantastic. -Fantastic. -He's going to like that! | 0:07:51 | 0:07:54 | |
Well, we've got something to show you that's just up the road, | 0:07:54 | 0:07:56 | |
-so, ready? -Yeah, yeah. -Fantastic, yeah, let's do it. | 0:07:56 | 0:07:58 | |
-Excellent. Wow. -Let's do it. | 0:07:58 | 0:08:00 | |
So, we've got a shop here we'd like you to go in... OK. | 0:08:03 | 0:08:05 | |
..and see whether it's the type of shop you'd buy things in. | 0:08:05 | 0:08:08 | |
-Do you want to go in? -OK. -We'll let you go in first. | 0:08:08 | 0:08:10 | |
Oh, fantastic! | 0:08:10 | 0:08:12 | |
Wow. | 0:08:15 | 0:08:16 | |
All our stuff. It's brilliant, yeah. | 0:08:16 | 0:08:19 | |
-Well, it's not actually all your stuff... -No, no. | 0:08:19 | 0:08:21 | |
..because we couldn't find a shop big enough. | 0:08:21 | 0:08:23 | |
Yeah, lots of tools, but a man needs lots of tools, apparently. | 0:08:23 | 0:08:25 | |
-He does, yes. -Lots of books, but that's good. | 0:08:25 | 0:08:27 | |
Books are good. You can never say no to books. | 0:08:27 | 0:08:31 | |
I don't think there's too many toys. | 0:08:31 | 0:08:32 | |
Not for three children. | 0:08:32 | 0:08:33 | |
-Three children, so, yeah... -Yeah, no... | 0:08:33 | 0:08:35 | |
They do play with all of their stuff. | 0:08:35 | 0:08:37 | |
I don't know if you play with all of your stuff. | 0:08:37 | 0:08:40 | |
Some of those dresses do still have tags on. | 0:08:40 | 0:08:42 | |
-Oh, yes. -But, any day now, I'm going to lose weight and fit into them. | 0:08:42 | 0:08:45 | |
'Flo and John seem very relaxed about | 0:08:45 | 0:08:48 | |
'the amount of stuff they have. | 0:08:48 | 0:08:49 | |
'Will they feel the same once they know how much they're spending?' | 0:08:49 | 0:08:53 | |
Now, one of the first things we noticed when we went into your house | 0:08:53 | 0:08:56 | |
-were the catalogues. -Yes. | 0:08:56 | 0:08:59 | |
-It's my little guilty pleasure, yeah. -Yeah. | 0:08:59 | 0:09:01 | |
So, there's a fair whack of money on your storecards. | 0:09:01 | 0:09:03 | |
-Yeah. -And what you like at paying that card off? | 0:09:03 | 0:09:06 | |
I'm very bad. I pay a little bit off, so, sort of, £100 each month, | 0:09:06 | 0:09:11 | |
but then I spend another 100, | 0:09:11 | 0:09:12 | |
so it tends to hover in the £800 zone. | 0:09:12 | 0:09:16 | |
'But it's not just the storecard that's mounting up.' | 0:09:16 | 0:09:19 | |
Do you know how much is on your credit card? | 0:09:19 | 0:09:22 | |
Erm... I think it's in the 5,000 range. | 0:09:22 | 0:09:26 | |
If you look at the interest that you're paying on your storecards, | 0:09:26 | 0:09:29 | |
and your credit cards, and your overdraft fees, | 0:09:29 | 0:09:31 | |
then it's actually costing you £1,400 a year. | 0:09:31 | 0:09:35 | |
-That's terrible. -Does that surprise you, that figure? | 0:09:35 | 0:09:38 | |
Yeah. No, that is a total waste. | 0:09:38 | 0:09:40 | |
'By only paying the minimum balance each month, | 0:09:40 | 0:09:42 | |
'the accumulating interest means the items they buy | 0:09:42 | 0:09:45 | |
'are much more expensive.' | 0:09:45 | 0:09:47 | |
We worked out that, over the last 12 months, | 0:09:47 | 0:09:49 | |
for every pound you're spending, you're actually spending two. | 0:09:49 | 0:09:53 | |
OK, I didn't think it was that much. | 0:09:53 | 0:09:54 | |
-Yeah. -No. -Yeah. | 0:09:54 | 0:09:55 | |
So, those shoes that you paid 35 quid for, | 0:09:55 | 0:09:58 | |
-those lovely boots that you've bought in two colours... -Yes. | 0:09:58 | 0:10:00 | |
..at £35 a pair, they're actually 70 quid a pair... | 0:10:00 | 0:10:03 | |
-Right, OK. -..in the way that you're spending, | 0:10:03 | 0:10:05 | |
so you spent 140 quid on them. | 0:10:05 | 0:10:07 | |
Right. I imagined it wouldn't be that big of a percent, no. | 0:10:07 | 0:10:11 | |
You know, obviously you have to pay for credit, it's not free, | 0:10:11 | 0:10:13 | |
but I thought it was a reasonable way of shopping, | 0:10:13 | 0:10:16 | |
and everybody, sort of, shops on credit. | 0:10:16 | 0:10:18 | |
Yeah. | 0:10:18 | 0:10:19 | |
'John's not blameless, either - | 0:10:19 | 0:10:21 | |
'I mean, who needs nine big-brand laptops and tablets?' | 0:10:21 | 0:10:25 | |
When a new version comes out, | 0:10:25 | 0:10:26 | |
he gets the new version, | 0:10:26 | 0:10:27 | |
and the older version gets filtered down to me, | 0:10:27 | 0:10:31 | |
then to the children in a sort of pecking order. | 0:10:31 | 0:10:33 | |
Oh, we'll have to go and hang outside their house | 0:10:33 | 0:10:35 | |
-on one of those days. -Yeah, we will. Get a free laptop! | 0:10:35 | 0:10:37 | |
Do you feel like it is excessive, looking at it? | 0:10:37 | 0:10:40 | |
Looking at it like this, yes, I'd say it is excessive. Yeah. | 0:10:40 | 0:10:44 | |
So, in total, we've worked out they're worth seven grand. | 0:10:44 | 0:10:49 | |
Wow! | 0:10:49 | 0:10:51 | |
-That's good to know. -Yeah. | 0:10:51 | 0:10:52 | |
'And what about that car hobby? | 0:10:52 | 0:10:53 | |
'Will John's spending on this give them the shock they need?' | 0:10:53 | 0:10:56 | |
Where's the car? | 0:10:58 | 0:11:00 | |
I rent another garage where I keep my other car. | 0:11:00 | 0:11:03 | |
You've got two garages? | 0:11:03 | 0:11:04 | |
Yes. | 0:11:04 | 0:11:05 | |
-Oh. -So the other garage has got a car in it | 0:11:05 | 0:11:08 | |
and this garage is for...? | 0:11:08 | 0:11:10 | |
-Family stuff. -Family stuff. | 0:11:10 | 0:11:11 | |
-Family stuff? -Well, it's got the kids' bikes in it. | 0:11:11 | 0:11:13 | |
OK. | 0:11:13 | 0:11:15 | |
'Over the years, John's hobby, including the cost of the cars, | 0:11:15 | 0:11:18 | |
'insurance, garaging and additional parts has cost close to 20 grand.' | 0:11:18 | 0:11:24 | |
That is a fair chunk of money. | 0:11:24 | 0:11:26 | |
It's a fair chunk of money. | 0:11:26 | 0:11:28 | |
'Finally, it's the kids' toys and books.' | 0:11:28 | 0:11:31 | |
What's it like for you when it comes to getting the kids toys, | 0:11:31 | 0:11:34 | |
and books and things? Are they quite demanding? | 0:11:34 | 0:11:36 | |
Have you got a system of how you get them, | 0:11:36 | 0:11:38 | |
or is it just, when you're out and about, you'll pick things up? | 0:11:38 | 0:11:41 | |
We do fall into that trap that, if we are out and about, we do get them | 0:11:41 | 0:11:44 | |
something to keep them happy or, you know, keep them quiet, | 0:11:44 | 0:11:47 | |
so we do do that. | 0:11:47 | 0:11:49 | |
I tend to try and stick to the supermarkets or the cheaper shops, | 0:11:49 | 0:11:53 | |
pound shops and things. | 0:11:53 | 0:11:54 | |
-Birthdays we do do the big, extravagant... -Yeah. | 0:11:54 | 0:11:57 | |
You know, like the ships and the planes and the remote controls. | 0:11:57 | 0:12:00 | |
We've worked out that you spend around £1,000 a year on toys... | 0:12:00 | 0:12:04 | |
-OK. -Yeah. -..and about £400 on books. | 0:12:04 | 0:12:06 | |
-OK. -So... | 0:12:06 | 0:12:08 | |
'But I bet there are still some options out there which can save | 0:12:08 | 0:12:10 | |
'John and Flo money, without making the kids feel like | 0:12:10 | 0:12:13 | |
'they're missing out.' | 0:12:13 | 0:12:14 | |
Looking at the areas we've taken you through today, | 0:12:14 | 0:12:19 | |
what do you think that amounts to? | 0:12:19 | 0:12:21 | |
-I think about 30,000 or something like that, yeah. -Yeah. | 0:12:21 | 0:12:25 | |
Ah... | 0:12:25 | 0:12:26 | |
Oh... | 0:12:26 | 0:12:27 | |
You might want to raise that a little bit. | 0:12:28 | 0:12:30 | |
-52,000. -Wow. Wow. | 0:12:30 | 0:12:33 | |
'Wow indeed - perhaps those numbers have finally hit home.' | 0:12:33 | 0:12:36 | |
It was slightly shocking to come in and find all our stuff laid out. | 0:12:37 | 0:12:41 | |
It's not until you look at it, | 0:12:41 | 0:12:43 | |
and see at all like that, that you think, | 0:12:43 | 0:12:44 | |
"Wow, you know, we've spent a lot of money over the years." | 0:12:44 | 0:12:47 | |
-And it all adds up. -Yeah. | 0:12:47 | 0:12:49 | |
It's going to be exciting to see what... | 0:12:49 | 0:12:52 | |
-Where we can make changes, yeah. -Yeah. | 0:12:52 | 0:12:53 | |
Well, we're up for the challenge. We're going to do it. | 0:12:53 | 0:12:57 | |
'We have got to come up with a plan.' | 0:12:57 | 0:12:59 | |
-I think they were stunned to silence because, you know... -Maybe. | 0:12:59 | 0:13:02 | |
..realising how much they've been spending on storecards | 0:13:02 | 0:13:05 | |
and credit cards, | 0:13:05 | 0:13:06 | |
they've had their heads buried in the sand, haven't they? | 0:13:06 | 0:13:08 | |
And one of the areas they're spending quite a lot on, | 0:13:08 | 0:13:10 | |
naturally, though, because they have got three children, | 0:13:10 | 0:13:13 | |
are toys and books, | 0:13:13 | 0:13:14 | |
but I think we could reduce spending in that area | 0:13:14 | 0:13:17 | |
-by quite a lot, couldn't we? -Yeah. | 0:13:17 | 0:13:18 | |
But I think we just need to get them in order, don't we? | 0:13:18 | 0:13:20 | |
-Mm-hmm, yeah. -Right, come on, it's freezing. | 0:13:20 | 0:13:23 | |
The sooner they start reining it in, the better, | 0:13:24 | 0:13:26 | |
so we've de-branded their home, | 0:13:26 | 0:13:28 | |
replacing many of their favourite products with cheaper alternatives - | 0:13:28 | 0:13:32 | |
although some haven't been swapped. | 0:13:32 | 0:13:35 | |
Will the family recognise which items have been switched | 0:13:35 | 0:13:38 | |
and which haven't? | 0:13:38 | 0:13:40 | |
It begins. | 0:13:40 | 0:13:41 | |
-I'm not happy about that. -SHE LAUGHS | 0:13:43 | 0:13:45 | |
Who is it? I mean, what is it? Who is it? | 0:13:47 | 0:13:49 | |
Well, it's a vacuum, Flo - just not your usual £300 one. | 0:13:49 | 0:13:53 | |
I don't like it. I'm... I'm quite upset. | 0:13:53 | 0:13:56 | |
A Dyson is like a Porsche, and you've given me a Skoda. | 0:13:56 | 0:13:59 | |
That's just the start of it, Flo. | 0:14:01 | 0:14:03 | |
Oh, no, value toilet paper. | 0:14:03 | 0:14:05 | |
Yeah, it does look thin. | 0:14:05 | 0:14:06 | |
The feel of toilet paper is not a big deal - | 0:14:06 | 0:14:08 | |
it's how long it lasts, cos our kids like to use huge amounts. | 0:14:08 | 0:14:14 | |
But swapping big brand for own brand means you'll be saving | 0:14:14 | 0:14:17 | |
with every wipe. | 0:14:17 | 0:14:18 | |
-Oh, they're horrid. -SHE SNIFFS | 0:14:18 | 0:14:20 | |
Have a smell of that. | 0:14:20 | 0:14:21 | |
Will Ava's new, unbranded night-time nappies be a better fit? | 0:14:23 | 0:14:27 | |
The absorbency is fine - | 0:14:27 | 0:14:28 | |
it's just the stretchiness and how easy they are to pull up and down. | 0:14:28 | 0:14:32 | |
-But, you know, it's all doable. -Mm-hmm. | 0:14:32 | 0:14:34 | |
If we want to save money - | 0:14:34 | 0:14:35 | |
we have to buy cheap, or cheaper, or different - | 0:14:35 | 0:14:38 | |
then we can do it. | 0:14:38 | 0:14:39 | |
There's so many things. Where do we start? | 0:14:39 | 0:14:41 | |
There is, however, a surprise waiting for them in their bedroom. | 0:14:41 | 0:14:45 | |
-I love this. -Oh, my... -I love it. | 0:14:45 | 0:14:46 | |
-It's brilliant. -Yeah, it definitely should stay there. | 0:14:46 | 0:14:49 | |
-How do you get into it? -You don't. | 0:14:49 | 0:14:50 | |
-You don't? -No. | 0:14:50 | 0:14:52 | |
The cards are not the only thing now off-limits. | 0:14:52 | 0:14:55 | |
Receiving loud and clear, "Step away from the Next catalogue." | 0:14:55 | 0:14:59 | |
-Yes. -OK. | 0:14:59 | 0:15:00 | |
-On it. -And don't use your credit card. | 0:15:00 | 0:15:02 | |
Guilty as charged. | 0:15:02 | 0:15:04 | |
Well, this criminal spender is now on parole, | 0:15:04 | 0:15:07 | |
but what will the children make of all these changes? | 0:15:07 | 0:15:10 | |
What have they done to your room? | 0:15:10 | 0:15:12 | |
I don't have... Why do I have a new cover? | 0:15:12 | 0:15:16 | |
Oh, a new cover. | 0:15:16 | 0:15:17 | |
Yeah. | 0:15:17 | 0:15:18 | |
Tia still has a favourite film character duvet cover, | 0:15:18 | 0:15:22 | |
but it's £17 cheaper than her usual one. | 0:15:22 | 0:15:25 | |
Well, brush brush. | 0:15:25 | 0:15:26 | |
-What flavour is it? -Bubble gum. | 0:15:26 | 0:15:29 | |
Is it bubble gum? All clean? | 0:15:29 | 0:15:31 | |
-Night-night. -Night-night? | 0:15:31 | 0:15:32 | |
In a little while - you need pyjamas. | 0:15:32 | 0:15:34 | |
With the children in bed, | 0:15:34 | 0:15:36 | |
John has one other swap to get his head around. | 0:15:36 | 0:15:38 | |
All my old laptops. | 0:15:38 | 0:15:40 | |
What can this mean? | 0:15:40 | 0:15:42 | |
I think they're going to try and de-Mac you. | 0:15:42 | 0:15:44 | |
No... | 0:15:44 | 0:15:45 | |
Your challenge, should you choose to accept it... | 0:15:45 | 0:15:48 | |
"Dear John, we're curious if any of your retired laptops | 0:15:48 | 0:15:52 | |
"have a value, and we would like you to investigate. | 0:15:52 | 0:15:55 | |
"We've e-mailed you an info pack to get you started. | 0:15:55 | 0:15:57 | |
-"Good luck, Alex and Steph." -Ooh. | 0:15:57 | 0:16:00 | |
John and Flo had better get a good night's sleep. | 0:16:00 | 0:16:03 | |
It's day one of the swaps, | 0:16:09 | 0:16:11 | |
and John's cracking on with his laptop challenge - | 0:16:11 | 0:16:14 | |
to downsize the family's nine computers, | 0:16:14 | 0:16:17 | |
starting with a website for an instant online quote. | 0:16:17 | 0:16:21 | |
The offer is a bit low, I feel. | 0:16:21 | 0:16:23 | |
Macs tend to sell for £300-£400 second-hand, | 0:16:23 | 0:16:26 | |
so I'm sure I could do better. | 0:16:26 | 0:16:29 | |
In true Shop Well For Less spirit, | 0:16:30 | 0:16:32 | |
John's next stop is a high-street store that we think could give him | 0:16:32 | 0:16:36 | |
a better quote. | 0:16:36 | 0:16:37 | |
-The MacBook Air, this one here... -OK. | 0:16:37 | 0:16:39 | |
..is worth £287 cash. | 0:16:39 | 0:16:43 | |
-Oh, right. Great. -Yeah. -It's looking good. | 0:16:43 | 0:16:45 | |
So, altogether you're looking at £629 cash. | 0:16:45 | 0:16:48 | |
Thank you very much. That's food for thought. | 0:16:48 | 0:16:50 | |
£600 for four old laptops is a great start. | 0:16:50 | 0:16:53 | |
And, at home, it's also good news on the nappy front. | 0:16:56 | 0:17:00 | |
Ava's pull-up hasn't leaked, so that's very good. | 0:17:00 | 0:17:03 | |
Flo usually uses the brand-leader pull-up nappies, | 0:17:03 | 0:17:06 | |
but this week they've got a cheaper supermarket own brand. | 0:17:06 | 0:17:09 | |
They fit brilliantly. They were stretchy. | 0:17:09 | 0:17:11 | |
They held all night long. | 0:17:11 | 0:17:13 | |
I can swap those - they're great. | 0:17:13 | 0:17:15 | |
And so is the saving, because that nappy change would save Flo | 0:17:15 | 0:17:19 | |
over £200 a year. | 0:17:19 | 0:17:22 | |
And how have they found the budget toilet paper, | 0:17:22 | 0:17:24 | |
at £1.37 cheaper per pack? | 0:17:24 | 0:17:27 | |
It's horrid. It's awful. It's... | 0:17:27 | 0:17:29 | |
It's grey, it's thin, | 0:17:29 | 0:17:31 | |
and when you unroll it, the ply didn't stay together. | 0:17:31 | 0:17:34 | |
It all comes undone. | 0:17:34 | 0:17:36 | |
Yeah, no. I mean, you have to have small pleasures in life. | 0:17:36 | 0:17:39 | |
It's horrid - horrid, horrid, horrid. | 0:17:39 | 0:17:41 | |
'But some of Flo's small pleasures are pushing this family further | 0:17:41 | 0:17:45 | |
'into debt, something I'm keen to learn more about.' | 0:17:45 | 0:17:48 | |
This year has been your most challenging year financially. | 0:17:49 | 0:17:53 | |
Why is that, then? | 0:17:53 | 0:17:55 | |
I decided to take a year off from work to focus on my youngest, Ava. | 0:17:55 | 0:18:00 | |
-Is that a cup of tea? -Tea. I've got tea... -Cup of tea. | 0:18:00 | 0:18:03 | |
The year before, when I was working, she had a lot of appointments, | 0:18:03 | 0:18:06 | |
-she had a lot of different therapies... -Yeah. | 0:18:06 | 0:18:08 | |
..and I felt I was really juggling everything | 0:18:08 | 0:18:10 | |
and not doing anything very well. | 0:18:10 | 0:18:12 | |
How big is the impact that that's had financially? | 0:18:12 | 0:18:15 | |
I think that to kind of make up for that time away from | 0:18:15 | 0:18:18 | |
the other two, we've bought them things to kind of show them that | 0:18:18 | 0:18:21 | |
we are thinking about them and caring for them. | 0:18:21 | 0:18:23 | |
If I was out, and I needed to get petrol in the car, | 0:18:23 | 0:18:25 | |
and I didn't have money in my account, | 0:18:25 | 0:18:27 | |
I'd just put on the credit card. | 0:18:27 | 0:18:28 | |
-Right. -If we were going to a birthday party, | 0:18:28 | 0:18:30 | |
I need to buy presents and I don't have any money, | 0:18:30 | 0:18:32 | |
I'd put it on the credit card. | 0:18:32 | 0:18:34 | |
I went over my overdraft limit every month, basically, | 0:18:34 | 0:18:38 | |
and I was just getting charges, | 0:18:38 | 0:18:39 | |
and I'm a real kind of "bury my head in the sand" kind of girl, | 0:18:39 | 0:18:42 | |
so I just thought, "It's only for a year, | 0:18:42 | 0:18:44 | |
"I'll worry about once I go back to work." | 0:18:44 | 0:18:46 | |
And did you and John | 0:18:46 | 0:18:48 | |
have honest, open, frank conversations about this? | 0:18:48 | 0:18:52 | |
I admitted to him how much I owed, | 0:18:52 | 0:18:54 | |
and I wasn't able to cover the payments, | 0:18:54 | 0:18:56 | |
so he took over the payments. | 0:18:56 | 0:18:58 | |
And how much was it, at that point? | 0:18:58 | 0:19:00 | |
It was probably over £5,000 at that point. | 0:19:00 | 0:19:03 | |
Going forward, | 0:19:03 | 0:19:04 | |
do you think that you'll be able to spend in a very different way? | 0:19:04 | 0:19:09 | |
I've got to sort out this credit-card debt, | 0:19:09 | 0:19:11 | |
and I have to change my ways. I do. | 0:19:11 | 0:19:12 | |
You can do it, Flo. | 0:19:12 | 0:19:13 | |
-I can, I can! -You can do it, but remember, you know, | 0:19:13 | 0:19:16 | |
lots of people do take career breaks, | 0:19:16 | 0:19:17 | |
-and you did what was best for your family... -Yeah. | 0:19:17 | 0:19:19 | |
-..which is admirable. -Yeah. | 0:19:19 | 0:19:20 | |
Changing their ways is what they must do, | 0:19:22 | 0:19:24 | |
starting with not buying items they've already got, | 0:19:24 | 0:19:28 | |
so it's time for John to discover exactly what's in | 0:19:28 | 0:19:31 | |
that overstuffed garage. | 0:19:31 | 0:19:34 | |
We've even got him a willing assistant from | 0:19:34 | 0:19:36 | |
a local handyman company to help with the clear-out. | 0:19:36 | 0:19:39 | |
As you can see, it's bit of a mess at the moment, | 0:19:39 | 0:19:41 | |
so I'd like to get a lot of the stuff out, organise it... | 0:19:41 | 0:19:45 | |
It's hard to know where to start, isn't it? | 0:19:45 | 0:19:47 | |
Hopefully we can show John that a couple of hours | 0:19:47 | 0:19:50 | |
cleaning out his man cave... | 0:19:50 | 0:19:51 | |
Might need more than three hours to do this garage. | 0:19:51 | 0:19:54 | |
..will be worth it. | 0:19:54 | 0:19:55 | |
Slowly, slowly. | 0:19:55 | 0:19:57 | |
Good girl. | 0:19:57 | 0:19:58 | |
While John's organising his garage, | 0:19:58 | 0:20:00 | |
we've sent Flo and the children to one place many book-readers have | 0:20:00 | 0:20:03 | |
simply forgotten about - the local library. | 0:20:03 | 0:20:07 | |
Little Bo Peep has lost her...? | 0:20:07 | 0:20:09 | |
-Her sheep. -Good. | 0:20:09 | 0:20:10 | |
John and Flo spend nearly £400 a year on new books, | 0:20:10 | 0:20:14 | |
but using the library is free, plus there's other priceless benefits. | 0:20:14 | 0:20:19 | |
It's sort of like a family outing, as well as getting books. | 0:20:19 | 0:20:22 | |
You know, it's just been a lovely experience this morning. | 0:20:22 | 0:20:25 | |
So, another successful swap. | 0:20:25 | 0:20:27 | |
Look how many books in there! | 0:20:27 | 0:20:29 | |
COCKEREL CROWS | 0:20:33 | 0:20:36 | |
Like the Bances, many families enjoy quality time together, | 0:20:36 | 0:20:40 | |
so we're putting the ultimate family make-or-break tool to the test. | 0:20:40 | 0:20:44 | |
We've got five different four-person tents. | 0:20:44 | 0:20:46 | |
Pitching up on the field today are keen campers, Team A... | 0:20:48 | 0:20:52 | |
I like to have a lot of room. | 0:20:52 | 0:20:54 | |
Will our cheapest mid-range tent be adequate? | 0:20:54 | 0:20:58 | |
Multi-generational Team B... | 0:20:58 | 0:21:01 | |
We look for a tent that's easy to put up, and something that's | 0:21:01 | 0:21:04 | |
going to keep us dry when we get the lovely British weather. | 0:21:04 | 0:21:07 | |
An easy, mid-range, pop-up tent for them. | 0:21:07 | 0:21:11 | |
Luxury lovers, Team C... | 0:21:12 | 0:21:15 | |
We like windows - plastic windows. | 0:21:15 | 0:21:17 | |
Well, this inflatable, top-of-the-range tent | 0:21:17 | 0:21:20 | |
ticks that box. | 0:21:20 | 0:21:21 | |
Next, it's confident Team D... | 0:21:21 | 0:21:24 | |
Yeah, I think we'll find it quite easy to put up a tent. | 0:21:24 | 0:21:26 | |
But will their expensive teepee-style tent be their undoing? | 0:21:26 | 0:21:31 | |
And finally, big spenders Team E... | 0:21:31 | 0:21:33 | |
I believe that you need to pay for the quality. | 0:21:33 | 0:21:36 | |
So we've given them the cheapest tent of all. | 0:21:36 | 0:21:38 | |
Our teams will judge their tents on ease and speed of construction, | 0:21:39 | 0:21:43 | |
comfort, and whether they can weather the weather. | 0:21:43 | 0:21:46 | |
-CHEERING -And they're off! | 0:21:46 | 0:21:49 | |
It looks like we've got the biggest one out of the lot. | 0:21:49 | 0:21:51 | |
There's 13 instructions on how to put the poles up - | 0:21:51 | 0:21:53 | |
just the poles alone. | 0:21:53 | 0:21:54 | |
Nathan, sort out the poles. | 0:21:54 | 0:21:55 | |
Come on, then. Bring it all out. | 0:21:55 | 0:21:57 | |
It's big! | 0:21:57 | 0:21:59 | |
Where's the pegs? | 0:21:59 | 0:22:00 | |
Oh... The instructions are not very good. | 0:22:02 | 0:22:05 | |
No, no, no, Josh. | 0:22:05 | 0:22:06 | |
Are you sure this isn't too long? | 0:22:06 | 0:22:07 | |
Maybe we should actually be roping it down... | 0:22:07 | 0:22:09 | |
It feels quite flimsy. | 0:22:09 | 0:22:11 | |
Oh... Pick it up. | 0:22:11 | 0:22:12 | |
-Where's all the poles? -That's good, that is(!) | 0:22:12 | 0:22:14 | |
Oh, gosh. The instructions are not very good. | 0:22:14 | 0:22:16 | |
It doesn't really give you any idea. | 0:22:16 | 0:22:19 | |
-Put it up. -Oh, you've got to put it up. | 0:22:19 | 0:22:20 | |
-Oh... -Quickest tent I think I've ever had to put up. | 0:22:20 | 0:22:23 | |
Our tent is up. | 0:22:23 | 0:22:24 | |
9 minutes and 47 seconds to put this up. | 0:22:24 | 0:22:27 | |
Cracking. | 0:22:27 | 0:22:28 | |
Not bad for the most expensive tent, | 0:22:28 | 0:22:31 | |
but the mid-range pop-up was quicker. | 0:22:31 | 0:22:33 | |
It's 4 minutes and 12. | 0:22:33 | 0:22:34 | |
13 minutes, 54 seconds. | 0:22:35 | 0:22:38 | |
It's 11 minutes and 10. | 0:22:38 | 0:22:40 | |
Is that quite quick? No, not really. | 0:22:40 | 0:22:42 | |
The inflatable tunnel tent puffed in last on speed. | 0:22:42 | 0:22:45 | |
OK, what time have we got now, then? | 0:22:45 | 0:22:47 | |
17.12... | 0:22:47 | 0:22:48 | |
-17.12. -Not bad. -Not bad. | 0:22:48 | 0:22:50 | |
But how do our tents fare with comfort and weatherproofing? | 0:22:50 | 0:22:54 | |
Absolutely tons of room. | 0:22:54 | 0:22:56 | |
I can't even touch the top and I'm over six foot tall. | 0:22:56 | 0:23:00 | |
It just hasn't gone up well. | 0:23:00 | 0:23:02 | |
There's water coming through up here somewhere. | 0:23:02 | 0:23:05 | |
Four people would have to be very familiar. | 0:23:05 | 0:23:07 | |
SHE CHUCKLES | 0:23:07 | 0:23:09 | |
All in all, I think it's nice. | 0:23:09 | 0:23:10 | |
Each team has scored the tents on style, | 0:23:12 | 0:23:14 | |
how easy it was to put up, | 0:23:14 | 0:23:16 | |
space and waterproofing. | 0:23:16 | 0:23:18 | |
All right, the winner is... | 0:23:19 | 0:23:21 | |
SoulPad. | 0:23:21 | 0:23:22 | |
-CHEERING -Yeah! That's ours! | 0:23:22 | 0:23:25 | |
It's got the luxury, and it's got enough space, | 0:23:27 | 0:23:30 | |
and it would be an enjoyable holiday. | 0:23:30 | 0:23:32 | |
Very, very good quality on it, | 0:23:32 | 0:23:34 | |
and quite a nice price, too, for 520. | 0:23:34 | 0:23:38 | |
Our winner is the | 0:23:39 | 0:23:40 | |
most expensive tent, | 0:23:40 | 0:23:41 | |
and then they follow in price order. | 0:23:41 | 0:23:44 | |
So, when it comes to tents, | 0:23:44 | 0:23:45 | |
our campers think maybe it is worth | 0:23:45 | 0:23:47 | |
paying a little bit more | 0:23:47 | 0:23:48 | |
for your canopy. | 0:23:48 | 0:23:49 | |
'Back in Surrey, John's sorted out all of the tools and car parts | 0:23:50 | 0:23:54 | |
'that he's been collecting over the years in his main garage. | 0:23:54 | 0:23:57 | |
'I'm hoping this clear-out will now help him focus on the costs involved | 0:23:57 | 0:24:01 | |
'with keeping his expensive sports car in his rented second garage.' | 0:24:01 | 0:24:06 | |
-Right, let's get this opened, then. -OK. | 0:24:06 | 0:24:08 | |
Ah! Look at that little beauty. Nice. | 0:24:10 | 0:24:13 | |
Do you get out in it very often? | 0:24:13 | 0:24:15 | |
Not really. Not any more. | 0:24:15 | 0:24:17 | |
-Why is that, then? -It's only got two seats. | 0:24:17 | 0:24:19 | |
-You can't really take three kids out in it. -Yeah. | 0:24:19 | 0:24:21 | |
-It's not the car for kids, is it? -Not really, no. | 0:24:21 | 0:24:24 | |
But do you work on it very often? | 0:24:24 | 0:24:26 | |
Do you come and spend a bit of time with it? | 0:24:26 | 0:24:28 | |
I do like to do bits on it, | 0:24:28 | 0:24:29 | |
but it's becoming increasingly hard to do that. | 0:24:29 | 0:24:32 | |
I might take it out once a week, drive it to work or something. | 0:24:32 | 0:24:35 | |
It's expensive to have, though, | 0:24:35 | 0:24:37 | |
if you're only using it fairly infrequently. | 0:24:37 | 0:24:39 | |
-Yes, it is a bit of an expensive luxury. -Yeah. -Yeah. | 0:24:39 | 0:24:42 | |
'The rented garage is costing John £1,300 a year, | 0:24:42 | 0:24:46 | |
'plus there's the car's hefty insurance, | 0:24:46 | 0:24:48 | |
'but I have a few cash-saving options for him.' | 0:24:48 | 0:24:51 | |
So, you're spending £500 a year on insurance. | 0:24:51 | 0:24:53 | |
Well, actually, we've found a deal where you would be paying | 0:24:53 | 0:24:56 | |
-£220 a year, saving you 280 quid. -Fantastic. | 0:24:56 | 0:25:00 | |
-That's a lot of money, isn't it? -Yeah, that's a lot, yeah. | 0:25:00 | 0:25:03 | |
Again, that's for the same conditions you've got, | 0:25:03 | 0:25:05 | |
so it would still involve renting the garage. | 0:25:05 | 0:25:07 | |
So, I've got another idea to put to you. | 0:25:07 | 0:25:09 | |
-OK. -Get rid of the garage... | 0:25:09 | 0:25:11 | |
-Yeah? -..and we've found an insurance deal where you could park it on | 0:25:11 | 0:25:14 | |
the road and you would pay £460 a year, so you'd save 40 quid, | 0:25:14 | 0:25:18 | |
but, better than that, you'd save £1,300 from not having to | 0:25:18 | 0:25:21 | |
-rent the garage any more. -Great deal. | 0:25:21 | 0:25:24 | |
Can we ditch this garage? | 0:25:24 | 0:25:26 | |
-Yeah. Yes. -Brilliant. | 0:25:26 | 0:25:28 | |
Come on, you. | 0:25:28 | 0:25:29 | |
Another positive result. | 0:25:30 | 0:25:32 | |
Meanwhile, getting to grips with more swaps... | 0:25:32 | 0:25:35 | |
Let's give it a go. | 0:25:35 | 0:25:36 | |
..Flo is coping with the loss of one of her luxuries, | 0:25:36 | 0:25:39 | |
as we've switched a £300 top-brand vacuum for a budget version. | 0:25:39 | 0:25:43 | |
-VACUUM HUMS -You can hear the dirt going in. | 0:25:43 | 0:25:47 | |
When I use my Dyson, it tends to suck this rug up. | 0:25:47 | 0:25:51 | |
So I'm wondering if it's not as powerful, but, you know... | 0:25:51 | 0:25:55 | |
it's definitely doing the job. | 0:25:55 | 0:25:57 | |
There's good manoeuvrability. It's easy, yeah. | 0:25:57 | 0:26:00 | |
It's... It's better than I expected. | 0:26:00 | 0:26:03 | |
And so is the price - at £50, investing in this budget machine | 0:26:03 | 0:26:07 | |
next time would save Flo £250. | 0:26:07 | 0:26:11 | |
Oh, vacuum heaven! | 0:26:11 | 0:26:13 | |
'With that in mind, Alex and I want to put Flo's big-brand loyalty | 0:26:13 | 0:26:17 | |
'to the test on a selection of hand-held vacuums.' | 0:26:17 | 0:26:21 | |
We imagine, with three children, that you've got a lot of use for | 0:26:21 | 0:26:24 | |
one of these hand-held vacuums. | 0:26:24 | 0:26:25 | |
Yeah, they're brilliant, actually. | 0:26:25 | 0:26:27 | |
-Yeah? Do you have one? -Yeah, I do. I do. | 0:26:27 | 0:26:28 | |
-Yeah? Is it a pricey one? -It is. Yes, it is. | 0:26:28 | 0:26:31 | |
-Hmm... You like your brands, you, don't you? -I do, I do. | 0:26:31 | 0:26:34 | |
Well, you're going to try and see if we can change your mind, though, | 0:26:34 | 0:26:37 | |
to see whether, actually, the price, the brand, | 0:26:37 | 0:26:39 | |
matters when it comes to using one of these. | 0:26:39 | 0:26:42 | |
-OK. -Yeah. | 0:26:42 | 0:26:43 | |
We're testing four different hand-held vacuums. | 0:26:43 | 0:26:47 | |
First up is the cheapest model in the test, | 0:26:47 | 0:26:50 | |
then a branded mid-range model, | 0:26:50 | 0:26:53 | |
followed by another, which is slightly cheaper, | 0:26:53 | 0:26:56 | |
and, finally, it's the most expensive. | 0:26:56 | 0:26:59 | |
And to test them...we are going to vacuum up some cereal. | 0:26:59 | 0:27:03 | |
Steph and I have gone to great lengths to make sure | 0:27:03 | 0:27:06 | |
-it's embedded in the carpet. -OK. | 0:27:06 | 0:27:08 | |
OK, grab your weapon. | 0:27:08 | 0:27:10 | |
-Ready. -And off we go. | 0:27:10 | 0:27:12 | |
-VACUUM HUMS -Oh, nice. -Ah... | 0:27:12 | 0:27:16 | |
Looks good. | 0:27:16 | 0:27:18 | |
Oh, look at that. It's like a runway. | 0:27:18 | 0:27:20 | |
Right, that's good. Now, then, we're going to do the whole lot now. | 0:27:20 | 0:27:23 | |
-OK. -Give it a bit of, you know... | 0:27:23 | 0:27:25 | |
-Bit of welly. -Bit of welly. | 0:27:25 | 0:27:27 | |
All right. | 0:27:27 | 0:27:28 | |
'Sucking up first, our cheapest own-brand.' | 0:27:29 | 0:27:31 | |
And there. That sounds pretty good. | 0:27:31 | 0:27:33 | |
-Yeah. -It's all right. Yeah. | 0:27:33 | 0:27:35 | |
-Are you happy with that? -Yeah, I'd say that's great, yeah. | 0:27:35 | 0:27:37 | |
It feels good. I did had to put a bit of elbow grease in it. | 0:27:37 | 0:27:39 | |
-Yeah. -I think it's hard to tell until you've seen the others, so... | 0:27:39 | 0:27:43 | |
-OK, let's go for the red one. -OK. | 0:27:43 | 0:27:45 | |
-VACUUM HUMS -Yes, yes, yes! -Oh! | 0:27:45 | 0:27:48 | |
Round of applause. | 0:27:49 | 0:27:50 | |
That is powerful. | 0:27:50 | 0:27:52 | |
Oh... | 0:27:52 | 0:27:53 | |
-That... -That was good. | 0:27:53 | 0:27:55 | |
-It was taking it in from the sides... -Yeah? | 0:27:55 | 0:27:56 | |
It wasn't just doing... Yeah. | 0:27:56 | 0:27:58 | |
-That was nearly hypnotic, wasn't it? -I'm getting excited. | 0:27:58 | 0:28:00 | |
So, preference so far? | 0:28:00 | 0:28:02 | |
Well, that was impressive, the way it kind of | 0:28:02 | 0:28:04 | |
-sucked in from the sides - that was good. -Yeah, agreed. | 0:28:04 | 0:28:07 | |
Flo's frontrunner is a mid-range brand, | 0:28:07 | 0:28:09 | |
but so is its next competitor. | 0:28:09 | 0:28:11 | |
VACUUM HUMS | 0:28:11 | 0:28:13 | |
I think that is, by far... | 0:28:15 | 0:28:17 | |
-winner, winner, chicken dinner. -Yeah. | 0:28:17 | 0:28:19 | |
-Winner, winner, chicken dinner. -So, so far, Flo... | 0:28:19 | 0:28:22 | |
-Yeah, that one. -Five-star standout. | 0:28:22 | 0:28:24 | |
Yeah. | 0:28:24 | 0:28:25 | |
Reserve judgment until you have seen all four. | 0:28:25 | 0:28:27 | |
-OK. -So, we'll move on to the last one. | 0:28:27 | 0:28:29 | |
'It's £100, but it does have a power boost setting.' | 0:28:29 | 0:28:32 | |
-That's good, as well. -Oh! VACUUM HUMS | 0:28:32 | 0:28:34 | |
-Oh. -It's the back, Flo. | 0:28:34 | 0:28:37 | |
It had two speeds there, didn't it? | 0:28:37 | 0:28:39 | |
-It did. -I mean, it keeps you on your toes, this one, doesn't it? | 0:28:39 | 0:28:42 | |
-Yeah! -Because...when you think that the cereal's here, | 0:28:42 | 0:28:45 | |
it suddenly moves over here. | 0:28:45 | 0:28:47 | |
Yeah, it's because of where the exhaust is, isn't it? | 0:28:47 | 0:28:49 | |
So, whereas they're all on the side, this is on the bottom, | 0:28:49 | 0:28:52 | |
so, as soon as you are doing anything above, | 0:28:52 | 0:28:54 | |
it blows it off that way. | 0:28:54 | 0:28:55 | |
-Yeah. -So, if you were going to buy one of these, | 0:28:55 | 0:28:58 | |
-not knowing the price at this point... -Yeah? | 0:28:58 | 0:29:00 | |
-..is this the one you'd buy? -I'd go for this one. | 0:29:00 | 0:29:02 | |
So, your favourite is... | 0:29:02 | 0:29:04 | |
-made by Vax... -OK. | 0:29:04 | 0:29:06 | |
..and that would cost you 49.99. | 0:29:06 | 0:29:09 | |
Oh, that's really good. | 0:29:09 | 0:29:10 | |
'Flo's favourite was the cheaper of our mid-range models, | 0:29:10 | 0:29:13 | |
'but, in fourth place, at double the price, our market leader.' | 0:29:13 | 0:29:17 | |
That one would set you back 100 quid. | 0:29:17 | 0:29:21 | |
That is really expensive, isn't it? | 0:29:21 | 0:29:22 | |
-That's a big difference, isn't it? Yeah. -Yeah. | 0:29:22 | 0:29:24 | |
'So, before splashing the cash, check out your options first.' | 0:29:24 | 0:29:28 | |
-There we go, then. -Lovely. | 0:29:28 | 0:29:29 | |
Time for a cup of tea. | 0:29:29 | 0:29:31 | |
Everyone in the Bance family is getting involved with the swaps, | 0:29:31 | 0:29:35 | |
including Jacob. | 0:29:35 | 0:29:36 | |
"Dear Jacob, we know it's your birthday soon, | 0:29:36 | 0:29:39 | |
"so we wanted to send you an early birthday gift..." | 0:29:39 | 0:29:41 | |
Jacob loves Lego, | 0:29:41 | 0:29:43 | |
but a new set every six weeks costs John and Flo £30 each time... | 0:29:43 | 0:29:48 | |
-So, you pass me the bits and I'll build. -OK. | 0:29:48 | 0:29:50 | |
..so we've given Jacob membership to a toy-rental service | 0:29:50 | 0:29:53 | |
for £8.49 a month. | 0:29:53 | 0:29:56 | |
Once you've finished with it, you put it all back in the box, | 0:29:56 | 0:29:59 | |
then you send it back and they will send you another one of your choice. | 0:29:59 | 0:30:02 | |
You look at it online. | 0:30:02 | 0:30:04 | |
-Ohhh... -So you don't get to keep it, but each week, or each month, | 0:30:04 | 0:30:08 | |
you get to make another one. | 0:30:08 | 0:30:10 | |
-Does that sound good? -Yeah. | 0:30:10 | 0:30:11 | |
'Across the year, the family could save over £190. | 0:30:11 | 0:30:15 | |
'And he gets to build something new every month.' | 0:30:15 | 0:30:18 | |
Oh, look. Black Panther pursuit plane. | 0:30:18 | 0:30:21 | |
Yeah. But that top one I was looking at, that's definitely | 0:30:21 | 0:30:25 | |
-going to be the next one. -Oh, the jet plane? -Yeah. -OK. | 0:30:25 | 0:30:28 | |
Downstairs, we've swapped Flo's big brand cleaning products | 0:30:32 | 0:30:35 | |
for supermarket own ones, | 0:30:35 | 0:30:37 | |
hoping she'd be as pleased with the results. | 0:30:37 | 0:30:39 | |
Smells nice. This shape of mop is what I like. | 0:30:41 | 0:30:44 | |
It actually feels good, yeah. | 0:30:44 | 0:30:46 | |
I'm very impressed. I think this is a good quality product. | 0:30:46 | 0:30:50 | |
It is, just not branded. | 0:30:50 | 0:30:52 | |
Simply swapping all her cleaning products would save Flo £17 a month. | 0:30:52 | 0:30:57 | |
Yeah, that smells quite nice. | 0:30:57 | 0:30:58 | |
Cleaning kitchens is big business, and we Brits spend | 0:31:00 | 0:31:04 | |
almost £100 million on surface cleaners alone every year. | 0:31:04 | 0:31:08 | |
Some of the most expensive are eco-friendly. | 0:31:08 | 0:31:11 | |
So I've travelled to Malle in Belgium, | 0:31:13 | 0:31:15 | |
the home of the world's first green factory, | 0:31:15 | 0:31:18 | |
to find out if it's worth spending more to clean green. | 0:31:18 | 0:31:21 | |
Now, many of us at some point will have probably worried about the | 0:31:21 | 0:31:24 | |
chemicals in our cleaning products, | 0:31:24 | 0:31:26 | |
but what actually is in them and do we need to worry about them? | 0:31:26 | 0:31:30 | |
And should we be thinking about buying more sustainable products? | 0:31:30 | 0:31:34 | |
Let's go and find out. | 0:31:34 | 0:31:35 | |
I'm meeting the company's Queen of Clean, Clare Burke. | 0:31:38 | 0:31:42 | |
So, Clare, I've been to many a factory in my time. | 0:31:44 | 0:31:46 | |
What does sustainable actually mean? | 0:31:46 | 0:31:48 | |
So, sustainable is all about the ingredients and the packaging, | 0:31:48 | 0:31:51 | |
essentially, that we use and how it is produced. | 0:31:51 | 0:31:54 | |
So if you look at what's around us... | 0:31:54 | 0:31:55 | |
You look at the wood that we've used in the factory - | 0:31:55 | 0:31:57 | |
it's all been used from local forests. | 0:31:57 | 0:32:00 | |
We also make sure that we recycle everything in the factory, as well. | 0:32:00 | 0:32:03 | |
Many regular cleaning products contain chemicals made from | 0:32:04 | 0:32:08 | |
petroleum and strong antibacterial substances, like bleach. | 0:32:08 | 0:32:11 | |
So what's so special about the products that are in this, | 0:32:13 | 0:32:16 | |
compared to other cleaning stuff? | 0:32:16 | 0:32:18 | |
All of our products | 0:32:18 | 0:32:20 | |
are actually made from natural plant-based materials, | 0:32:20 | 0:32:23 | |
so our ingredients actually all come from nature and | 0:32:23 | 0:32:25 | |
are inspired by nature. | 0:32:25 | 0:32:26 | |
But nature doesn't come cheap. | 0:32:26 | 0:32:28 | |
The raw products are more costly than petrochemicals, | 0:32:28 | 0:32:31 | |
and, as the eco-friendly market is relatively new, | 0:32:31 | 0:32:34 | |
a lot of expensive research has been done to develop the products. | 0:32:34 | 0:32:38 | |
It does smell gorgeous, but whenever I think of cleaning products, | 0:32:38 | 0:32:41 | |
I think of chemicals and bleach and it's not clean unless it smells | 0:32:41 | 0:32:45 | |
-like that, is it? -You don't actually have to sterilise your home and make | 0:32:45 | 0:32:49 | |
it smell like bleach for it to actually be clean. | 0:32:49 | 0:32:51 | |
Our products remove all the dirt and anything that you'd want to be gone | 0:32:51 | 0:32:54 | |
from your surfaces. | 0:32:54 | 0:32:56 | |
'But our kitchens can get very dirty, | 0:32:56 | 0:32:58 | |
'and the lowly kitchen sink can contain 100,000 times more germs than the bathroom.' | 0:32:58 | 0:33:04 | |
But your stuff isn't antibacterial, is it? | 0:33:04 | 0:33:07 | |
And that would worry me, because I'd be thinking, | 0:33:07 | 0:33:09 | |
"You're not getting rid of the bacteria, so how is it cleaning it properly?" | 0:33:09 | 0:33:12 | |
Not all bacteria is bad bacteria and actually we believe you don't have | 0:33:12 | 0:33:15 | |
to over sterilise to actually kill to clean everything. | 0:33:15 | 0:33:18 | |
I think we should put it to the test, then. Shall we go to the lab? | 0:33:18 | 0:33:21 | |
Lead formulator Peter from the factory's in-house lab | 0:33:22 | 0:33:25 | |
is going to do just that. | 0:33:25 | 0:33:27 | |
-Hi, Peter. -Hello, Steph. | 0:33:27 | 0:33:28 | |
-So, Peter, this is clearly where you test everything. -Mm-hm. | 0:33:28 | 0:33:31 | |
And I've seen earlier with Claire the ingredients that goes into your | 0:33:31 | 0:33:34 | |
stuff, but what goes into other cleaning products? | 0:33:34 | 0:33:36 | |
Why are they so different? | 0:33:36 | 0:33:38 | |
The other products usually use petrochemicals, | 0:33:38 | 0:33:40 | |
which are basically made out of crude oil. | 0:33:40 | 0:33:44 | |
But how do they compare when you put them to the test with cleaning? | 0:33:44 | 0:33:47 | |
-Can we have a look? -Yes, OK. | 0:33:47 | 0:33:49 | |
So first we need to get dirty. | 0:33:49 | 0:33:52 | |
'Three plastic strips are stained with an oily solution. | 0:33:52 | 0:33:55 | |
'That's then dried to make it as hard as possible to get off.' | 0:33:55 | 0:33:58 | |
So we've got your product here... | 0:33:59 | 0:34:02 | |
-Yes. -Brand X, which is a leading competitor that we know has petrochemicals in. | 0:34:02 | 0:34:06 | |
-And water. -Yes. | 0:34:06 | 0:34:08 | |
And you can choose which one... | 0:34:08 | 0:34:09 | |
Oh, I can choose. | 0:34:09 | 0:34:10 | |
Right, well of course, I'm going to make your product do the one that's | 0:34:10 | 0:34:13 | |
the muckiest. | 0:34:13 | 0:34:15 | |
'Once added to the sponges, it's time to get scrubbing.' | 0:34:15 | 0:34:18 | |
And then we let machine do its work. | 0:34:18 | 0:34:21 | |
None of the cleaning solutions will remove the oily stains completely, | 0:34:21 | 0:34:24 | |
but I'm expecting a difference between them. | 0:34:24 | 0:34:27 | |
And you can see that the water's not up to much, | 0:34:27 | 0:34:30 | |
but it's got a little bit off. | 0:34:30 | 0:34:31 | |
-It's got a little bit off, yeah, of course. -But the other two seem to have got more. | 0:34:31 | 0:34:35 | |
But you haven't beaten the competitor there, have you? | 0:34:35 | 0:34:38 | |
No. But that's not our goal. | 0:34:38 | 0:34:40 | |
We just want to... | 0:34:40 | 0:34:42 | |
show that green also can clean as good as the conventional brands. | 0:34:42 | 0:34:46 | |
When you're comparing what these different types of products do, | 0:34:47 | 0:34:50 | |
the ones with the chemicals in | 0:34:50 | 0:34:52 | |
versus those which are more sustainable and | 0:34:52 | 0:34:54 | |
have less of an impact on the environment, | 0:34:54 | 0:34:56 | |
there isn't much difference in terms of their cleaning quality. | 0:34:56 | 0:34:59 | |
The difference is about the price. | 0:34:59 | 0:35:02 | |
And you've got to ask yourself... | 0:35:02 | 0:35:03 | |
is helping the environment something I can afford? | 0:35:03 | 0:35:06 | |
But if it's all about price for you | 0:35:06 | 0:35:08 | |
then it might not be something you want to pay for. | 0:35:08 | 0:35:11 | |
-In Surrey... -Yay! | 0:35:12 | 0:35:15 | |
We're trying to teach the family to | 0:35:15 | 0:35:17 | |
decide what's worth paying more for and what's not. | 0:35:17 | 0:35:20 | |
They spend over £1,000 a year | 0:35:20 | 0:35:22 | |
on games, toys and books for the children. | 0:35:22 | 0:35:25 | |
Bought a lot more toys for Ava | 0:35:25 | 0:35:27 | |
when she was younger to help her development, you know? | 0:35:27 | 0:35:29 | |
Sort of different toys than we bought the others, so, yeah, we did | 0:35:29 | 0:35:32 | |
spend a lot of money on Ava's toys. About, yeah, £20-£30 per toy. | 0:35:32 | 0:35:36 | |
So, to reduce that amount, | 0:35:36 | 0:35:38 | |
we've sent Flo and Ava to this local church | 0:35:38 | 0:35:40 | |
where each week a toy exchange takes place. | 0:35:40 | 0:35:43 | |
We could borrow the horsey. | 0:35:43 | 0:35:46 | |
Shall we take the horsey home? | 0:35:46 | 0:35:47 | |
Does it make a noise? | 0:35:47 | 0:35:49 | |
'For just £10 a year, Ava can choose four toys to take home, | 0:35:49 | 0:35:52 | |
'play with them to her heart's content | 0:35:52 | 0:35:54 | |
'and then return them to exchange for four more.' | 0:35:54 | 0:35:57 | |
This is a great toy library - it's a great idea. | 0:35:57 | 0:36:00 | |
I've been to lots of stay and plays. | 0:36:00 | 0:36:02 | |
You know, so you go and use other toys - that's great - | 0:36:02 | 0:36:05 | |
but I've never been able to take them away. | 0:36:05 | 0:36:06 | |
And it's a really great idea, yeah. | 0:36:06 | 0:36:08 | |
'If Flo swapped half of Ava's new toys with the toy exchange ones, | 0:36:08 | 0:36:12 | |
'she'd save around £150 a year.' | 0:36:12 | 0:36:15 | |
-Lovely. -There you go. -Thank you very much. | 0:36:15 | 0:36:17 | |
Flo and John, like many parents, | 0:36:19 | 0:36:21 | |
feel the pressure to regularly buy things for their children. | 0:36:21 | 0:36:24 | |
Professor Avi Shankar wants to tell us more. | 0:36:24 | 0:36:27 | |
So how old do you think children are | 0:36:27 | 0:36:28 | |
when they become influenced by advertising? | 0:36:28 | 0:36:32 | |
They've got to be young, because advertisers are clever, | 0:36:32 | 0:36:34 | |
-aren't they? -The evidence suggests that from about three, four, five, | 0:36:34 | 0:36:38 | |
kids can start recognising the difference between the TV programme, | 0:36:38 | 0:36:41 | |
the advert, they can start recognising a brand. | 0:36:41 | 0:36:44 | |
We've got to remember that children aren't born consumers, | 0:36:44 | 0:36:47 | |
they learn to be consumers. | 0:36:47 | 0:36:48 | |
There are various tricks that marketers are doing to attract | 0:36:48 | 0:36:52 | |
children to their products. Animals are often very commonly used. | 0:36:52 | 0:36:57 | |
The other thing that's interesting is the use of colours, | 0:36:57 | 0:37:00 | |
the use of very simple images. | 0:37:00 | 0:37:01 | |
So this rabbit is a very simplified rabbit. | 0:37:01 | 0:37:04 | |
So, have a go at naming them. | 0:37:04 | 0:37:06 | |
-Do you know what they are? -I think Xbox is the top one. | 0:37:06 | 0:37:09 | |
Yeah. Nesquik. | 0:37:09 | 0:37:11 | |
-Yeah. -I don't know what that one is. | 0:37:11 | 0:37:13 | |
I think that is some sort of... | 0:37:13 | 0:37:15 | |
Is it something to do with music? | 0:37:15 | 0:37:17 | |
That is the Pokemon brand. | 0:37:17 | 0:37:19 | |
BOTH: Oh! | 0:37:19 | 0:37:20 | |
-OK? -OK. That's Nickelodeon, isn't it, the channel? | 0:37:20 | 0:37:23 | |
-Yeah. -That's... -Any ideas? | 0:37:23 | 0:37:25 | |
Is that like a Minecraft one, or something like that? | 0:37:25 | 0:37:27 | |
-And then Duplo the rabbit. -The building blocks, yeah. | 0:37:27 | 0:37:29 | |
Well, all I can say is | 0:37:29 | 0:37:31 | |
you're pretty in touch with the child within you both, | 0:37:31 | 0:37:33 | |
-cos you did pretty well. -We're very childish, Avi. | 0:37:33 | 0:37:35 | |
And I suspect if we showed these to a group of young kids, | 0:37:35 | 0:37:38 | |
they'd be able to get every single one of these. | 0:37:38 | 0:37:41 | |
-Yeah. -When they get a bit older, | 0:37:41 | 0:37:43 | |
they can start recognising certain relationships, | 0:37:43 | 0:37:46 | |
like, for example, the relationship between price and quality. | 0:37:46 | 0:37:49 | |
They also start getting influenced by other people, | 0:37:49 | 0:37:52 | |
so they start saying, "I want this, because my mate's got it." | 0:37:52 | 0:37:58 | |
'To illustrate his point, Avi gives us both our very own school PE kit.' | 0:37:59 | 0:38:03 | |
-I like your bag. It's got more of a leathery feel. -Off, off. | 0:38:03 | 0:38:07 | |
-Mine's pleather. -Oh, mine's got a big brand on. | 0:38:07 | 0:38:10 | |
Oh, maybe I like mine more now. | 0:38:10 | 0:38:11 | |
Oh, they're nice, aren't they? | 0:38:13 | 0:38:15 | |
I'm that kid in the playground | 0:38:17 | 0:38:18 | |
who's got everything with labels on, aren't I? | 0:38:18 | 0:38:20 | |
I'm the one who forgot their sports kit | 0:38:20 | 0:38:22 | |
and has had to borrow from the school. | 0:38:22 | 0:38:24 | |
So, clearly, Steph's got the branded kit | 0:38:26 | 0:38:28 | |
and I've got the non-branded kit. | 0:38:28 | 0:38:29 | |
But if you pick the stuff up and have a look at it, | 0:38:29 | 0:38:31 | |
can you tell any difference between the quality? | 0:38:31 | 0:38:33 | |
I know, but that's the thing - there isn't much difference, is there? | 0:38:33 | 0:38:37 | |
It's just about the ticks, the dots, the little stripes, the logos, | 0:38:37 | 0:38:41 | |
-which is sad, isn't it? -Yeah. -That that's what it comes down to. | 0:38:41 | 0:38:43 | |
It is. And, as an adult, you can see their functionality is the same, | 0:38:43 | 0:38:47 | |
but, as a child, it's very hard when the 'in' thing | 0:38:47 | 0:38:50 | |
is to have the tick on your T-shirt. | 0:38:50 | 0:38:52 | |
So one of the things we can do is to try and point out to them | 0:38:52 | 0:38:56 | |
that they shouldn't make friends with people just because | 0:38:56 | 0:38:59 | |
they've got this brand or that brand and there's more important things. | 0:38:59 | 0:39:02 | |
-So, when they're at school, they're not feeling that pressure from other kids? -Absolutely. | 0:39:02 | 0:39:06 | |
They're thinking about other things that they should be valued for. | 0:39:06 | 0:39:09 | |
-Yeah. -And if all else fails... | 0:39:09 | 0:39:10 | |
home-school them. So they don't see any of it! | 0:39:10 | 0:39:13 | |
'This is good advice for us all. | 0:39:14 | 0:39:16 | |
'Don't bow to the big brand peer pressure | 0:39:16 | 0:39:19 | |
'and check out cheaper alternatives. | 0:39:19 | 0:39:21 | |
'And, in Surrey, the brand-loving Bances are doing just that.' | 0:39:22 | 0:39:26 | |
There are certain brand products I do like. So, I've got dry skin... | 0:39:26 | 0:39:29 | |
Dove products are lovely, so I do like that. | 0:39:29 | 0:39:31 | |
'But we've swapped all her branded | 0:39:31 | 0:39:33 | |
'toiletries with products that cost less, including her favourite soap.' | 0:39:33 | 0:39:37 | |
The soap I used today in the shower, I really didn't like it. | 0:39:37 | 0:39:41 | |
I did feel I was being punished. | 0:39:41 | 0:39:43 | |
I felt it was like the war, you know. Ration. | 0:39:43 | 0:39:45 | |
'But, Flo, you get four bars of this soap | 0:39:45 | 0:39:48 | |
'for the price of your usual one. | 0:39:48 | 0:39:50 | |
'So are our budget face wipes at 50p a pack also facing defeat?' | 0:39:50 | 0:39:55 | |
They're really nice, yeah. | 0:39:55 | 0:39:56 | |
They got off all the dirt and make up | 0:39:56 | 0:39:58 | |
and they felt nice on my face. | 0:39:58 | 0:40:00 | |
'It's a pretty good £2.49 saving, too. | 0:40:00 | 0:40:04 | |
'And this body lotion at 99p is a quarter of the price of her usual top-end cream.' | 0:40:04 | 0:40:08 | |
It's a really nice lotion, so I would definitely be happy to swap to this one. | 0:40:08 | 0:40:14 | |
'Outside, John's hoping his driveway will scrub up a treat.' | 0:40:15 | 0:40:19 | |
-Ta-da! -Right. | 0:40:19 | 0:40:21 | |
'More proud homeowners than ever are ditching soggy sponges for these | 0:40:21 | 0:40:24 | |
'heavy-duty cleaners. And I've brought five along with me for John to test. | 0:40:24 | 0:40:28 | |
'The first one is the most expensive at almost £140. | 0:40:30 | 0:40:34 | |
'Our next pressure washer is under half the price, | 0:40:35 | 0:40:39 | |
'followed by not one, but two mid-range models. | 0:40:39 | 0:40:42 | |
'And finally, the cheapest, at just under £40.' | 0:40:44 | 0:40:48 | |
What I've done - brought five patio slabs, covered in autumnal muck. | 0:40:48 | 0:40:53 | |
-Yeah. -And we're just going to put them to the test. | 0:40:53 | 0:40:55 | |
-All right, fantastic. -OK, shall we start with this one? -Yeah. -Oh! | 0:40:55 | 0:40:59 | |
I didn't expect that. | 0:40:59 | 0:41:01 | |
First up, our most expensive model with its different jet settings. | 0:41:01 | 0:41:04 | |
Well, I mean, it's magic, isn't it? | 0:41:06 | 0:41:08 | |
Yeah, look, it looks lovely and clean now. | 0:41:08 | 0:41:11 | |
That is quite impressive, isn't it? | 0:41:11 | 0:41:12 | |
-Yes, yeah. -Let's give the second one a go, then. | 0:41:12 | 0:41:16 | |
Oh... | 0:41:16 | 0:41:17 | |
At just under half the price, our next washer has the same pressure, | 0:41:17 | 0:41:21 | |
but will it be as good? | 0:41:21 | 0:41:23 | |
That looks like a bit of an effort. | 0:41:24 | 0:41:25 | |
Yes, it's certainly more of an effort than the first one. | 0:41:25 | 0:41:28 | |
Eh... | 0:41:28 | 0:41:29 | |
-Yeah. -I couldn't be doing with it. I mean, imagine doing a whole patio. | 0:41:29 | 0:41:33 | |
Yes! Next up, with higher pressure, our first mid-range washer. | 0:41:33 | 0:41:38 | |
Love the colour of this one. | 0:41:38 | 0:41:40 | |
Yes, yes. Nice and bright. | 0:41:40 | 0:41:41 | |
Do we think that stripe is as clean as the first one? | 0:41:41 | 0:41:45 | |
No. No. | 0:41:45 | 0:41:46 | |
I don't think so. Unsure at the moment. Definitely between one and three. | 0:41:46 | 0:41:49 | |
OK, let's move on to this lovely green one. | 0:41:49 | 0:41:53 | |
Have a go. Oh... | 0:41:53 | 0:41:55 | |
And with the same pressure, another mid-range machine, | 0:41:55 | 0:41:58 | |
compact and slightly cheaper. | 0:41:58 | 0:42:00 | |
Now that is a good stripe. | 0:42:00 | 0:42:01 | |
-Yes. -How do we feel about this green one, compared to the others? | 0:42:01 | 0:42:05 | |
Oh, it could be in the lead now. | 0:42:05 | 0:42:06 | |
Finally, it's our cheapest and smallest model. | 0:42:06 | 0:42:09 | |
That to me, it's like a toy one, isn't it? | 0:42:09 | 0:42:12 | |
-Yeah, it looks a little bit feeble compared... -A little bit feeble. | 0:42:12 | 0:42:15 | |
But you never know. Size isn't everything. | 0:42:15 | 0:42:17 | |
-No, no. -That's what they say, isn't it? Let's have a look. | 0:42:17 | 0:42:20 | |
It might be a £40 bargain, | 0:42:20 | 0:42:22 | |
but does our cheapest model sacrifice power for price, | 0:42:22 | 0:42:25 | |
with only 60 bars of pressure? | 0:42:25 | 0:42:28 | |
Well, I mean, do good things come in small packages? | 0:42:28 | 0:42:31 | |
It did work all right. But it was a little bit more effort than the | 0:42:31 | 0:42:34 | |
others. I would say it's your budget option. | 0:42:34 | 0:42:36 | |
After a quick spray, | 0:42:36 | 0:42:38 | |
John's second favourite was the most expensive model. | 0:42:38 | 0:42:41 | |
But which washer really raised his pressure? | 0:42:41 | 0:42:44 | |
Most favourite would be the green one. | 0:42:44 | 0:42:45 | |
Good price, good size, worked very well. | 0:42:45 | 0:42:49 | |
This gadget man's favourite is a mid-range washer. | 0:42:49 | 0:42:52 | |
So for John, price doesn't always reflect performance. | 0:42:52 | 0:42:55 | |
-It's just win-win, John. -It is, yes. -Win-win. | 0:42:55 | 0:42:58 | |
What isn't a win-win, however, | 0:42:59 | 0:43:01 | |
is the five grand of debt on Flo's store and credit cards, | 0:43:01 | 0:43:04 | |
which we've locked away in the bedroom. | 0:43:04 | 0:43:07 | |
Cleverly managing this debt could get them out of the red much quicker. | 0:43:07 | 0:43:11 | |
The store card that you have has a rate of 22.9%... | 0:43:13 | 0:43:16 | |
-OK. -..on it, APR, so the annual percentage rate, | 0:43:16 | 0:43:19 | |
so that's the interest that's going | 0:43:19 | 0:43:21 | |
-to the company who are giving you the credit. -Yeah. | 0:43:21 | 0:43:24 | |
So if you've got a grand on a store card, | 0:43:24 | 0:43:26 | |
roughly that works out... | 0:43:26 | 0:43:28 | |
Let's say it's 22% of £220 interest you're paying... | 0:43:28 | 0:43:32 | |
-Yeah. -So there's the grand you've spent and then 220 quid on top of that. | 0:43:32 | 0:43:36 | |
-Yeah, yeah. -So that is just wasted money, isn't it? | 0:43:36 | 0:43:40 | |
-It is. -And you guys have got money you're putting into savings, | 0:43:40 | 0:43:43 | |
-haven't you? -John has. -So if you look at the other end... | 0:43:43 | 0:43:46 | |
Yeah, so, John, I'm pleased to hear that you're a bit more savvy with | 0:43:46 | 0:43:49 | |
-your money. -Yeah. -But actually, the way you're doing it now, | 0:43:49 | 0:43:52 | |
you're cancelling it out, | 0:43:52 | 0:43:54 | |
you're cancelling anything you'd get from that savings out and more. | 0:43:54 | 0:43:57 | |
Thinking of their savings and debt separately is a big mistake. | 0:43:59 | 0:44:03 | |
To keep things simple, if John has £1,000 in savings at 2.5% interest, | 0:44:03 | 0:44:08 | |
he's earning £25 a year. | 0:44:08 | 0:44:11 | |
Meanwhile, £1,000 of Flo's debt with 22% APR will cost her 220 a year. | 0:44:12 | 0:44:19 | |
Look at that big difference between the two. | 0:44:20 | 0:44:23 | |
It's 220 quid versus... | 0:44:23 | 0:44:25 | |
Sounds like you're saying he should give me the £1,000 | 0:44:25 | 0:44:28 | |
instead of saving it. | 0:44:28 | 0:44:30 | |
Yes, but only if he knows you're then not going to spend another grand... | 0:44:30 | 0:44:34 | |
-On another credit card! -Exactly, that's why I don't do it. | 0:44:34 | 0:44:37 | |
Yeah. 'If John did, it would save the couple £195 straight away.' | 0:44:37 | 0:44:42 | |
I'm sure you've seen these advertised. | 0:44:42 | 0:44:45 | |
'But a solution to their almost £5,000 credit card debt might be | 0:44:45 | 0:44:49 | |
'another credit card with 0% balance transfer.' | 0:44:49 | 0:44:52 | |
The upshot is you're then not paying any interest on the actual | 0:44:53 | 0:44:57 | |
outstanding balance. | 0:44:57 | 0:44:59 | |
So if you're paying off £100 a month for four years, | 0:44:59 | 0:45:01 | |
how much better off do you think you'd be? | 0:45:01 | 0:45:03 | |
Don't know, you're asking me difficult maths. | 0:45:03 | 0:45:06 | |
£1,000? | 0:45:06 | 0:45:07 | |
-I've no idea. -Not bad. | 0:45:07 | 0:45:09 | |
£1,200 better off. | 0:45:10 | 0:45:12 | |
-OK. -'It is a good option, | 0:45:12 | 0:45:14 | |
'but only if you pay off the amount before the 0% offer expires.' | 0:45:14 | 0:45:19 | |
So having seen those options, how do you feel? | 0:45:19 | 0:45:23 | |
The best option seems to be John pays off the credit card and we're back at zero. | 0:45:24 | 0:45:30 | |
But could you be disciplined enough not to then spend on the | 0:45:30 | 0:45:34 | |
-credit card? -Um, no, in that it'd have to go. If it's there, I probably would use it. | 0:45:34 | 0:45:39 | |
So if we're going for that option, | 0:45:39 | 0:45:41 | |
we'd have to cut it up, get rid of it. | 0:45:41 | 0:45:43 | |
So would you do that with your store cards, as well? | 0:45:43 | 0:45:46 | |
-Um... -Because John is making the sacrifice that he's going to use the | 0:45:46 | 0:45:50 | |
savings to help you pay this off, but you have got to... | 0:45:50 | 0:45:54 | |
-Yeah. -..make the sacrifice with your store card. -Yeah. -So... | 0:45:54 | 0:45:58 | |
Oh, God. Do I really have to do this? | 0:46:03 | 0:46:05 | |
-Yes, you really have to do this. -OK. -Come on. | 0:46:05 | 0:46:08 | |
All right. But it's a big...it's a big sacrifice that I'm making. | 0:46:08 | 0:46:10 | |
I can see the pain in your face. I know this is a major thing for you. | 0:46:10 | 0:46:13 | |
-Yeah. -Look at John's face. He's like, "Get in!" | 0:46:13 | 0:46:17 | |
'That's got to hurt, but to ease the pain, | 0:46:17 | 0:46:19 | |
'John could use the money from the sale of his laptops to pay off the debt on the store card.' | 0:46:19 | 0:46:24 | |
If John pays off the Next card, | 0:46:25 | 0:46:27 | |
then the agreement has to be that I don't use it any more, | 0:46:27 | 0:46:30 | |
so that's fine. | 0:46:30 | 0:46:32 | |
'With her store card now snipped, | 0:46:35 | 0:46:37 | |
'catalogue shopper Flo will need more budget-friendly fashion for her once-a-week night out.' | 0:46:37 | 0:46:42 | |
Very nice. So I'm assuming... | 0:46:42 | 0:46:44 | |
Are they from a charity shop? | 0:46:44 | 0:46:46 | |
'Indeed they are. If she swapped one of the two £35 dresses she buys | 0:46:46 | 0:46:51 | |
'every month with a £15 charity dress, she'd save £240 a year. | 0:46:51 | 0:46:56 | |
'We've even got her leather boots to complete her outfit.' | 0:46:56 | 0:46:59 | |
They look really nice, but, yeah, I can see they're not new, | 0:46:59 | 0:47:02 | |
so I'm a little bit...uh. | 0:47:02 | 0:47:04 | |
But looking at them like that, you wouldn't know. | 0:47:04 | 0:47:08 | |
But that's a little bit out of my comfort zone, | 0:47:08 | 0:47:10 | |
the whole second-hand shoes thing. | 0:47:10 | 0:47:12 | |
'Well, perhaps a £30 saving will make them more comfortable to wear.' | 0:47:12 | 0:47:16 | |
Like this one. Good colour, nice fit. | 0:47:16 | 0:47:19 | |
That's really nice. The boots are great. | 0:47:19 | 0:47:21 | |
Love the boots. | 0:47:21 | 0:47:23 | |
'Flo loves a night out with friends and family. | 0:47:23 | 0:47:26 | |
'But it's costing her almost £2,000 a year. | 0:47:26 | 0:47:29 | |
'Tonight, we're sending Flo, her mum and sisters... | 0:47:29 | 0:47:32 | |
'..to something completely free - a tango class.' | 0:47:33 | 0:47:36 | |
You have to make sure there's no weight on that leg. | 0:47:36 | 0:47:40 | |
I'm really excited that it's really different, unusual, | 0:47:40 | 0:47:43 | |
so I don't know what it'll be like but I'm really excited, yeah. | 0:47:43 | 0:47:47 | |
There are plenty of free classes up and down the country. | 0:47:48 | 0:47:52 | |
All you've got to do is go online and search your area. | 0:47:52 | 0:47:55 | |
One... Two... | 0:47:57 | 0:47:59 | |
You know, we love going and having a dance generally. | 0:47:59 | 0:48:03 | |
So, yeah, this would definitely be an alternative | 0:48:03 | 0:48:05 | |
to going out for dinner. | 0:48:05 | 0:48:07 | |
So a good night doesn't have to cost loads. | 0:48:07 | 0:48:09 | |
And that includes buying a new outfit. | 0:48:09 | 0:48:12 | |
You look beautiful, very glamorous. | 0:48:12 | 0:48:15 | |
You've told me about the joys of charity shops, haven't you? | 0:48:15 | 0:48:18 | |
-Exactly. -You said... -And, you know, you can get fabulous-looking stuff, | 0:48:18 | 0:48:22 | |
just like those boots and this gorgeous outfit, | 0:48:22 | 0:48:26 | |
for a bargain price. | 0:48:26 | 0:48:27 | |
'Couldn't have said it better myself!' | 0:48:27 | 0:48:29 | |
Very good. | 0:48:29 | 0:48:31 | |
Don't want any fancy twirls. | 0:48:31 | 0:48:32 | |
I'm sorry, I like the spinning! | 0:48:32 | 0:48:34 | |
The week of swaps is over and Alex and I have returned to Surrey | 0:48:36 | 0:48:40 | |
to find out how the Bance family have got on. | 0:48:40 | 0:48:43 | |
We have asked a lot of them through all of this. | 0:48:43 | 0:48:45 | |
I think we have to. They are really going to have to change the way that | 0:48:45 | 0:48:48 | |
they view money and how they deal with their finances. | 0:48:48 | 0:48:52 | |
Oh, I'm excited for them! | 0:48:52 | 0:48:53 | |
The proof will be in the reveal pudding, won't it? | 0:48:53 | 0:48:57 | |
Yeah. We're about to discover just how willing the Bances are to change | 0:48:57 | 0:49:02 | |
their bad spending habits for good. | 0:49:02 | 0:49:04 | |
-Hello. -Hello! How are you? -Very well. | 0:49:04 | 0:49:07 | |
So we did a fair bit of swapping in your house. | 0:49:09 | 0:49:12 | |
How did it go? | 0:49:12 | 0:49:13 | |
-Yeah, went fine. -Yeah, some of it was harder than others, | 0:49:13 | 0:49:17 | |
but generally it was all right. | 0:49:17 | 0:49:19 | |
-It was bearable. -OK, well, let's have a look at the swaps | 0:49:19 | 0:49:22 | |
individually, then, and see whether they were a winner or not. | 0:49:22 | 0:49:26 | |
-OK. -OK. So we're going to start with the vacuum cleaner. | 0:49:26 | 0:49:29 | |
-OK! Yeah. -You certainly reacted to that. | 0:49:29 | 0:49:32 | |
I did, yes. | 0:49:32 | 0:49:33 | |
Swapping Flo's £300 top-brand vacuum with a budget option sent her into a spin. | 0:49:34 | 0:49:40 | |
Er... Who is it? I mean, what is it? | 0:49:40 | 0:49:42 | |
Who is it? I don't like it already. | 0:49:42 | 0:49:44 | |
I'm quite upset. | 0:49:44 | 0:49:46 | |
Can you actually get distressed over a vacuum cleaner? | 0:49:47 | 0:49:50 | |
Well, I didn't realise you could, but, yes, you can! | 0:49:50 | 0:49:54 | |
-I love that. -Wow. -Who knew? -Did it work? -Yeah. | 0:49:54 | 0:49:57 | |
-Were you happy with its performance? -I was really surprised, actually. | 0:49:57 | 0:49:59 | |
Yeah, it works absolutely fine. | 0:49:59 | 0:50:01 | |
And, yeah, it did the job. | 0:50:01 | 0:50:03 | |
-Da-da-da! -'If Flo bought this vacuum next time, | 0:50:03 | 0:50:06 | |
'she'd save herself a whopping £250.' | 0:50:06 | 0:50:09 | |
-Wow. -Wow. | 0:50:09 | 0:50:11 | |
That is a massive price difference. | 0:50:11 | 0:50:12 | |
Yeah, it is. It was really good. | 0:50:12 | 0:50:14 | |
If you're going to save that much money, yeah, it's definitely worth it. | 0:50:14 | 0:50:17 | |
-Yeah. -'Next up, the children.' | 0:50:17 | 0:50:19 | |
We had a look at your spending and it turns out that you do spend about | 0:50:19 | 0:50:22 | |
£20 a week on your children in terms of new toys, new books, | 0:50:22 | 0:50:26 | |
-or new games. -Yeah. | 0:50:26 | 0:50:27 | |
This includes regularly buying Jacob new sets of Lego, | 0:50:27 | 0:50:31 | |
so we signed him up to an online club where he can borrow one set a month. | 0:50:31 | 0:50:35 | |
So the subscription costs £8.49 a month. | 0:50:35 | 0:50:39 | |
-Wow. -OK. | 0:50:39 | 0:50:41 | |
That's brilliant. | 0:50:41 | 0:50:42 | |
So how much do you reckon you're saving, then? | 0:50:42 | 0:50:46 | |
-A lot. -A lot. | 0:50:46 | 0:50:47 | |
-Shall I tell you? -Yeah. -Yeah. | 0:50:47 | 0:50:49 | |
It's £21.51 a month. | 0:50:49 | 0:50:51 | |
Yeah. That's brilliant. | 0:50:51 | 0:50:52 | |
So Jacob gets to play with more Lego over the year and saves them £190. | 0:50:52 | 0:50:57 | |
-So, swap? -Definitely. -Definitely, yeah. | 0:50:57 | 0:50:59 | |
-Yay! -That's a big bit of Lego, isn't it? | 0:50:59 | 0:51:02 | |
Brilliant. | 0:51:02 | 0:51:04 | |
'We didn't want to totally deny Ava of any new toys, | 0:51:04 | 0:51:07 | |
'but perhaps they could save a little by using their local toy exchange.' | 0:51:07 | 0:51:11 | |
Did she like it? Was it a great day out? | 0:51:11 | 0:51:13 | |
Yeah, she did. Because it was sort of a stay and play anyway, | 0:51:13 | 0:51:16 | |
she had fun, it was all new toys that she hadn't seen or played with. | 0:51:16 | 0:51:19 | |
She really enjoyed it and at the end we were able to take them away. | 0:51:19 | 0:51:23 | |
So if you bought half and borrowed the rest, | 0:51:23 | 0:51:27 | |
you'd save £12.50 a month. | 0:51:27 | 0:51:30 | |
-Yeah, yeah. -Which is pretty good, isn't it? -Yeah, no, that's great. | 0:51:30 | 0:51:33 | |
'Over a year, that's a saving of £150. | 0:51:33 | 0:51:36 | |
'But a family visit to the library saves even more.' | 0:51:36 | 0:51:39 | |
-Thank you very much. -We asked you to try out a library. | 0:51:39 | 0:51:42 | |
Tell us why you reacted like that. | 0:51:42 | 0:51:44 | |
Because it's so obvious, isn't it? | 0:51:44 | 0:51:45 | |
I'm embarrassed. I know the library's there. | 0:51:45 | 0:51:48 | |
-It is so obvious. -Yeah. -So obvious, but they are so underused, aren't they? | 0:51:48 | 0:51:52 | |
Yeah, they are. They are. | 0:51:52 | 0:51:53 | |
So the saving would be... | 0:51:53 | 0:51:56 | |
£25.94 a month. | 0:51:56 | 0:51:58 | |
-That's quite a lot of money, isn't it? -It is. -On books. -Yeah. | 0:51:58 | 0:52:01 | |
-Yeah. -It's all adding up. -Exactly. It's all adding up. | 0:52:01 | 0:52:03 | |
Visiting the library, | 0:52:03 | 0:52:05 | |
plus the other toy swaps would save John and Flo over £600 a year. | 0:52:05 | 0:52:10 | |
But what about the family's biggest toy? | 0:52:10 | 0:52:12 | |
John's sports car, housed in that second garage. | 0:52:12 | 0:52:16 | |
What have you decided about all of that? | 0:52:16 | 0:52:17 | |
I will probably sell the car. | 0:52:17 | 0:52:19 | |
-Probably? -All right, I will sell the car. | 0:52:19 | 0:52:22 | |
-You will sell the car? -Yes. | 0:52:22 | 0:52:24 | |
Wow. So if you got rid of the car, you wouldn't need the garage and you | 0:52:24 | 0:52:27 | |
certainly wouldn't need the insurance. | 0:52:27 | 0:52:29 | |
That's £1,800 there in your pocket. | 0:52:29 | 0:52:31 | |
-Fantastic. -And whatever you get for the car as well and it's valuing at | 0:52:31 | 0:52:35 | |
about £3,000, isn't it? | 0:52:35 | 0:52:37 | |
-Yeah, yeah. -So that would be really helpful for you guys. | 0:52:37 | 0:52:41 | |
This would be an enormous saving of around 4,800. | 0:52:41 | 0:52:45 | |
We're not saying that you're not allowed to ever enjoy your hobbies. | 0:52:45 | 0:52:48 | |
But as you say, you've only had it six months | 0:52:48 | 0:52:50 | |
and you're already bored of it. | 0:52:50 | 0:52:51 | |
-Yeah. -Yeah. -What does that tell you? | 0:52:51 | 0:52:53 | |
-You don't need it! -No... | 0:52:53 | 0:52:55 | |
And there are plenty more savings available if the family simply | 0:52:55 | 0:52:59 | |
switch some of their branded products, including the face wipes. | 0:52:59 | 0:53:03 | |
They're really nice. Yeah, they got off all the dirt and make-up. | 0:53:03 | 0:53:06 | |
And the cost per packet for these is 50 pence. | 0:53:06 | 0:53:09 | |
-Wow. -Which is a saving of £2.49. | 0:53:09 | 0:53:13 | |
I'm really surprised. They were really good. | 0:53:13 | 0:53:15 | |
50p? What is 50p nowadays? | 0:53:15 | 0:53:17 | |
-Nothing. -And that's an annual saving of 30 quid. | 0:53:17 | 0:53:21 | |
But there was one swap which definitely didn't go down well. | 0:53:21 | 0:53:25 | |
-Oh, no. Value toilet paper. -You know, look at the colour of it. | 0:53:25 | 0:53:28 | |
It's horrid. Horrid, horrid, horrid. | 0:53:28 | 0:53:30 | |
There would be a saving of £1.37. | 0:53:30 | 0:53:32 | |
-OK. No. -No? | 0:53:32 | 0:53:35 | |
I love their reaction! | 0:53:35 | 0:53:36 | |
It's literally, "£1.37? It would have to be £1,000..." | 0:53:36 | 0:53:39 | |
-Yeah! -The point is you'd get three extra rolls, | 0:53:39 | 0:53:43 | |
so all of that column there is free. | 0:53:43 | 0:53:46 | |
Yeah, but they're thinner anyway... | 0:53:46 | 0:53:48 | |
-No, no... -Not even £40 a year would change your mind? | 0:53:48 | 0:53:51 | |
-No. -No. -No. | 0:53:51 | 0:53:53 | |
Thankfully, they didn't turn their noses up at Ava's supermarket own night-time nappy swap. | 0:53:54 | 0:53:59 | |
These were brilliant. They were really roomy, stretchy, everything you want. | 0:53:59 | 0:54:03 | |
They lasted all night. They were amazing. | 0:54:03 | 0:54:06 | |
-So is it a swap? -Definitely. -Yeah. | 0:54:06 | 0:54:08 | |
OK. That swap, John, will mean a saving of £230 annually. | 0:54:08 | 0:54:13 | |
Fantastic. | 0:54:13 | 0:54:15 | |
But would catalogue-loving Flo be as comfortable as Ava with the | 0:54:15 | 0:54:19 | |
second-hand clothes we gave her to try? | 0:54:19 | 0:54:21 | |
So, if you do a high street dress and a charity dress every month, | 0:54:21 | 0:54:25 | |
the saving you're looking at is £20 a month. | 0:54:25 | 0:54:27 | |
Yeah. It makes sense. | 0:54:27 | 0:54:29 | |
You know, we do have fantastic charity shops in this area. | 0:54:29 | 0:54:32 | |
You could find some really good stuff. | 0:54:32 | 0:54:34 | |
Yeah, yeah. | 0:54:34 | 0:54:36 | |
So how was Flo's fancy footwear? | 0:54:36 | 0:54:38 | |
So you walked a day in someone else's shoes... | 0:54:38 | 0:54:40 | |
Yes! | 0:54:40 | 0:54:42 | |
-How did it feel? -They were really nice. | 0:54:42 | 0:54:45 | |
They looked really good on. They were really comfortable, there's | 0:54:45 | 0:54:48 | |
-just a slight kind of ick factor, but... -Yeah. | 0:54:48 | 0:54:50 | |
Did you get over it, though? | 0:54:50 | 0:54:52 | |
I think I did, yeah. I had a really good night, so... | 0:54:52 | 0:54:54 | |
Two people have had a really good night in these now! | 0:54:54 | 0:54:57 | |
So you normally spend about 50 quid on a pair of boots. | 0:54:57 | 0:55:00 | |
These ones from a charity shop were 20 quid. | 0:55:00 | 0:55:03 | |
-Yeah. -And that would be a 30 quid saving. | 0:55:03 | 0:55:06 | |
-So would they be a swap? -It's something to consider. | 0:55:06 | 0:55:09 | |
Also worth considering was the night out swap, for free tango. | 0:55:10 | 0:55:14 | |
It was really good fun, yeah. We had a lot of fun. Took my mum, | 0:55:15 | 0:55:18 | |
my two sisters and we just had a really lovely time. | 0:55:18 | 0:55:21 | |
And it was...free! | 0:55:21 | 0:55:23 | |
-Amazing. -Completely free. | 0:55:23 | 0:55:25 | |
-Amazing. -That would save you 35 quid a week. | 0:55:25 | 0:55:29 | |
-Yeah. -It's £1,800 a year. | 0:55:29 | 0:55:31 | |
-And you're not really sacrificing anything, are you? -No. | 0:55:31 | 0:55:33 | |
-Cos you're going to do something else fun. -Yeah. | 0:55:33 | 0:55:35 | |
-Wahay! Is that a swap? -Yeah, that's a swap. -Good. | 0:55:35 | 0:55:37 | |
-Good. -'The majority of swaps have been a success, | 0:55:37 | 0:55:40 | |
'but if they continue with our advice, | 0:55:40 | 0:55:42 | |
'will the Bances be able to pay off that five grand credit card debt and | 0:55:42 | 0:55:46 | |
'start saving?' | 0:55:46 | 0:55:48 | |
Would you like to hear from us a total of what you could | 0:55:48 | 0:55:51 | |
save in the future going forward? | 0:55:51 | 0:55:54 | |
-Yeah. We're ready. -Go on, then. | 0:55:54 | 0:55:55 | |
That would be a saving of £8,500. | 0:55:55 | 0:55:59 | |
-Oh. -Mm... -That's amazing. | 0:55:59 | 0:56:01 | |
And that actually is not huge changes in terms of your day-to-day life, is it? | 0:56:01 | 0:56:05 | |
-No. -No. -It's just approaching things differently. | 0:56:05 | 0:56:07 | |
-Yeah. -Quite amazing, because they are small changes and they're really | 0:56:07 | 0:56:11 | |
-not too painful. -And you can talk about money more with each other. | 0:56:11 | 0:56:14 | |
Yeah. It's forced us to look at the finances and talk about the problem | 0:56:14 | 0:56:18 | |
that we've got and how we're going to solve it. | 0:56:18 | 0:56:21 | |
Yeah. Find a sensible solution to it. | 0:56:21 | 0:56:23 | |
-Yeah. -Come on! -Group hug, group hug. | 0:56:23 | 0:56:25 | |
-This isn't awkward at all. -Come on, John. | 0:56:26 | 0:56:29 | |
Well, I feel a great sense of achievement from them there. | 0:56:30 | 0:56:33 | |
Like so many families, they had their heads buried in the sand. | 0:56:33 | 0:56:36 | |
They just wouldn't talk about money. | 0:56:36 | 0:56:38 | |
-And now look at them! -It's opened up a conversation about money that they | 0:56:38 | 0:56:41 | |
-couldn't have. -It's doable. | 0:56:41 | 0:56:43 | |
You know, it's not big and scary changes, so... | 0:56:43 | 0:56:46 | |
-..let's do it. -Mm. | 0:56:47 | 0:56:48 | |
-We can't do miracles, can we? But they're on the right track. -Yeah. | 0:56:48 | 0:56:51 | |
-I like the sound of the tango as well. -Do you? -How do you tango? | 0:56:51 | 0:56:53 | |
-Maybe we should try that. Oh, God, here we go... -What is it? | 0:56:53 | 0:56:56 | |
What happens? | 0:56:56 | 0:56:57 | |
No, no, no, it's not like this... | 0:56:57 | 0:56:59 | |
I mean, it's just not this. This is not it, at all. | 0:56:59 | 0:57:03 | |
You're doing really well. | 0:57:03 | 0:57:04 | |
Next time, a family with expensive tastes. | 0:57:04 | 0:57:07 | |
This must've cost an absolute bomb. | 0:57:07 | 0:57:09 | |
Slowing down their spending... | 0:57:09 | 0:57:11 | |
-7,000. -What?! | 0:57:11 | 0:57:12 | |
Got a really bad addiction. I totally admit it. | 0:57:12 | 0:57:15 | |
..won't be easy. | 0:57:15 | 0:57:16 | |
-OK, this is not working. -This is rubbish. | 0:57:16 | 0:57:18 |