"Big Spender" TV show

[befree]

I think these are re-runs, but they're new to me. A flamboyant guy in beautiful embroidered Western shirts (kinda like a tougher Dave Ramsey with a drawl) takes a family who have overspent themselves into financial crisis and gives 'em a bare bones financial boot camp. One of his usual things is to go through the house and pick out lots of items to sell at a consignment store, to put that dollar amount into debt reduction. My emotions would be "ya-hoo! Decluttering!" but on this episode the woman was in tears, as if letting go of these items was physically hurting her. I'm not judging her, I'm just commenting on her emotional response vs what mine would be. I thought he counseled her very kindly on what these items represented to her ("I buy these things for my kid so he'll have everything in life") vs. what is really important ("do you want your kid to have that toy, or a college education? What would really be giving your kid everything would be a calm, responsible, financially secure home life.")

[try2bfrugal]

I like that show, too. The only thing I find missing from that show and the ones like it in general are showing people how much cheaper life can be with sustainable living - making your own cleaning products, using drying racks, cooking from scratch. It is one thing to tell people to cut their grocery budget, but to do that and still eat well you have to know what to buy, and more importantly what not to buy, at the grocery store.

[Teacher Terry]

I also watch that show & they are re-runs. I also like til Debt Do Us Part & Princess. They are all very similar. It would be nice if they did follow-ups a year down the road to see if they were still frugal and making progress.

[Lainey]

I also watch that show & they are re-runs. I also like til Debt Do Us Part & Princess. They are all very similar. It would be nice if they did follow-ups a year down the road to see if they were still frugal and making progress.

Same here. Hard to tell if several hours of "tough love" over several weeks is enough to make a lasting change, so I'd be curious to see how they're doing too.

befree, I saw that original show too where the woman was asked to part with things in her closet that still had tags on them - which were a lot - and she reacted like she'd been asked to give up a kidney. I don't know if you can really change such an extreme mindset.

[ToomuchStuff]

Let me ask what channel they are on? I never heard of the program, and did a search and it looks like it was a one season A&E program, but didn't show up on their website, which means they probably aren't the ones playing it. (not that I have cable, but will be where cable is, when people are in food coma's tonight and tomorrow)

[Teacher Terry]

I actually just program the DVR to record the series when it plays so do not know.