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General Discussion => Welcome and General Discussion => Topic started by: jax8 on March 21, 2018, 02:42:12 PM

Title: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: jax8 on March 21, 2018, 02:42:12 PM
Anyone have Amazon Prime? I'm binge watching 'Til Debt Do Us Part, an old (2004) Canadian TV show where the host goes through a couple's personal finance and gets them back on track.  It's addictive!

I'm ashamed to say this, but it took a whole season before I finally stopped laughing at the money jars and started to seriously think about them.  My idea of budgeting is kind of like dieting--go as hardcore as possible.  I'd grocery shop for dried beans and the like, trying to see how little money I could spend.  When I'm trying to save money, I don't do anything and I feel stressed out and mean.

Gail (the host) divided the money into: Food, Transportation, Clothing & Gifts, Entertainment, and Other.  There may only be $6.00 per week in the Clothing & Gifts jar, but there is still SOMETHING there that can be combined with the next few weeks to actually purchase something.  One couple asked about the Entertainment jar (which had like, $25 per week in it) and Gail said, "You have this jar because you need it. It's human nature to take a day off and go do something fun.  This entertainment jar keeps you on course."

Hmmm. 

Well, that's where I slip up!  I zero out clothing and entertainment and try to live too tightly--and my family hates me--then 2 months later I'm burned out and we're eating out and buying outfits again.  I need to budget for entertainment and clothes to keep moving forward.

I highly recommend this show! It's one of those fun background shows to put on while bulk cooking over the weekend!
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: mm1970 on March 21, 2018, 02:45:16 PM
Gah!!! It's on Amazon Prime!  I watched it years ago (at least 5 years ago), when it was on CNBC.  But we cancelled cable (wait, it was 6 years ago), and I tried several times to see if I could find it again.  Never anywhere - like Amazon or Netflix, and I wasn't able to get it directly because I'm not in Canada.  Whee!!
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: SC93 on March 21, 2018, 06:26:08 PM
I've watched the show back when it was on CNBC. It was ok.

Like you, I take things a little far when we are saving for something although we are probably on a different level. For example, we wanted to save $7,000 extra this month for something we want to do. Now out of the blue I have a tooth ache. I'm not going to the dentist until after the 1st of April because come hell or high water I'm not spending any money until we have the extra saved. We should end up with an extra $3,000 on top of the $7,000 but it won't all come together until around the last few days of the month.... so I'm going to suffer. :(

We normally aren't on a tight budget at all and you might know, as soon as we decide to save for something, a tooth ache happens.
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: albijaji on March 21, 2018, 07:31:31 PM
fantastic.. i was looking for streams last year and never found any, thanks for the heads up
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: RetiredAt63 on March 22, 2018, 09:01:57 AM
I watched it when it was on HGTV(?) in Canada.  Amazing show.  One spouse asked for help, and Gail came.  Usually both spouses were contributing to the problems. She had couples do things together to see how they functioned as a couple.  Some of them worked well together, some didn't.  Occasionally it turned out that the spouse who asked for help was stuck, because the other spouse was massively unwilling to change or even acknowledge the problems.  There are a few where I hope the asking for help spouse filed for divorce before things got worse (and not just financially, there were some super controlling spouses on there).

Gail still has lots of books out, and she was working on financial education programs last I checked.  She is one of my heroes.
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: Moustachienne on March 22, 2018, 09:16:19 AM
Gail also had the shows Money Morons (not that different that Debt Do Us Part) and Princess (getting spoiled young women, and a couple of young men, on track.)  A lot of it was about Gail working with them to develop goals for their lives.  I really loved seeing the Princesses that suddenly woke up and grew up about money and responsibility. I'd love to see how many of them were able to stay on track but haven't been able to find any "where are they now" stories.
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: jax8 on March 22, 2018, 09:27:57 AM
Gail also had the shows Money Morons (not that different that Debt Do Us Part) and Princess (getting spoiled young women, and a couple of young men, on track.)  A lot of it was about Gail working with them to develop goals for their lives.  I really loved seeing the Princesses that suddenly woke up and grew up about money and responsibility. I'd love to see how many of them were able to stay on track but haven't been able to find any "where are they now" stories.

I'm dying for Where Are They Now updates!!!  The show was almost 15 years ago, and I'd love to see the smart ones who followed her advice versus the dummies who went right back to spending.  Or even the ones who tried to stick to her advice, but life happened, and they had to tweak and create to get back on track. 
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: pachnik on March 22, 2018, 10:30:55 AM
Gail also had the shows Money Morons (not that different that Debt Do Us Part) and Princess (getting spoiled young women, and a couple of young men, on track.)  A lot of it was about Gail working with them to develop goals for their lives.  I really loved seeing the Princesses that suddenly woke up and grew up about money and responsibility. I'd love to see how many of them were able to stay on track but haven't been able to find any "where are they now" stories.

I'm dying for Where Are They Now updates!!!  The show was almost 15 years ago, and I'd love to see the smart ones who followed her advice versus the dummies who went right back to spending.  Or even the ones who tried to stick to her advice, but life happened, and they had to tweak and create to get back on track.

I wouldn't mind seeing some 'where are they now' updates either.  But as far as I know, Gail has been retired for the last few years so I don't think there will be any more shows from her.   I really, really liked 'Til Debt do us Part' and 'Princess'.  Perhaps, she'll write another book.
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: bluebelle on March 22, 2018, 10:41:16 AM
I really liked the show when it was on the air, although I think I watched it just to see the trainwrecks.  It was pretty mainstream in its financial advice, assuming a 'normal' retirement age of 65.  But it was an interesting watch to see what people thought they 'deserved'.  What I really liked about it was pushing people to keep track of what they spent.....much like dieting, it's not the once a year piece of cake that makes you fat, it's the daily extra 100 calories that send you into the sink hole.....if you're not paying attention, that's what happens. 

And there are alot of folks that spend less than they make (ie not in debt), but still have no idea what they spend and where and what they'd need in retirement. 
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: Noodle on March 22, 2018, 12:06:42 PM
Thanks for letting us know about this! I watched a couple episodes last night and I can see it will be fun "dinner TV" from time to time. I have to say, this is the most hilariously Canadian show ever...if this were American reality TV they'd be punching the walls and cussing out the host when they get frustrated, and instead they just say "Oh, I don't care for that idea at all."

I enjoyed the fact that they have showcased people with different problems--so far, one couple had a couple of big crises and then didn't adjust their spending accordingly, one couple just flat-out didn't earn enough, and one was high-income people who were ripe for some Mustachian spending cuts.
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: OurTown on March 22, 2018, 12:20:17 PM
I like her 1000x more than Dave Ramsey.
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: DS on March 22, 2018, 12:34:27 PM
Love this show. Gail doesn't put up with bs and I love her discipline.

I never manually tracked my expenses before watching it, but started after watching and noticed how it affected my habits.
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: Zikoris on March 22, 2018, 12:57:11 PM
I used to watch that as a teenager! I remember being really shocked at how much people spent on transportation, since I've never had a vehicle (or even a license), and at the time had very little exposure to other people's budgets. It was pretty fascinating to see how people spent their money.
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: Prairie Stash on March 22, 2018, 02:04:51 PM
http://gailvazoxlade.com/blog/
http://www.gailvazoxlade.com/

For those who want more Gail in their lives.


Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: Cassie on March 22, 2018, 02:09:02 PM
I loved that show and watched it all the time. 
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: OurTown on March 22, 2018, 02:10:48 PM
World's best theme song:  "Money money money money money money mon-eeeey!"
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: Dr Kidstache on March 22, 2018, 02:35:52 PM
OMG, you just made me so happy. I didn't know it was on Amazon Prime now! I used to love that show!
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: mm1970 on March 22, 2018, 03:16:37 PM
Of course watched two episodes last night!!
Title: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: elaine amj on March 22, 2018, 03:36:20 PM
Its a fun show Basically a tell-it-like-it-is financial advice with generally mainstream advice.

I totally agree that it was fascinating watching how people thought about their spending and what they “deserved”.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: bluebelle on March 22, 2018, 03:37:22 PM
I could never figure out how people couldn't know they were overspending by $5000 a month....didn't they notice the extra zeros on the CC or line of credit balance?
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: Missy B on March 22, 2018, 03:53:12 PM
I've watched the show back when it was on CNBC. It was ok.

Like you, I take things a little far when we are saving for something although we are probably on a different level. For example, we wanted to save $7,000 extra this month for something we want to do. Now out of the blue I have a tooth ache. I'm not going to the dentist until after the 1st of April because come hell or high water I'm not spending any money until we have the extra saved. We should end up with an extra $3,000 on top of the $7,000 but it won't all come together until around the last few days of the month.... so I'm going to suffer. :(

We normally aren't on a tight budget at all and you might know, as soon as we decide to save for something, a tooth ache happens.

As a friend... don't mess around with your teeth. I don't want to be a Poopy Pattie here, but if you've got an infection or something that can develop into an infection, it will be a lot more expensive to treat if you wait, and teeth infections are a lot more dangerous than infections elsewhere.
Yeah, it might screw up your savings schedule, but as they say... Man Plans, God Laughs.
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: bluebelle on March 22, 2018, 03:56:35 PM
I've watched the show back when it was on CNBC. It was ok.

Like you, I take things a little far when we are saving for something although we are probably on a different level. For example, we wanted to save $7,000 extra this month for something we want to do. Now out of the blue I have a tooth ache. I'm not going to the dentist until after the 1st of April because come hell or high water I'm not spending any money until we have the extra saved. We should end up with an extra $3,000 on top of the $7,000 but it won't all come together until around the last few days of the month.... so I'm going to suffer. :(

We normally aren't on a tight budget at all and you might know, as soon as we decide to save for something, a tooth ache happens.

As a friend... don't mess around with your teeth. I don't want to be a Poopy Pattie here, but if you've got an infection or something that can develop into an infection, it will be a lot more expensive to treat if you wait, and teeth infections are a lot more dangerous than infections elsewhere.
Yeah, it might screw up your savings schedule, but as they say... Man Plans, God Laughs.

I'm with Missy B.  To each their own, but suffering with a tooth ache for a few weeks because of a self imposed goal of saving $7K one month sounds crazy to me.....you're not talking like the rent cheque bounces if I go to the dentist, but just some goal you set yourself.  From my perspective that's as outside reasonable as someone spending $5K they know they don't have.  Both extremes aren't healthy.
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: Zikoris on March 22, 2018, 04:30:40 PM
I could never figure out how people couldn't know they were overspending by $5000 a month....didn't they notice the extra zeros on the CC or line of credit balance?

I think she was doing some strange math on the overspending amounts. It's been awhile so I don't really remember, but there was at least one episode where people were arguing with her on that, and I don't think it was just straight-up adding income and subtracting spending that she was doing.
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: bluebelle on March 22, 2018, 04:51:06 PM
I could never figure out how people couldn't know they were overspending by $5000 a month....didn't they notice the extra zeros on the CC or line of credit balance?

I think she was doing some strange math on the overspending amounts. It's been awhile so I don't really remember, but there was at least one episode where people were arguing with her on that, and I don't think it was just straight-up adding income and subtracting spending that she was doing.
True, I think she took big expenditures and amortized over 6 months....like a house reno or big trip, the show was always a little light on details
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: kayvent on March 22, 2018, 05:55:53 PM
Gail is awesome. 'Nuff said.
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: Workingmomsaves on March 22, 2018, 06:54:37 PM
Oh loved this show.  I remember watching it late night while up feeding my first born.  7 years ago😂.
One of the things that got us started on this path toward FIRE.
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: Dicey on March 23, 2018, 09:07:59 AM
I've watched the show back when it was on CNBC. It was ok.

Like you, I take things a little far when we are saving for something although we are probably on a different level. For example, we wanted to save $7,000 extra this month for something we want to do. Now out of the blue I have a tooth ache. I'm not going to the dentist until after the 1st of April because come hell or high water I'm not spending any money until we have the extra saved. We should end up with an extra $3,000 on top of the $7,000 but it won't all come together until around the last few days of the month.... so I'm going to suffer. :(

We normally aren't on a tight budget at all and you might know, as soon as we decide to save for something, a tooth ache happens.

As a friend... don't mess around with your teeth. I don't want to be a Poopy Pattie here, but if you've got an infection or something that can develop into an infection, it will be a lot more expensive to treat if you wait, and teeth infections are a lot more dangerous than infections elsewhere.
Yeah, it might screw up your savings schedule, but as they say... Man Plans, God Laughs.

I'm with Missy B.  To each their own, but suffering with a tooth ache for a few weeks because of a self imposed goal of saving $7K one month sounds crazy to me.....you're not talking like the rent cheque bounces if I go to the dentist, but just some goal you set yourself.  From my perspective that's as outside reasonable as someone spending $5K they know they don't have.  Both extremes aren't healthy.
What's that old saying? Don't be penny wise and pound foolish. Please. What you are doing is cheap, not frugal.
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: bluebelle on March 23, 2018, 09:11:46 AM
I've watched the show back when it was on CNBC. It was ok.

Like you, I take things a little far when we are saving for something although we are probably on a different level. For example, we wanted to save $7,000 extra this month for something we want to do. Now out of the blue I have a tooth ache. I'm not going to the dentist until after the 1st of April because come hell or high water I'm not spending any money until we have the extra saved. We should end up with an extra $3,000 on top of the $7,000 but it won't all come together until around the last few days of the month.... so I'm going to suffer. :(

We normally aren't on a tight budget at all and you might know, as soon as we decide to save for something, a tooth ache happens.

As a friend... don't mess around with your teeth. I don't want to be a Poopy Pattie here, but if you've got an infection or something that can develop into an infection, it will be a lot more expensive to treat if you wait, and teeth infections are a lot more dangerous than infections elsewhere.
Yeah, it might screw up your savings schedule, but as they say... Man Plans, God Laughs.

I'm with Missy B.  To each their own, but suffering with a tooth ache for a few weeks because of a self imposed goal of saving $7K one month sounds crazy to me.....you're not talking like the rent cheque bounces if I go to the dentist, but just some goal you set yourself.  From my perspective that's as outside reasonable as someone spending $5K they know they don't have.  Both extremes aren't healthy.
What's that old saying? Don't be penny wise and pound foolish. Please. What you are doing is cheap, not frugal.
What she said.  (Dicey, you phrased it better, or more directly than I did, thanks)
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: Prairie Stash on March 23, 2018, 09:17:29 AM
I could never figure out how people couldn't know they were overspending by $5000 a month....didn't they notice the extra zeros on the CC or line of credit balance?

I think she was doing some strange math on the overspending amounts. It's been awhile so I don't really remember, but there was at least one episode where people were arguing with her on that, and I don't think it was just straight-up adding income and subtracting spending that she was doing.
True, I think she took big expenditures and amortized over 6 months....like a house reno or big trip, the show was always a little light on details
She took the overspending and applied a high interest rate (like a CC) to it (that's my theory). So if you overspend by $2000/month, at 19.9% interest, the numbers get crazy big, really fast. The people who had trouble with math forgot the interest was compounding on all the overspending. So while it might only be $24,000/year, what happens after 10 years to the principle you keep rolling over? $670,000, thats what you get if you add $2k/month at 19.9%, the math worked, but it was impossible to explain to people who let themselves get there in the first place.

Obviously a lot of those numbers could never be reached before credit cards cut you off. Long before then a person is absolutely screwed and declaing bankruptcy, its inevitable.
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: Lanthiriel on March 23, 2018, 02:13:35 PM
THANK YOU for recommending this show! This will be my go-to for evening knitting for a while.
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: everinprogress on March 25, 2018, 10:56:06 AM
I was so excited to see this- then looked it up, and it doesn't seem to be an option for Canadian amazon streaming :(
Someone please correct me if I'm wrong
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: SoftwareGoddess on March 25, 2018, 11:40:53 AM
I was so excited to see this- then looked it up, and it doesn't seem to be an option for Canadian amazon streaming :(
Someone please correct me if I'm wrong

I think you can still watch it on slice.ca (the original broadcast station). There are a few episode updates there, too. Nothing really new, but maybe interesting if you've never seen any updates at all.
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: CrustyBadger on March 25, 2018, 12:59:00 PM
I just started watching this!  I love it!   A few things I noticed:

1) I really wish we saw more of what the couples actually DID to live spending money out of their jars.  I mean, to go from eating out 16 times per months and spending $450 a week to suddenly living off of $50 a week for food is a steep learning curve but she never showed how the family adapts!

2) As a USAmerican it is amazing to me to see "medical/dental" money just out into the "incidental" jar.   And so far I haven't heard of "high medical bills" being a reason anyone has gone into debt.

3) I guess you can only do so much in a month, and just facing up to your debt is a big accomplishment.   As for changing spending patterns -- it's easy to "just buy nothing" for a month.   All these people spending $800 a month on clothing or "Amazon shopping" though- I can't believe they are all able to reduce their clothing and gifts shopping to $40 a month for more than a couple months.   

I found a few "Where are they Now" videos:

http://www.slice.ca/til-debt-do-us-part/video/webisode/where-are-they-now-lucy-and-dave/video.html?v=64189507780

http://www.slice.ca/til-debt-do-us-part/video/webisode/where-are-they-now-beth-and-steve/video.html?v=64188995864

http://www.slice.ca/til-debt-do-us-part/video/webisode/where-are-they-now-hollie-and-sean/video.html?v=64188483977

http://www.slice.ca/til-debt-do-us-part/video/webisode/where-are-they-now-candice-and-clint/video.html?v=64190019637





Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: FIRE Artist on March 25, 2018, 05:01:04 PM
Her book It’s your Money, Becoming a Woman of Independent Means was life changing for me.
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: SK Joyous on March 28, 2018, 02:18:37 PM
I just started watching this!  I love it!   A few things I noticed:

1) I really wish we saw more of what the couples actually DID to live spending money out of their jars.  I mean, to go from eating out 16 times per months and spending $450 a week to suddenly living off of $50 a week for food is a steep learning curve but she never showed how the family adapts!
Yeah, her thing is to make it seem so easy and obvious, like it’s no big deal not to spend and that anyone could do it easily. She’s not necessarily wrong, but it would be nice to see some actual details beyond “we spent so much less this month!”

2) As a USAmerican it is amazing to me to see "medical/dental" money just out into the "incidental" jar.   And so far I haven't heard of "high medical bills" being a reason anyone has gone into debt.
Well, these are mostly young people. Our basic health insurance is covered by our much higher taxes, so unless they have an expensive monthly medication or a very extensive dental treatment, then they aren’t likely to go into debt for anything medical.

3) I guess you can only do so much in a month, and just facing up to your debt is a big accomplishment.   As for changing spending patterns -- it's easy to "just buy nothing" for a month.   All these people spending $800 a month on clothing or "Amazon shopping" though- I can't believe they are all able to reduce their clothing and gifts shopping to $40 a month for more than a couple months.   

Ageed, I usually kind of feel like they’re being set up for failure to a degree.
She gives them a kick start, but I’ve often felt like the way it’s presented is a recipe for disaster. “If you keep spending this way, then by 65 you will have a million dollars!” Except the budget has very little room, so where is accounting for major house repairs, emergencies, vacations, major car repairs? I’m sure she covers this with them, but the way it’s presented, it’s not obvious. And not planning for major and reasonable expenses is a great way to feel like a failure and like a plan won’t work.

I’m sure a lot of people benefit from a kick in the ass, and I have little doubt that her advice is far better than what’s portrayed on the show, but the way it’s packaged and edited sure looks like it wouldn’t end well for most people.


In the end though, I love her.
I started watching when I was in school and drowning in debt. I couldn’t wait to start paying it off and watching her common sense advice and her tough-love-but-heavy-on-the-love approach really encouraged me to be smart about my money once I started making it.

I keep hoping I’ll get a chance to meet her.

Just a few observations (I love love this show, her blog, and books, and was sad when she retired!)
1) They do show some of these things in some of the shows - due to time constraints, each show has different pieces, but I have definitely seen where their 'challenge' is to grocery shop on a budget, meal plan, and learn more about home cooking for example - or plan as a family a month worth of entertainment for little or no money. As you watch all the shows you got a taste of how they go about doing all of these things, they just don't have time to show it for every family every time.

2) Sorry, but I have pick some nits here. We don't have 'basic' health insurance covered, we have universal health insurance - really only medications or dental wouldn't be covered, and many provinces have some sort of limit on medications or assistance available for those things. Not saying a disastrous illness couldn't happen that would make them unable to work, but then there is EI and disability insurance too. We also don't have 'much higher taxes'; depending on the state and province, the comparisons can be pretty darn close actually. Keep in mind, the U.S. spends more per capita of tax dollars on their healthcare system than we do in Canada.

3) Actually, Gail has them immediately putting money into an emergency fund. It is actually one of the first things she does in the budget. If you have hair-on-fire debt, you have no business going on vacations, but she always does tell them that as their debt is paid off they can increase their spending etc. I didn't really think she left these things out most of the time, but I suppose for editing purposes it could be left on the cutting room floor occasionally :)

I guess everybody gets a slightly different thing from her shows, but it's great that everyone gets some takeaway! I hope you get to meet her (I don't know if she does public events anymore? Hopefully she does!) Good luck!
 
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: CrustyBadger on March 28, 2018, 02:31:56 PM
3) Actually, Gail has them immediately putting money into an emergency fund. It is actually one of the first things she does in the budget. If you have hair-on-fire debt, you have no business going on vacations, but she always does tell them that as their debt is paid off they can increase their spending etc. I didn't really think she left these things out most of the time, but I suppose for editing purposes it could be left on the cutting room floor occasionally :)


Yes, I always see the Emergency Fund in her budgets (usually $100) and Savings (Maybe another $200?) but even so, one major household repair would blow through that very quickly.   I don't see any "sinking fund" for home or car repair in her budgets.
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: jax8 on March 28, 2018, 03:14:02 PM
3) Actually, Gail has them immediately putting money into an emergency fund. It is actually one of the first things she does in the budget. If you have hair-on-fire debt, you have no business going on vacations, but she always does tell them that as their debt is paid off they can increase their spending etc. I didn't really think she left these things out most of the time, but I suppose for editing purposes it could be left on the cutting room floor occasionally :)


Yes, I always see the Emergency Fund in her budgets (usually $100) and Savings (Maybe another $200?) but even so, one major household repair would blow through that very quickly.   I don't see any "sinking fund" for home or car repair in her budgets.

On a few shows, she said she makes the budgets so that the couple is completely out of debt in no more than 3 years.  When the couple is arguing about keeping their too expensive house or not filing bankruptcy, she doesn't back down.  3 years, max, or you're downgrading your life, buddy.  So I'm assuming the budget she leaves them with isn't supposed to be a forever budget--it's an emergency debt repayment budget.

And the few couples who refused to either sell or claim bankruptcy (I'm only on season 4, YMMV) had to increase their income.  They all have, but she was giving them serious side-eye at the end, like, "I know you're not going to continue with that weekend job and all of that overtime for the next 3 years."  She even has a break where she's sitting in front of a green screen after-the-fact, monologing about how it would have made more sense to sell (or file) and the couple has a hard road ahead.

I'm at the point where couples start getting sassy with her and she's not giving them all of the $5,000.  This is new!  The first few seasons were full of normal, rational people!  Now we got the crazies...  Gail is starting to smack down... 

*pops popcorn and digs into the couch deeper*


Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: mm1970 on March 28, 2018, 03:57:48 PM
3) Actually, Gail has them immediately putting money into an emergency fund. It is actually one of the first things she does in the budget. If you have hair-on-fire debt, you have no business going on vacations, but she always does tell them that as their debt is paid off they can increase their spending etc. I didn't really think she left these things out most of the time, but I suppose for editing purposes it could be left on the cutting room floor occasionally :)


Yes, I always see the Emergency Fund in her budgets (usually $100) and Savings (Maybe another $200?) but even so, one major household repair would blow through that very quickly.   I don't see any "sinking fund" for home or car repair in her budgets.

On a few shows, she said she makes the budgets so that the couple is completely out of debt in no more than 3 years.  When the couple is arguing about keeping their too expensive house or not filing bankruptcy, she doesn't back down.  3 years, max, or you're downgrading your life, buddy.  So I'm assuming the budget she leaves them with isn't supposed to be a forever budget--it's an emergency debt repayment budget.

And the few couples who refused to either sell or claim bankruptcy (I'm only on season 4, YMMV) had to increase their income.  They all have, but she was giving them serious side-eye at the end, like, "I know you're not going to continue with that weekend job and all of that overtime for the next 3 years."  She even has a break where she's sitting in front of a green screen after-the-fact, monologing about how it would have made more sense to sell (or file) and the couple has a hard road ahead.

I'm at the point where couples start getting sassy with her and she's not giving them all of the $5,000.  This is new!  The first few seasons were full of normal, rational people!  Now we got the crazies...  Gail is starting to smack down... 

*pops popcorn and digs into the couch deeper*
I decided to start with season 7, so by now, I'm seeing ones I saw before.  But it was years ago, so I don't remember!

After season 7, prob will start over with season 1.
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: SK Joyous on March 28, 2018, 04:27:41 PM

Just a few observations (I love love this show, her blog, and books, and was sad when she retired!)
1) They do show some of these things in some of the shows - due to time constraints, each show has different pieces, but I have definitely seen where their 'challenge' is to grocery shop on a budget, meal plan, and learn more about home cooking for example - or plan as a family a month worth of entertainment for little or no money. As you watch all the shows you got a taste of how they go about doing all of these things, they just don't have time to show it for every family every time.

I personally often found it short on details as to how people adapted to these changes, that’s just my personal perspective. Multiple times I would see them happily state “it was so easy and we still had money left in the jars” and I would yell at the TV “HOW???!!! How is that possible??? You were an intractable spendy-pants-crazy-person just 3 days ago!!!” LOL that's true, it seems to short from our perspective! Isn't there some saying about it taking 30 days to change habits? Maybe that's happening behind the scenes...

2) Sorry, but I have pick some nits here. We don't have 'basic' health insurance covered, we have universal health insurance - really only medications or dental wouldn't be covered, and many provinces have some sort of limit on medications or assistance available for those things. Not saying a disastrous illness couldn't happen that would make them unable to work, but then there is EI and disability insurance too. We also don't have 'much higher taxes'; depending on the state and province, the comparisons can be pretty darn close actually. Keep in mind, the U.S. spends more per capita of tax dollars on their healthcare system than we do in Canada.

I know the US spends more on healthcare per capita, and perhaps my use of the term “basic” wasn’t ideal, but it comes from dealing with health insurance all the time and talking about “basic” coverage. However, as someone who works in healthcare and sees a lot of people struggle with not being able to afford a lot of critical care, I don’t equate “universal” with being sufficient. That said, I would never ever ever trade it for the US system. Me neither. I can't even imagine what it would be like to be hurt/sick and make a choice not to go to the hospital because of money - or worse, worry about getting my kids treatment because of money. It seems so wrong.

As for the taxes, I’m definitely not an expert on that. I based it on a quick google of various US state income tax rates, plus what I’ve read here, plus listening to Choose FI podcasts, plus accounting for our HST, but maybe I’m totally missing something. I’m not being sarcastic, I literally know very little about taxes in the US. It just always seems like they have so much less tax. I welcome being corrected though.  [/b] I used to think that too - mostly because it's what we were seeing from the U.S. itself (you know, the 'if we had single payer it would cost a fortune! Nobody can afford that! Most of their money goes to paying for healthcare!' kind of hysteria), but it actually is interesting that the taxes are not dramatically different quite often - there are states with lower income taxes but then higher consumption taxes, and vice-versa - I think Canadian taxes can get a bad rap. It's VERY specific to the family/person and what their deductions and income are though, but overall I still have observed not a really huge difference.

3) Actually, Gail has them immediately putting money into an emergency fund. It is actually one of the first things she does in the budget. If you have hair-on-fire debt, you have no business going on vacations, but she always does tell them that as their debt is paid off they can increase their spending etc. I didn't really think she left these things out most of the time, but I suppose for editing purposes it could be left on the cutting room floor occasionally :)

I know she has them build a basic emergency fund, but I never ever saw any accounting for major expected expenses like a new roof. Just “keep spending like this and you will have $XXX,XXX by the age of 65”. Again, I assume it’s there, but I literally never saw it explicitly stated as part of the big picture.  I guess if they had that major an expense it would take them longer than their 3 years to pay off their debt - it would put them off-schedule but not off-track. The $$$$ by 65 actually always bugged me too, but I've never actually been ambitious enough to do the math LOL

I guess everybody gets a slightly different thing from her shows, but it's great that everyone gets some takeaway! I hope you get to meet her (I don't know if she does public events anymore? Hopefully she does!) Good luck!
I know people who know her, so I’m hoping the stars align, but they’re tenuous connections. Ohhh still better chances than the rest of we plebes ;)
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: SK Joyous on March 28, 2018, 04:30:01 PM
3) Actually, Gail has them immediately putting money into an emergency fund. It is actually one of the first things she does in the budget. If you have hair-on-fire debt, you have no business going on vacations, but she always does tell them that as their debt is paid off they can increase their spending etc. I didn't really think she left these things out most of the time, but I suppose for editing purposes it could be left on the cutting room floor occasionally :)


Yes, I always see the Emergency Fund in her budgets (usually $100) and Savings (Maybe another $200?) but even so, one major household repair would blow through that very quickly.   I don't see any "sinking fund" for home or car repair in her budgets.

On a few shows, she said she makes the budgets so that the couple is completely out of debt in no more than 3 years.  When the couple is arguing about keeping their too expensive house or not filing bankruptcy, she doesn't back down.  3 years, max, or you're downgrading your life, buddy.  So I'm assuming the budget she leaves them with isn't supposed to be a forever budget--it's an emergency debt repayment budget.

And the few couples who refused to either sell or claim bankruptcy (I'm only on season 4, YMMV) had to increase their income.  They all have, but she was giving them serious side-eye at the end, like, "I know you're not going to continue with that weekend job and all of that overtime for the next 3 years."  She even has a break where she's sitting in front of a green screen after-the-fact, monologing about how it would have made more sense to sell (or file) and the couple has a hard road ahead.

I'm at the point where couples start getting sassy with her and she's not giving them all of the $5,000.  This is new!  The first few seasons were full of normal, rational people!  Now we got the crazies...  Gail is starting to smack down... 

*pops popcorn and digs into the couch deeper*

OMG you have some of the best train wrecks ahead of you! The last few seasons had some DOOZIES!!
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: dude on March 30, 2018, 06:45:10 AM
Thanks for sharing this!  I binge-watched Season 1 yesterday, and am almost through Season 2!  I love this woman!
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: CrustyBadger on March 30, 2018, 07:30:53 AM
I've been watching some more, and it seems like there is car repair fund built in to the transportation jar.   She often gives a couple a transportation budget of $50 to $80 each week.   At around $320 a month, that is covering a lot more than just gas, I assume.

Still not sure where the household repair money is coming from though.

I am thinking of using her jar system with my own kids for paying for their own costs.  I want them to learn to budget like I never did.
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: SoftwareGoddess on March 30, 2018, 10:29:02 AM
I've been watching some more, and it seems like there is car repair fund built in to the transportation jar.   She often gives a couple a transportation budget of $50 to $80 each week.   At around $320 a month, that is covering a lot more than just gas, I assume.

I'm pretty sure that the transportation jar also included money for car insurance and maintenance. Also, keep in mind that these shows were taking place primarily in southern Ontario, so that would be Canadian dollars and higher-than-US gas prices.

Quote
Still not sure where the household repair money is coming from though.

It's been awhile since I've watched, but I think there was a jar for housing expenses? That would have included rent/mortgage, insurance, and maintenance.
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: frugalone on September 10, 2018, 04:03:29 PM
I know I'm a few years late but- Thank you so much for sharing this!
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: Dr.Jeckyl on September 10, 2018, 07:20:01 PM
I may have heard of this show in passing but now I really want to watch it. I guess I'll have to see if its still on Amazon Prime tonight.
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: nessness on September 10, 2018, 07:37:09 PM
I may have heard of this show in passing but now I really want to watch it. I guess I'll have to see if its still on Amazon Prime tonight.
It is. Seven seasons of it! I haven't seen it yet but want to now too.
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: HPstache on September 10, 2018, 09:17:48 PM
Binge watched 4 episodes tonight.   Pretty entertaining.  It would be better if they showed life living on the budget a little more.  I agree , it would be great if it were more like shark tank where they would do an update on past episodes occasionally
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: CrustyBadger on September 11, 2018, 05:19:47 AM
You can find a few of the updates on Youtube.

I found the episodes very motivating!
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: Dr.Jeckyl on September 11, 2018, 09:57:39 AM
Went home last night and watched a couple episodes. Definitely interesting, So far I love the couples that asked for her help, and still fight her. A woman told her that she just wanted to stay home with her baby and she shouldn't tell her what to do. The host straight told the couple that she would be on welfare, he'd be working so many hours he'd never get to see his kid and they'd be divorced. It reminds me of the Biggest Loser and I'd be willing to bet that most of these people gain all the debt back.
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: pachnik on September 11, 2018, 10:26:56 AM
I really liked this show too.  Especially Gail's no-nonsense, straight-up talk. 
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: Greyweld on September 11, 2018, 11:05:57 AM
I'm watching episode 3 now. Holy hell, HOW do you spend 18k PER MONTH over your income??? I haven't seen yet what exactly they are buying, but it blows my mind.
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: frugalone on September 12, 2018, 06:55:24 AM
Wait until you see the one with the grandma that makes her grandchild call her Mom.  Gail only gives her 2k and at the end of the show and she is livid.  She say's to her husband "Guess I can put this on the new card I just got." WOW
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: sparkytheop on September 12, 2018, 01:38:28 PM
I discovered this show a couple months ago and have pretty much binged through it while doing dishes, sewing, etc.  Amazon prime stopped at season 7 though, and it looks like there were two more seasons.

There have been a couple times where at the end of the show, a couple was told that by paying x per month, they'd have all their debt paid off in y amount of time.  But, when looking at the debt owed in the beginning few minutes, there was no way that x * y would pay off the debt.  So, maybe some had been eliminated in that time (selling a car, whatever)?  It just seems like that was the case on episodes where they didn't sell things off though.

I have an ex who was horrible with money, and considering I got collection calls for him until I canceled the oldlandline number when my son turned 18, I'm sure he's on a path worse than many on the show.  Makes me glad to have 100% sole control over my money.
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: HPstache on September 12, 2018, 02:23:25 PM
I discovered this show a couple months ago and have pretty much binged through it while doing dishes, sewing, etc.  Amazon prime stopped at season 7 though, and it looks like there were two more seasons.

There have been a couple times where at the end of the show, a couple was told that by paying x per month, they'd have all their debt paid off in y amount of time.  But, when looking at the debt owed in the beginning few minutes, there was no way that x * y would pay off the debt.  So, maybe some had been eliminated in that time (selling a car, whatever)?  It just seems like that was the case on episodes where they didn't sell things off though.

I have an ex who was horrible with money, and considering I got collection calls for him until I canceled the oldlandline number when my son turned 18, I'm sure he's on a path worse than many on the show.  Makes me glad to have 100% sole control over my money.

Is it off by about $5,000?  From the few episodes I've seen, Gail includes her $5,000 gift in the calculations.
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: sparkytheop on September 12, 2018, 03:24:39 PM
I discovered this show a couple months ago and have pretty much binged through it while doing dishes, sewing, etc.  Amazon prime stopped at season 7 though, and it looks like there were two more seasons.

There have been a couple times where at the end of the show, a couple was told that by paying x per month, they'd have all their debt paid off in y amount of time.  But, when looking at the debt owed in the beginning few minutes, there was no way that x * y would pay off the debt.  So, maybe some had been eliminated in that time (selling a car, whatever)?  It just seems like that was the case on episodes where they didn't sell things off though.

I have an ex who was horrible with money, and considering I got collection calls for him until I canceled the oldlandline number when my son turned 18, I'm sure he's on a path worse than many on the show.  Makes me glad to have 100% sole control over my money.

Is it off by about $5,000?  From the few episodes I've seen, Gail includes her $5,000 gift in the calculations.

No, there was one where it was off by closer to $60k.  I was trying to figure out if maybe that original number had included the mortgage, but the payoff mentioned in the end didn't.  Then I got distracted...  I wish I could remember which episode it was when it really stood out.
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: AMandM on October 14, 2018, 05:41:08 PM
This thread made me go look up the show on Amazon. Thanks!

I'm dubious about the couples' long-term ability to stick to these drastically reduced budgets. Still, I think they get a lot out of (a) actually being made to confront the numbers and (b) learning to talk about money together.

Started at Season 1, episode 1. Looking forward to drama ahead!
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: swampwiz on October 14, 2018, 09:28:01 PM
I mean, to go from eating out 16 times per months and spending $450 a week to suddenly living off of $50 a week for food is a steep learning curve but she never showed how the family adapts!

Even when I was able to get SNAP (i.e., "food stamps") @ $200/mo, I still consumed about $500/mo ($350 in food, $150 in beer, LOL).  Of course, I did not want to give my USDA Choice New York Strip steak, and live on round steaks & noodles.  And I certainly didn't want to save $50-75/month by switching to "economy quality" American adjunct lager like Meister Brau (is that still around, LOL?).
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: FamilyGuy on October 14, 2018, 09:52:39 PM
I ve watched this show in Amazon prime and instantly liked it.
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: Lincolnshire Girl on November 08, 2018, 07:50:03 AM
I've been catching up with this on YouTube (now part way through season 3) and i'm loving it!

I have finally some idea about how much % of income should be allocated to food/transport/savings etc. as a rough guide. Its been an eye-opening few weeks while I categorise our household budget accordingly.
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: OurTown on November 08, 2018, 02:32:06 PM
We are big fans.  I much prefer her approach to Rave Damesy.
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: HPstache on November 08, 2018, 03:05:41 PM
We are big fans.  I much prefer her approach to Rave Damesy.

Which aspects?
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: Jim Fiction on November 11, 2018, 05:49:35 PM
Love the show!
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: KBecks on November 16, 2018, 05:30:18 AM
Thanks for the heads up, I'm going to watch this show and get my tween/teen kids to watch it too.
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: OurTown on November 21, 2018, 10:10:03 AM
We are big fans.  I much prefer her approach to Rave Damesy.

Which aspects?

Okay, in no particular order:

No religious overtones.
No overt political bullshit.
Genuinely cares more about the people than her own ego.
Tough love, in a non-humiliating way.
Can admit when she is mistaken.

Now, that being said, I'm not as anti Rave Damsey as some people are.  I use the free online "everydollar" tool.  I'm just not a kool-aid drinker.
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: sparkytheop on November 21, 2018, 11:41:57 AM
We are big fans.  I much prefer her approach to Rave Damesy.

Which aspects?

Okay, in no particular order:

No religious overtones.
No overt political bullshit.
Genuinely cares more about the people than her own ego.
Tough love, in a non-humiliating way.
Can admit when she is mistaken.

Now, that being said, I'm not as anti Rave Damsey as some people are.  I use the free online "everydollar" tool.  I'm just not a kool-aid drinker.

I like the fact that she encourages investing before all the debt is paid off.  You can never get those early years back when it comes to compounding interest.  As long as you can afford to put a little away (especially anything that would get a match), and still have a good debt pay off plan, get some of that money to work for you.
Title: Re: 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Post by: yakamashii on August 29, 2019, 05:43:52 AM
World's best theme song:  "Money money money money money money mon-eeeey!"

Totally agree. Catchy as hell. The theme song, the riffs and fills, the backgrounds and cuts, it's cheesy but endearing. Love it all.