"Downsized": anyone watch this show???

[graygables]

My sympathy waned rapidly when I heard they used to go through $15K-$18K per MONTH on golf, dining out, etc. It waned even further when they said they had nothing to sell as the kids were playing on a ping-pong table. Even further when the kids went dumpster diving and sold their own belongings to make rent while mom & dad were in late-model vehicles and still had jewelry (not to mention the big house they were living in post-bankruptcy). It sank to non-existent when the 16yo was expected to buy $23 in groceries with a $2 food stamp card rather than one of the adults conduct that humiliating transaction. She came home with a packet of GRAVY???

They need a whack upside the head with a frugal stick.

 

[pixiechick]

the grocery store seemed a bit set up.

I wondered why the two girls didn't do the change thing,

Then, I noticed the step father was watching the check out area from the change machine, as if he know an issue would arise. It may have been part of the plot.

 

[kinntj]

I missed it, but it comes on again Monday at 4. I'll put it on the calendar to watch it.

 

[angwill]

To each their own it is not up to us to decide what they do/did wrong or not. They should have saved but they didn't and now the show is about how they are paying for it after the fact and the lessons I am sure they are learning. I figure we will see them downsize even more and rent something smaller soon. Then when the money starts rolling in from the show they can save it or go back to living above their means which is their choice to make.

I am sure there is not a big market for ping pong tables going for top dollar.

The mother offered to go to the store to get the groceries and change in the money. Like someone said it may have been set up for the show as well. A lot might be set up for the show you never know. They want people to watch, observe, and comment to get the ratings up.

 

[dreamin_disney]

watched the show and will continue to watch it. I was blown away that they live in a nice big house and getting foodstamps. But like dh said they are down to one income and many kids. When the kids were playing the ping pong my 1st thought was why didnt they sell it. We did notice the cars, jewlery, kids with cell phones etc. I was stunned how much they spent before couple thousands.

But it goes to show know one really knows what goes one behind close doors. They look like the perfect family, nice home , cars, kids with toys etc and they are about to lose their home and etc. Seems like they are trying by giving up things and even the kids got involved. It really BROKE my heart that the one son sold his glove that he loved .

Just goes to show that this can happen to any of us.

 

[DisnyMama]

I haven't seen the show, hits too close to home as I am living this reality. I'm a single mom and have been actively searching for work for two years. I was receiving the Fed. extension unemployment benefits till everything came to a halt in June due to the Government taking a while to decide on the new extension deadline which I think is the end of this month.

So in June I sold all my Jewelry which wasn't much anyway, only about $170 and sold my car which really hit hard but the rent had to be paid. I have had a few interviews in the last couple months but they did not pan out.

DS is going to community college full time and has been looking for a job also but no luck either. We are receiving food stamps ($140 per month) not much but I buy most of the stuff that is not perishable with it and try to shop smart so I can get as much as I can for a month. We have sold just about everything we own that we don't need or to help finances.

The one thing I won't due is dumpster dive and I'll tell you why. It's not because I'm too good to do it but because it is just too dangerous for a variety of reasons. First, the competition in our area is unreal. There are at least 6 different people going thru the dumpsters just in our apartment complex alone everyday and if you try to approach the dumsters while they are there it can be scarry. Also, I have worked in the medical field and without health insurance we just can't afford to risk getting stuck, cut or infected by gosh only knows what is in those dumsters. It's not like we have access to full on hazmat suits and gear from head to toe if you know what I mean.

I do watch that new program on Lifetime "Fairy JobMother" because for me I look for any tips I can get and it has a more positive vibe which I'm trying very, very hard every day to maintain. I have another job interview next Wednesday, so wish me luck.


Shannon

 

[Cindy B]

First love the hit upside the head with the frugal stick comment.. LOL!
I didn't see the show but I did see either a 20/20 or Dateline special a while ago about this very premise on how a successful person has to downsize in a tighter smaller economy.

In the TV special the person was a former CEO who was now delivering pizzas for one of the major chains and was getting assistance. However they still lived in a HUGE home (a villa even) with a pool, etc. The kids still went to private tuition based school, they still drove fancy imported cars and well the toys were still there, laptops, Ipods, cell phones, etc.

Here they were crying the blues and they still had so much. The special made me angry. The family wasn't willing to move or give up private education or sell their cars. I didn't feel sorry for them. Here was a perfectly great chance to show how downsizing helps.. but it didn't.

I want to see a realistic downsizing situationlike one of these: A single mom, a family living on 25K in one of the most expensive states in the US, a formerly "rich" couple, who when having to make the choice of losing the imports and the villa.. actually walk away from the villa and live a comfortable modest lifestyle.

I see extreme poverty every day. The school where i work is 100% free breakfast and lunch. Some of my kids already live in cars, shelters or are living on the streets. A show about a family living faux poverty doesn't do anythign for them. I think the Downsized family in the show needs to visit are real soup kitchen/homeless shelter and see how well they have it.

 

[Soarin_04]

I see extreme poverty every day. The school where i work is 100% free breakfast and lunch. Some of my kids already live in cars, shelters or are living on the streets. A show about a family living faux poverty doesn't do anythign for them. I think the Downsized family in the show needs to visit are real soup kitchen/homeless shelter and see how well they have it.

Exactly. That's the population I work with as well, and I totally agree. There's poverty and there's faux poverty. I didn't see the show, and basically, can't even go there because I know all too well what the real deal looks like.

 

[nunzia]

I watched this show with my son and his wife and my daughter and her BF. We were all just amazed at the house they were living in, and the fact that these kids, who are mainly over 16, have no job at McD, or a paper route or something. I really don't think they realize what downsizing really is..buying water resrtictors for your shower is fine, but where did the money come from when they were $300 short for rent? And I was a little offended that the mother basically called her teachinig paycheck tiny and how she felt like she wasn't even getting a paycheck. Maybe she is paying expensive healthcare out of it or something, but I was a teacher and yes, not super good pay, but certainly decent and for a contract of less than 190 days it figures out as a decent wage. My DH and I together make about what the average mid paid teacher gets so really, she should adjust her thinking. How about her working an after school program at her school or something? those kids could certianly help around the house, make dinner, etc. since they don't have jobs. Yes, the son sold his glove..and the parents are sitting around with quite a bit of jewelry and stuff. I do hope this show , as it continues, shows them learn how to really make a change. They seem like nice people stuck in a bad situation..the previews for next week show them talking to a financial guy and looking at a smaller house, so that's good. My daughter's BF comes from a family of 7 kids and most of his growing up time was in a 2 BR single wide trailer, so, as awful as that sounds, they survived and are a tight family (which I guess you would have to be )
(PS..wouldn't what they get paid for the show basically fix their financial emergency??)

 

[momx2]

I haven't watched the show and this is actually the first time I have heard of it. I would really like to though. What channel and time is it on?

Anyway, from the descriptions I'm hearing I don't think the makers of this show are going for the poverty angle particularly. I think it is showing you the struggles of it's title, "Down-sized." It sounds like they are showing what American families, who are used to having it all, are going through as they are down-sized. What choices do they make, etc. Of course they are going to make stupid mistakes. If I was in that spot, I probably would too because it's all new.

Believe it or not, most people in America do not live like most do on Budget Board. It doesn't make them bad people, just different from most here. I can tell you the first thing to go would be my jewelry to feed my children, but they aren't me. I'm sure it probably will go at some point. Maybe they are hanging on to it as a savings of sort for a truly desparate time.

These people may not be in true poverty yet, but might be in a very short time. That doesn't make their plight any less horrible, imo.

 

[bettymae1121]

what channel is this on?

 

[graygables]

(PS..wouldn't what they get paid for the show basically fix their financial emergency??)

We were discussing that and wondering if one of the deals could be that the money from the show goes to college funds for the kids to keep the current financial situation "real".

 

[Tina]

what channel is this on?

I just Googled it. It's on Saturday nights at 9pm on WEtv.

 

[LaNina72]

I watched this last night and was a little concerned when they said "they sold everything they could" but the momma is wearing diamond encrusted Chanel earings... Hmmm... considering their previous lifestyle I'm sure those aren't knock-offs.

I guess my version of "downsizing" is very different.

 

[luvsJack]

I haven't seen the show, hits too close to home as I am living this reality. I'm a single mom and have been actively searching for work for two years. I was receiving the Fed. extension unemployment benefits till everything came to a halt in June due to the Government taking a while to decide on the new extension deadline which I think is the end of this month.

So in June I sold all my Jewelry which wasn't much anyway, only about $170 and sold my car which really hit hard but the rent had to be paid. I have had a few interviews in the last couple months but they did not pan out.

DS is going to community college full time and has been looking for a job also but no luck either. We are receiving food stamps ($140 per month) not much but I buy most of the stuff that is not perishable with it and try to shop smart so I can get as much as I can for a month. We have sold just about everything we own that we don't need or to help finances.

The one thing I won't due is dumpster dive and I'll tell you why. It's not because I'm too good to do it but because it is just too dangerous for a variety of reasons. First, the competition in our area is unreal. There are at least 6 different people going thru the dumpsters just in our apartment complex alone everyday and if you try to approach the dumsters while they are there it can be scarry. Also, I have worked in the medical field and without health insurance we just can't afford to risk getting stuck, cut or infected by gosh only knows what is in those dumsters. It's not like we have access to full on hazmat suits and gear from head to toe if you know what I mean.

I do watch that new program on Lifetime "Fairy JobMother" because for me I look for any tips I can get and it has a more positive vibe which I'm trying very, very hard every day to maintain. I have another job interview next Wednesday, so wish me luck.


Shannon

Completely OT but Things must be very scary for you without any thought of dumpster diving.

Have you thought of going back to school yourself? I don't know what you usually do or what income you were used to, but there may be some short (1 year or less) career/tech programs at the community college your son attends that can put you into a more hirable career. While you are there you can get some financial aid and maybe find something part time/min wage; maybe even a work study position until you graduate. May not be an option for you, but just a thought.

I wish you all the luck in the world on your interviews and hope something turns up for you soon.

 

[Molliday]

I DVR'd it, but haven't watched it yet. The whole premise is about them downsizing, so I think that's what we'll see during the process, not in the very first show.

In order to make good TV, I'm sure the producers knew exactly what impression these people would make during the premiere. Either they're going to fall hard, or they won't, and people will continue to talk about them, just like they are now.

Either way, WeTV gets ratings, just like TLC has done with the Gosselin family.

 

[Colleen27]

The commercials were so disgusting to me that I couldn't even bring myself to turn it on for the train wreck factor. Aww, poor little rich family having to sell the diamonds and cut back on luxuries whil living in their huge home and driving their nearly-new cars. Since I live every day surrounded by people who were "downsized" out of working class jobs that were barely paying the bills to begin with, I just don't have a lot of sympathy for the family portrayed in those ads.

What bothers me the most about it is that people see these things and let them effect their perceptions of what "poor" looks like. Just like the people calling for harsher rules for foreclosures because of newspaper articles and TV news stories about people living for years in luxury homes without making the payments - those people become the "face" of the recession in the public eye, and those who are genuinely struggling without diamonds and ping-pong tables get forgotten in the outrage over assistance for these still relatively well-off examples.

 

[Marionnette]

I set it on a the dvr and just watched it. My impression is that they are not unlike alot of people. They had a great income. Probably didnt have a budget. Felt they didnt need one. Paid the credit cards on time but with little more than the minimum. Never had to give a second thought as to how they were going to get by with seven kids in one house. Suddenly the housing market (the primary source of the income) goes bust and they get caught in the middle. At first they were thinking that this was only temporary. Things will get better eventually. It happens all of the time in real estate and construction. You get used to it and maintain the status quo. They never anticipated that the down turn would last so long. I felt sorry for the kid who sold his ball glove and the dumpster diving kids. Sure they could probably find jobs in the future but the need for money was immediate. I expect that they will be getting jobs in a future episode. I also expect to see the one daughters car being sold. Who can afford maintenance, gas and insurance on a vehicle for a teen when you arent even making ends meet? There will be tears and lots of drama when it happens but that makes for must watch tv. Im really looking forward to the meeting with the debt councilor in the next episode. I think there will be a rude awakening for them both.

 

[woodkins]

I saw this family on Rachel Ray last week and according to them they did not get paid for the show until after the 6 mos of filming was done, so what you are seeing is them dealing with the money that they currently had, not anything from the show.

I do think that they can still economize better, we don't know what type of situation they are in with their cars (lease, loans etc) but having it does seem that they could potentially save some money there. Also, they may have a lease on the house they are renting that they can't get out of. Many times it is more costly to get out of something than to stay in it. I know a car lease is like that.

My biggest pet peeve is that the kids don't have jobs. They can do babysitting, work in restaurants, fast food etc. You take the job you can get. Out of 6 kids not 1 has a job? That is unbelievable to me.

 

[angwill]

I watched this last night and was a little concerned when they said "they sold everything they could" but the momma is wearing diamond crusted Chanel earings... Hmmm... considering their previous lifestyle I'm sure those aren't knock-offs.

I guess my version of "downsizing" is very different.

I wonder if we will see her selling those earings on the show. If they were already at the bottom it wouldn't be called downsizing it would be called already downsized and living at poverty level. lol