reality tv

Your Guide to Frugal Reality TV

Mikey Rox — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 10:24:22 +0000

There’s no shortage of reality television on the airwaves — but which of your guilty pleasures can help you save money?

This comprehensive guide to frugal reality TV will identify which shows you should be watching, on what networks you can find them, and the days and times you can learn how to spend wiser from the comfort of your couch.

Extreme Couponing

This runaway hit follows regular people who take coupon clipping to a whole new level. Many of the subjects cut hundreds of coupons a week in order to stock up on everything from soaps and shampoos to cleaning products to canned goods, all well below retail value; savings are typically about 90% off. Their homes are packed to the brim with their best buys — sometimes hundreds of pieces of a particular item. The most altruistic subjects donate the surplus to needy organizations, while the others are simply stockpiling to prepare for the apocalypse. Two episodes air on TLC on Mondays from 10 to 11 p.m. (See also: Extreme Couponing? 5 Reasons Why I'll Pass.)

$40 a Day

Talk-show host and self-proclaimed cook (not chef) Rachael Ray travels the country — with only two twenties in her pocket — in search of the most delicious and affordable foods. From gnocchi in Napa Valley to handmade munchies in Maui, $40 a Day teaches travelers how to eat great even on a budget. Airs on the Food Network on Wednesdays at 4:30 a.m.

19 Kids and Counting

Over the years, the title of this show has changed to accommodate additions to the growing Duggar brood (when it premiered in 2008, there were only 17 kids). Frugal life lessons are abundant, from living a credit-free lifestyle to purchasing clothes from thrift shops to making the kids cut their own hair. Other ways they save include shopping for groceries at Aldi (a discount supermarket chain), growing vegetables, chopping firewood to heat their home, and making their own laundry detergent. Season eight is scheduled to start airing on Sept. 27 at 9 p.m.

Ten Dollar Dinners With Melissa d’Arabian

Food Network Star season five winner Melissa d’Arabian shows viewers how to make healthy meals for the whole family without breaking the bank. Her recipes include sophisticated upgrades to table staples like chicken and pork as well as dishes with international flair from Parisian and Moroccan menus. With the motto “Four people, ten bucks, infinite possibilities,” it’s hard to go wrong with d’Arabian’s money-saving tips and tricks. Airs on the Food Network on Sundays at 9 a.m.

Downsized

Todd and Laura Bruce — and their seven children — star in this docu-series about making ends meet. With two homes in foreclosure, a failed contracting business, and a daily struggle to make rent, the heads of the household resort to dire measures — like dumpster diving — to ensure that their family has what it needs to survive this tumultuous time in their lives. Airs on WE tv on Tuesdays at 9 p.m.

Design on a Dime

In this series, designer Casey Noble shares her secrets for turning lackluster spaces into stylish sanctuaries all while dispelling the notion that redecorating has to cost a fortune. She stretches the decorating dollar by combining cost-saving solutions with clever DIY ideas to take entire rooms from drab to fab. Airs on Saturdays at 3 p.m. on HGTV.

Clean House

Hoarders get a chance to clear the clutter and make a few bucks by emptying the contents of their home onto the lawn for others to purchase during a yard sale. Whatever isn’t bought is taken away and donated to charity. Meanwhile, the show’s team (some episodes feature host Niecy Nash, while newer eps have Tempestt Bledsoe at the helm) redecorate the home with repurposed pieces and new purchases bought with the money made at the sale. Airs almost every day of the week at various times on Style Network; check your local listings.

Did I miss a frugal reality TV show? Let me know your favorites in the comments section below.

This article is from Mikey Rox of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Reality TV: Does It Pay to Apply?

Lauren Lyons Cole — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 11:36:13 +0000

Reality television has exploded in recent years with top stars bringing in large sums for their exploits. Kate Gosselin of "Kate Plus 8" reportedly makes $250,000 per episode. Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino of the Jersey Shore will make $5 million in 2010. And Kim Kardashian makes about that much annually.

You may not have eight kids or live in New Jersey, but what if you'd like to update your kitchen? While most of us are probably happier watching TV than appearing on it, there are financial benefits to reality television that could make applying for a show worthwhile.

Do It Yourself

After purchasing a pre-war apartment, New York City-based artist Ariana Boussard-Reifel got an idea."The apartment was in disastrous condition with holes in the walls and floor, exposed electrical wires and general chaos," said Boussard-Reifel. "It had to be gutted and I knew that to renovate it to my level of taste was going to be out of my budget."

Rather than rack up debt to complete the renovation, she decided to try her luck on reality TV. She ended up on a show called "10 Grand in Your Hand" on the DIY network. "I had been watching the DIY channel to pick up skills and thought: Why can't I be on this?" said Boussard-Reifel. Thanks to the show, she saved nearly $16,000 on a renovation worth $30,000. Sponsors donated high-end products, including $2,000 in Kohler sinks and faucets, and $6,000 in exotic and sustainable hardwood flooring.

Being on the show had other benefits too — like a set deadline for her project. Doing the work herself meant she maintained control over aesthetic decisions, which was important to her. "The apartment is now quite beautiful, all new and I have a great story to tell guests," she said.

Tell Your Story

There's no harm in applying for a reality show that might help you reach a goal quicker than an old-fashioned savings plan. Whether you want to remodel your kitchen, travel the world, or buy a new wardrobe, there is a reality show for your dream. The key is convincing a casting director that you're the best choice for the show.

"Think about who you are and what you have to offer. You may not think the fact that you are from a small farm town or can speak five languages because you moved a lot as a kid with Army parents is interesting, but to the millions that are watching, these qualities are exactly what make you so endearing," Risa Tanania, a top reality casting director in New York City, says.

Casting directors have an uncanny ability to read people, often forming an opinion within two minutes. When submitting a video or going to an audition, catch their attention quickly. "This isn't to say you should juggle while you speak. Frankly, that gets a little annoying. But consider your energy at your highest point and then multiply that by 10," recommends Tanania. "Get excited. If you aren't excited about the prospect of being on the show, why would we be [excited] about watching you?"

This article is from Lauren Lyons Cole of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Bank of Mom and Dad: Could Tough Love Cure Financial Irresponsibility?

Xin Lu — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 16:00:05 +0000

A new show named Bank of Mom and Dad just premiered on 9/30/09 on SOAPnet. This show chronicles parents who attempt to reform their financially irresponsible adult children by moving in with them for a week. With the aid of a "money coach," the parents take actions to reform their spendthrift kid. Can this financial intervention really work?

I watched the premiere episode on Hulu.com and I must admit that it was a pretty entertaining show. The indebted child is a 33 year old single woman named Christina who looks a bit like Jillian from The Biggest Loser. She makes about $2500 a month as a bartender and spends around $3500 per month and she has accumulated over $38,000 in debt. Her parents have been divorced for 10 years, but they joined forces to participate in their daughter's financial makeover. They were also given advice by a straight talking personal finance coach who cut to the core of Christina's financial problems. The coach was not the main focus of the show and she had three very short meetings with the family and created a budget for Christina to focus on paying for necessities first.

What I really liked is that Christina's parents tried to teach her that she could enjoy the things she loves without spending as much as she does. For example, her mom Lorraine challenged her to spend less on groceries. Both women had the same shopping list and went to the same grocery store. The mom spent $57 for the items in her cart while Christina spent $193. Christina argued that the things she bought would taste better so her mom set up a blind taste test. Out of six food items, Christina preferred four of her mom's more frugal choices. It was quite hilarious when Lorraine cheered jubilantly when her daughter could not tell the difference between tap water and the expensive bottled water from Italy. I think this is actually a good experiment for those who spend too much on gourmet food. Could you tell the difference between $17 and $7 olive oils?

Christina's dad also showed a bit of tough love when he called the city to impound Christina's car since she owes over $1300 in parking tickets. The dad offered to get the car out of impound, but he also made Christina write him a $500 check upfront, and sign a contract that states that she would pay him back in full in a year. Personally I think this is what every parent should do when they loan money to their adult children.

In the end, it is hard to tell if Christina would keep up her new budget since the parental intervention only lasted one week, but in a blog update she states that the show has waken her up to her messy financial situation. Her parents did admit that they never taught her much about finances when she was young, but the idea of the show is that it is never too late to learn about personal finance and saving for yourself. I think one weakness of the first episode is that the money coach never talked to Christina about how she could increase her income, but the basic money saving and budgeting tips presented were on the spot. I will definitely tune in for the next episode, and you can also watch along for free on Hulu.com.

This article is from Xin Lu of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

The Dichotomy of Media Messages

Nora Dunn — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 21:31:13 +0000

I don’t watch a lot of television. When I’m not living in the bush somewhere off the grid, or trekking through the mountains, or taking on some such nomadic adventure or another, I am usually sleeping, writing, or spending time with friends and family.

So when I had an occasion to watch some television recently, I was horrified.

Here is how my evening went:

10pm: An extremely educational, inspirational, and moving show on global warming. It opened my eyes further to the very real world tragedy that will occur within our lifetimes if we don’t change our ways drastically. And I don’t mean carpooling to reduce gas use – I mean life-altering drastic changes.

But the finer points of how the world needs to change are neither here nor there in the context of this article.

11pm on the same channel: A program glamorizing the logging industry. Loggers are made out to be tough macho heroes as they rip apart forests, several trees at a time.

Hmm…do you see any mixed messages here?

The idolization of big tough dangerous jobs like logging, mass fishing in rough seas, and even trucking seems to be a new trend in the media. And yet it is these very activities that are effectively destroying our planet, as indicated in the many environmentally based documentaries also being televised.

And to schedule these rampantly opposing programs back to back…what on earth are they thinking?!

Is it a method of presenting both sides of a story to the viewing audience?

Maybe this channel (which shall remain unnamed) is trying to be everything to everybody, catering to environmentally sensitive individuals who want to save the planet, as well as people watching television for mindless entertainment.

I have no doubt that the global warming show is just as over-produced and riddled with agenda as the logging show is. And maybe I am biased towards the global warming audience (heck – it’s Earth Day – I’m allowed!), but with the dichotomy of mixed messages coming from the media every day, it’s no wonder that we are continuing down a very dangerous road with our lives, our planet, and our future.

At this rate, maybe the end of the world is closer than we thought…

This article is from Nora Dunn of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread: