Wednesday August 23rd, 2006
Today was a wonderful contrast to Monday (see the Sometimes I Hate My Job blog). I’ve been in Otley, Yorkshire to revisit the family I did a Christmas Debt Makeover on for Tonight with Trevor Mac nearly two years ago. Some of you may remember Kirstie and Paul, who were in terrible debt. The key moment was in the kitchen when Kirstie, having been told of the huge debts, still wanted to spend a fortune on Christmas. I’d found myself almost shouting back, I think it was something like “forget Christmas, you’re six weeks away from losing the roof over your childrens’ heads.”
Now I don’t want to give the game away too much, as the programme will air on Sept 18th I believe. Yet the transformation is amazing. It seems the intervention worked - they’re now true MoneySavers, and both the confidence and happiness they seem to have is incredible. My hope is the impact will be as positive on the couple I met on Monday. Anyone who saw the original programme should watch this one and admire the truly heroic efforts they’ve made.
Now I’m on the train back. Rather excitingly the GNER train from Leeds to London has wi-fi internet access on it - so I can work all the way back. Better still, as the production company kindly got me a First Class ticket, it’s free. The only irony is that today, as I sit here on the plush seats, I have to edit through the final draft of the new MoneySaving Old Style Book ‘Thrifty Ways For Modern Days’….
