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Shop Well for Less

Series 3

Episode 3

Duration: 58 minutes

First broadcast: on BBC One WestLatest broadcast: on BBC Two Wales HD

Alex Jones and Steph McGovern are in Hampshire with a family desperate to get on top of their spending. Georgette and Tommy got married seven years ago, bringing together their two families. Two years ago they upsized to a property in need of renovation, but in order to get the work finished they had to put everything on the credit card. Since then they have continued spending, so to try to get back in the black Tommy had to give up his dream job as a police officer and go back to his better-paid job in logistics. Can Alex and Steph help them reign in their spending so that they can get their finances back on track?

To get Tommy and Georgette to confront the true scale of their spending habits, Alex and Steph sneak into their house to take a closer look and set up a pop-up shop of all their biggest spends. What will they think of the pricey presentation? To really challenge them, Alex and Steph take away their usual brands and replace them. Most are cheaper but others are the same to really put them to the test.

The family needed a complete overhaul so Alex and Steph took away a lot of their luxuries, from big-brand handbags to expensive kitchen appliances - Tommy was even challenged to learn to paint the girls' nails in a bid to save the family more cash. But did Alex and Steph's shock tactics prove to them that they can spend less and still enjoy the lifestyle they are accustomed to?

The British public get their say too, as Steph and Alex hit the high street with four debranded handbags ranging from high end to budget, to see whether people can tell what is pricey and what isn't just from the look and feel. We also take to the streets to scrutinise a range of debranded wine glasses and table lamps to see how easy it is to pick out the most expensive when all the branding is removed. We also enlist the help of some lippy-loving lindy hop dancers to test five long-lasting lipsticks to see what takes top spot.

Steph chats to self-confessed shopaholic Georgette and challenges her to reduce her weekly spending by locking away her purse and cards. Alex and Georgette blind-test vacuum cleaners to find out whether brands are always best. At the end of the experiment there are plenty of surprises as the family find out what has been swapped and what hasn't, but will they embrace enough of the new products and curb their spending in order to make some big savings? Show less

Contributors

Presenter:
Alex Jones
Presenter:
Steph McGovern
Executive Producer:
Catherine Catton
Executive Producer:
Ricky Cooper
Executive Producer:
Jo Scarratt-Jones
Series Producer:
Fiona Gay
Series Producer:
Nicola Kingscote
Production Company:
RDF Television West

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