A husband who disappears on shopping trips at least twice a day has been warned to curb his spending addiction as it is preventing his wife from taking her sick father to America. Their story, which is explored in the first episode of the second series of Channel 4's Secret Spenders, former NHS nurse, Rae and her husband MK live rent-free in Rae's family home as she cares for her sick father.
In emotional scenes, Rae breaks down in tears to presenter Anita Rani, saying that "it would mean everything" to take her father to California. She expl;ains that since Rae's mother passed away two years ago, life has been difficult for the family and with her father being ill, she wants to reunite him with his brother, whom he hasn't seen for years and is also unwell.
Near the start of the episode, MK tells Anita: "I don't have the word 'saving' in my vocabulary," and from that moment on, viewers know they are set to witness a serial spender. Financial advisors Peter Komolafe and Anna Whitehouse are on hand to give MK and Rae a financial makeover that would save them tens of thousands of pounds. That's not to say they haven't got their work cut out though...
READ MORE: The picture Ruth Dodsworth's abusive ex-husband sent her children as he tried to manipulate them
Rae tells Anita that she and her husband have been together for 13 years. She says that he goes shopping at least twice a day. This is later confirmed when the Secret Spenders camera crew follow the elusive shopaholic. He is eventually found in a supermarket with an overflowing shopping basket full of clothes. “Whatever I like, at the first glance, I keep it. Then I sift through it and decide. Then, I take it home,” he says in an attempt to justify his actions.
He then proceeds to tell Anita about the time when he purchased two £500 pairs of shoes online that didn’t fit. “To return them, it was £320 so I kept them.” Following the unveiling of the couple’s spending habits, MK confesses that he does have a spending problem and wants help. He is spending £1500 a month solely on clothes - £465 over the national average.
MK is also shown footage of himself looking for a new car. “In my personality, there isn’t a thing called saving,” he declares, as his wife looks on, disappointed. But how does that have an effect on her?
Rae says that when she is out shopping with her husband, it’s like he’s "enticing" her to buy things and this is confirmed when she is seen saying: “We like to go to expensive places like The Ivy for lunch. It’s not a regular thing.” She also talks about investing in a £2700 hydro-facial every month. But people can change and that's proven throughout the episode.
Under the supervision of Anna Whitehouse, MK is faced with the prospect of selling unworn clothing from his wardrobe, including the shoes he bought that were too small. After searching through MK’s wardrobe, Anna chats to Rae about the impact of the spending on her. She tells her that due to MK’s mass spending, she doesn’t have room to put her own clothes in the wardrobe.
Between the pair of them, there is £6000 in credit card debt. Using multicoloured counters, financial advisor Peter Komolafe shows the couple how to manage their funds, savings and debt.
At the end of the episode, Anita reveals that following a look at the couple’s finances, the pair could save £19,746. MK, adamant that he can continue buying clothes from time to time, said: “You’re not asking me to change my ways, just do it in a more reasonable way.” As the episode ends, it's revealed that Rae and MK are on track to take Rae's father to California.
Secret Spenders: Beat The Price Rises is on Channel 4 at 8pm on Thursday, May 5
