A concerned husband called on Channel 4's Secret Spenders for help after his wife's serial spending habit spiralled out of control and he was concerned they would be unable to ever afford their own house. 'Wannabe' influencer Zanif and husband Mario were visited in Cardiff by the show's presenter Anita Rani.
And when she arrived at their home she discovered a full-size hot tub parked in their living room as Zanif had treated Mario to the luxury item for his birthday as well as a multitude of designer goods. Zanif, who studies fashion and also works as a part-time hotel receptionist, and Mario earn a combined income of £2500 a month and ,according to Mario, they only have "around £20 or £30" left at the end of the month.
When Anita arrives at the couple's small Cardiff Bay house, she is shocked to discover the amount of high-end designer shoes that Zanif owns. From Balenciaga to Alexander McQueen, this is a woman who can't live without a designer label. Upon showing the pair their 'crimes', Zanif says: "I would do it all the same. I just need to make more money." But unfortunately for the social media enthusiast, her husband has other ideas. He tells Anita: "We’ve spoken about it but the fact that we’re young adults, we think that we can do this in the future. But I want to start now." Having a hot tub in your living room, Anita notes, is not the best way to go about this.
Read more: Secret Spenders: Former NHS nurse can't take her sick father to America as husband's spending addiction leaves them in debt
But can the Secret Spenders team work their magic on the young couple? Anita, along with financial adviser Peter Komolafe and Anna Whitehouse, set out to change Zanif's crazy spending habits. Upon analysing Zanif and Mario's bank statements, Peter is shocked to uncover the shear amount of transactions that have taken place. Zanif, meanwhile, says: "I cringe at the price-tags and that’s why I don’t look at statements."
It's a good job that she doesn't look at her statements as it is revealed that Zanif spends a whopping £600 a month on beauty treatments. She also regularly indulges in expensive meals at high-end restaurants in Cardiff. The Instagram addict is determined to make others believe that " there is a person behind that [Instagram] lifestyle" and is taught by Anna how to improve her Instagram feed. Anna tells her that she doesn't understand the message that she is trying to put across through her posts. When asked to describe her feed in three words, Zanif says: ‘God’, ‘Peace’ and ‘Living Your Best Life’, the last of which Anna describes as an "Instagram cliché".
Following an analysis of their finances and a serious chat about the future, Zanif and Mario are shown how much they can save if they change their ways. Anita reveals that if they ditch designer goods and stop making impulse hot tub purchases, they could save £7416 in a year.
After she sees the figure, Zanif declares: “I just want to start saving now” and much to the delight of husband Mario, says that she’s focused on getting a mortgage. "The life that we were living was very much, in the moment," she says. "We can still live in the moment now but actually plan towards the future."
Secret Spenders is on Channel 4 on Thursday, May 19 at 8pm
