I believed I mentioned that Aden and I had applied to be a participant on a reality televisual programme that deals with debt and financial management, and if I didn't mention it, well then I meant to, and yes, that's what we did.
The show is called Maxed Out, hosted by author and financial management wizard Alison Griffiths. Aden and I have watched it (as well as it's rival show, 'Til Debt Do Us Part) a handful of times, and found the ideas and practices that were presented on the show to be both insightful and inspirational. I've made no secret that I've dug myself into the hole with a lot of consumption, and it's taken a long time for me to find myself in a position where I'm both mature enough to deal with it and in a situation where it encourages me to do so.
I've already established some strangleholds on my spending, I've got a plan in place and I've started budgeting my pay, so I think I've got it under control. If this is the case, then why would I apply to a TV show, where there's regularly no one but out of control people with spending habits that eclipse my own dozens of times over? I dunno, to be honest. I mean, there are reasons, but at its core, I really don't know what reasons really stuck out.
I mean, we pitched them as a debt-in-control couple with aspirations of buying a house in an expensive market (Toronto) and also striving to plan for the future (RRSPs, RESP). We're atypical for the show, and we stressed that, but those types of "how to" things (how do we pay down debt, save for a house down payment and save for our family's future all at once with what we have?) I've never seen on these programs and think it would be not only useful to us, but to any viewer in a similar situation. I'm all for educational TV.
So, the advantages we see are, first, that they give you a stipend for being on the show, and extra money is never a bad thing. Secondly, the resources the show can present to us are probably better than what we'd find on our own. Third, I'm a publicity hound (okay, not really). Fourth, shits and giggles. Fifth, to get educated and to understand the proper way to fiscally live one's life (and enjoy it). That's really what we want to get out of the show.
We've met with an associate producer who loved our application and mentioned that our objectives, from a couple of our status, is something they've been wanting to explore for some time. We sat down for a 1 hour interview which went exceptionally well, and just served to confirm with them that we're what they've been looking for. Our "story" has gone to the "pitch" stage (the production needs the network's approval before they can go ahead) and if it gets approved we will begin lensing shortly.
My perceptions of some of the barriers to us getting on the show include: not enough drama; not enough debt; not enough threat; and the fact we're not allowing Aden's little one to participate. There's also the possibility that we might have to back out, as I'm trying to wrap my head around the agreement we have to sign (it's with one of my legal team now for interpretation) and how much we have to give up in order to appear on television.
We're excited to go on the show if my objections about the agreement turn out to be unfounded or can be overcome, and our experience so far has been a positive one (their excitement over us is quite flattering). I don't know how much I can discuss about the process when it's happening (or even after) so if I'm somewhat silent on the matter, please forgive me.