A multimillionaire family went door-to-door to earn extra cash by doing odd jobs in their new neighbourhood after swapping lives with a struggling couple on a budget of £57 a week.
Retired army sergeant turned entrepreneur Steve Green, his wife Gemma, their ten-year-old daughter Sadie and Steve’s toddler granddaughter Arianna, two, gave up their life of luxury for Channel 5’s Rich House, Poor House.
The family swapped their newly-renovated five-bedroom home in Redcar, North Yorkshire and £1,600 weekly budget with Ben Gowland-Jeffries, his partner Demi and their daughter Lillie, for the show, which airs on Sunday at 9pm.
Meanwhile, Steve and Gemma struggle to buy groceries on just £57 a week, as they take up residence in Ben and Demi’s home in County Durham.
Retired army sergeant turned entrepreneur Steve Green, his wife Gemma, their ten-year-old daughter Sadie and Steve’s granddaughter Arianna, two, give up their life of luxury for a week and £1600 weekly budget (pictured in front of their home in Yorkshire)
Roofer Ben Gowland-Jeffries, his partner Demi and their daughter Lillie move into their newly-renovated five-bedroom home in Redcar, North Yorkshire (pictured in front of their home in County Durham)
During their first trip to the supermarket, Steve stocked up on carbs, and decided to buy a packet of flapjacks for £1 he spotted on the way to the checkout.
But Gemma disagreed that they were an essential and the couple ended up bickering over buying the treat.
‘There’s no money left! I can imagine it’s really difficult for Ben and Demi’ Gemma said as she paid the £50.56 bill.
After splashing almost their whole weekly budget on one shop, the couple took their daughter out with them to pick up odd jobs in the neighbourhood.
‘Being a millionaire doesn’t change you as a person’ Gemma said. ‘We’re the same we’ve always been.’
After splashing almost their whole weekly budget on one shop, the couple took their daughter out with them to pick up odd jobs in the neighbourhood, and managed to get paid for doing some gardening
Their ten-year-old approached a home asking for work, saying: ‘Hope you’re having a good day, my name is Sadie and I’m just wondering if there’s any jobs you would like us to do and you’re willing to pay us a bit of money for?’
They earned £20 by washing a van that hadn’t been cleaned in three years, and picked up more cash by gardening but many places turned them away.
Meanwhile, Ben and Demi took a trip to an upmarket farm food store, where tjhey were shocked at the prices.
Steve and Gemma have build up a £6million property portfolio. Pictured is their newly-renovated home in Redcar
Ben explained that his job as roofer means that his work is weather-dependent and his earnings are very unpredictable,varying from £300 a week to just £30 if rain cancels a job.
Demi gave up work when Lillie was born, because the couple couldn’t afford the cost of childcare.
As they visited the shop, Demi was shocked at a £2.75 jar of jam, and refused to buy the expensive goods despite her new budget.
‘I’m not paying £15.50 for a bottle of wine’ she protested. ‘I’m stuck in my ways, I can’t bring myself to do it.’
Despite their lack of splashing out, the shop came to £126, more than they wouold usually spend on a monthly grocery haul.
Demi and Ben splashed half their usual weekly budget on a takeaway and later tried oysters for the first time while on a date night at an upmarket restaurant, while Lillie stayed at home with a babysitter (pictured at the restaurant)
Later, in the episode, Steve and Gemma reminisced about their childhoods and their struggle to get rich, saying they weren’t too different from the couple they had swapped with.
After a trip to the local pub to meet Ben’s friends, Steve learns the pair were both raised by their grandparents.
‘There’s nothing different about me at all. I’m not special’ Steve said. ‘I left school with no grades, I grew up in a council house. I just knew what I wanted.
‘He could be you,’ one of his friends added.
Demi took her mum on a spa day as part of her week of luxury with a £1,600 budget to spend
‘Exactly’ Steve said. ‘He just needs to find out what he’s passionate about. I was 32-years-old when I found out what I wanted to do.
Steve explained he was raised in a council house and worked as a joiner before signing up to the army.
After serving in Iraq, he left and was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder, which left him in a downward spiral.
‘I knew we were in a war zone, it was such a difficult time for me. I started to drink, I was going out a lot more, I started fighting.
‘It was hard I could just see him on self destruct’ Gemma added.
Steve and Gemma are pictured at the end of the week enjoying a drink in a park
But the couple didn’t let that stop them from building their empire and in 2001 bought their first property for £35,000.
From there, they have built it up and now manage a portfolio of £6 million and have nine companies.
But they enjoy a life of luxury which Demi and Ben are keen to try out the high life, saying they both seem a lot more stressed without money worries.
They splash half their usual weekly budget on a takeaway and later try oysters for the first time while on a date night at an upmarket restaurant, while Lillie stayed at home with a babysitter.
Steve and Gemma are pictured with their daughter Sadie, 10 and Steve’s granddaughter Arriana, two outside their sprawling Redcar home
At the end of the week, the couples met in person, and both said they were shocked by the similarities between them.
‘The whole experience took us back to our experience’ Gemma said.
‘The similarities between us,’ Demi added. ‘I couldn’t believe, it was just crazy.’
Steve added: ‘We’ve had difficult times with finance and we’ve had spells, it’s not been constant.’
Demi and Ben said the week has been a massive eye opener for them, and they hoped to be more postie and driven in the future.
‘You need to think, where can I put my focus to make a bit more money?’ Steve said.
‘You gotta flip this on his head and focus on what makes you happy, you need that guidance and support.
‘What we’d like to do is out you through all of our business training to a value of £30,000’ he adds.
In tears, the couple accepted the offer of personal development training and said they were looking forward to the future.
- Rich House, Poor House, Sunday 12 April on Channel 5 at 9pm