That is apparently what WE TV executives questioned in coming up with a new program called "downsized" which premieres tonight.
Money puts personal problems at the center of the stage by following the struggles faced by a family in the Phoenix area for nine years.
Arizona has been crushed as hard as any other state for the housing slump, credit crisis and resulting recession.
Hundreds of thousands of people here have had their houses fall in value. Tens of thousands of people have suffered the loss of jobs or paychecks reduced the fall in construction. More than 40,000 Arizonans are on track to file for bankruptcy this year. Countless others deal with mortgages, credit cards and other debts.
Virtually all the winds have blown in the face of Laura and Bruce Todd and his seven children - Ode to the family to whom the show focuses on eight weekly episodes of one hour.
Tonight's first episode explains how Bruce fell into a hole. A large part was a sharp downturn in the business of hiring Todd as the housing market soured. He filed for personal bankruptcy to satisfy some debts and is limping along with current income of about $ 2,000 a month. Laura, an elementary school teacher, earns about $ 40,000 a year, but even that has been crushed by tight school budgets.
The Bruce lost his home and now, as tenants in Anthem, the struggle to make their rent payments each month.
Contribute to their problems has been the inability, or unwillingness to reduce spending enough for their expenses in line with their income.
Laura and Todd married five years ago, and seven children - between 10 and 17 - are from previous marriages. The couple acknowledges that went too liberal from the beginning for dinners, holidays and like to make the transition work better family.
The second episode of "downsized," which airs November 13, delves into the practical aspects of your budget. Producers enrolled Scottsdale specialist mortgages and credit counselor Dean Wegner to provide some financial guidance for the family. Among other things, Todd points to reach more potential business and urges them to cut back on restaurant meals, telephone subscriptions and Internet and $ 145 monthly tab for the daughter of Danielle cheerleading classes.
"You are bleeding money," Wegner said the couple while trying to help close a budget gap of nearly $ 2,000 a month. "You can not declare bankruptcy again, and you can not borrow from the people."
As expected of a reality show, "downsized" captures a lot of cutting routines of life, such as family meals, running at 4:40 am Laura, roughhousing between the boys and interactions with friends of children in school.
The show was filmed from mid-May to mid July, with about a dozen crew members among them at any time.
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