Single mum living on £59 a week in a tiny house breaks down in tears after millionaire makes her dream come true
WHEN single mum Julie applied for Rich House Poor House, she didn’t expect her experience to have her dream come true.
Times haven’t always been so hard for Julie, as she used to run a successful business as a doggy day care service.
But like millions across the country unfortunately COVID hit and she was forced to quit the business.
Julie said: “It was a well established company, and then COVID hit and instantly shut me down.
“I had no income, I wasn’t able to pay my bank loan, credit card and other things like that.
“So I had to go to a Solvency company, and now I have bad credit.”
Julie now works in a care home and is soon moving on to help the homeless, but is struggling with the low income.
She said: “Once I pay my rent, council tax, gas and electricity – I’m left with very little, I’m left with about £58 for shopping.”
Julie, lives with her two daughters Chloe, 21, and Martine, 17, who is in theatre school, in Halstead, Essex.
But her daughter Chloe, who is qualifying in cosmetic aesthetics, doesn’t have her own bedroom and sleeps in the living room.
Julie said: “I hate the fact that she doesn’t even have her own bedroom, I’m looking to see if I can do something with the conservatory and make it into a bedroom for her.
“But I haven’t got the money to do that at the moment.”
Julie adds: “It’s not easy, we make do, we get on and muck in together.
Her dream is to run a dining restaurant or pub which will have days specially for people with illnesses like dementia.
But 42 miles down the road in Romford, Essex is 36 year old businessman Jazz and his Portuguese partner Catia.
Imagine working from Monday through to Friday, and that’s what you’ve got to spend for your family
Jazz
Jazz started his first business as a football coach when he was 17, and he managed to scale the business from £30 a week to a £3 million business with 30 staff members.
In 2020 he sold the business to start an established consultancy, and he now teaches other people how to grow their income.
His house includes five bedrooms, a garden and a steam room.
Jazz said: “I remember when I was 12 years old my mum gave me her last £20 to go to the shop and get some milk, I lost the £20 on my way because I was playing football and I realised that was the first time I saw tears in my mum’s eyes.
“I realised that money has a massive impact on your life.”
They wanted to join the show to not forget their “humbling beginnings” while Julie’s reason for joining the show is to help her to “achieve higher”.
Whilst living in each other’s home, the pair got given a budget on what each other usually live off for the week.
Julie was stunned to see Jazz’s weekly budget of £1,200 which is 20 times her weekly budget of £59.76.
Stunned by the millionaires budget, Julie says: “How can I just spend all of that and not work for it? When it’s not my money.”
And on the other side, Jazz was left disheartened about Julie’s budget.
He said: “Imagine working from Monday through to Friday, and that’s what you’ve got to spend for your family.
“It must be quite psychologically challenging, because people will often say, well why am I doing this?”
Julie’s week included a one to one business meeting with an entrepreneur, £200 private Pilates sessions, Spa treatment, while Jazz’s week included a doggy day care centre, and a meeting with her mum.
Normally Jazz and Catia’s food is delivered to their front door, but this week they are heading to the food store themselves.
Catia says: “It certainly is very depressing, and you have to bear in mind how that affects people in the household.”
Whilst staying at Julie’s, Catia and Jazz dipped into their own pockets and bought a bed with storage for Chloe.
The fact that Julie couldn’t afford a proper bed for Chloe, reminded Jazz of his upbringing.
He said: “I remember times when we had just enough money to survive, but we didn’t have money to thrive.
“It’s given me the discipline to go out there and really create something of my life, and help others on the way.”
It’s been a week of ups and downs for Julie and her family, but they have learnt a lot.
Chloe said: “One thing we have learnt this week is communicating as a family, and doing it in the right way instead of just having an argument about it.
“It’s definitely made me realise that when I do go home, I need my own space.”
Speaking to her daughters, Julie said: “I don’t want to be a millionaire.
“That’s not my goal, I just want to come out comfortably and have a meal with you guys and not worry.
“I still feel guilty that I can’t provide for you.”
Before they go home, the family met at a hotel to discuss their week living in each other’s house.
To get the ball rolling, Jazz and Catia are happy to help get her business on the road by helping to put the first event together which reduced Julie to tears, as she simply said “thank you.”
It certainly is very depressing, and you have to bear in mind how that affects people in the household
Catia
Moving onto the final surprise, Catia mentioned about the new bed and how they are thinking of turning the conservatory into a living space so Chloe can have her own bedroom.
Reduced to tears again, Julie said: “It’s so kind of you to do that for me when you don’t even know me.”
Talking about his experience of the week on Channel 5‘s Rich House, Poor House, Jazz said: “You don’t need money to be happy. Does it help? Absolutely. Can you be happy without money, I think the other family have shown that.”
Julie said: “I’m very overwhelmed, he’s helping me with my first event. Words can’t describe how happy we are.
“We are so grateful for what they have given us.”
Within days new furniture arrived to complete Chloe’s bedroom, and a new luxury sofa completed the transformation of the conservatory.