Anna and Mark Wallace spend a whopping £1,000 a month on food - but insist some of the blame lies with their 'fussy' kids.
The struggling couple, from Worcester, are in desperate need of help with the mounting debt from their divorces, which currently sits at a hefty £9,000.
If that wasn't bad enough, they are spending beyond their means, £250 more than they bring home each month, due to their habit for overspending.
Anna, who works for a high street homeware company, forks out £300 a month on beauty products and £430 on clothes and homeware - and her 13-year-old daughter is following in her footsteps with unnecessary spending.
While electrical engineer Mark has put off doing any DIY around the house, leaving their teenage son's neglected bedroom with a hole in the ceiling, black mould and peeling wallpaper.
They are stunned to discover they visit the supermarket a staggering 41 times a month when confronted by presenter Anna Richardson on How To Save A Grand in 24 Hours.
Anna and Mark live with three of their children but have a total of five kids between them, including from previous marriages.
They end up cooking up to three different meals a night because their kids are "fussy eaters", particularly their youngest.
"The main problem we’ve got is Harley our 6-year-old. His staple diet consists of chicken nuggets, hot dogs and pizza. So we always have to cook a separate meal for him," explains Anna.
Presenter Anna takes a deep dive into their finances and admits it's "not a pretty sight".
She discovers they have five credit cards between them and are spending £36 a month just on interest, which comes to £438 extra per year.
The pair are also guilty of living in their overdrafts and paying £20 a month in charges, which should only be an emergency or short term solution as most banks charge considerably higher interests than credit cards.
"I'm not very good at keeping track of what I've got in the bank or what I haven't got in the bank," admits Mark.
Their frequent supermarket trips mean they are spending double the national average - and the couple are warned that keeping up this lifestyle will result in an extra £15,000 debt in just five years.
Fortunately, three experts each have six hours with the Wallaces to impart their knowledge and provide some money-saving hacks.
First up is chef Gary Usher, who has the unenviable task of getting six-year-old Harley to eat something that doesn't come out of the freezer.
Gary informs the couple they can cut their food costs by 30% just by switching to online shopping so they can easily plan their meals and keep track of spend.
Cooking multiple meals every night is costing the family an extra £120 a month and is also "demoralising" for mum Anna.
Gary says it's important for kids to watch the cooking process and be involved, so gets Harley in to help make a home-cooked version of his favourite fried chicken that they can all eat together.
The chef's top tips are to buy a whole chicken rather than breasts for better value and to use pre-chopped garlic from a jar rather than costly fresh bulbs.
Despite some nerves, Harley really loves his new meal and rates it an impressive 10/10 while eating with the rest of his family.
Gary manages to knock an impressive £267 off their monthly food bill and save time on cooking different meals.
Next it's the turn of cleaning guru Peachy Clean, who wants mum Anna and daughter Heidi to lay out all their beauty products on the floor.
"Where did you hide them all," exclaims a stunned Mark when he sees the scale of the problem, with the girls owning six times the national average.
Peachy is left "speechless" when Mark does the sums and reveals they have spent a whopping £2,576 on beauty items.
"I couldn't believe it, the whole family could have gone to Disneyland for that - and had spending money," says Peachy.
Teenager Heidi, who admits she copies social media influencers, has seven hairbrushes, 10 body sprays, five eyeshadow palettes and four body scrub in her collection.
Peachy informs the girls that make-up can go out of date and they can cut costs by 50% and help the environment by using refillable packaging.
Lastly it's time for DIY expert Eve Humphreys to sort out the family's unfinished jobs around the house.
The DIY disasters are overwhelming and have been put on hold for so long it could cost thousands for a professional to fix.
Teenager Dylan's bedroom has suffered the most from neglect and urgently needs sorting so he has a place to revise for his exams.
It's also covered in black mould because a leak from the roof a few years ago left a hole in the ceiling, meaning the room is also becoming a health hazard.
Eve defeats the mould with a simple £2 spray, fills in the hole in the ceiling with filler then gets Mark to help put up some new wallpaper.
The couple manage to save £250 by not hiring professionals for the labour and spend just £60 on decorating the bedroom.
Anna and Mark also realises they were paying for four contracts on two phones and had three Amazon accounts between them.
The couple manage to save £56 by cancelling unwanted contracts and by get £100 back from overdraft charges by calling up the bank.
"Liberated" mum Anna cuts her cosmetic costs down to have an extra £175 a month in her pocket and saves £275 from homeware and clothes spending.
When presenter Anna returns after a week, she reveals the Wallaces have saved an incredible £1,141 by making the financial changes.
She explains they could demolish all of their £9,000 debt by the end of the year by carrying on with their new spending habits,
Delighted mum Anna says: "It has empowered me. It's made me realise that I need to make the change and I can make the change."
*How To Save a Grand in 24 Hours airs Mondays on Channel 4 at 8pm
