Those of us who belong to a certain generation avidly followed the characters on the MTV reality show, “The Hills,” particularly the exploits of Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt, the Ken-and-Barbie wannabes everyone loved to hate. Since the show ended in 2010, things have not been going well for “Speidi,” and it seems they have lost a lot more than just their notoriety.
They Did What?
According to a recent article that appeared on Britain’s Daily Mail Web site, Mr. And Mrs. Pratt haven’t been living the life of luxury they once did, thanks to the fact that they managed to squander a $10 million fortune. Yes, that’s right – ten million big ones down the tanker-oo. Most of us could live comfortably on that much money for the balance of our lives, but when you “order $4,000 bottles of wine at restaurants,” and spend $20,000 – $30,000 a day at the mall, it tends to go much more quickly. Add to that $100,000 a month for hair and makeup, Heidi’s marathon surgical transformation (including boobs the size of driver’s side airbags), and $2.5 million in studio time for her failed record album, there can’t be much left. Their most recent expenditure, the Daily Mail claims, has been $40,000 to reduce Heidi’s breast implants to a more manageable size. Apparently, all this has caused the couple to resort to eating at food trucks, and only spending $100 at a time at Victoria’s Secret.
The couple admit that they’ve messed up big time by blowing those millions, and even confess to the delusional thought that they were on par with Jay-Z and Beyoncé. “Oh, how the mighty have fallen” doesn’t even begin to cover it; Pratt, 30, and Montag, 27, still have a lot of life left ahead of them, and heaven only knows what challenges they will be presented with. There have been enough cautionary tales about reality television stars hitting the skids after their shows have run their course, with many of them even worse off than Speidi.
Be Smart With Your Money
While it’s perfectly acceptable to treat yourself to a luxury item every so often, if you’ve got the means to do so, it is not all right to blow tens of thousands at the mall on a whim. People like Heidi and Spencer could have done with some sound financial advice, either from their families, or from trusted advisors. There’s even a virtual learning environment online that can help anyone who can use a mouse or a touch-screen learn how to plan for the future. Ask any Millennial who can’t find a job if they haven’t investigated an online learning Web site in the hope of sharpening their skills so they can land a job that will finally allow them to move out of their parents’ basements. Maybe Heidi and Spencer need to take some e-learning courses to sharpen their financial skills, so they don’t blow what precious few dollars they have left. If only they knew about the Coggno Marketplace three years ago, they’d be in much better shape!
