A single mum shares how she cleared £16,000 of debt in just two years by making straightforward changes to her spending habits and following eight practical money-saving strategies
Single mum Jackie Annett with daughter Daisy.(Image: )
This Christmas bore no resemblance to the one 18 years ago when I was grappling with thousands of pounds in debt. I’ve decided to share my journey to becoming debt-free with Mirror readers, in the hope it might assist others facing financial difficulties.
While my financial situation has significantly improved, being in debt taught me a valuable lesson: living beyond your means only breeds stress.
Before becoming pregnant, I was reckless with money, spending well beyond my income. On the outside, I seemed to be relishing life and living ‘in the moment’, but upon learning about my pregnancy, the staggering £16,000 debt became unbearable.
So, I introduced some simple changes that allowed me to save money and eliminate my debt within just two years.
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In my pursuit of a debt-free life, I realised there was no magic formula or hidden secret; it all came down to following the basic advice shared by experts like Martin Lewis and people like me who have been through it first-hand. Firstly, I established a budget to monitor my spending – I was shocked to discover I had leftover money after paying bills, which I was frittering away on all the wrong things.
Our biggest expense prior to my pregnancy was socialising – simply cutting out this habit alone saved me a substantial amount. However, this also meant that eating out or ordering takeaways was no longer an option, and meal planning along with sticking to a weekly budget became the new norm. One of the simplest strategies I adopted was swapping my bank cards for cash, as it’s all too easy to lose sight of spending when you’re constantly tapping away on plastic.
I also itemised all our debts and worked out how much we could afford to pay towards them each month, now that our expenditure had significantly decreased. For me, it made sense to prioritise the debts with the highest interest rates, although some people suggest paying off smaller debts first to enjoy the occasional win.
There are usually lots of free activities for families so you don’t need to spend money to have fun.(Image: ©National Trust Images/David Kirkham)
The toughest part of repaying debt was having to put social activities and fun on the back burner. So, I started looking into ways to have fun without breaking the bank and began taking my daughter to free family events in our local area. On special occasions, we would treat ourselves to a meal out if I could find a local two-for-one or kids-eat-free deal.
It may require a lot of effort, but the satisfaction of becoming debt-free is undoubtedly worth it. It’s completely transformed my life – allowing me to get onto the property ladder despite being a single parent, and knowing that one day my daughter will benefit from the inheritance and my newfound wisdom in personal finance.
Since settling the debt, I’ve adopted an even more thrifty lifestyle, generating additional income through car rentals, hosting foreign language students, and home swapping to cut down on holiday expenses. If I can achieve this, so can anyone.
Here are some simple steps to save money:
- Create a budget including all debts and interest rates/repayment terms
- Crack down on socialising and eating out
- Swap bank cards for cash
- Work out how much debt you can repay monthly and pay the debt with the highest interest rate first
- Take children to free events
- Fancy a treat? Take advantage of two-for-one or kids-eat-free offers
- Think if ways you can earn more – renting out car, driveway or spare room
- Holiday for less
If you’re grappling with debt, don’t hesitate to reach out to Citizens Advice.