IT’S no secret that most of us have debt; in fact, 84% of UK adults had credit debts in 2024.
But one mum who was sick of looking at her £37,700 credit card debt has taken measures into her own hands to clear it.
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Taking to social media, the British mum said she planned to pay off the hefty debt without her husband knowing.
She said: “I’ve got debt and this is day 11 of uploading videos to TikTok to surprise my husband by paying off our debt by making micropayments based on the engagement from the previous day’s video.”
The first way she was cashing in was by selling her old stuff on Vinted, which she filmed herself packing away to send.
The mum added that this alone gave her an extra £50 to put towards repaying her credit card debt.
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But she also found that she could make cash using social media.
The mum started her TikTok account @onmydebtjourney to help pay off her debt using strangers’ help.
Now the mum has over 10,000 followers, she was able to partake in TikTok’s creator fund, where she can earn money on her videos.
Creators on TikTok can make money through TikTok’s creator fund.
TikTok bosses say: “The funds that each creator can earn are worked out by a combination of factors – including the number of views and the authenticity of those views, the level of engagement on the content, as well as making sure content is in line with our Community Guidelines and Terms of Service.
No two creators or videos are the same, and there is no limit to the different kinds of content we will support with the fund.
“The Creator Fund total varies daily and is dependent on the amount of videos published by our community that day – so this will fluctuate based on the amount of content being published.”
She said: “We can hopefully make a little bit of extra money from TikTok to get this debt down quicker.
“I’m not asking for anything and it’s completely free. It’s just a little bit of help. It’s the engagement on the videos that really makes the amount come up.
“So if you could share, like and comment on this video, each one of those is a little bit more that I’ll be able to pay off the debt.”
The clip soon went viral on her account with over 890k views and many took to the comments to help the mum in her debt-free journey.
One person wrote: “Commenting for you to get paid.”
How to cut the cost of your debt
IF you’re in large amounts of debt it can be really worrying. Here are some tips from Citizens Advice on how you can take action.
Check your bank balance on a regular basis – knowing your spending patterns is the first step to managing your money
Work out your budget – by writing down your income and taking away your essential bills such as food and transport
If you have money left over, plan in advance what else you’ll spend or save. If you don’t, look at ways to cut your costs
Pay off more than the minimum – If you’ve got credit card debts aim to pay off more than the minimum amount on your credit card each month to bring down your bill quicker
Pay your most expensive credit card sooner – If you have more than one credit card and can’t pay them off in full each month, prioritise the most expensive card (the one with the highest interest rate)
Prioritise your debts – If you’ve got several debts and you can’t afford to pay them all it’s important to prioritise them
Your rent, mortgage, council tax and energy bills should be paid first because the consequences can be more serious if you don’t pay
Get advice – If you’re struggling to pay your debts month after month it’s important you get advice as soon as possible, before they build up even further
Groups like Citizens Advice and National Debtline can help you prioritise and negotiate with your creditors to offer you more affordable repayment plans.
Another commented: “Vinted is great, I’ve sold over £600 on there & such an easy process!”
“Commenting to help get more engagement hope you get paid this off soon,” penned a third.
Meanwhile a fourth said: “Love how you are chipping away at the debt. Good luck.”
“I adore the whole concept of this. You’re a go getter,” claimed a fifth
Someone else added: “You got this!! One day at a time.”
