She considered the cards “free money.”
A woman fell into £40,000 of debt after becoming addicted to online shopping – but didn't realize she had to pay back the money she spent.
Maddy Alexander-Grout, 18, received several credit cards during freshman week at college.
Over the next few years, Maddie became obsessed with online spending and would often pay for her friends on nights out.
She didn't realize she was slowly but steadily accumulating thousands of pounds of death.
The 40-year-old mother told reporters manchester evening news She didn't realize she was in serious financial difficulty until she moved out of her college dormitory and had to pay her own tuition.
“I became obsessed with shopping,” she said.
“I didn't understand why I was spending £40,000. I took out my credit cards and overdrafted. At one point, I even got a university hardship grant, a hardship loan, various store cards. I did have a spending addiction.
“It was me being depressed and lacking dopamine. Now I know it was because I was diagnosed with ADHD in 2021. It was out of control.”
Maddie lives in constant fear of debt collectors knocking on her door and is unable to pay her own living expenses, which causes problems for those who live with her.
She eventually managed to find a job in recruitment, but often found herself falling back into unnecessary and reckless spending.
Maddie's low point came when a bank client asked her to run a credit check, revealing her county court judgment and debt relief order.
She was forced to admit her financial problems to her boss and was lucky enough to keep her job.
She said: “They basically told me I couldn't work with any bank customers. It was embarrassing. I had overdrafts with six different banks. That was terrible. It was horrible.”
At this stage of adulthood, Maddie fell into the trap of the payday loan cycle, constantly using financial companies with high interest rates to get by.
She hit rock bottom when she moved to Warrington with her boyfriend at 24 in the hope that money problems would no longer be a thing of the past in her native Southampton.
Shortly after, debt collectors found her at her new address. Mader risked damaging relationships with friends and family and had to turn to people close to her to bail her out.
The anxiety and stress of that encounter eventually led to her moving back to Southampton and seeking help from the Citizens Advice Bureau.
The size of her debt finally started to take hold, and she took drastic measures to be frugal and save as much money as possible.
Maddie lived off the diet, started selling her clothes and other items online, and regularly went to the car boot to make a few extra pounds.
By 2011, she had paid off $40,000 in debt.
She takes it a step further and becomes a money-saving influencer Tik Tokproviding followers with tips and advice on how to save money and reduce debt quickly.
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