Mum in £20,000 credit card debt after 14 years of ‘irresponsible' spending

Birmingham mum Megan Archer-Fox is making a complete u-turn on her finances - and everyone will get to see her do it.

Determined to finally get ahead of her five-figure credit card debt and overdraft, the journalist is documenting her journey to becoming debt-free online in the hopes of trumping the shame, embarrassment and stigma surrounding people in financial situations like hers.

The mum-of-two quickly racked up thousands of followers on TikTok with her candid insights and, as a reporter for Birmingham Live, took her story to the papers to smash the prejudice around credit card debt, noting that it’s “more normal than we realise”.

With the goal of being completely debt-free in two years’ time, Megan first reflected on how she arrived in this financial predicament, looking back on “the exact moment my landslide into debt began” when she discovered her £1,500 overdraft at 18.

Combined with the “newfound freedom” of staying away from home for the first time, Megan quickly made use of the overdraft to fully embrace expensive city living, believing she could “pay it back easily when I got a job”.

In the 14 years since that time, the mum-of-two admits that even after having a family, her spending habits haven’t truly changed as she “wouldn’t pause to check if I could afford” anything before lobbing it on her credit card when her overdraft maxed out.

Despite her mounting debt, Megan diligently never missed a payment, which only increased the limits on her card and fuelled her “irresponsible” spending habits to the point where she believed she would simply “owe money forever” and accepted that this cycle would be her life.

Having decided “enough is enough”, she set up her TikTok, thatgirlindebt, to keep herself motivated and disciplined toward her debt-free goal and quickly amassed more than a million views, with many followers sharing that they are in a similar position “with no one to talk to about it”.

While Megan is admittedly not a financial expert, she is sharing the methods and tips she’s using to pay down her debts, from examining thoroughly all of her accounts and expenses to moving all of her credit card debt onto 0% interest cards.

She implored others to know they “are not alone” in credit card debt and insisted it’s nothing “to be ashamed about”, sharing candidly the "insane things I paid for with my credit card" on her channel from Apple Watches to washing machines and weekly takeout food.

Just a month into her debt-free journey, Megan admitted it hasn’t been the easiest road but the hardest part was simply “deciding to change my ways”.