A SINGLE mum has revealed how she found herself in over £38,000 of debt after struggling in the pandemic and “careless spending”, but defends heading to Ibiza on holiday.
Yasmine Camilla, 35, from London, is sharing her debt recovery journey on TikTok where she boasts almost 30,000 followers in the hope to help others with money struggles.
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The mum-of-two from London explains that she is keen to get out of debt so that she can leave the home she owns with her ex who left her two years ago.
Yasmine, who has two credit cards as well as five personal loans, explains that her debt is a result of a number of factors.
Speaking on TikTok, she explained: “My income went down during the pandemic and my outgoings went up, a lot of people managed to save money I didn’t.
“I’m a single parent and I paid for anything I possibly could to make things easier. I was working a really stressful job at the time which I’ve now actually left.
“I’ve got a job that pays more now. I was paying for childcare when it was allowed because the kids weren’t in school so my expenses just generally went up.
“That said there were some things I’ve spent money on that I really shouldn’t have and that was just to cheer myself up because I was really depressed which I wouldn’t recommend.”
Yasmine’s total debts
– Virgin credit card (used to consolidate other debts) £14,138.24 – minimum payments being made every month, 0% interest for 12 more months
– Personal loan First Direct – £2,069.28 paying £344 off every month, debt will be cleared in six months
– Two additional personal loans of £9,194.40 and £6,278.30
– John Lewis credit card £4818.46 with interest
– Car loan – £611.67
– Klarna bill – £1,522.44
Total: £38,632.79
Yasmine’s total debt now equates to £38,632.79, £13,000 more than the mum even realised she owed.
But she is determined to pay it all off.
“I am attempting to do this without damaging my credit rating because I want to have options about my mortgage when I’m done,” she explains.
“Cutting costs and trying to earn more is my main focus.”
But some of Yasmine’s followers were surprised to see the mum sharing her videos about her debt issues from a sun lounger in Ibiza.
“What you doing on holiday?!” one follower commented, with another adding, “I want to know how you can afford to go to Ibiza.”
But Yasmine has hit back at trolls, explaining that the trip had already been paid for.
She wrote: “A friend paid for my hotel, the flights were booked from vouchers I had left from cancelled work trips.”
Yasmine went on to say that she is very aware that social media can paint an entirely different picture to reality when it comes to finances.
Taking to Instagram, she wrote: “For sure I have a nice house, I just went on holiday, I have pretty clothes and a good job – but sometimes I said things like “I can’t afford” or “I mustn’t spend xx” and it struck me that my finances were at total odds with how it looks on here.”
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