I didn’t spend anything for a YEAR and paid off £70k worth of debt – here’s how you can do it
A MUM has revealed how she paid off £70k worth of debt in a year and shared how she did it.
Amber said she didn't spend anything for an entire year to achieve her saving goal on her YouTube channel, The Fairly Local Family.
The mum of three, who lives in Ontario, often speaks of the no spend challenge and said: "It really helps me and my family get out of debt."
She had enough of living in debt, which was close to £70k, and claims it was 'pulling the family under'.
Fed up of living paycheck to paycheck, she decided to try the strict challenge.
The mum revealed how her husband, Joseph, took some convincing to try the challenge as he thought it was normal for families to have some form of debt.
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Amber revealed the stringent steps she took in a year to pay off her debt and become more financially comfortable.
She explained that the no spend challenge meant you were not allowed to buy anything that wasn't a complete necessity.
The family stopped eating out for the year, stopped going to the movies, and only paid for their rent bills, food, and insurance.
She said grocery shopping became the highlight of her week as it was the only time she would really go out during the challenge.
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Amber admits the way she did it was 'extreme', but that's it paid off now the family own their own home and are debt-free.
The mum began selling things around their home that she didn't use or didn't love to help pay off the debt.
She said: "Anything I didn't deem something I really loved or completely necessary or I wasn't using it, I just sold it.
"Then I ended up making quite a bit of money just selling things that were lying around the house.
"I used that money to help pay off the loans."
Amber claims it became extreme, even selling her couch, kitchen tables and TV using the trend of 'minimalism' to use as a cover-up for selling so many items.
She said she would even sell gifts she didn't need, as well as her wedding and engagement ring.
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Although she said she sold many items at a loss, Amber had no regrets as it meant she was getting out of debt faster.
To viewers looking to save money, Amber suggested writing down how much you make each month and then subtracting what you spend a month and work out what things can go.