I was crippled under £125k of debt but now I am getting back in the black thanks to my two-jean hack
A WOMAN who was struggling under a mountain of debt has revealed how she is paying it off with a frugal jean hack.
Brooke Eichenbaum, 29, was shocked when she saw how much student loan she had to pay off when she graduated from university with a physical therapy degree three years ago.
She had $137k (£103K) in student loans and $29k (£21K) in a car loan and realised she would be paying double that back due to the 8 per cent interest.
A determined Brooke decided to live frugally to pay her loans back quicker.
She stopped buying new clothes, cooks 99 per cent of her meals at home and plans free or cheap activities.
Brooke earns $5,500 (£4,146) a month – and aims to put $2,000 (£1,507) towards her student loan and $500 (£376) towards her car.
Within three years she has got her debt down to $80k (£60,306).
Brooke, a physical therapist, from Miami, Florida, said: “My goal is not to have any money struggles – to live a life and not have to worry about bills.
“It’s not about restricting.
“It’s about choosing other options.
“It’s simply making different choices and being happy with what I have while being very motivated for the options that a debt free life has to offer.”
Brooke said she grew up “struggling” with money but had always hoped to go to college.
She said: “I went to university and took out all these loans.
“You don’t really think about it that much when you’re accepting them.
“You don’t think about paying it back and the interest.
“Once I was finished with my degree they started talking about payment.
“They show you how much you have in loans and how much you’re actually paying back at the end of the term.
“I’m OK with paying back the loans – I didn’t want to pay back anymore than I needed to.
“I wanted to pay back as much as I can as quickly as I can. I didn’t want to pay all that interest.”
Brooke graduated in 2022 – when there was still a pause on loans and interest due to the pandemic but started squirrelling away as much money as she could.
Now, despite pay increases at work, she sticks to the same minimal lifestyle.
Brooke said: “I try to keep my lifestyle as it was when I was a student.
“I cook at home 99 per cent of the time.
“I make a meal plan and I have all the ingredients so I’m not tempted to eat out.”
She lives with her fiancé, 28, and the pair spend around $500 (£376) on their food shopping over a month.
Brooke said: “It sounds like a lot – but that’s our food – that’s it.
“We’re not spending a lot of money on restaurants.”
Brooke also doesn’t buy herself new clothes to cut her costs.
She said: “I don’t go out and buy new clothes.
“I have two pairs of jeans.
“My jeans are several years old.
“I’m wearing things from years ago – they are still in good shape.
“Any new clothes I get are holiday gifts.”
Brooke will also plan free or low cost activities where she can – such as going for walks, to the beach or having friends over.
She said: “I like to have fun but I plan cheap, low cost activities.
“You don’t need to spend money to have a nice weekend.”
Brooke still sets aside money to put into retirement and savings each month and hopes to have paid back all of her debt in two years’ time.
She said: “I think I’ll still be living very simply.
How to effectively manage your money
Kara Gammell, finance expert at MoneySuperMarket, gives tips on how to get a handle on your finances so you have more left for saving,
- Analyse your spending
If you’re struggling to get a grip on your finances, the way to start is to do a proper inventory.
Try Emma, the money management app, which uses open banking to combine information from all your bank accounts, savings accounts and credit cards, plus investments. The app then highlights any wasteful subscriptions and costly debt and helps streamline your savings.
What’s more, it analyses your personal finances and recommends ways to conserve money so that you can get on track financially more easily than ever.
If you want to have a deep dive into your spending habits, go through your bank statement at the end of each month and give every purchase a rating of one, two or three.
Mark with a ‘one’ any purchases that didn’t make you feel good; give a ‘two’ rating to things that felt ‘sort of good but indifferent’; and mark with ‘three’ any purchases that you would make all over again in a heartbeat.
You’ll be surprised by what you learn.
- Monitor your credit report
From overdrafts to loans, credit cards, mobile phones and mortgages, it can be hard to keep track of your finances, and it can be all too simple to find yourself in the dark about how much debt you have in total.
But this information forms your credit score, which is used by lenders to determine whether you’ll be offered competitive rates and offers for financial products, or even whether you will even be accepted when you make an application.
I use MoneySuperMarket’s Credit Score tool, which is a free credit report tool that lets me see all my account balances in one place.
I’m automatically notified when my credit report is updated monthly, which can be a huge help in avoiding any financial problems from spiralling and means I always know what my overall financial situation is.
The tool also suggests ways to improve your credit score, so you’re more likely to be offered competitive interest rates, which helps you save money in the long run.
“It shows you what’s important to you [living frugally].
“I don’t think I’m going to go and buy a bunch of clothes.
“I’d rather invest into my future.”
Brooke hopes talking about her debt can help others do the same.
She said: “A lot of people may feel embarrassed to tell their friends they have a lot of debt.
“My close friends are very supportive.
“They are happy to come along with me to do something free.”
Brooke recommends tracking your spending.
She said: “I use an app.
“The first step is to know where your money is going.”
Brooke is proud of how much debt she has paid off in three years.
She said: “It was such a big number to start with.
“It’s a relief.”
You can follow Brooke on TikTok @brookie_budgets