I’m a super scrimping mum who sells rubbish for cash – it’s helped me pay off £11,000 debt

TWO years ago mum-of-one Chloe Godland only had £5 left in her bank account to buy food – but now she’s a self-confessed “super scrimping mum” who has turned her finances around.

The 28-year-old from Leicester now sells rubbish for cash and buys her underwear in charity shops and it has helped her to clear £11,000 worth of debt.

Chloe, who lives with daughter Clemmie, 2, partner Jack Gordon, a 33-year-old gym instructer, said: “A year ago, I only had £5.30 to buy groceries. I had £11,000 in credit card debt and loans. 

“We were on our knees. The cost of living meant our bills were through the roof.

“I couldn’t afford bread and beans. It was the shock I needed to get smart with my finances.

“It was terrifying and I was in tears initially, but I refused to let debt beat my family”. 

Chloe turned her finances around by adopting super scrimping tactics. 

“Now I am debt-free in my thirties. I haven’t bought anything new for a year,” she said.

“Everything I am wearing, even my knickers and bra, is from a charity shop or second-hand store. The underwear cost me a quid.”

“I super scrimped for a year and came up with weird ways to save cash. Now I am addicted to my wacky super saving method,” she says.

Jack earns just over £29,000 a year and the family pays £750 a month to rent a two-bedroom flat.

The couple are also proud foster parents to a fifteen-year-old.

Once their bills were paid the couple had just £50 a month to squirrel into an emergency fund. 

But in November 2022, the family faced a crisis point when they were hit with an unexpected bill. 

“An unexpected direct debit had come out of the account, and it left me with £5.30 until the next pay day for groceries. Knowing I only had a fiver for food 12 days was soul destroying.

“We were being crippled by three credit card payments and a £3,000 loan. I was only paying the minimum interest on the credit cards and the amount I owed never went down.

MAKING A PLAN

So, Chloe and Jack launched her radical plan to buy nothing new for a year – and even put the plan in writing.

“Putting it on paper and agreeing to save and pay off the money we owed and both signing it made it real for us. It showed our commitment,” she said.

Chloe listed her credit card and loan agreements starting with the debt with the highest interest rate.

“I put it on a spreadsheet and having the information in one place gave me a sense of control. It helped me plan.”

The pair vowed to buy nothing new except groceries or hygiene products for a year – but even then, they had to buy basic products like yellow label, own brand or on discount. 

Whenever Chloe or Jack purchased a second-hand item, they paid the difference between its’ cost and a new item towards their debt. 

 Chloe admits she loved the challenge of finding second hand or charity shop items instead of brand-new products.

“I found a stash of bras and knickers at a charity shop which were brand new and still with labels on,” she said.

“I get bras for 70p and knickers for 50p.

“When I tell mates I am wearing charity shop knickers they screw up their noses. 

“What they don’t know is that they’re brand new and super cheap. I even bought some lingerie at a vintage shop for two quid and it’s lush,” she said.

Chloe also searches car boot sales and charity shops for toys and kids clothes for her toddler. 

“I also organised clothes swap parties with friends. Once a fortnight we’d bring bags of clothes, shoes and toys we no longer needed and swap with each other,” she added.

“It means we all get ‘new items’ to us and save a fortune.”
Chloe also used free money apps to earn money late at night doing surveys as well as product testing and secret shopping.

“I signed up for as many money-making apps as possible.

“It meant I could make money in the supermarket doing secret shopping or at night doing a survey online.”

Plus, Chloe sells all her old clothes and household items on Facebook and auction sites.

But she is most proud of her “rubbish” super-scrimping idea. 

As she uses other people’s rubbish to make money to pay off her credit cards.

“On bin night I’d check other people’s recycling and find items to make into gifts or to sell,” she said.

“I made Christmas gifts, mother’s day and birthday presents from the items I found in other people’s trash.”

Chloe’s rubbish money making included designing spectacular wreaths she made using toilet rolls she cut and painted in complicated designs.

“I made posh storage jars and candle holders. 

“I found old cheese graters people were throwing out and turned them into clocks.

“People thought I’d spent a fortune at a posh designer shop. When they discovered I’d made them many ordered gifts from me for friends.

“I know many people will think it’s awful using other people’s trash to make gifts.

“It actually made me money because I sold items on order to friends.  It’s also positive upcycling.

“I got the basic items I needed to make the gifts from the trash for free. I made £1,080 in the past twelve months from selling my ‘designer rubbish’ gifts. 

“I was shocked and proud it was so successful. I love doing it,” she said.

CLEARING THE CREDIT CARDS

But now, Chloe is debt free.

“I rang the credit card companies and they explained the faster I cleared the debt the less interest I would incur,” she said.

“I am so proud that within 12 months of super scrimping and rubbish money making I am finally debt free.”

Chloe has vowed to  never use credit cards again.

“The feeling of finally being debt free in my thirties is liberating,” she said.

“Now we can start saving for a small house. 

“Being debt free is the best feeling ever. It’s proof you can find the cash even in the trash.”

How to shift your credit card debt quickly

By James Flanders, Consumer Reporter

UK Finance reports that we spend a whopping £2 billion a month using our credit cards.

While that little strip of plastic makes everyday spending easy peasy, it comes at a huge cost.

According to The Money Charity, the average credit card debt sits at £2,485 per household or £1,312 per adult.

And if you’re stuck on a credit card with a high APR and only making the minimum repayments, you could be forking out hundreds of pounds extra in interest charges.

For example, if you owe £1,312 on your credit card and are charged 24.8% APR.

If you don’t make any more transactions and pay £100 a month in repayments, you will pay off the card by September 2025 but at £207 in interest.

However, by hunting around for a better deal elsewhere and switching to a balance transfer credit card with a lengthy interest-free period, you can save yourself £162.

If the same person was accepted for a 28-month-long zero-interest credit card with a 3.4% balance transfer fee and made the same £100 repayments each month.

They would pay off the debt sooner, in July 2025, and only fork out £45 towards the 3.4% balance transfer fee.

Before taking out a new credit card or increasing the amount you borrow, it’s vital to consider the consequences.

You should only borrow money if you can afford to pay it back.

It’s always vital to ask yourself if you need to borrow before committing to a new credit card, personal loan or overdraft.

If you use a credit card, I’d recommend that you always pay off your balance in full at the end of each statement period.

Lenders have a responsibility to help customers who are in debt.

If you’re in a debt crisis, your first point of call should be your lender.

They might help you out by offering you a reduced interest rate or a temporary payment holiday – so check in with your lender if you’re struggling.