"I racked up £12k of debt buying new clothes to create an 'Instagrammable' look"

A woman ended up with £12k of debt after getting addicted to the "dopamine hit" of buying new clothes, phones and fancy meals out.

Sarah Bartlett, 37, always loved online shopping and would regularly splash the cash on trips to the theatre and the "finer things in life".

She managed to live within her means until buying a new car left her tight for cash and she took out a 0% interest credit card.

The people development partner soon grew accustomed to buying nice clothes, the latest tech and home decor

She regularly bought expensive candles, designer handbags, clothes and new iPhones without thinking about it - and was soon spending way more each month than her £28k salary.

Over lockdown she said she used buy handbags and clothes to feel connected to the outside world.

After six years of overspending she had £12k of debt spread across eight credit cards, and the £180 minimum monthly payments were crippling.

But she got a wake up call in 2021 when her mortgage doubled and she was still spending £500 more per month than she could afford

She began budgeting to the penny, got counselling to curb her need to buy to feel included.

Strong-willed Sarah, from Bristol, has just £500 left of debt to pay back after repaying more than £11,000 in just 22 months.

Now she wants to help others, and erase the stigma around talking about money troubles.

Sarah said: "I definitely felt addicted.

"I put it to back of mind because I enjoyed the dopamine hit of the purchases and I was ignoring it until the wake-up call.

"I was quite ashamed of it so I didn't open up to my family about it until January 2023.

"I feel really proud of myself of how much I've cleared and I wasn't sure whether I could sustain it.

"I'm still slightly worried I could slip back into but I'm really proud of being able to do it and being more open about it and breaking the stigma people have about hiding it.

"Mental health wasn't spoken about it a lot and then it became more open so if my journey can support someone else on the same journey than that would be great."

Following a promotion in 2015, Sarah treated herself to a new £11,000 car which she paid for with a 0% interest card.

While paying back the £11,000, Sarah became enticed by transfer fees and would move money from card to card.

And while she was 'paying off' huge amounts for the car she kept spending so the total debt never got smaller - and in fact it got bigger.

She said: "I took the credit card out with a money transfer and 11k went into my bank account which then paid for the car.

"I'd pay off that credit card with another and just kept following the 0% deals that I could find.

"It felt like I was paying off the car but I managed to pay stuff off but then I'd buy more stuff so it turned into a cycle and the balance just hovered around £12k.

"I've always been a person who loves to spend money. I like shiny things - the newest things.