Woman With $30K Debt Is Not Willing To Eat Rice & Beans Or Work Three Jobs To Pay It Off
She refuses to sacrifice her mental health and quality time with her family because of her debt.
DragonImages via Canva Pro A 30-year-old woman named Kate Hindman has admitted that she refuses to break herself down by working multiple jobs and depriving herself of meals just to pay off all of her debt.
In a viral TikTok video, Hindman attracted a lot of advice regarding her credit card debt and she kindly explained why she won't be following any of it.
She refuses to eat rice and beans or work three jobs just to pay off her $30,000 credit card debt.
Hindman, who lives in Los Angeles, revealed in a December 2023 TikTok video that she had accrued $30,000 in credit card debt after the pandemic. She explained in the video that before the pandemic, she and her husband would usually have $2,000 on their credit cards at any given time, but they were constantly making payments.
"Our monthly payments were $100 a month, and it really didn't make or break us," Hindman recalled. "Then the pandemic happened, and my husband lost his salary."
During the time after her husband lost his job and the entire world was in turmoil because of the pandemic, Hindman noticed that the price for things was steadily rising. On top of that, she'd just had a baby and was unable to return to work right away.
To navigate this rough situation, Hindman began putting all of their basic expenses onto credit cards.
"I grew up very comfortably middle class, so I do tend to think that spending money on things like a dance class or experiences is normal, but I've completely walked that back since everything's become so expensive," she said. "Truly, we have not done anything outside of just pay for our needs."
Photo: vitapix / Canva Pro
Hindman attracted a lot of attention from her viral video from people telling her that she needed to listen and follow financial "expert" Dave Ramsey's advice. Hindman immediately voted against this recommendation.
"Here is why I do not subscribe to Dave Ramsey's snowball effect and his approach in general," Hindman said. "For starters, the entire premise of his plan hinges on having extra money." The problem with this idea is that people never have extra money after paying all of their bills, especially on a fixed income.
Hindman claimed that Ramsey's solution for people who don't have extra money is to get a second job or a third one and to eat rice and beans so that they're not spending money that they don't need to be spending.
"I'm sorry, I'm not willing to do anything to get out of debt. I'm not willing to eat rice and beans every day, I'm not willing to have three jobs and not spend time with my children. I'm not willing to forgo my favorite salad on a Friday when I feel like getting one."
Hindman pointed out that her debt is incredibly tremendous and that saving money or reducing spending won't make a difference.
Instead of telling people to work multiple jobs until they're bone-tired and can't be happy anymore isn't the solution, Hindman noted. The problem comes from the cost of living and lack of a livable wage.
"Being told that we can incrementally make these big differences if we just give up our quality of life for 5 to 10 years is just absurd," Hindman said. "I turn my $30,000 credit card loans into a loan consolidation with an 8% interest rate."
"My mental health and quality of life is more important to me than paying off that debt and that doesn't make me a bad person."
In another video, Hindman responded to a comment left by a viewer who encouraged her to file for bankruptcy. Hindman insisted that if she had been smart enough to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy when she was laid off, she would have.
"The research I've done, which includes consulting with a bankruptcy attorney on Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy, I don't know why everyone doesn't do it. At this point, what do we have to lose?" she questioned. "My husband and I make too much to qualify for Chapter 7, and Chapter 13 is not for me."
In the past though, Hindman would've qualified for Chapter 7, and she admitted that she's kicking herself that she didn't do it back when she would've been able to receive it. However, she advised anyone watching who is drowning in their debt to look into filing Chapter 7 bankruptcy to help get rid of the debt.
No one should have to sacrifice the small joys in life over financial concerns.
It's completely reasonable that Hindman would rather slowly pay off her credit card debt than work herself to the bone to pay it off and sacrifice spending time with her family and taking care of her mental health. Instead, we should be directing our anger and frustration to the lack of resources that many people are unaware of when it comes to helping pay off debt.
On top of that, the economy makes it almost impossible to comfortably pay off any kind of debt, whether it's credit cards or student loans. The cost of living is absurdly high and people can barely afford to buy a home or rent an apartment much less pay off any loans.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.