"I was £12k in red after spending on finer things in life - now I'm debt-free"

A woman who ended up £12k in the red because she could not resist the "finer things in life" has cleared her debt - in less than two years. Sarah Bartlett, 37, managed to curb her crippling spending addiction and paid back the last penny in October last year. The HR advisor got into trouble by splashing out way more than she earned on her £28k-a-year salary - juggling EIGHT credit cards at one point. Sarah would treat herself to theatre trips, clothes and designer handbags and iPhones - and even a brand-new car. But when her mortgage doubled in 2021 she lost track of her finances and got into trouble.