A STRUGGLING single mum has been left with no choice but to appeal to strangers on the internet for help in paying her bills.
Cara, who works as a teacher, currently shares a bedroom with her son, which means she often has to retreat into her wardrobe for a bit of personal space.
She took to her TikTok account, @cclokes, to share a heartbreaking video.
Cara filmed herself in tears, sitting in her wardrobe with the lights off, as she shared that she has now joined the TikTok creator fund.
The single mum explained that she is going through an extremely difficult time and “doesn’t know what else to do.”;
She also added that she doesn’t have “a lot of time to be in a TikTok shop”; and “try to get things done there to make a supplementary income.”;
Cara also said that she is unable to take on another job because, as a single mum, she simply doesn’t have the spare time.
She shared that after witnessing “so many beautiful things”; and “miracles”; happen on TikTok, she hopes that something similar might happen to her.
Although Cara acknowledged that “everyone’s going through probably very similar things,”; she asked people to watch her video for just one minute and to share her story.
Cara’s video has since gained over 4.3 million views, more than 575,000 likes, and over 87,000 comments.
Many viewers asked if she had a “wishlist”; so that they could give her the items she needed, expressing their desire to “support”; her further.
One person commented: “Yes! So many people ask for help, someone gets them to start a new wishlist, and they’re being fulfilled.
“It’s so great seeing Christmas wishes come true through this app.”;
Another added: “I wanna bless her so badly and her little sweet baby.”;
A third said: “I love good people!”;
One viewer wrote: “When one mama cries, we all cry. We’re here with you, mama – we see you.
“We see you being so exhausted and your spark dying, but guess what... everything happens for a reason. I’ve watched this three times!”;
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.
