Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Birmingham Tattooist Repays £13,000 in a Year With No‑Spend, Color‑Coded Budgeting

She plans to clear the remaining £2,400 by March through habits that reshaped her spending.

Overview

  • Megan Smith Evans says her peak balance reached roughly £15,000 to £15,400 across three credit cards and two loans, including a £10,000 business loan taken during Covid.
  • An expensive 2024 Christmas and the prospect of buying food on credit in January 2025 prompted a no‑spend month that she repeated in February.
  • She tracked every purchase on a color‑coded calendar—green for no‑spend days, orange for essentials, pink for overspending—and built detailed budgeting spreadsheets.
  • She stopped using credit cards, pays herself a weekly wage, makes variable overpayments based on takings, and has set aside an emergency fund.
  • Documenting the process on TikTok provided accountability and, she reports, helped attract clients to support steady repayments.