'I was a shopaholic with £15k of debt - but now I get my dopamine hit from saving'

A video shows Birmingham self-confessed shopaholic Megan Smith Evans’ elated reaction to having paid off £13k of debt in a year.

A Birmingham self-confessed shopaholic who racked up £15,000 of debt by overspending on her new puppy and takeaways for "a dopamine hit" paid off £13,000 in just a year with a colour-coding method.

Megan Smith Evans, 33, found herself racking up debt during Covid as she was unable to work as a tattoo artist but her spending habits didn't change. She bought a Cocker Spaniel for £1,000 - spending £1,000 a month on training and food. She also forked out at least £200 a month on takeaways and £300 a month on days out with friends, putting it all on three credit cards.

Megan had to take out a £10k loan to support her business but realised she needed to get a hold of her financial situation when she considered buying food on her credit card in January 2025 after she spent £2,000 on Christmas presents.

An image shows Birmingham woman Megan Smith Evans sitting down with her Cocker Spaniel. — Birmingham woman Megan Smith Evans, 33, with her Cocker Spaniel.

She challenged herself to a no-spend January, tracking every penny she spent using colour-coded spreadsheets and a budgeting calendar. She kept herself accountable by tracking no spend days with the colour green, days where she spent on essentials in orange and pink when she overspent. Now, 12 months on, she has paid off £13,000 and hopes to be completely debt free by March.

Megan said: “I'm a self-confessed shopaholic. I love spending money. I love buying things. I love doing experiences and booking holidays on a credit card, I get such a dopamine hit from treating myself. It's so easy to do and it's so easy for debt to mount up.

“As the money started to rack up, it felt horrible. My minimum credit card payments were hundreds and hundreds of pounds, it felt all consuming. After Christmas in 2024, I’d bought everyone’s presents on my credit card and had hardly any clients booked in for January. I had £15,000 of debt and I was thinking of buying food on my credit card. I thought, ‘this is ridiculous, I need to do something about it’.

“I decided to do a no spend January. Unless it was food, travel or essentials, I didn’t spend anything. I created a colour-coded calendar to track how much I spent each day, it was really motivating. I found it really tough though, I was going from spending anything I wanted to not spending anything at all. I also made a TikTok account, to keep myself accountable. I just thought, if I put this out in the world, I’ve got to do it. People would comment under my videos saying ‘well done’ and it really spurred me on.

“I found that as I was paying off the debt and spending less, it was giving me that little hit of dopamine that I used to get from spending money. I've now paid off £13,000 and I’ve got £2,400 left, which I want to get done by March. My aim is 15 grand in 15 months.”

Megan first got into debt while at university - using her interest free overdraft.

She said: “Going into my overdraft just felt completely normal, but really, I was in debt.”

Image shows 33-year-old Megan Smith Evans from Birmingham. — Megan tracked every penny she spent using spreadsheets and a budgeting calendar.

Then, when Megan was 19, she got a credit card, racking up around £5,000 of debt in her early 20s, by using it to buy tattooing equipment, as well as booking a trip to New York. She paid this off while working but when Covid hit Megan was unable to work. To keep her business afloat, she took out a £10,000 loan, and then things started to spiral.

After the pandemic, she paid back some of the loan but when she got a puppy she had to work part-time because caring for the dog became so time consuming - as well as a financial hit.

Megan said: “I was spending more money and earning less money.”

Then, after an expensive Christmas in 2024, Megan was left struggling in January 2025, as she had hardly any clients booked in for the month.

She said: “Getting a tattoo is a luxury, and no one has any money in January, so I had hardly any clients.”

At the peak of her debt, Megan had three credit cards and two loans and was £15,400 in debt. In January 2025, Megan decided to take serious action, and did a no-spend January, and then a no-spend February. In order to keep herself in check, Megan created a calendar where she wrote down exactly how much she spent each day, and colour-coded her spending. She also created a budget for the “first time ever”, using a spreadsheet to track exactly how much her bills were, and how much she could afford to overpay.

Despite her extreme motivation to become debt-free, Megan revealed that the first few months were “miserable”. In March, she switched to a low-spend month meaning treats were banned but on special occasions she could go out - but with a strict budget.

She also created a TikTok account, @MeganSmithEvans, to keep herself accountable, starting every post with how much money she has paid off, and how much she still has to pay. It's also helped her get more clients and as her dog got older she was able to leave her alone for longer periods.

Since deciding to become debt free, Megan hasn’t used her credit card for a single purchase and said that her number one tip for anyone trying to pay off debt is to do the same. Every Friday, she pays herself a wage and then depending on how much money she has made, pays off some of her debt.

Megan said: “Every week is different, if I’ve made a few thousand pounds, I’ll pay off £400 worth of debt, and if I’ve had a less good week, I’ll pay off £50.”

She has now paid off £13,000 and has also saved up an emergency fund for if she is unable to work.