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Journalism of Courage
A 35-year-old woman from Delaware is inspiring thousands online after revealing how she paid off more than $12,000 (Rs. 10.28 lakh, approximately) of her $23,000 (Rs. 19.7 lakh, approximately) credit card debt in just 30 days with the help of ChatGPT.
Jennifer Allen, a realtor and content creator, told Newsweek that although she earned a decent income, managing her finances had always been a struggle. “Not because I don’t make enough, but because I was never taught financial literacy,” she admitted. For years, she focused on working harder instead of tackling the real issue that was “poor financial habits”.
Things came to a head after she became a mother. “We weren’t living lavishly, we were just surviving. But the debt piled up while I wasn’t looking,” she said.
To take control of her finances, Jennifer gave herself a 30-day challenge and used ChatGPT as her guide. Each day, she asked the AI tool for simple, practical financial advice and made a point to follow through. The suggestions were simple and straightforward, and the key was in the consistency. “It wasn’t some big financial hack,” Jennifer said, adding, “It was the act of facing it every day, tracking it, talking about it, looking at it. I stopped being afraid of my numbers.”
The AI suggested steps like cancelling unused subscriptions, selling household items on Facebook Marketplace, and planning meals using what was already in her kitchen. One of the biggest wins came when ChatGPT advised her to review her dormant accounts, leading her to discover a brokerage account she had forgotten about, with $10,000 (Rs. 8.56 lakh, approximately) in it.
Another money-saving tip came when ChatGPT recommended cutting back on grocery expenses by using existing pantry items. Jennifer said that the strategy alone saved her hundreds of dollars.
At the end of the 30 days, she had paid off more than half of her debt. Encouraged by her progress, Jennifer now plans to do a second 30-day challenge to clear the remaining balance.
Allen gave simple advice to people by simply stating, “Don’t wait until you feel ready or smart enough to start. You don’t have to know all the answers. You just have to stop pretending it’s not happening.”
