By Staff Reporter
Jennifer Allan shared her journey on TikTok every day, garnering millions of views
Dubai: AI and specifically, ChatGPT is used for almost everything in today’s world. But a woman in the US used it to help her clear her debt – and it worked!
Jennifer Allan, 35, a realtor and content creator from Delaware was desperate to pay off her $23,000 (Dh84,467.50) credit card debt, when she realised she could use AI’s help to change her habits.
Allan began her 30-day challenge on TikTok, where she decided to use ChatGPT every day for 30 days, to help pay off her debt, whether it was brainstorming side hustles or giving her a little structure.
In an interview with Newsweek Allan said she struggled with money her whole adult life. “Not because I don’t make enough, but because I was never taught financial literacy. I avoided budgeting and I figured if I just kept working harder, I could out-earn the problem. That worked… until it didn’t,” she told Newsweek.
Allan went to explain how her financial condition “unravelled” after the birth of her daughter, which involved the NICU, medical bills and hospital visits, postpartum recovery and more.
That was when Allan began using credit cards to help “keep our life afloat. We weren’t living lavishly. We were just surviving. But the debt piled up while I wasn’t looking,” she added.
ChatGPT had suggested different ways for Allan to save or earn money. It included cancelling subscriptions she didn’t need, selling items on Facebook marketplace, filing for unclaimed money and more, which helped her earn over $100.
However, the biggest win for Allan, which she shared on TikTok, was discovering a brokerage account she wasn’t aware she had, and finance apps the AI suggested she look through, which helped her find more than $10,000 (Dh36,725).
On June 19, Allan shared her 30-day update on TikTok where she revealed she had paid off $12,078.93 (Dh44,359.87). “I’m super, super happy with that. I’ve essentially paid half of my debt off,” she said.
She also revealed that one of the challenges towards the end, was to create a meal plan for the rest of the month based on the food in her pantry alone. “The only way I got through this challenge was because I went grocery shopping right before I started this challenge,” she said in the TikTok video.
Allan has now begun a new 30-day challenge, to pay off the remaining credit card debt in 30 days.
She told Newsweek it wasn’t a financial hack. “It was the act of facing it every day – of tracking it, talking about it, looking at it every day. I stopped being afraid of my numbers. I built a debt tracker. I started sharing my journey publicly and for the first time, I didn’t feel ashamed. I felt empowered, like I could conquer anything.”
According to Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Allan’s situation is unique as household debts in the US hit $18.2 trillion (Dh66 trillion) in the first quarter of 2025.
Source: Gulf News
