Mum who hid gambling addiction paid off £40,000 debt by selling clothes

Like many people in 2020, Rachel Grady suffered a bout of depression. The 41-year-old mum said that at the time, gambling was the only habit that made her feel any better. What began as curiosity, turned into an addiction as the “buzz” kept her going back for more. It became an everyday habit.

£40,000 gone and hidden

Very soon, Grady had lost £15,000 gambling online. She had also amassed £25,000 on five separate credit cards due to a shopping habit. All of this was hidden from her husband. What’s worse, she’d sacrifice buying things for her children to spend it on her addiction.

A breakdown turned it all around

“Looking back, it happened much quicker than I understood at the time. Within a few months, it had shifted from occasional use to something I felt compelled to do. I won a few times at gambling, so then I just carried on, but I ended up losing about £15,000, it was an addiction.” – Rachel Grady

In 2023, Grady told her friend about the problem as she had a breakdown. Shortly afterwards, she began selling second-hand clothes to start paying off small parts of the debt.

A year later, she joined a live-selling site called Tilt and ended up making five figures a month. It meant she could pay off £40,000 of debt in a year. She referred to herself as “a bit of Del Boy.” She would buy bundles of clothes off eBay and resell them for profit.

Change of attitude

Grady says her attitude to money has completely changed. Now, she’s really frugal. She will only buy things if she needed them. She has also put things in place to stop herself being able to access gambling sites.