‘Became A FIFO Worker’: Woman $60,000 In Debt Asks For The ‘Most Unhinged’ Money-Saving Hacks. Then People Really Deliver

Student loan debt is the bane of a lot of people’s existence. Some wish they’d been more informed before signing the loan papers. Others regret it entirely. And some feel jerked around by student loan debt relief plans that haven’t materialized.

One woman is turning to the internet for advice on what to do in her situation.

Drowning In Student Loan Debt, Woman Asks For Money-Saving Tips

In a viral video with more than 6.2 million views, student loan debt content creator Lily (@lilydebtfree) seemed so sick of dealing with her debt that she turned to the internet for answer.

“I’m 60k in debt and I need everybody’s most unhinged hacks on how they saved money. I’m not talking ‘I ate ramen everyday’ I’m talking absolutely diabolical,” a frustrated-looking Lily asked in the text overlay.

In the caption, Lily shared that she downloaded the Ditch app but isn’t sure what else to do. The Ditch app, for which she’s an ambassador, is meant to help people pay off debt faster by rounding up purchases and applying the spare change to loans.

And people didn’t hold back when giving their suggestions on what Lily should do. The comments section quickly filled with everything from surprisingly practical financial advice to strategies that may be hard to sustain long-term.

What Did Commenters Suggest?

The rational suggestions:

• One user suggested matching every purchase with the same amount put into savings. “$8 on coffee, $8 saved. Makes you really consider what to spend your money on when everything cost double,” they wrote.
• Several people recommended taking on extra work—second jobs, overtime, or even seasonal stints—with one commenter noting they were “so busy I didn’t even have time to spend money.” Another said they paid off $45,000 in a year by working 15-hour days without a single day off for eight months.
• Others leaned on classic strategies: moving back in with parents to save on rent (“In 2.5 years I saved $65k”), driving a paid-off car instead of upgrading, cutting out subscriptions, and living below their means.
• For food budgeting, one commenter swore by the basics: “Lentils and brown rice are a complete protein and very cheap.”

The more creative ones:

• Saving money by working on cruise ships or in remote FIFO (fly-in, fly-out) jobs, where you’re too far from civilization to spend anything. “I uprooted my whole life and became a fifo worker. honestly earn more money than i know what to do with,” one said.
• Some chose outright avoidance. “I just simply told myself ‘I am debt free’ and ignored it LOL,” another wrote.
• Others went to extremes. One person said they stripped and paid off $80,000 in six months. Another abandoned their debt by moving abroad, saving money until the statute of limitations expired, and then returned home.
• Marriage even came into play. One commenter admitted they wrote into their prenup that if their partner cheated, all debt would transfer to them. “He lasted a year,” they added.

The Student Loan Debt Crises

​​For many Americans, student loans aren’t just a financial problem, they shape major life decisions and take a real emotional toll.

Borrowers often delay buying a home, starting a family, or making other big purchases. Rising tuition has made debt more common and larger than ever, leaving young adults stressed, anxious, and sometimes regretting the cost of their degree.

About a third of young borrowers feel the lifetime cost of their education outweighs the benefits, and a quarter say they are barely getting by financially, the Pew Research Center reported.

Roughly one in four adults under 40 carries student loan debt, compared with 14% of those in their 40s and just 4% of older Americans.

While graduates with loans often earn more than non-graduates, they still trail behind peers who didn’t borrow. Only 29% of young borrowers say they are living comfortably, versus 53% of graduates without debt.

BroBible reached out to @lilydebtfree for comment via TikTok direct message and comment.