THE debts began to pile up soon after her husband lost his job at a pub six years ago.
Earning $2,000 a month as a nurse, Madam Aisah (not her real name) suddenly became the sole breadwinner.
Yet the couple, with their four young children, lived a middle-class lifestyle: They had a maid, an executive flat and a European-made car.
Loans for the flat and car still needed to be serviced, apart from the maid's salary and monthly bills.
Unaware of other avenues, Madam Aisah, 46, found the credit card companies' credit lines tempting. She took the bait and rolled over monthly bill payments or took advances on her three credit cards.
Soon, she found the high interest charged adding to her debts too. Desperate, she added six new credit cards to utilise their credit lines.
Madam Aisah sold her car and sent the maid home, but it was too little, too late. Her total debt escalated to $100,000 and she received numerous letters from lawyers threatening court action.
She became depressed and quarrelled frequently with her husband.
Then came a turning point. A United Overseas Bank officer directed her to Credit Counselling Singapore. It helped her draft a debt management plan, which her creditors accepted.
Today, Madam Aisah is paying about $1,600 a month to her creditors. She hopes to be debt-free in seven years.
Her husband, too, has found a job as a security officer.
'I never thought it would end up so badly, but it happened,' she said.
Jamie Ee