My name’s Dan. I’m 34. I’m from the UK. I’m just a regular builder, a bricklayer. Been doing it about 9 years now, mostly self-employed through contractors. Money was alright — about £2.5k, sometimes £3k a month take-home with overtime. When our son was born, my girl went on maternity leave. She was getting like £184 a week. We thought we’d manage for a couple of months… until she could go back part-time. But then everything went downhill. Winter 2025/2026 was a nightmare. Rain non-stop. Sites shutting down one after another. The main contractor I’d been working with for the last 6 months delayed my pay for nearly two months. Said “cashflow problems”. In construction that’s kinda “normal”… but when you’ve got a partner and a baby at home — it’s not normal. It’s brutal. And like that wasn’t enough — the landlord put the rent up by another £165 a month. Nursery for my son — nearly £980. We started cutting back on everything. Food. Heating. Even nappies. It got that bad. Then my van finished me off completely. Clutch and gearbox gone. Repair — £2,900. Without a van, you’re no one. No gaffer’s taking you if you can’t get to site and bring your tools. I was losing money EVERY single day while it sat in the garage. At first I survived on a credit card and overdraft. Then I had to take out a proper loan. I thought: “Fix the van, get back to work, pay it off quick.” But nah. Interest. New bills. My son got sick. And everything just spiralled. Now the debt keeps growing. Debt collectors already calling. And you sit there in the evening… looking at your kid… thinking: “How did I even end up here?” One night I couldn’t sleep. Just lying there, scrolling my phone. Came across a discussion about some app. People saying they were making money on it. My first thought: — “Yeah right, sounds like a scam.” But then… honestly? I didn’t care anymore. When you’re at rock bottom — you’ll try anything. I had about £50 left. Put £20 in. Just for luck. No ex
