March 09--Erika Singleton said she moved her family to Richton Park in 2014 to escape gun violence in her Auburn Gresham neighborhood on the South Side.
Though she said she feels safer in the south suburbs, she watched her living expenses, including rent and her children's activity costs, grow from $500 a month to $2,500.
"Honestly, we were at the end of our ropes," said Singleton, 35, who works a social services job.
Singleton and her husband Julian, a suburban postal worker, reached out to the Spike network for financial guidance. The couple and their two children will be featured on the new series "Life or Debt," set to premiere 9 p.m. Sunday.
Personal finance consultant Victor Antonio, who grew up in the Humboldt Park area, helps families assess their finances before laying out a plan for stability. Antonio said there's often an event, such as job loss or divorce, that leads to the troubles.
"The debt starts to accumulating so slowly, that they only notice when it gets too late and then they don't want to talk about it," said Antonio, an alumnus of the Illinois Institute of Technology.
Antonio said he recommends families reduce their debt by using cash instead of credit cards (it cuts down spending) and re-evaluating entertainment and utility bills for cost savings.
Antonio said he spent a week with each of the 10 families on the show and returned 90 days later to see if they changed their habits. All but one family made significant positive changes, he said.
"It's reality. You can't get them all," Antonio said.
Erika Singleton called the show "a process; it was a tough journey. It was something we had to endure to make our household work."
"I poured my heart out. I want the viewers to know that ... although I look well put together, I was actually going through something. I actually want the viewers to walk away knowing that I was able to overcome," she said. "Whoever is watching (the show), they can change too."
Singleton's episode is slated to air April 17.
