Across the country today, Americans in all walks of life are struggling to make ends meet. According to a recent study, half of us wouldn’t have $400 at hand for an emergency expense. Is it any surprise that people reach for their credit cards, payday loans or other forms of borrowing to pay the bills?
Today, we publish the first in a new series, called My Life in the Red. It’s about a young, single mother who makes daily sacrifices in order to live with the $55,000 debt she accumulated in college.
Everyone’s debt burden is different. It can affect relationships, our health, happiness, work and countless other aspects of life. We’d like to know what your debt is doing to you – and how you deal with the struggle.
Each week we will ask another American to describe the ups and downs of life in the red. We want to hear from the broadest possible range of people.
If you want to share your story, send a summary of no longer than 200 words to us.opinion@theguardian.com. Please put “My life in the red” in the subject line.
