Sammie Ellard King, 36, from St Albans, has cleared £24,000 of debt in just 18 months by taking on side hustles, and has since built up £250,000 in savings and investments. After struggling with debt accumulated during university, he has now launched the Gains App, a budgeting tool that helps users monitor spending and identify saving opportunities.
University spending spirals into debt
At 18, during his first week at university, Sammie was offered a substantial student overdraft and a credit card at a student fair. He said: "I knew nothing about how to handle money and grew up in a household where money wasn't really spoken about. I was let loose with a couple of grand overdrafts and I just went wild."
He spent his student loan on clothes and alcohol, then relied on credit cards once funds ran out. "I would spend my money on anything that would make me look fun and cool. I wanted to fit in, and it spiralled away from me," he added.
Career success masked growing debt
After graduating, Sammie moved to London for a marketing career, quickly becoming head of marketing with a £50,000 salary. Despite this income, he continued taking out loans and credit cards to pay off existing debts. By age 25, he owed £24,000 and was spending a third of his wages on interest repayments. His credit score was so poor he couldn't get a mobile phone contract, and his mother had to do it for him.
His turning point came in June 2014 when he was unable to rent a flat due to failed credit checks. "That was a big slap in the face. I went on a mission to turn things around from there," he said.
Side hustles generate extra income
Sammie told loved ones about his debt, which he said lifted a weight. He calculated clearing his debts would take seven years based on his income, but aimed for two years by pursuing additional income streams. He dedicated evenings to website testing, surveys, reselling, and tutoring, generating an extra £2,000 per month, which went directly to clearing debts. Working up to six hours daily after his job, he eliminated the debt in 18 months.
Instead of stopping, he continued the side hustles and put money into savings and a Trading 212 Stocks and Shares ISA. By April 2019, he had his first £10,000. He scaled back some ventures but kept reselling, saying: "I'd buy a new pair of Nike trainers on the day they came out, and then by the next day they'd have sold out, and I could sell them on eBay for four or five times the money. If I'm sitting on a train and I have 45 minutes to kill, I'll do a few surveys and make some money. For me, that's better than Netflix."
Building savings and launching an app
Sammie follows a rule of not buying anything over £50 unless he waits 24 hours to consider if he truly needs it. He now has £250,000 in savings and investments, with £100,000 from his own contributions and £150,000 from returns. "Last year I earned more than the average UK salary from my investments, which is just wild to me," he said.
In 2021, he founded Up the Gains, a website, podcast, and social media platform offering financial guidance, which has helped over a million people. In June 2026, he launched the Gains App, a budgeting app with spending monitoring, saving opportunities, and retailer cashback. "We've grown to over 13,000 users so far and had some really great reviews. The app helps you to make conscious decisions with your money, which I think has really resonated with people, with the cost of living being so high at the moment," he explained.
Sammie plans to use his funds to buy a farm, where he intends to grow food and host weddings. Reflecting on his journey, he said: "I've now built up £250,000 in savings in 10 years; if you'd have said this to me before I would have laughed you out of the room. I am just a normal everyday person, and I've made every mistake going, so if I can do it, anyone can."
