The numbers don’t work at all. She wouldn't have stopped spending, negating much (most?) of her payments. There is very likely a lot of missing information in

The numbers don’t work at all. She wouldn't have stopped spending, negating much (most?) of her payments. There is very likely a lot of missing information in the article. The figures aren't important per se, they're likely just for illustration purposes. She doesn't have to prove her point, she's just giving us her insights into the unexpectedly high costs of living. We've all been there, done that. As in "Right! Who's going to win this month's lottery to get my outstanding debts paid?"