Single mum sobs as she asks strangers to help pay her bills – but trolls tell her to ‘stop begging' & ‘use her savings'

The Sun

20-05-2025

A SINGLE mother has broken down and found herself sobbing online after being made redundant.
After losing her job, Tammi Oliver, a mother from the UK, is now begging strangers on social media to help pay her bills.
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Whilst many have been incredibly kind and have rushed to support the brunette, unfortunately, not everyone has been so compassionate.
Despite the hundreds of sympathetic comments, some nasty trolls have told Tammi to 'stop begging' and use her ' savings '.
After working at a company for 11 months, Tammi was recently made redundant and confirmed that she was not entitled to redundancy pay.
As a result of this and rising bills, she confessed that she is 'trying to stay afloat'.
Subsequently, Tammi has begun sharing her life online and is hoping that it 'reaches the right people' so she 'can keep the lights on (literally).'
In a recent clip that was uploaded with the caption 'I could pay my bills from the views,' viewers saw the mother driving as she broke down in tears.
As she wiped her eyes, the aspiring content creator explained: 'I've been made redundant, I'm not entitled to claim anything so can 973,023 of you watch this so I can pay my bills this month please.'
Tammi also acknowledged: 'I've just started over - no safety net, no backup plan - just grit, my phone, and a bit of humour.
'I share real life on TikTok: the highs, the heartbreaks, and everything in between. If anything I post makes you laugh or even just entertains you for 30 seconds - please consider buying me a coffee to help with the rubbish situation I'm currently in.
'Every bit of support - no matter how small - genuinely helps. Thank you for being here.'
I'm a mum-of-5 on £1.5K Universal Credit per month - people think I'm popping kids out to get 'lots of money' but I still have to use food banks - its embarrassing
To be eligible for the TikTok Creator Fund and start getting paid, you need a minimum of 100,000 views in the last 30 days on your videos.
You also need at least 10,000 followers and must be at least 18 years old.
Not only this, but your account needs to comply with TikTok's Community Guidelines and terms of service.
What help is available to parents for childcare costs?
CHILDCARE can be a costly business. Here is how you can get help.
30 hours of free childcare - Parents of three and four-year-olds can apply for 30 hours of free childcare a week.
To qualify you must work at least 16 hours a week at the national living or minimum wage and earn less than £100,000 a year.
Tax credits - For children under 20, some families can get help with childcare costs.
Tax-free childcare - Available to working families and the self-employed, for every £8 you put in the government will add an extra £2.
Thanks to her recent clips, Tammi, who is doing everything she can to 'keep things together', has now amassed 32,200 followers, so will be able to start earning from the platform's Creator Fund.
According to the TikTok official website, the Creator Fund "gives TikTok's best and brightest the opportunity to earn money with their creative talent."
While it is not a grant or ad revenue program, the Creator Fund provides payment to qualified TikTokers based on a "variety of factors" across their content.
With no limit on the number of qualified TikTokers who can join the fund, payments may increase or decrease at different times throughout one's run on the platform.
However, you might not earn as much as you think, as according to Mashable, some top creators reported earning"between two and four cents per 1,000 views".
Social media users react
Her TikTok clip, which was posted under the username @ tammicoliver, has clearly left many open-mouthed, as it has quickly racked up 248,300 views.
Not only this, but it's also racked up 1,037 likes and 188 comments.
Am I entitled to Universal Credit?
According to the GOV website, if you're on a low income or need help with your living costs, then you could be entitled to Universal Credit.
To claim, you must live in the UK, be aged 18 or over (with some exceptions if you're 15 to 17), be under State Pension age, and have £16,000 or less in money, savings and investments.
Other circumstances are if you are out of work, or unable to work, for example because of a health condition.
Users rushed to the comments to share messages of love and support for the mother, as one penned: 'Never ever skip these videos!!'
A second chimed in: 'Commenting so you get paid.'
Whilst a third commented: 'I've watched until the end, liked and reposted. You've got this - I hope you have good luck soon.'
Not only this, but someone else kindly advised: 'Don't cry baby, I was the same. The sunshine will come back to you. Don't give up.'
However, despite being inundated with support, not everyone was as positive, as one person said: 'Why are people constantly begging on this, it's getting annoying.'
At the same time, another assumed: 'If you are not entitled to claim anything that means you have savings over £16k, you need to use them first before being able to claim UC.'