How a woman's hunt for Instagram fame led to financial ruin

A woman who strived to become famous on Instagram has revealed her endless spending on travel, clothes and hotels left her in financial ruin.

Lissette Calveiro, 26, originally from Miami, US, accumulated a $13,000 debt chasing her dream to become a household name on the popular photo sharing platform.

“I was living a lie... I was living above my means,” she told the New York Post.

Ms Calveiro moved to New York as an intern in 2013 but her life quickly spiralled out of control after lavish spending on luxury goods.

“I was shopping ... for clothes to take ‘the perfect ’gram'," she said.

She would indulge in regular $260 shopping sprees to make sure she wouldn’t be seen on Instagram wearing the same outfit twice.

She would also treat herself to a luxury item, often topping $1300, each month to parade on her Instagram account which has over 14,000 followers.

Ms Calveiro also indulged in a series of expensive trips to give off the impression she was a carefree jet-setter staying at some of the best hotels around the world.

She revealed she once spent $900 on a round-trip ticket to Austin, Texas, for a Sia concert.

The excessive spending was taking its toll on her finances, especially after her internship only paid for travel and left her working part time in retail.

She was left with no choice but to drastically cut back on her spending, quickly realising her life wasn't sustainable.

“I knew that moving to New York, I had to get my act together or I wasn’t going to survive,” she said.

She completely changed her life, moving into cheaper accommodation and cooking at home.

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She began reusing images taken months before and began renting high-end clothing instead of buying them.

Within 14 months she was able to become debt-free and able to reflect on her experiences.

“I had a lot of opportunities to save, I could’ve invested that money in something," she said.

She also revealed her "worry" that the latest generation are struggling to prioritise what's important in life and doesn't want young girls to go down the same path she did in her hunt for online fame.