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By Jack Beresford
Senior Reporter
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A single mom of twin baby girls has shared heartbreaking footage of the moment she was forced to break out the pennies in order to pay for her kids' milk.
There was a time when the number of Americans living paycheck to paycheck would have represented the minority. However, research suggests that's no longer the case.
A 2024 survey of 36,729 U.S. adults conducted by Payroll.org found 77 percent live paycheck to paycheck, meaning if their pay was delayed for any reason they would struggle to meet financial obligations.
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Shayla Fenley, 22, from Lufkin, Texas, is a nail artist and mother to 16-month-old twin girls Leah and Lehlani. "I make nail sets for people while also being a single stay-at-home mom," she told Newsweek. "My ultimate goal is to beat poverty and run a successful business, so my girls can live a life without worry."
Fenley sells her sets on TikTok under the name Sosa Beauty Luxury Nails and regularly posts videos on the platform under the handle @prettygirl.sosa__ showcasing her many ups and downs.
"I vlog about my life as a single mom and nail artist," she said. "Moms can still have dreams." Lately Fenley hasn't had much of a chance to dream: money problems have been keeping her awake at night.
Things came to a head after she spent her final $20 on diapers and wipes for her children, but realized she still needed to buy milk.
"After I spent that $20 I only had pennies left over," she said. "I could hardly sleep that night because I was stressed about how I would afford their milk the next day."
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That was the moment she was forced to swallow her pride and take the jar of pennies he had been saving to the store to buy the milk and "healthy foods" her kids needed.
"I didn't want to bother anyone for money, so I decided to use the pennies I had been saving for hard times," she said. "The coin exchange was too far away, and I didn't have a car at the time. So I had to go to the store with all I had."
Though it took close to seven minutes for the cashier to count up all the pennies Fenley used, she said she felt proud of herself for stepping up for her kids when they needed her.
"In the moment I knew that I had to make sure my kids ate. Even if I didn't ... and I felt happy that I was even able to get what they needed. I don't like stealing, so I'd rather pinch pennies before stealing," she said. "As long as they got what they needed, I was happy inside for the moment."
Fenley chronicled her experience in a video posted to TikTok. "With the rise of inflation forcing many other Americans to live life paycheck to paycheck, I thought it would be relatable content," she said.
Fenley said she wanted to find her "people"—the ones going through what she's been going through and they are out there. But she also wanted her video to highlight another painful reality: "you can work hard and still fall short financially."
At the time of writing, Fenley's video has been watched 1.7 million times. The clip's content may make for a difficult watch but it's had a positive impact on her life.
"My TikTok content has been on a constant rise, and my nail sets are selling," she said. "I can provide more for my daughters and myself without worrying so much."
The hope now is to spend the next few months working hard on her nail sets, getting her kids into a good daycare and then attending school to become a fully qualified nail technician. Fenley is determined to achieve those goals. "Life will only go up from here," she said. "I manifest that."
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