- That’s it.
- Christmas is over, all left-overs eaten and as part of the new diet regime you have thrown away the last of the chocolates, but now all is said, done and eaten, there is only one thing left to do… start paying off the Christmas bills that were charged to your credit cards!
When times are tough and income is tight, using credit to pay for the holiday period really is an easier thing to do than you may expect. You start October promising that this years’ Christmas is going to be on a budget, but then you see the decorations in the shopping malls, the children’s letters to Santa (that happen to resemble the entirety of the Argos catalogue!), that added bit of peer pressure and before you know it, you’re all set for another bumper Christmas spend.
- Now it’s January and time to pay for it all, but you realise that this is easier said than done.
- Identify with this kind of situation?
- Then read on!
Sat at the kitchen table with your present receipts and your credit card balance can be a bit of a seminal moment, but all is not lost!
Firstly take a look at your Christmas present loot! Every year there are millions of unwanted presents that are gifted and there is a good chance that you may be the ‘lucky’ recipient of a pair of slippers, a Christmas jumper, or a perfume whose smell reminds you of filling up at the petrol station! If that is the case, take a few minutes to look at whether you are able to return these for a cash refund (normally a purchase receipt is needed).
If not, and your item is still packaged, the wonders of ebay may also prove a great place to earn some much needed funds from your unwanted gifts. By the time that you have added one or two other unwanted items from a post Christmas clearout you may have enough items to help you with some of those Christmas costs!
It is also worth sitting down to complete a review of the household expenses. The end of one year and the start of the next is a great time to complete a financial review or financial health check as many people start to make plans for the coming year. Identifying any luxuries that could be cut out from your household budget or other unnecessary personal expenses could free up some much needed cash to help pay these dreaded bills. In any case, there is no point keeping that gym membership or satellite TV subscription if you simply aren’t using it!
Having completed a full review of your financial situation, if you still think that paying off Christmas is going to be an issue then don’t worry, help is at hand! One free call to the Debt Management specialists at Lewis Alexander could help sort your financial life. Our lines are open 24 hours a day using 0800 018 6868, advisors can listen to your individual circumstances and complete a financial healthcheck prior to advising on appropriate financial solutions.
For some homeowners a secured loan may be the best option, for others entering into a debt management solution or even an IVA (Individual Voluntary Arrangement) can offer the best solution, however our specialists will ensure that the solution they offer to you best suits your circumstances.
Being in debt can add additional pressure to an already stressful lifestyle, but having a clear defined plan to move you out of this position can make a massive difference to the reducing the weight you feel on your shoulders. Our specialists are experts in dealing with people from a variety of different backgrounds with a range of different debt problems and your call will be dealt with in the strictest of confidence.
- One free call can make a massive difference to your financial situation if you are prepared to action the help available, so call Lewis Alexander free on 0800 018 6868. Call now!
- The number of single parents in the UK is increasing all the time.
- Divorce rates are on the up, marriage in the first instance is becoming less popular and children who move between two homes is becoming part and parcel of modern day society.
As part of this change in social trend, is the increasing existence of the single father who takes on the full-time responsibility of raising the children.
According to the Office for National Statistics, in 2009 there were 200,000 lone fathers in Britain, compared with 1.8 million single mothers, but it is single fathers in the UK who now have the higher rate of increase of the sexes.
No matter whether the single parent is male or female, it is clear that the reliance on one salary can take a significant strain on any one individual. Balancing the needs of full or part-time employment alongside paying the mortgage, insurances, utilities, communications and childcare costs can be a real budget killer, and that’s before any consideration has been made for having that well-earned break from the kids for a bit of personal relaxation and indulgence – even if that’s fitted in whilst the kids are at swimming lessons!
With the role of budget-keeper traditionally falling to the parent who stayed at home to raise the family, it is perhaps the single father that is least well equipped to balance all the various asks of his skills and experiences. Sure, bringing home the money for food may be a role he is familiar and comfortable with, but what about household budgeting and making sure that all the supplies are there for when the children are sick or invite their entire classmates around for a sleepover!
- Modern day life can be expensive and when you take on all of these responsibilities, it is easy to forget that you do still need to make your books balance.
With the recent proposed changes to the Welfare State, it may also mean that your income is about to take a dip. Traditionally, whilst the man of the house might be involved in the key financial decisions, it was the female influence that developed ‘pots of savings’ – small amounts invested with different financial institutions, saving for holidays, school uniforms, a new handbag and the Christmas bills. In neglecting to pay attention to these key subsidiary savings, it can mean that there is less of a cushion available for times of struggle, such as a pay-freeze at work, rising heating bills or worse still redundancy.
- Do you identify with these trends and these issues?
- Is this something that keeps you from getting a good night’s sleep?
Then a conversation with one of Lewis Alexander’s debt management specialists could be the springboard for you to a more balanced home life and an improved ability to ensure you obtain a strong financial footing that allows you to provide the best for your children.
- Call Lewis Alexander FREE and in confidence today using 0800 018 6868.
They will offer you a financial healthcheck with a trained debt specialist. Lewis Alexander can review your incomings and outgoings to help you understand where you might need some expert help.
Whether it’s a debt management plan to help repay some of the unsecured debts that have mounted up or to help with the everyday expenses, or simply some help to better understand when your financial pressure points occur each month.
Our professional debt management advisors are ready to take your call now, so contact Lewis Alexander on 0800 018 6868.
You set off with considerable enthusiasm for a new start, a reasonable lump sum, a chat with your partner promising that it will ‘all be ok’ and within weeks you are starting to wish that the redundancy letter you thought would bring a new direction to your life had actually landed on someone else’s desk.
- You are not alone!
This is a surprisingly common scenario facing thousands of working and middle class families across the country who found that they were subject to downsizing by their employer to cope with the global downturn in economic fortune.
This of course has meant a significant reduction in household income for these families. Whilst this reduction in income is survivable for most families for one or two months, the moment that it pushes five and six months it really starts to pose a problem.
For months three and four, the life savings start to disappear, before the kid’s university funds and finally the Christmas budget goes and before you know it, you are starting to miss payments on the credit card bills and the car finance etc.
With the job market the way it is, it can be hard to get any job at the moment, let alone a job that pays the same as the one you used to hold. So, as the month’s creep past and the savings have been eroded, it is understandable that keeping up with the rent or the mortgage becomes more important than keeping up with the Jones’.
- There are options open to people in this position and quite often things are considerably more flexible than you might think.
First up should always come a full frank review of your household budget. Detailing the complete list of current incomings and outgoings can often be a combination of emotions. For many it reveals that the monthly list of regular payments far exceeds the expected amount. For others it shows that the scale of the ‘nice to have’ expenses – those that really aren’t essential to everyday living. It may also be a cause for upset as you realise the scale of the problem that you are faced with.
However, once you have completed step one, you are ready to move forward and look to the future for you and your family. Having understood the scale of the problem, it is much easier to then look for appropriate solutions to combat these issues.
Prior to looking at a debt plan or any sort of further loan, it is sensible to discuss your newly found knowledge with existing lenders. Having discovered the extent of your financial situation, it may be that existing lenders can restructure your payments. Extending the term to repay the funds, reducing the monthly payments temporarily, or converting the loan to ‘interest only’ are all options that could be explored.
- If you have already missed some key points in time, then this may not be possible and one free call to Lewis Alexander on 0800 018 6868 will help you to understand the best options for you.
- We start by conducting a free financial health check, which ensures that we understand your financial situation, so that we can offer the solution that suits you best.
As industry experts in debt management solutions and services, we are ideally placed to understand your unique situation and then rather than sell you a plan that may not be suitable, we work to deliver a plan that best helps you move forward in your work and personal life.
We find that our clients respect us more for being honest with them and genuinely helping them with their individual circumstances, rather than pressure selling a specific solution.
We don’t charge any up-front fees for our financial health check (our continued services are chargeable should you proceed) and make sure that you understand all the implications of the debt plan you may approve following the completion of your financial healthcheck.
- If you want to talk to one of our advisors in absolute confidence, call us FREE on 0800 018 6868.
For those who have used our services, Lewis Alexander is a name that people have learnt to trust to help them start to, or clear, personal debt problems.
