Does your wallet feel a little on the light side? Is your hard earned cash going out faster than it's coming in?
It's not surprising with food prices, mortgage costs and energy bills rising faster than pay packets. But you're not alone. The credit crunch is hitting a large percentage of UK citizens where it hurts the most, in the wallet.
The forecast is not all doom and gloom though, with some careful money management and a little help from us, you can beat the credit crunch.
Use your credit card to buy online. Shopping online, particularly for groceries, can help you avoid impulse buys and make sure you get exactly what you need without all the costly extras.
Only purchase items that you can afford. Tightening your belt and cutting down on expenses isn't much fun and is not always easy. But if you want to stay out of debt, you need to seriously put the brakes on your spending habits.
Ask yourself before you buy those stunning silver sandals you saw on the high street or the latest games console, do you really need it and more importantly, can you afford it?
If the answers 'no', then wait, save your money and only buy it when you can afford to.
Making purchases on your credit card that you can't afford will only drain your finances more. Draw up a budget, stick to it and you'll survive the credit crunch.
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