An article by Melanie Taylor of Gregory Pennington, a leading UK Debt Managemant solutions company:
After a cautious start to December,
Children aren't the only ones who have a hard time waiting for Christmas. For retailers everywhere, it's the most important time of year – the time when shoppers are most likely to throw caution to the wind and really splash out. In 2006, for example, December's credit card borrowing accounted for 60% of the annual total.
Now that the party's over…
Poor start to a New Year
For some, a penny-pinching New Year is a price worth paying for all the festive celebrations. Others find that a few days of fun simply cost too much, and promise themselves they'll cut back this year – the Christmas season can be a valuable wake-up call, emphasising the need to stop living beyond our means and get our debts under control.
For increasing numbers of people, paying for Christmas is more serious than a few hefty repayments. Fees for unauthorised overdrafts, charges for bounced payments, maxed-out store cards with interest rates of 25% or more – it can all add up to a lot of money and a lot of hassle. A MoneyExpert report found that 10% of almost 2,000 respondents were still paying off credit card debts from Christmas 2006 as they entered December 2007!
Why do we do it?
Why do so many of us feel compelled to blow our budgets at Christmas? Advertising? Experts reckon that marketing during the festive season cost around half a billion pounds. Peer pressure? 47% of CreditExpert's respondents felt there is social pressure to buy expensive presents. Or is it simply a feeling that we owe it to our partners, to our kids, or to ourselves?
Article Credits:
Melanie Taylor is associated with Gregory Pennington. For more information about debt management, debt advice, Individual Voluntary Arrangements (IVAs), basic bank accounts with a debit card facility, loans and remortgages, please visit http://www.gregorypennington.com/
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