Don’t Overspend This Christmas

12 December 2011

A North East telephone advice service has urged people in the region not to spend beyond their means this Christmas - or risk facing a debt hangover once the celebrations are over.

As the pre-Christmas shopping rush gets into full swing, DAWN Advice, which offers impartial free legal and debt advice to people throughout the UK, says the pressure put on families to spend large amounts of money at Christmas is 'greater than ever'.

Liz Chadwick, Chief Executive of the Northumberland-based service, which also operates the DAWN Citizens Advice Bureau in Morpeth, said TV adverts that 'glamorise over-spending' were inescapable.

She said that the need to be careful with spending was greater than ever as statistics published this week revealed that as many as 3.5 million people are likely to turn to expensive payday loans this Christmas.

Meanwhile, across the UK, a home is currently being repossessed on average every 15 minutes - and that forecasts predict that over 30,000 could lose their homes this Christmas.

She said: "This is the biggest shopping season of the year and TV advertisers are falling over themselves to lure people into spending vast sums of money that, in many cases, they simply cannot afford.

"The tactics and messages used are all very clever and are designed to increase the expectation that children will wake up on Christmas morning to find huge piles of presents waiting for them.

"Either way, the message is clear: nobody should feel pressured to over-spend and get themselves into unmanageable debt over Christmas. Paying the bills and keeping a roof over their family's head is far more important.

"This isn't a bid to ruin people's fun - it should be possible to have a perfectly enjoyable and memorable Christmas without spending hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds."

Anyone dealing with concerns relating to debt or worried about a potential home repossession should contact DAWN Advice through the Northumberland Single Telephone Advice Line for free and impartial advice on 0844 4111 309 as soon as possible.