Released on = December 1, 2005, 8:19 am

Press Release Author = Richard Green

Industry = Financial

Press Release Summary = Christmas is a time for excess, but don't get left nursing a
severe financial hangover in the New Year.

Press Release Body = Money always seems to be tight. Every year at Christmas the
financial situation always seems to get worse. Increased electricity and heating
bills to pay, expensive party food to purchase, presents to buy, travel costs to
visit relatives, the list seems to be endless, while finances are certainly not. It
is the season to be jolly, whilst trying to forget the long-term costs which will
emerge in the New Year.

What can be done to reduce the New Year financial hangover?

Firstly, ensure your incoming finances are being maximised.

If you are in work, is there any part time or freelance work that you can do? Often
jobs such as supermarket shelf stacking can be made to fit in around other
commitments, while websites such as Dobiz ( http://www.dobiz.net ) have started
springing up to get freelancers and businesses together. Selling on eBay or simply
returning unwanted gifts can help recover some of your own expenditure.

If you are not working, then obtaining a job is the most important thing to do. Use
the facilities that are available. The Jobcentre can provide some help, but it is
frequently better to sign up with several agencies who specialise in your own area
of expertise. A quick geographically based Google search will normally locate
appropriate organisation in your area. As well as using specialist agencies, it is
always a good idea to sign up to a couple of general agencies in order to get some
form of temporary work, as these can often provide short or long term contracts to
keep your finances above water, and they can be given up without much of a period of
notice and they look better on a CV than a period without any work at all. If you
need help with CV's or interviews, then internet searches can provide many sites
that will be able to help, like Capita ( http://www.capitapd.co.uk ) or
Jobseekersadvice.com ( http://www.jobseekersadvice.com ).

Regardless of your employment situation, you also need to maximise the money you
have already. If you are using store cards to make your purchases, don't. Unless
you always pay off the entire balance every month, you will be paying more than you
have to. Store cards usually have a very high rate of interest, and you should be
able to get a much better rate if you use a credit card. If you are using a credit
card to make most of your purchases, what is the APR of that card, and could you get
a better rate? Many credit cards currently offer introductory 0% transfer rates,
and the increased competition to handle your finances is leading to lower APRs all
round. If you have a loan, could you get a better deal? Are you getting the best
return on your investments? Comparison websites like Moneynet (
http:www.//moneynet.co.uk ) or Fool ( http://www.fool.co.uk ) are there to enable
you to check these details for free, quickly and easily, in order to make your money
work for you.

The next thing to do is to try to reduce your outgoings. Budgeting is a good way to
reduce costs. By highlighting how much your regular incoming and outgoings are, it
is often easy to spot areas that can make huge differences. Most people find that
instead of having very little money to spend each month, they are actually
frittering away small amounts all the time. This pattern of small spending rapidly
mounts up, and can leave little left over to spend on the things that you feel are
really worthwhile. Keeping a daily record of your spending is a simple step to take
but it can also show where important cuts can be made.

Other ways to reduce costs at Christmas include recycling last year's decorations,
only buying food that will be eaten, rather than obtaining large quantities that
will end up being thrown away. Do most of your shopping online to save money on
presents. Due to the lower costs of running a shop online, the price of goods can
be considerably lower than in the High Street. Sites such as Kelkoo (
http://www.Kelkoo.co.uk ) and Pricerunner ( http://www.pricerunner.co.uk ) enable
you to compare prices from various suppliers and find the cheapest. Even if you
prefer to buy on the High Street it can still be worth going armed with prices from
these sites as many High Street shops will discount if they know they are beaten on
price.

If you don't win the lottery in the New Year and still feel that things have got out
of control then you need to seek advice from one of the free advice organisations
that are set up to help. The National Debtline ( http://www.nationaldebtline.co.uk )
and the Foundation for Credit Counselling ( http://www.cccs.co.uk ) are two
non-profit making charities that can help with guides and free personal advice.

Regardless of whether you are trying not to shed those few extra pounds, or recover
from debt problems, a few small actions like this can make a large difference to
your New Year.

Disclaimer:
All information contained in this article, is for general information purposes only
and should not be construed as advice under the Financial Services Act 1986.

You are strongly advised to take appropriate professional and legal advice before
entering into any binding contracts.

Web Site = http://cashzilla.blogspot.com/

Contact Details = 51 Timberbush
Edinburgh
EH6 6QH
richard@positiveinterest.com