Many people are telling us their bills are going up and they spent more on Christmas than they should have done which makes them worried about managing financially in 2022.

If you’re struggling to keep up with bills and debt payments, don’t worry – you are not alone. We help thousands of people with similar worries every year. There are lots of things you can do to resolve your difficulties, including getting free advice.

The first step towards taking control is to put together a list of everyone you need to make payments to, including household bills, mortgage or rent payments outstanding loan or credit payments and debt repayments.

Then find out exactly what money you have coming in and going out each month. Be realistic about what you need for essentials like food and travel.

This will help with the first step of making a budget that you can stick to - take a look at the budgeting tool on the Moneyhelper.org.uk website or use our budget planner

You might find your budget doesn’t balance and your income is less than your outgoings or you have just enough to live on but have no spare cash to pay off debts.

If that’s the case, there might be things you can do to increase your income or cut down on what you spend. In the Managing Your Money section of our website there are tips on how to reduce your regular living costs.

You should also make sure you’re getting all the income you’re entitled to, depending on your situation, you can use the www.turn2us.org.uk www.entitledto.co.uk benefit calculators to check which benefits you can get.

It is important to prioritise paying your rent or mortgage, plus energy bills and Council Tax first. Not paying these has the most serious consequences. On our website there is advice about which bills you need to prioritise and the support available for paying these and other bills.

For short term help Citizens Advice Rural Cambs also offers support to local residents with energy advice and grants, as well as delivering the Cambridgeshire Local Assistance Scheme.

INFO: Adviceline: 0808 278 7807. Universal Credit Help to Claim line:   0800 1448444,  CA Webchat or email via:  www.citizensadviceruralcambs.org.uk or online:  www.citizensadviceruralcambs.org.uk or at www.citizensadvice.org.uk .