If my disposable income drops, could debt advice help me?

For example, if your income has dropped, or your bills have risen and you are finding it hard to make your money stretch to compensate, then the right debt advice can help. According to experts, more and more people are likely to seek debt advice throughout 2009, but why might this be?

A Nielsen/British Retail Consortium (BRC) survey stated that 21% of families had no disposable income whatsoever - no money left over once they'd paid all their essential expenses - around the end of 2008.

At the time, BRC director-general Stephen Robertson said, "A fifth of all families had nothing left to spend [after core expenses] and I think that will get worse during 2009."

Today, many experts are still predicting the remainder of 2009 will get worse: unemployment is set to continue rising, which means that many households' ability to control their finances will be severely reduced.

Living with no disposable income can be very stressful for anyone - with no 'spare' cash at all, even small unexpected expenses can easily push them into unmanageable debt.

If you are struggling with your debts, then seeking debt advice could make a huge difference to your situation. A professional debt adviser should be able to suggest ways of raising your income or lowering your expenditure. They may also be able to suggest a debt solution that could help you tackle your debts.

Debt management information and advice on dealing with debt through a debt management plan.