Plan well to avoid debt this Christmas

The Office of Fair Trading have launched their annual awareness raising initiative promoting sensible money management.

They've produced the '12 ways of Christmas' guide, which takes you through the 12 steps which, if followed, should ensure a January free of credit card bills.

The OFT say each year people succumb to the financial and social pressures, and consequently spend the rest of the year paying off bills.

Things like budgeting, shopping around for the best deals and only using reputable retailers are the main pieces of advice on offer.

You can obtain the guide by visiting the OFT on Lord Street, Douglas.