One of the most obvious signs that we are having significant debt problems on a consumer level in the UKdebt counselling and advice. There are a variety of charitable and government funded advisory organisations, websites and helplines and they are all reporting marked increases in consumer contact. is evidenced by the number of people who are seeking

For example, figures released by The National Debtline (a government funded advisory service) showed that contacts have been rising by 40%. Their analysis was based on calls coming into the organisation in November 2008 -- there were 23,000 calls in that month. This is a big increase on November 2007 when the organisation received 16,000 calls. Figures here also showed a 30% increase in the number of callers who either had secured loan or mortgage arrears.

This matches up with a lot of people’s fears at the end of last year. With Christmas approaching a lot of consumers were forced to face the reality of their debts. It was obvious that 2009 would see us slide into recession and organisations such as The National Debtline are undoubtedly experiencing numbers as high, if not higher, as the year progresses and people find it harder to cope.

This is borne out by the fact that a governmental pre-budget report stated that the organisation would be getting more funding to help it cope with this and any future extra demand. It is anticipated that this will total just under £6 million. The fact is that many of us will find ourselves in need of some financial advice in the next year or two. Calling this kind of impartial, free and confidential service can be a good first step to take.

Being in a recession can affect just about anybody. It doesn’t matter whether you came into it with unmanageable debts or whether you were lucky enough to be in a pretty solid financial state. Even if you have no particular money worries at the moment you don’t actually know what may happen in the future. It is anticipated that a lot more people will lose their jobs in 2009 and a lot more will find themselves unable to meet essential financial commitments such as paying their mortgage. Repossessions are already on the rise in the country as a whole.

Just a few months of non-mortgage payments could leave you thousands of pounds in debt and worried about losing your home to your lender. So, you can never predict what might happen down the line -- for this reason you may well want to keep a regular eye on your finances.

If they start to look a bit shaky or if you are in the least bit worried about your ability to cope with the money you have coming in then you might want to call or take an online visit to a free and confidential service such as The National Debtline to get some help and advice.