The festive period may be a lot of fun but if you had too much fun at Christmas, you may find that the aftermath of the festive season isn’t so jolly and fun. This means that there will be many people who have a hangover for a day or two after they went too far with their celebrations but there are other problems that can arise from the festive period. If you spent too much money on celebrations at Christmas time, you may find that your finances at the start of a New Year are quite poor. This can place you in trouble but help is at hand.

Here are 5 tips for dealing with Christmas debt, so you can hopefully see in 2016 in great style.

List your outgoings and prioritise them

This is very important because you need to make sure you know what bills you have to pay first. Things that should be at the top of your list include:

• Rent/mortgage payments
• Council tax payment
• Utility bill payment
• Court fines

After these bills have been paid, you can focus on your other bills and again make decisions on what bills need to be paid as a priority. Some people will say that all bills are important, and this is true, but clearly not paying some bills as opposed to others can have a hugely detrimental impact on your life.

Bring in as much money as you can

This is a simple step but it is one that some people forget – to minimise your debt worries, you should be looking to bring in as much money as you can. You may be entitled to benefits that you don’t know of, there may be additional shifts available at work or you may be able to sell items you no longer need.

Get help from professionals

You can see why a lot of people don’t like to go public about their debt problems. However, if you want the best advice and guidance when it comes to dealing with your finances, there are places you can turn to. You can call on charities like:

• Step Change
• Money Advice Service
• National Debtline

You should also turn to the Citizen’s Advice Bureau for support.

Do you need emergency help?

If you find yourself needing emergency help, you should apply to your local council who will be able to provide assistance with welfare provision payments if eligible.

A guarantor loan may help

If you know someone who is willing to act as your guarantor, a guarantor loan, with an affordable rate of APR, is likely to be a good way to take control of your debt and move forward with your finances.