Morning Croydon.

How many of us can honestly say we are not in debt? Nothing owing, nothing due, plenty of money in the bank.

Yes? We'll you'll be one of the few lucky ones then - or the terribly careful.

In today's financial climate I think nearly everyone owes something. Two hundred years ago, most of us would have spend some time in debtor's prison, wracked with shame and the stigma of owing money.

Nowadays there is much less shame in being in debt partly I believe because so many of us are.

I have friends who have ended up in quite substantial debt, not really through any fault of their own. They have a modest income. They don't have lavish holidays. Their cars are getting on for elderly and they do much of the maintainance on them themselves. They shop moderately, and grow their own veg. They recycle and do their own maintenance and household chores. They have no mortgage and don't go out for meals and drinks often. Yet due to messy legal issues over residency of the children from his previous marriage, they are now quite considerably in debt and were struggling to make ends meet.

Heartstrings are irrelevant here, sympathy won't pay the bills. What this couple needed was a practical solution. Having dismissed those adverts you see on television promising to fix your debt problems, they did end up meeting Croydon debt advisor Jonathon Monk of Monkfish Property and Finance purely as a 'friend-of-a-friend'.

Talking to him reassured them that there were practical solutions to their debt issues, and ways to take control and manage their money more effectively.

There are plenty of companies out there like Monkfish who offer debt management services, and some charge more or less in fees. Some charities like CCCS charge nothing at all. Clearstart charges very little, or claims their fees back from the creditors. However, there can be a waiting list for the charity options, and it may depend on how quickly you need to take action.

Talking to Monkfish Property and Finance could very well have saved my friend's necks, so now they owe something else apparently - gratitude.

If you know you have debt problems, don't ignore them or avoid them - have the confidence to look into all your options and take control again.

Yours, Katrina

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