Borrowing tips

How to be good with money in tough times

• Don't overstretch yourself - work out what you can afford to borrow first - use our budget planner to help you. And be realistic. If you have £160 left at the end of the month, don't commit it all to repayments.

• Use credit wisely - think twice before using some forms of credit like store cards, they can charge very high rates of interest. Consider transferring any existing balances you have to a lower rate credit card, but watch out for any balance transfer fees.

• Pay off credit card debts - whenever possible, cover any spending on credit cards in full at the end of each month. If this isn't possible then work out a plan and make sure you pay something off each month.