The current cost of living situation brings many challenges for people. If changes to your income have left you struggling to make ends meet or you were already struggling, then the first step is to see what extra income might be available to you.
Our Money Support team would be happy to help with this, and can be contacted on 0208 778 6699 or by email at moneysupport@hexagon.org.uk
The next step is to look at reducing outgoings if you can. Making a comprehensive budget can really help with this, like the one offered by the Money Helper Service at Money Helper Budget is a good place to start. You can also look at whether you can get any of the services you currently use for less Haggle with service providers – Martin Lewis.
There are also a number of other organisations that may help, and links to a few of these are provided below. Please note that these are external sites, and Hexagon is therefore not responsible for their content. These are provided for information only, and do not constitute a recommendation to take any particular course of action.
For residents in Southwark, Get me Back on Track – Hexagon is a partner in this exciting project which aims to improve residents well-being and finances adopting an innovative holistic approach. The partnership includes local GPs, Southwark and Lambeth Councils, five Housing Associations, Citizens Advice Southwark, and Age UK Lambeth.
www.moneysavingexpert.co.uk – One of the UKs most popular money related websites, providing information on a wide variety of subjects
www.stepchange.org. – One of the largest free providers of telephone based debt advice in the UK
www.citizensadvice.org.uk – A source of free and impartial advice about a wide range of issues
If having done all of this you find that you don’t have enough money to meet all of your commitments, try talking to some of your non-priority providers (this would be people like TV subscriptions or credit card companies) to see if they would accept lower payments for a time while your income is reduced. This can reduce pressure while you income is lower, and you can make arrangements to catch up when things improve.
If you are struggling to pay for even the bare essentials such as food and heating, or are worried that you might be falling into problem debt, contact our Money Support team on 0208 778 6699 or by email at moneysupport@hexagon.org.uk
