Being a single mum and struggling or trying to cope with money problems is hard. I know as I am one of them. According to a survey held last year, our top worries are getting out of debt, putting food on the table and paying the rent or mortgage on time. It becomes an endless task working out which to pay when there is enough money to pay all three. I know this as I sat only this morning trying to figure out how to do it myself.

The biggest mistake though is not facing the problem or not trying to tackle it. It may be on your mind all the time but not actually doing anything positive about it is just hiding from the problem.

Take control of the situation. So ok you’re in debt. You’re not the first or last and certainly not alone.

If you are in serious debt contact your creditors (the people you owe money to) before they contact you. They don’t actually want to take court action unless it is absolutely necessary. But the problems won’t go away if you ignore them. They will only get worse.

Seek advice. Don’t go to debt counselling companies that charge a fee for their services. I made this costly mistake and still trying to unravel the mess. There are companies that don’t charge and the money you would pay in fees could go towards paying off debts.

First make sure you getting all the money you are entitled to. www.entitledto.co.uk has a nifty anonymous calculator then will estimate what you could be entitled to.

Sit down and list everything and I mean everything. Be it on a piece of paper or getting nifty with an excel sheet. Work out exactly what you have coming in and what goes out. You have probably looked at this before and cancelled the things you don’t need like gym membership for a gym you don’t go to etc. But it is worth having another look at it.

Keep this to hand and then talk to your local http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk . There advice is free and up to date. Other free organisations are http://www.payplan.com and http://www.nationaldebtline.co.uk . These people deal with people with debt problems every day. They won’t be shocked but will offer advice on what the best action is for your situation and circumstances.

I can’t stress enough the importance of tackling the situation and keeping away from companies that charge for their services.