QUEENSLAND families risk financial ruin if they pay for Christmas expenses on credit, according to the St Vincent de Paul Society Queensland.
Australians racked up $15 billion on credit cards last year over the Christmas shopping period and many are still paying off these debts.
Many will turn to the credit card again this year to see them through Christmas and the New Year, going further into debt.
St Vincent de Paul Society Queensland president John Campbell said people should enjoy their Christmas and New Year time together but avoid overspending.
“There is a real desire to give families a good Christmas and so there is a temptation to increase our spending and overuse the credit card,” he said.
This can place a lot of pressure on people who are already finding it tough.
The society has also suggested people use the Christmas and New Year period to sit down and look at how their spending went in the past 12 months and try to budget for those times when funds were stretched.
