Money is the root of all evil. A fool and his money are soon parted. Penny wise pound foolish. Look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves.
Just a few examples of sayings that have evolved over the years which encourage us to beware of money and to treat it with care. One could take another view that the best things in life are free and money is not as important as it may appear.
The reality is that many families struggle each month to make ends meet because they don’t have enough money. Most of the people who come to see Citizen’s Advice with financial problems come to the bureau because they are in debt. While the root cause of the problem might be that there just isn’t enough money to go round many people would benefit from receiving advice on how to manage their money and make it go further. This could help some people not get into debt in the first place.
In 2006 the then government launched the Financial Inclusion Fund which was intended to pay for debt advice to be made available to people who need it. This has paid for services such as Face-to-Face Money Advice which has been delivered by Citizens Advice for the last eight years during which debt advice has been provided for over 100,000 people a year. The CAB also offers financial skills-for-life advice and guidance to help people manage their finances which focuses on the prevention of debt rather than cure. A programme for combining these two aspects of financial and debt advice is currently being developed
Meanwhile, thanks to a grant awarded by the Big Lottery Fund the residents of Waverley are being given the opportunity to develop their financial skills and awareness. Citizens Advice Waverley (in conjunction with the Borough Council) is running a programme called Cash Confidence. This is open to tenants renting accommodation (whether it is from private landlords, the council, or a housing association). Trained advisers from Citizens Advice Waverley ar offering two hour sessions during which they will provide information and advice to help people manage their finances.
The sessions will be delivered to groups as well as on a one-to-one basis. If you are interested in attending one of the sessions.
Call your CAB on 0844 848 7969 to make an appointment to talk to an adviser. The advice is free although calls cost about 5p/min from a landline and charges for a mobile could be a lot more.
