Becoming unemployed can be devastating for anyone, particularly those with a family to support. The stress of maintaining a home and ‘putting food on the table’ can cause great unhappiness and this can be compounded if finances are not taken care of during this difficult period.

Clearly, it will be necessary to review all expenditure and to prioritize spending as much as possible. Credit cards should not be seen as a source of ‘free’ money; indeed, it would be wise not to use these particular financial instruments during unemployment, as failure to keep-up with payments will result in substantial interest being accrued and possible damage to credit ratings in case you “default” on a loan, just like what most people would normally do in such situation.…