Debt - it's a big business. It's estimated that the total level of personal debt in the UK is around £1,460 billion! This is an almost unimageinable number. It does mean that a large proportion of people reading this blog are in debt.

Debt in itself is not necessarily a problem. For instance many people with a large mortgage do not class themselves as "in debt" as they can manage the debt without problem, making their monthly payments each month.

When debt becomes a problem is if you are struggling to keep up with repayments of your monthly bills. If you recognise this situation you should act as soon as possible. Failing to address debt problems will only make them worse.

For free debt advice visit IVA Debt Problem who offer a complete debt solution. This includes debt management, debt consolidation loans, and IVAs (Individual Voluntary Arrangements).

With so many people in debt in the UK there is an opportunity to help them by training to become a debt counsellor. This allows you to work from home with hours to suit you.

Not only is it a way of earning a living (and it could be a good living) but you will be helping solve debt problems for many people who are struggling.

We are currently formulating a debt training package including a two day training course which will take place in the Midlands. At the end of this training course you will be straight up and running with your new business.

Leads in your area can be supplied to get you off to a good start and you can quickly start to generate an income. We provide help and support at every step of the way.

If this sound of interest please use the enquiry form on the front of this website to register your interest. Full details will be available at the end of August including online brochures and marketing materials.

I've just finished entering my competitions for today. It feels like ages since I had my last win. In fact it's just over a month according to my record of 2009 competition wins.

That was only a promotional glass, it's been a couple of months since my last "proper" win. My lack of success in comping this year pretty much mirrors how life has been this year.

Despite my best efforts we've really taken a couple of steps backwards this year. We're in a position where our income is not really enough to cover our outgoings. It certainly isn't going to cover extras such as a holiday or anything that is not absolutely essential.

It doesn't leave me very hopeful for 2010. We've already cut back about as much as is possible and most of our shopping is now done at the car boot. I don't want to buy anybody any Christmas presents this year. After all, what is the point of spending money we can't afford to buy presents that people don't really want?

Miserable, miserable, miserable. I just need something positive, something to go right to cheer me up.

I know I should count my blessings. I'm healthy, as are all of my family, and although life is a struggle financially it's not all about money.

I once read a book called "How to enjoy your life in spite of it all". Quite a long read considering the thought behind it was pretty simple. Too many people are striving to make their life's better in the future without enjoying the current blessings they have. Although I can see that this is correct, and that it applies to me as much as everyone else, it is very difficult to get into the right mindset to really enjoy life as it happens.

I find myself regularly looking towards retirement, wishing my life away, when I might not even make it that far! I bet retirement is not all its cracked up to be either.

So I need to sort out my current situation. I'm going to start some training in computers (CompTIA A+) as it is something I'm interested in and would enjoy doing as a job. This should also, in the fulness of time, lead to a better salary and perhaps enough to pay the bills with a (little) bit left over.

In the meantime I will continue to keep this site updated in the hope that it will eventually start to bring in some money. A bit of a vague plan but I'm finding less and less time to concentrate on it and give it the necessary focus.

Bottom line is I need to stop worrying and be happy. I'm putting a smile on my face now. Cheer up, life is good.

In 2007 I re-trained as a Domestic Energy Assessor. I was lucky that I had a contact in the Estate Agency business so I got the training cheap. Unfortunately things didn't pan out as I had hoped.

Lots of other people had the same idea, so there were plenty of trained assessors, and when the housing market slumped there was little work to be fought over.

I spent a few months working as a DEA, made enough money to cover my training costs, my bills and pay for a nice holiday abroad, and got out when work started to dry up. I was lucky that I found a job fairly quickly and I'm still working there now.

Not a very good example to lead me into my training page but there were plenty of positives that came out of my training.

Firstly I had left school over 20 years before so passing the necessary DEA exams had given my confidence a boost. I now feel I could re-train myself again in pretty much anything.

I have a new skill, one that I can always go back to in the future, and I can list my qualification on my CV making me more employable.

Training, even for its own sake, can be a good thing, but if you have an unfulfilled vocation now is the time to grasp the nettle and give it a go.

We spend near enough 50 years of our life in work. Spending this time in an unfulfilling, dead-end job on low pay is not going to give you a happy future.

If you don't like the job you are in, chances are you are going to need some extra training to get started on your new career. If you study from home you can fit your training course around your existing committments or job.

It doesn't have to be expensive and once you get back into the swing of it it can be enjoyable, particularly if you are studying a subject of genuine interest to you.

Whilst my training didn't make me rich or deliver everything I wanted from it I still feel it was worthwhile and would definitely do it again in the future.