I consider myself to be reasonably lucky, all things considered, and one area in which my luck has been good is that of debt. I did get myself into debt when I was in my early twenties, but not so badly that I couldn't get out of it.

In fact being in debt at that time made me vow never to do it again and so far I have stuck to this, although it gets harder every year as living expenses continue to rise faster than my meagre salary!

The problem with debt is that if you leave it unchecked, making minimum repayments for instance, the interest continues to pile on and you make no headway in clearing the initial debt, the situation just gets worse and worse. If you're not careful you can get into a very steep downward spiral and lose control over your finances.

I hope no-one reading this has reached that stage, and if you are in debt now is the time to try and regain control and sort out your finances. It might mean tightening your belt and enduring more hardship than normal but clearing the debt and becoming debt free is well worth it.

I have some contacts in the financial services sector, having worked on a number of financial websites, and one which has recently re-launched is IVA Debt Problem dealing specifically with debt and how to get out of debt.

The three areas they concentrate on are:

• Debt Management
• Debt Consolidation
• IVAs (Individual Voluntary Arrangements)

Which option is best for you will depend upon your current circumstances and the amount of debt. They will guide you through all of your options and discuss the best way forward.

So if you are in debt, looking for a debt solution, get in touch with them via their debt advice helpline or online enquiry form and see if they can help you regain financial control.