Financial solutions company Think Money have warned consumers to be careful over the amount of debt they incur over the festive season, in order to avoid potential debt problems in the midst of an economic recession.

They have also advised those consumers who do rely on credit to act early and tackle any debts before they have the chance to grow, and to be selective over the types of credit used in order to prevent the debts from becoming unmanageable.

For many families in the UK, including those who are usually comfortable financially, the Christmas season has become associated with debt. The tradition of spending large amounts of money on food and gifts has meant that large numbers of households fall into debt every year, even if it means spending a large part of the following year repaying those debts.

Indeed, a survey taken earlier this year by Savebuckets.com suggested that one in four Christmas borrowers were still repaying their Christmas debts in the following October – nine months after the money was originally spent.

A debt expert for financial solutions company Think Money commented: “In today’s society, many households actually expect to get into debt in order to get through the Christmas season – which can put them at risk of debt problems in the future. It’s much safer to focus more on how to avoid falling into debt – and with the right preparation and attitude, it is very much possible to do that.”

The spokesperson added that staying out of debt over the Christmas period does not necessarily have to mean cutting back on costs. “The households who are best prepared for the Christmas period are those who have thought about it long in advance and have been saving throughout the year. By saving just a relatively small amount each month, it’s quite possible to save enough to cover all the costs involved, without having to compromise.

“However, it seems that it is currently more common to pay with credit in the run-up to Christmas. This may have been fuelled by the relatively easy access to credit of the past few years, although due to the credit crunch, this may be a little more difficult this year.”

The spokesperson also said that the type of credit used can be crucial to consumers’ ability to repay the debt. “For those consumers who do rely on credit over the Christmas period, choosing the right form of credit is a simple step that can make all the difference.

“For example, it’s generally unadvisable to make large purchases on credit cards unless the buyer is absolutely sure they will be able to repay the debt in a short space of time. The APR on credit cards is typically very high, which means the debt can grow very quickly unless it is repaid promptly.

The Think Money spokesperson added that anyone finding themselves struggling with debt should seek debt advice straight away. “There are a number of debt solutions that can help to minimise outgoings and/or help to reduce debts, such as debt consolidation or an IVA (Individual Voluntary Arrangement). We urge anyone in serious debt to seek professional debt advice as soon as possible.”

Company has taken moves to set itself apart from other retailers who offer eyeglasses based solely on the cheapest price

Phoenix, AZ -Online shopping for cheap eyeglasses is becoming a popular trend. Customers that shop online can buy eyeglasses at tremendous discounts. AffordableVision.com enables customers to select from traditional styles to more trendy designer inspired styles at 75% off normal retail prices.

AffordableVision.com brings to customers over 30 years of experience in supplying frames and lenses to private doctors and eye clinics across the United States. Unlike other online eyeglass retailers AffordableVision.com is based completely out of the United States and all purchases support American jobs.

“The team at AffordableVision.com is run by experienced professionals who realize that you get what you pay for,” states the company President, “So, our frames and lenses are of the best quality for the price possible. Other companies offer cheap quality lenses but AffordableVision.com has decided to take a different approach. The quality of eyeglasses customers receive from us is the same quality the private eye clinics have gotten over the past 30 years.”

At AffordableVision.com customers receive free with each eyeglass purchase a quality hard case, cleaning cloth and lens care instruction card. The website has recently added a video wall which has informative videos relating to eyeglasses and vision needs. It also has secure payment methods to assure a safe shopping environment.

AffordableVision.com can be viewed at www.affordablevision.com

AffordableVision.com is an international online retailer of quality prescription eyeglasses. We give the general public access to the same technicians and specialist laboratory that doctors requiring the finest lab work send their orders to.

Welcoming the recent fall in inflation, debt management company Gregory Pennington highlighted the significance of this drop to people struggling to manage their debts.

In October, the CPI (Consumer Price Index) measure fell from 5.2% to 4.5% – the largest month-on-month fall in 16 years. Having said that, the reading of 5.2% was the highest reading in 16 years, so even a reduction of 0.7% falls far short of returning inflation to a ‘normal’ level.

“Remember the Bank of England’s target for CPI inflation is just 2%,” said a spokesperson for the debt management company. “At 4.5%, today’s rate of inflation still means prices are rising more than twice as fast as the Bank would like – this reduction simply means that the speed with which things are getting more expensive is slowing.

“More to the point, CPI has been over the Bank of England’s 2% target ever since October 2007, so today’s consumers are still dealing with the cumulative impact of a full year of high inflation. And the timing makes that elevated cost of living particularly dangerous: today’s consumers are also dealing with record levels of personal debt, as well as rising unemployment.”

As a result, there are many people finding it hard to manage their debts: trying to stretch a shrinking budget further each month. “For anyone in that position, any decrease in inflation can’t come fast enough. They’ll be relieved to see some expenses – such as petrol – coming down, but many other things are still far higher than they were a year ago. A recent article in The Guardian, for example, reported that a basket of 24 staple items in the UK’s biggest three supermarkets now costs 17.8% more than it did last November.”

Looking forward to next year, it seems the Bank of England is expecting inflation to eventually drop below its 2% target, and perhaps as low as 1%. “This is good news for two reasons,” said the spokesperson for the debt management company. “Not just because it’ll mean prices are (relatively) coming down, but also because it could allow the Bank to cut the base rate even further.

“Clearly, a lower base rate could help many people currently struggling with their finances. People on tracker mortgages will see the most immediate benefit – many of them have already seen their mortgage payments drop by hundreds of pounds compared with July, when the base rate stood at 5.75%.”

Nonetheless, too little inflation can be as dangerous as too much – and we’re now facing the possibility of deflation in 2009. While economists agree that a short stint of deflation would not be a problem, any sustained period of shrinking prices could seriously damage the economy.

Deflation means a decrease in the price of property, shares and goods of all kinds. People therefore wait to buy expensive items, as it only makes sense to wait until the price comes down. Falling demand means companies sell less and are forced to reduce their workforce.

“It’s clear the Bank of England has a delicate balancing act ahead of it: when it comes to normal people managing their debts, deflation could be as big a danger as high inflation.”

Company URL: http://www.gregorypennington.com/

Today, with the Internet becoming ever more a key revenue driver for many companies around the world, it is vital that their website, and the servers that it is run on, are reliable.

In line with this, iHosting UK are now offering a 99.9% uptime guarantee on their UK web hosting plans. They currently offer three plans to suit their clients needs (Bronze, Silver & Special), and all these come with the 99.9% uptime guarantee.

A spokesperson for iHosting UK said: "The guarantee means that our clients can relax in the knowledge that their website is in safe hands. For many companies who make a large percentage of their sales online, server downtime can easily cost them thousands in just a few hours & that is a risk that many companies just cannot take. Even if they don't make much revenue from their website, reliable hosting is simply reputation management.

"Thanks to our 99.9% uptime guarantee, they can get on with running their business - doing whatever it is they do best, and leave us to do what we do best - provide reliable UK web hosting for our clients worldwide!

"Combined with our 24/7 premium support, spam protection, antivirus protection, daily backups & 14 day money back guarantee, we feel we are one of the most reliable UK web hosting providers around!"

iHosting UK challenge you to try their services & if you are not completely satisfied with the service within 14 days, you are guaranteed to get your money back. The spokesperson said: "We are confident this will not be the case!"

About iHosting UK
iHosting UK provide feature packed, no-nonsense cPanel web hosting to private, professional & business users throughout the world on their UK hosted web servers. They offer UK web hosting, domain name registration and much more. For further information, visit http://www.ihostinguk.com/.

LED Supplier LEDssuperbright.com (www.ledssuperbright.com) are expecting a bright future in the LED market as they launch their new LED specialist ecommerce store.

The super bright LED specialist, a subdivision of Auto Direct LLC supply a wide range of Bright LED products including raw bright LEDs with wire and complete LED bulbs & units.

The company carries one of the world's the largest selections of LEDs, suitable for every auto, domestic and commercial situation. LED Super Bright carry various size LEDs that are super bright allowing you to light up a large area with minimum size and power requirements.

Offering a large selection of LED products at great prices LEDs Super Bright specialize in only LEDs so you can feel assured they will provide you with the technical and sales knowledge you expect.

All LED products are shipped from USA and usually arrive within a few days to a week. And stock is expertly stored in industry standard temperature controlled warehouses.

Buying LEDs from LEDs Super Bright not only saves you money, but you will receive products you simply cannot find elsewhere. LED Super Bright has been in business since 1999 and has over 20 years combined experience in LED products and accessories.

If you have been looking for a source of 12V LED bulbs to use in your projects LEDs Super Bright can supply everything you need. Choose from 3mm, 5mm, 8mm and 10mm super bright LEDs.

For more information on Super Bright LEDs please visit http://www.ledssuperbright.com/

The latest report from insurance provider LV= has shown that health concerns have led to a surge in pet owners changing their pets' diets and swapping meat for vegetables and fruit.

40% of pet owners now feed their pets up to three portions of fruit and veg a day and according to the new research by pet insurer LV= there are now more than 145,000 cats and dogs in the UK on a vegetarian diet.

In turning their animals vegetarian, these pet owners are following celebrity dog-owners such as Alicia Silverstone* and Paul McCartney** who feed their dogs a vegan and vegetarian diet respectively.

One of the main reasons for the trend in vegetable heavy diets is the perceived health benefit, with 42% of pet owners who have increased the number of vegetables in their pets' diet saying they have done so to improve the health of their animal.

16% of pet owners said they simply follow Government nutritional advice for humans, such as eating five portions of vegetable and fruit a day, and apply it to their pet.

According to the report from LV=, other reasons given include the cheaper cost of a vegetarian diet (12%), because organic pet food is a waste of money (29%) and because it's more ethical (4%). Just one in four (24%) of the UK's cats and dogs now exist on a meat-only diet.

The most popular vegetables to give to pets are carrots (19%), potatoes (12%) and peas (11%).

As well as pets eating more vegetables, the LV= research shows that 13% of UK pets are given vitamin or vegetable supplements daily.

Health-conscious owners say they have noticed a range of improvements from their veggie-eating pets, from fewer health problems (27%), glossier coats (21%), and a better digestion (28%), to loss of weight (13%).

Emma Holyer, Spokesperson for LV=, said: "As this research shows there are thousands of cats and dogs consuming vegetables in their diets without any problems. In fact, these diets are well known for relieving arthritis, skin and fur problems and obesity in dogs.

"However, pet owners thinking of putting their pet on a vegetable only diet should check with their vet. Cats cannot survive on a vegetarian diet and will need specialist supplements, and although dogs can survive, a sudden change in diet is likely to cause problems. Animals are just like humans in that they need a mixture of minerals and vitamins to keep them healthy, and cutting out whole food groups, like protein, can seriously damage their health."

About LV=
LV= is a trademark of Liverpool Victoria Friendly Society Limited (LVFS) and LV= is a trading style of the Liverpool Victoria group of companies.

LV= employs over 2,700 people, serves more than 2.5 million customers and members, and manages more than £7.7 billion on their behalf. LV= is the UK's largest friendly society offering a wide range of financial products including home, car insurance, pet insurance and travel insurance direct to consumers.

* Source: nowmagazine.co.uk
** Source: dogs.suite101.com
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Notes to Editors:
The research was carried out on behalf of LV= by YouGov. A nationally representative sample of 2,050 pet owners were questioned online between 9th and 11th September 2008. Results are weighted to be representative of the UK adult population. YouGov is a member of the British Polling Council.

Web Site: http://www.lv.com/