25% of parents have admitted to missing monthly credit card payments, according to new research commissioned by Equifax.
53% of families surveyed believed that they would be able to survive financially for up to four months if they lost their job. However, 24% said they would only be able to last a month or less financially if they faced this situation.
“With the Bank of England making its first interest rate increase in a decade, UK households may well be worried about what it means to their budgets,” said Lisa Hardstaff, consumer credit information specialist at Equifax.
“It may not sound like a big rise, but even an additional small amount added to an already tight household budget can add financial pressure.”
The Equifax commissioned research also highlights the added financial pressure on parents during the school year. According to the research, parents spend on average £1,400 per school year per child on extracurricular activities, uniform, wrap-around care, school lunches and technology. With government cuts in education funding, many schools have a school voluntary fund which can cost the parents surveyed on average an additional £13 per term. Extracurricular activities add up to £89, whilst wrap-around care costs £167 per term. In addition, school lunches cost £144 a term per child.
“Our survey shows that whilst 60% of families appear to be managing their current budgets others are struggling to pay their credit card debt, leaving them vulnerable to additional charges,” added Hardstaff.
“As we start to enter the Christmas period which traditionally can add additional pressure to already financially stretched families we urge them to use a budget planner so they can see all their financial commitments and help to prioritise payments.”