Debt Free London Bus Launch

As some of you may have seen from my socials last week, I was kindly invited to the launch of Debt Free London‘s Brand New Bus on Tuesday 22^nd February!

If you haven’t already seen the groovy bus touring round London, then the Debt Free London Bus is an exciting new initiative created by Debt Free London with the aim to provide Londoners with free debt advice. Having already helped over 250,000 people, the ‘Debt BUS-ter’ will be touring round a number of different London boroughs, offering people who are currently struggling with existing debt and financial difficulty with free debt advice, and aiming to break the stigmas and taboo often associated with money.

The ‘Debt BUS-ter’ will be touring round London until Thursday 31st March with a number of different stop offs around the city. Debt Free London will also be hosting a wide range of daily events including webinars on saving, budgeting, and common debt worries, helping those with money worries to start their journey in becoming debt free!

As well as the ‘Debt BUS-ter,’ Debt Free London has also relaunched their 24 hour hotline, which offers people the opportunity to call in for free debt advice around the clock.

Not only was I privileged enough to take a tour around the bus, but I was also lucky enough to interview Angellica Bell, a TV and radio presenter, best known for presenting on CBBC and more recently as the co-host of the Martin Lewis Money Show as she supported this exciting initiative!

With people experiencing life post-pandemic, rising living costs and some recovering from the post-Christmas splurge, there are a number of people who are currently worried about their finances. Because of this, I sat down with Angellica to hear some of her top tips for those currently worried about their finances:

1. Review your finances: Take a step back and have an honest look at your finances. How much are your outgoings? How many direct debits do you currently have? Are they necessary and is there anything you can cut back accordingly?
2. Explore the ways in which you can make some extra money: Can you sell some of your clothes on eBay? Maybe you could consider starting a side hustle! There are lots of ways you can now make money online.
3. Take advantage of discounts and coupons: Don’t underestimate the amount of money you may be able to save from using coupons and/or loyalty schemes such as your Tesco Clubcard or even your Boots loyalty card! Doing so can potentially save you lots of money in the long run.
4. Reach out for help and support: Debt advice services such as Debt Free London are great services that are able to offer free expert debt advice, so please do take advantage of these services if you are struggling financially.

One of my key takeaways from Angellica was: ‘Don’t suffer in silence.’ This piece of advice really resonated with me as I know how challenging it can be to seek advice despite there being a clear need for it. However, Angellica shared, that if we talk more, then there are more solutions and I have certainly learnt that myself! So, if you are experiencing financial difficulty, or could just do with someone to talk to regarding your current financial situation, then please do reach out to Debt Free London, who are always happy to help!