Consumers seeing red after the holidays.

• Position: YOUR LIFE - Overspending and debt after the holiday shopping - Brief article

"Unplanned overspending is very common during the holiday season; notes David Jones, president of the Association of Independent Consumer Credit Counseling Agencies, Fairfax, Va. "For those consumers who overspent, a dose of financial reality awaits them in their mailboxes when the credit card bills arrive."

To help you recover and get beck in the black for 2013, AICCCA offers these tips:

Cut expenses to the bare bones. This means no luxuries and treats for the time being. Brown-bag your lunch and severely limit how much you eat out otherwise. Check out books and movies from the library and take advantage of other free entertainment. Earmark the money you save for your holiday debt.

Find some extra cash, If the money you save is not enough to tackle your...