There is a pattern to the debt counselling year.
There is the December and January “quiet times”. With holidays on the go, many people do not want to start dealing with their debt till February onwards. And so many Debt Counsellors and their staff also take a few days off over this time to recharge their batteries.
Then we dive into the busy time with is February and March as consumers pull the trigger and reach out for help. Everyone is busy, busy. Then comes the dreaded April madness where many people who have been in the process for some time suddenly make weird decisions and quite a bit of time is spent trying to help keep their debt review on track.
The rest of the year features two main highlights.
The first being the annual conference held by the Debt Counsellors Association of South Africa. This is held each year up in Gauteng and is aimed mainly at members. I recently had the opportunity to attend and catch up with lots of familiar faces. While the content each year varies it is always great to get to hang out with hundreds of other Debt Counsellors who are just trying to help consumers and credit providers. In this issue, you can get a feel for what it is like to attend.
As a Debt Counsellor, I personally find it very interesting and love to get to spend time with credit providers, service providers and colleagues. A special shout out to Vanessa who organises the event each year. Your hard work always pays off and everyone had a great time again this year. Well done. Be sure to check out the pics and round up for a taste of the action.
The next highlight, and one the Debtfree team is heavily involved with, is the Annual Debt Review Awards.
The Awards gala is being held in October this year and will be live streamed again so that those across the country can watch (on YouTube). We also have a few updates about that this issue (and be sure to read next month’s issue where we will go in depth about who is in the running for the top rated spots this year). And then, please do tune in and watch on the 20th of October for the results.
Then before you know it December rolls around again and the year just disappears. Sometimes it can feel like time is slipping by and we are not really achieving anything.
‘Sometimes it can feel like time is slipping by and we are not really achieving anything’
Well, if you are in debt review then this is not the case. After all, each month you are in the process is one step closer to your ultimate goal of getting out of debt. But as we all know, having a goal is not the same as achieving that goal. So, what can help us stay on track? What can help us reach our goals? In this issue we delve into that topic and pick up a few tricks and suggestions that can help keep us motivated when we really don’t feel like it.
Sometimes debt review can just feel like its “too hard”, “too slow” and “too tough”. If you are feeling like that right now then check out the article to see if it can help you find a way forward.
After all, time flies and if you can stick to the process, remain in the pattern, then pretty soon you will successfully reach your goal and be debt free.