In debt and can't understand why? Find out here

Read on to seehow you could be dragging yourself into debt without realising it - and whatyou can do about it without giving up the good life.

1. You shop for pleasure

Too many of ussee shopping as a kind of sport or leisure activity.

Obviously, we all need newclothes or household gadgets from time to time but nobody has to buy new stuffevery weekend.

Sit down and work out what you really need.

Then go out and shopfor that one item.

You can still enjoy browsing around stores but you won't befrittering away your money.

2. You can't resist abargain

You lovehitting the sales and snap up loads of bargains - but paying £50 for a jacketthat used to be £100 isn't much of a saving if you don't need or use it.

Areyou tempted by two-for-one offers?

They're great if you can get two ofsomething that you need to use regularly, otherwise they're worthless.

Beforeyou go shopping, make a list of things that you need to stock up on and onlyallow yourself to be tempted by sales where you know you can get these itemscheaply.

3. You take the first dealyou're offered

Many people areafraid of haggling but it's actually a very effective way of gaining discounts- and recent survey for CreditExpert, the UK's leading online credit monitoringand identity fraud protection service, found that 57 per cent of us are nowmore prepared to haggle than we were a year ago.

Electricals, white goods,furniture, mobile phone contracts and clothes are among popular targets.

Onearea to consider carefully is financial products such as loans and credit cards- do your research and ask for the best possible deal, or you could findyourself paying higher fees and more interest.

4. You don't know what youcan really afford

Do you do theweekly food shop in a high-end deli and buy designer clothes? If so, you need areality check.

Most people in the UK earn less than £30,000 a yearand this kind of salary does not support a celebrity lifestyle.

One good way tosee what you can really afford is to check your credit report regularly.

Itcontains a list of the credit you've taken out, such as cards, loans andmortgages, along with your repayment record, so you can see instantly what youowe and how well you're coping.

It could be the wake-up call you need - and it'sfree to see your Experian credit report.

5. You buy yourself treats

You've spentall day in the library and you need cheering up.

You deserve a treat, so you goout for a drink with friends or get a takeaway for dinner.

This is fine ifyou're doing it once a month but if it's become a weekly habit, you could beheading for trouble.

There are lots of different ways to treat yourself - anice hot bath with some scented oil, a walk in the park or a delicioushome-cooked meal will save money -and cheer you up. 12»