SIBS data submit that household spending increased this Christmas, compared to 2014

Deco appealed Wednesday to the Portuguese who favor saving and responsible consumption, expressing concern about household spending this Christmas, that may have been boosted by the incorrect idea of ​​the end of the crisis.

Data SIBS, manager of the ATM network, revealed that purchases made in automatic network payment terminals ATM between November 23 and December 27 amounted to 3,712 million euros, 7.3% more than in the same period 2014.

For the coordinator of the Support Office to the over-indebted (GAS) Deco, Natalia Nunes, these data “are worrying” because the financial difficulties of families remain.

“With regard to families in difficulty the numbers are similar to those that occurred in 2014″ and higher than in 2012 and 2013, which shows that “there is no significant change in the financial situation of families,” he said.

On the other hand, “looking at the situation of families in 2015 we see that she even worsened compared to 2014,” said Natalia Nunes.

According to her, the majority of families requesting aid GAS no longer has any ability to restructure its situation: “There are families who will be confronted, if they are not, with the seizure of assets and income or even with appeal to the court to ask its insolvency “.

On the reasons that may have led to this behavior of the Portuguese, said the “climate of euphoria” that was created on the end of the crisis.
“The truth is that since the summer has created a climate of euphoria that has meant that families have the idea, sometimes not correct, that the difficulties are overcome, the crisis ended and your financial situation will change, “he said.

This situation is worrying Deco, which in recent times has been observed concerning the granting of credit, that families such as credit institutions, are “to have the behaviors they had before the crisis, ie are to be less responsible in the way they deal like money. ”

“Our concern is the effect that both credit institutions and families are not to safeguard their rights and are not being responsible in the way they deal with their money and that this will have consequences in the medium term”, He stressed.

The number of over-indebted families who resorted to Deco was in late October close to that level in the same period in 2014 (about 26 000), at a time when the personal saving rate was minimal since 1995.

“There is here already from consumers the privilege of consumption and forget about savings,” said Natalia Nunes, regretting that the GAS expectation that the crisis would serve to alert consumers to the need to manage properly their money, favoring the savings have not had that effect.

At a time when starting a new year, Natalia Nunes called on families to rethink “the way they deal with money” and how to organize your monthly budget.

Families have to contemplate “consumption responsibly and focus on savings, which is fundamental if we are faced with some short-term and unpredictable to safeguard the retirement age.”

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