IF you're struggling to cope financially - you're not the only one as today is officially the poorest day of the year.

Millions of people across the UK have revealed fears over paying their bills after being paid up to a fortnight earlier than usual in December.

It meant the wait for the next pay cheque increased from 30 to 44 days. The impact has hit 5.3million households, a survey by uSwitch.com discovered.

And all this at a time when millions of families admitted it would take up to three months to recover from festive spending.

To try to handle their finances, 24% will cut down their food bills, with 51% going out less and 20% cutting back on heating and phone bills.