Nearly a third of Irish adults use their credit cards to pay bills.
In the latest edition of their 'What's Left' tracker, the Irish League of Credit Unions is highlighting a rise of 80 euro in the average debt being run up on credit cards, compared to September.
More than 2 point 6 million people in Ireland have a credit card, and worryingly, nearly a third are using their flexible friend to pay bills.
On the positive side, disposable income was up nearly 50 euro last month, compared to December of 2012.
Around 1 point 6 million people told the researchers they had 100 euro or less left at the end of the month once all bills were paid.
That's a drop of over 100 thousand compared to September of last year.
The Irish League of Credit Unions says more people are moving out of the lower disposable income categories, which is pointing towards a gradual recovery in the finances of Ireland's families.
