Some paralyzed by money woes

Goblins, ghosts and ghouls have nothing on fears of foreclosure, financial ruin and frighteningly high unexpected bills, a credit-counseling agency says.

"Some people are so overwhelmed by their financial situation that they choose to ignore the problem, making matters even worse," said Gail Cunningham, spokeswoman for the National Foundation for Credit Counseling.

Don your Superman and Wonder Woman costume and start fighting your enemies:

• Write down every single thing you spend, every day, for a week. Once you get an idea of your spending, start listing items you can eliminate or reduce. Set a budget, especially for the holidays, and spend no more than that limit.

• If you cannot find a way to pay rent or mortgage payments, get free counseling at a local community center by searching DebtAdvice.org or the credit counseling foundation's site at nfcc.org.

• Terrified of retirement with an inadequate income? Get an idea of your Social Security benefits at socialsecurity. gov/estimator or call the Social Security toll-free number, (800) 772-1213.

Sandra Guy