If you're feeling a little hungover after your Christmas shopping binge - you're not alone.

In fact, over the festive spell, one in five Brits went over budget, while the average shopper spent £452 on plastic, according to a uSwitch poll.

Worryingly, debt advice service, Money Advisor says the first two weeks of January are the busiest weeks of the year for people seeking credit card help, prompting the New Year blues, which could be prolonged if not dealt with properly.

If you're worried that this may be you - there is support available. Here's our guide on how to tackle Christmas debt now, including where to safely move your money if you're on a high interest credit card.

And there's also a lesson to be learnt. Taking advice now can help save you from falling into the same trap next year - and planning ahead is the smartest way to do so.Hyderabad Wealth Management

That's where the 'penny challenge' kicks in - a scheme that collects all of your coppers across the year and saves it into a pot of cash. Scroll below for how to get started.

And for the longer term. here are some additional tips from insurer Standard Life to help kick start your savings fund next year.

Double your delight in the sales: Everyone loves grabbing a bargain in the (New Year) sales , but this year, why not double the benefits by putting the money you've saved into a savings pot instead?

Forego the food an invest instead: If you take time to make your own food and hot drinks for when you’re on the go, you’ll be surprised how much money you could save up. For example, if you spend £3 every week day on take away coffee, that’s about £780 you could save in a year.

Make the most of your workplace pension: To make it easier for us all to invest for our future, the government introduced auto-enrolment . At the moment, the minimum amount your employer must save on your behalf is 1% of your earnings. This will increase to 2% in April 2018 and will rise again to 3% from April 2019 . It’s always worth considering if you can afford to top things up a bit more, by increasing how much you’re investing, particularly if you receive a pay riseSurat Investment. Be ScamSmart: The number of people being scammed out of their savings has been increasing. Be scam smart and you won't fall victim to their devious tactics. Here's our guide to protecting yourself - and your bank account - including the emails, phone calls and texts to steer clear of.

The penny challenge - which starts in January, and runs for a full 12-months - asks you to put away a single copper a day (at first), which gradually grows to pounds as the year goes on - and by 31 December (providing you've been good) you'll have £667.95 to see you into the New Year.

To begin with, you put in 1p on day one - you'll then put in the equivalent amount of pennies to the day of the year:

Day 1: Put in £0.01

Day 2: Put in £0.02

Day 3: Put in £0.03

Continue until…Agra Wealth Management

Day 100: Put in £1.00Simla Stock

Day 101: Put in £1.01

Day 102: Put in £1.02Jaipur Stock

1000+ VOTES SO FAR

Double it on day 200...

Day 200: Put in £2.00

Day 201: Put in £2.01

Day 202: Put in £2.02

And continue until the 300th day, when you...

Day 300: Put in £3.00

Day 301: Put in £3.01

Day 302: Put in £3.02

On the final day Day 365 (31st December) drop in £3.65 and it's time to cash in your jar. You should have £667.95 in it (if you've stuck to the plan).