When personal finance stories lead the news agenda, you know it's time for people to take their own cash crisis a little more seriously. New research has revealed that up to three million UK consumers will need to find an extra £2,500 next year to pay their bills and keep up with the cost of living, unless they learn to adjust their personal finances to cope with the new market conditions.

And millions more could find themselves needing to come up with over £1,200 of savings next year simply to maintain the same lifestyle they have at the moment, the study warns.

The 'Get It Fixed' report, commissioned by Capital One, shockingly reveals that collectively the country needs to tighten its belts to the tune of £14bn between now and 2012 to cope with rising costs on mortgages, other loans and inflation in the shops.

But how can consumers start making changes to their personal finances? Independent financial analyst, Cesarina Holm-Kander, offers her expert advice in this video:

Please click one of the icons below to watch the video: