“It’s frightening when your income is much less than expenses.” Cheryl has experienced financial ups and downs herself but has learned how to take control of her finances. Here she explains why she is to co-leading the CAP Money Course. The next course starts in May.

Money is such a powerful force! The education system doesn’t teach us to control it, and so we let it control us. Yet I really do believe that people’s lives can be changed through simple methods of money management.

Money is no longer just an exchange material for goods we need to live. Whether it’s numbers on screens, tiny coins or bits of paper, we also use money to say sorry (compensation) or to punish (fines). They are right when they say money talks.

Modern life includes uncertain employment, zero-hours and short-term contracts and funding cuts. Yet costs which used to be luxuries have become necessities. We often have to commute distances to work or to see family, we need computers and internet even just for children to do their homework, we need phones simply to function in this fast-paced society. The pressure to spend never stops.

Many of us have never had the chance to learn money management skills, let alone pass them on to our children. I’ve been through ups and downs with finances; times when there’s been enough for holidays and cars, and times when unexpected income loss has left me nervous, counting coins, having to make hard decisions, and shopping with a calculator to check I don’t overspend. When you are equipped with strategies and tools to budget, and personal access to CAP’s online Money System, it’s very satisfying when you realise that you have made it work. This course will help you make it work.

The world often uses a sticking-plaster method of trying to patch up financial difficulties, but this still leaves you out of control of your finances. The CAP Money Course will help you take and keep control, in good times and bad. Even if you think you are in a good financial position I’d challenge you to take a fresh look. Whether you’re looking to buy your next loaf of bread or a Caribbean cruise, the course still works. Many people won’t think about budgeting and saving until things are tight, but this course is for everyone!

You won’t be judged on what you choose to spend your money on, and you don’t need to share your information if you don’t want to. The course empowers you to make plans and choices for yourself; we don’t do it for you.