IF YOU'RE feeling the pinch today, you're not alone, with almost three-quarters of people running out of cash thanks to Christmas, a new study says.

A poll names January 9 "no pay day" because many people who were paid early because of Christmas have run out of cash.

Some householders will dip into their savings or rely on credit and loans, according to Norwich Union.

It found that 73 per cent of respondents thought they would run out of money before or on January 9.

Four in ten people surveyed said this month was financially the most worrying.

One in five did not think they would cover all their household bills during January.

The research found that Britons spent on average £781.86 extra over the festive period.

Dipping into the overdraft facility will be the most popular way of getting by until pay day later in January, with credit cards and savings also common ways of accessing cash.

Just four per cent of respondents planned to ask family and friends for money.

Cesarina Holm-Kander, a financial expert from the Channel 4 show Your Money Or Your Wife, warned: "I hope this month is the shock that finally gets that message home. Let this January be the last when you have a No Pay Day' before you have even reached pay day."