Nearly a third of Irish adults use their credit cards to pay bills, and there has been a slight increase in the average debt being run up on credit cards around the country.
However, the same report that carries these findings also points to a gradual improvement in families' incomes.
In the latest edition of the 'What's Left' tracker from the Irish League of Credit Unions (ILCU), researchers highlight a rise of €80 in the average debt being run up on credit cards, compared to September.
More than 2.6 million people in Ireland have a credit card.
On the positive side, disposable income was up by nearly €50 last month, compared to December 2012.
Around 1.6 million people told the researchers they had €100 or less left at the end of the month once all bills were paid, a drop of more than 100,000 people compared to September of last year.
The Irish League of Credit Unions said more people were moving out of the lower disposable income categories, which is pointing towards a gradual recovery in the finances of Ireland's families.