After the glow of the holidays begins to fade, we may find ourselves looking at our bank accounts with wide eyes.

Its easy to overspend during Christmas, and in Alberta, living beyond our means comes a little too easy sometimes.

The average Albertan owes around $28,000 in debt, 33% higher than the national average.

Scott Hannah, President, and CEO of the Credit Counselling Society, says that household debt in Canada has never been higher.

"We are now at an all-time record debt level in Canada, so the average Canadian owes $1.68 for every $1.00 of disposable income they have."

Hannah believes that though the economy and average income in Alberta has changed drastically during the recession, that our spending habits have not.

"They resign themselves that they are going to have to use credit cards to finance the holiday season and gifts, but what they don't realize is that by financing Christmas on credit, you're adding as much as 50% on top of every dollar you've spent in interest charges."

He says that Albertans are having a hard time adapting after the recession, and that watching our spending very carefully, and balancing our budgets is a huge step towards absolving household debt in the new year.