Forget about whether there's money this year for presents under the Christmas tree. For many families, it's struggle enough to keep the electricity on and pay for other necessities in the wake of job layoffs, pay cuts and increased living costs.

Electricity, water, sewer, phone and basic cable TV service alone can easily add up to more than $300 a month for a typical household. Some utility agencies report that more customers are delaying bill payment or paring services.

"So far this year, the number of disconnects for nonpayment appears to have increased somewhat, although the majority of those are later reconnected as soon as customers are able to work out a payment system and get back on track," said Hawaiian Electric Co. spokesman Peter Rosegg.

Hawai'i consumers, who pay the highest average electricity rates in the nation, are seeing some relief as crude oil prices plummet, reducing HECO's costs. The electric bill for a typical O'ahu household that uses 600 kilowatt-hours each month was $182.01 this month, down $14.51 from October.

Rosegg said HECO expects electric bills to drop even further next month.

At the Honolulu Board of Water Supply, there hasn't been any significant shift in the number of service shutoffs or delinquent accounts, according to spokeswoman Su Shin. A typical household pays $34.56 for using 13,000 gallons of water a month. Rate increases mean customers are paying about $3.10 a month more for water from a year ago.

Sewer charges, which are included in the bimonthly bills sent out by the Board of Water Supply, have gone up 18 percent since last year as part of a multiyear increase approved in 2007. According to the city's Department of Environmental Services, a typical single-family home is paying $138.96 in sewer charges every two months, an increase of $21.14.

Hawaiian Telcom also reports no evidence of a significant increase in delinquent accounts or disconnects. Basic residential phone service costs approximately $26 a month.

"It's been fairly consistent throughout the year," said spokesman Steven Golden.

Cable television service is as essential to some people as power and water, but a number of consumers apparently are re-examining whether they need the extras.

"For the last four months we've seen a general slowdown in activity overall. People are getting less service," said Norman Santos, vice president of operations for Oceanic Time Warner Cable. "It's a lot less than in the past. I think we'll start to see some downgrading and shedding of pay services."

Basic cable service is $13.28 a month but prices quickly rise from there. Although business is slower than expected right now, Santos anticipates requests for new service and special features such as high-definition programming to jump in the coming weeks as consumers buy televisions for gift-giving.

"We're still expecting a little bit of a Christmas rush," he said.

On the plus side for the company, the rising cost of a night at the movies and other forms of entertainment is helping to boost demand for pay-per-view movies on TV, Santos said.

"At $4, it's still pretty cheap," he said.

CHARITY FUNDS RUN DRY

Many charities that offer emergency aid for rent and utility costs report they are tapped out because of the overwhelming increase in families seeking help.

Even the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which offers a one-time annual credit to low-income households, has distributed all of this year's available funds for Hawai'i. The application period won't reopen until next summer, when additional money is available, said Patricia Williams, LIHEAP coordinator in Hawai'i.

Because the program's purpose is to provide heating and/or cooling for homes, Hawai'i has always received the smallest grant in the nation, she said.

During this year's application period, more than 7,000 households sought the credit, which is paid directly to the electric and gas utilities, and a total of $1.5 million was disbursed, Williams said. The average benefit per household is $230 for the entire year.

"For a lot of households, especially those on the outer islands where electricity costs are highest in the nation, that barely covers costs for one to two months," Williams said.

HELP TO PAY BILLS

Golden said Hawaiian Telcom tries to work with customers who ask for bill-paying extensions. "We try to be sensitive to their circumstances," he said.

The phone company has a Lifeline program to help the elderly and very low-income families, and federal assistance also is available, Golden said. The Lifeline state credit is $1.85 a month, and a federal credit of $8.25 per month also is available. Customers may qualify for both state and federal credits, as well as a 50 percent discount of service connection charges, he said.

HECO will try to work with customers on a case-by-case basis to come up with a payment plan, according to Rosegg. "We have also developed some new tools and information to help all our customers use energy wisely and manage their bills," he said.

These include the "Power to Save" kit and the "101 Ways to Save" booklet, available on HECO's Web site and in hard copies by request.

"We also encourage customers to seek help with finances and/or family expenses from public, private and church-related organizations. Electric service is so basic to our lives that by the time people are having trouble paying the utility bill, they are likely in trouble with other home expenses and may need outside assistance," Rosegg said.

The Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Hawaii has plenty of evidence that Rosegg is right. Executive director Wendy Burkholder said the volume of calls to the nonprofit agency is up 41 percent from a year ago following the subprime mortgage crisis and job and income losses.

She said the counseling service will have helped 2,200 families statewide by year's end.

Basic utilities are a priority expense, she said, and families operating under a deficit should first and foremost examine in detail their monthly expenses and income and develop a workable budget that cuts out unnecessary spending.

For those still unable to pay their bills, "the worst thing is not to communicate your financial situation with the utilities and lenders. They can't help you if you're not communicating with them," she said.

"It's up to consumers to let them know there's been a setback and that you want to pay but you can't pay the way it was planned. It's a huge hurdle. People are embarrassed or fearful.

"The worst thing that can happen is to let it go and let it go until the next thing you know, they're hearing from a collection agency or they come home and the electricity is shut off."