We're all tightening our belts at the moment (here in the UK anyways) so I thought I'd share with you some of the ways the wife and I have found to ride out the credit crunch without massive doom and gloom or dramatic lifestyle shifts.

Take Your Holidays in the UK

Pack up your boot with clothes, boots, sleeping bags and a decent tent and just head off! No flights to book, no currency to change, no advance planning of any kind is necessary (although you might want to book your holiday with work...). The UK may be a bit crowded in places but it has vast amounts of national park, the 'right to roam' has opened up the coast for us and with three whole countries on the mainland there is plenty to explore.
Devon and Cornwall are of course classic places to visit for a summer holiday but in peak season you will find them rather overrun and prices of everything from a camping plot to a sandwich will have doubled. My advice is to head north - the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales are absolutely beautiful in good weather (although a bit notorious in the wet) and the Scottish Borders are, in my view, the most beautiful place in the UK. If you fancy some real adventure then just keep heading north! Explore the wilds of the Scottish Highlands and truly leave the world behind for a few days.
Even if you don't fancy the idea of camping, local run B&Bs outside of main towns are often bargains and you're guaranteed a good hearty breakfast in the morning. There truly is something for everyone and every budget in the UK, you just have to look for it.

Overpay on Your Mortgage

Ok, this may sound like a strange idea but bear with me. Increasing your outgoings just as everyone is tightening their belts is not something everyone will feel comfortable with but if you like to try and put money in savings regularly then believe me, it's better going against your mortgage. If you have a £100,000 mortgage with and interest rate of 5.75% and a period of 25 years then overpaying by £100 a month will drop 6.3 years off your mortgage term and save you £25,438 in interest.
So even if the credit crunch has dropped fifteen grand off the value of your house you will still be ten grand up, just for that extra hundred pounds a month. Find out what you can save with this online mortgage overpayment calculator.

Have Three Less Beers a Week

No, really. I don't want to recommend anything here that will completely change your lifestyle and make you miserable but just cutting back on treats like beer can save you a fortune. Assuming £2.50 a pint (although in lots of places it's more like £3.50), having three less beers a week will save you £390 a year. that's a third of your mortgage overpayments covered!

Make Your Own Sandwiches

The average cost of a shop sandwich and a packet of crisps is about £4 but if you buy ingredients and make your own (assuming you don't go for lobster and caviar as your filling of choice) it will cost more like £1. Assuming 47 working weeks in a year this will save you £705. Bring it!

Shop Local

Save money, support local business, drop your carbon footprint (both in terms of you not driving to the shops and not paying the big chains to ship in fruit and veg from Outer Mongolia), cut down on all that rubbish packaging and actually get tastier produce. If you have a local butcher, baker and greengrocer then I guarantee that after a week of shopping local you will never want to go back!

Get a Wii

No, really. it's the best games system around and is great for an evening of cheap multiplayer entertainment. for a console, some accessories and a couple of games you're looking at £300 or so. On an average night out with the missus, including bus fares and drinks you're lucky if get any change out of £20. If you can swap one night out a week for a night in enjoying your Wii then over a year you will save £740!