EVERY time we fill up our cars, open our bills or even just pop to the supermarket we are confronted with the undeniable fact that the credit crunch has well and truly kicked in.

But as some resourceful Worcestershire residents show there are a few clever ways of escaping the sting in the tail.

Tracey Sheppard, of Medway Road, Ronkswood, runs a car boot sale twice a month at Bishop Perowne CE College in Worcester.

She has noticed an increase in the number of people coming to the sale intent on snapping up a bargain.

“The credit crunch is hitting all of us and a car boot is a great way of making a bit of money which you don’t have to pay tax on,” she said.

Ms Sheppard, who is a selfconfessed car boot addict, also does a lot of shopping of her own at the sales.

“My kids don’t want for anything because I can buy it all at the car boot,” she said. “Two years ago I even bought a Royal Worcester figurine for £5 which is now worth about £70.”

Gemma Benton, aged 23, of Worcester Road, Malvern, feels her life has been affected since the onset of the credit crunch but thinks, with a bit of creative thinking, it’s still possible to live life to the full.

“I can’t afford to do all the things I used to do and a lot of my friends are students and the credit crunch has hit them especially hard,” she said. “So we’ve just had to come up with new, cheaper ways of enjoying ourselves.

“Instead of going out, I invite my friends over for a get-together or instead of going to a restaurant we get a takeaway.

“Another of our favourite things to do instead of going out is to have fancy dress parties. We set ourselves a spending limit and dress up in clothes we’ve bought from charity shops or made ourselves.

“We like to call it Charity Shop Chic. It’s a really silly, cheap way of having fun.”

These novel ways of saving cash are only the tip of the iceberg as more and more Worcestershire residents batten down the hatches in the face of rising prices.

Local councils have reported a growth in demand for allotment spaces as more and more people try and trim their food bills.

Worcestershire County Council has also noted a seven per cent increase in the use of public transport over the last year – a rise which translates to 100,000 extra journeys a month, suggesting that prices at the pump are forcing us to ditch our cars. In addition, it seems more and more Worcestershire residents are having to re-evaluate where they do their weekly shop.

Paul Walker, 41, from Redditch, runs a fruit and vegetable stall on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at the Angel Place Market, Worcester, and says he has noticed an increasing number of shoppers abandoning the supermarkets in favour of his stall.

“We are at least 40 to 50 per cent cheaper across the board than the supermarkets and I’m getting more and more customers who are realising that,” he said.

“In these times people are beginning to understand that they need to shop around.”

However, it would seem that some Worcestershire residents are resorting to surprisingly drastic measures to curtail their spending.

According to a survey carried out by the Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA), nine per cent of West Midlanders would sit in the dark rather than have the lights on and two per cent keep their central heating permanently off.

David Pollack, ECA director, said: “Given the current cost of living and news that electricity and gas charges are set to rise, it’s no surprise that people are being more thoughtful about what they can do to save money, although some of the measures revealed in our study do seem a little extreme.

“Simple steps such as using energy efficient bulbs and switching appliances off rather than leaving them on standby do make a big difference without impacting dramatically on daily life.”

HOWTO SURVIVE THE CREDIT CRUNCH

* SHOP AROUND: Take time to shop around whether it’s at the checkout or the petrol pump. When your car or home insurance is up for renewal use price comparison websites.

* DUMP THE JUNK: Use car boot sales or online auction websites such as ebay to get rid of your unwanted rubbish. You’ll clear a space in your house and fill a hole in your wallet.

* FLASH THAT CASH: Research shows we’re much more willing to part with our money when we pay on credit or debit cards. Instead, take a fixed amount of cash with you and stick to your budget – you’ll be laughing all the way to the bank.

* BUDGET, BUDGET, BUDGET: Write down everything you spend for a week. You might be shocked.

Cutting out a daily latte made with full fat milk can save £50 a month and 3,652 calories while switching to tap water also creates savings.

* GET HEALTHY: Stop smoking and you could save £170 a month, while up to £80 a month can be pocketed by dropping the gym membership in favour of getting fit outdoors. You could save £150 a month by cycling to work rather than taking the train.

And it costs nothing to run around a park, cycle to work or do sit-ups and push-ups in your home.

* DIG FOR VICTORY: At least £10 a month can be saved by growing fruit and vegetables at home or in an allotment. Regular gardening is a great form of exercise, which can help prevent obesity, cut the risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes.

Even better just 30 minutes of gardening burns 300 to 400 calories.

* SHOP ONLINE: Some great deals can be found online. Websites such as myvouchercodes.co.uk offer discounts on goods bought online from major retailers such as