I am very lucky that I earn a good salary so am able to absorb the price increases but I have certainly noticed the effect and taken steps to reduce my costs.
My biggest savings (not really savings, but helping to reduce the impact of the price rises) are petrol and food.
Petrol: I've been trying to combine trips to save fuel. e.g. going to the supermarket on my way home from work instead of making a special trip. This was something I really started doing when we had the shortages last year, but I've continued in order to reduce total fuel consumption.
Food: It has been quite easy to control my food expenditure which probably suggests I was wasteful in the past. I've started trying some of the cheap 'value' items from supermarkets. Some are not good, but some are ok. I'm also trying to plan my meals better so I don't waste as much (as well as price rises, I think shelf life of fresh goods seems to have shortened over the last couple of years). This includes sometimes eating the same meal two days in a row, and making more use of the freezer to make food last for longer. I've also replaced my Friday takeaway pizza with a frozen pizza that I cook at home which is probably the biggest single saving. I've also bought bulk supplies of things like loo roll, washing powder, tea bags etc, in anticipation of future price rises.
Energy: It's hard for me to find ways to reduce energy costs without a significant upfront investment, as my house is already reasonably well insulated and I have always been quite careful. I'm trying to take shorter showers and have reduced the shower temperature (it's electric). I'm also being more careful to reduce the number of washing machine/dishwasher loads I do by making sure they're always full loads. To support this I have bought a few extra plates and cups to stop me running the dishwasher half full because I've run out. Overall though I think the effect of these steps will be negligible.
Like I say, I can absorb the current price rises so I am in a very lucky position. I worry about those who are not in such a fortunate position and will be forced to take more extreme measures.
