Family recipe
Sales of bread makers, food processors and even sandwich boxes are increasing, as people endeavour to avoid hefty restaurant bills or even spending on takeaways. However, the boost in sales of kitchen goods shows that the British still crave a touch of culinary excitement, with home and garden store Robert Dyas, for example, recording sales of food processors up 27 per cent, silicone bakeware up 56 per cent and bread makers up by 18 per cent.
As well as preparing home cooked meals, families are clamping down on buying lunch out, with sales of lunch boxes up by 68 per cent year on year.
Meanwhile, others are taking a lead from Barbara and Tom Goode from The Good Life, by looking to grow their own vegetables, with seed sales increasing by 22 per cent and greenhouses up by 28 per cent.
The 'make do and mend' mentality when times are tough has taken a strong hold on household chores, with tool kit sales up by 16 per cent as the UK literally does it themselves.
The throwaway consumer mentality has also been squeezed by the credit crunch across the board, with everything from adhesives (up 8 per cent), to appliance de-scalers (up 18 per cent) and more than £1.5 million of carpet washers sold already this year.
"Right now the credit crunch is really kicking in and budgets are tight; so people are looking for the best value without compromising on quality or enjoyment," said Robert Dyas' Steven Round.
"This trend for smart shopping is one that we expect to continue for the foreseeable future, after all, why spend money where you don't need to?"
Round added: "There's a real return to traditional values around the home but without a gender divide, with people taking the time and effort to do their own odd jobs and prepare home cooked meals, for themselves and friends. Smart shopping really is the new black, as people look to cut costs without cutting corners."
Carol Savage, founder of recipe website MyDish.co.uk, is also championing the big home cooking boom.
"MyDish was inspired by recipes from my husband's mother," said Carol. "I wanted to preserve these unique recipes and share them, so I set up a place for people to store and share them with friends and family.
"We have seen a real resurgence in home cooking, with lots of people sharing recipes from grandparents and parents that they still enjoy making today."
One particular innovation on the MyDish website is a personalised recipe calendar where people can compile their favourite recipes and pass them on as gifts to members of the family.
Carol feels this is very much in the spirit of the times as the credit crunch continues to bite and she added: "I saw a recent survey which showed how more than 50 per cent of those asked said they kept their most treasured recipes on scraps of paper or in their heads.
"It also revealed how people were much more likely to trust recipes handed down from their mums and grandmas than those cooked up by celebrity chefs."
Meanwhile, consumers are worried that their smaller budgets this Christmas will leave them looking stingy.
A survey by Lloyds TSB also showed that half of people said their Christmas gifts won't be as generous as last year, and 40 per cent said they would only be buying for immediate family. Thirteen per cent said they were worried that friends and family will think they are being tight with money this year.
* Holly Thomas is an award-winning financial journalist and Deputy Personal Finance Editor at the Daily Express and Sunday Express. Holly's opinions are her own and are not held by Saga unless specifically stated. Always obtain independent, professional advice for your own particular situation.