Balancing the household budget without slipping into the red is getting tougher for cash strapped parents.
Rising prices and Government cut backs mean nearly 50 of mums will be cutting their family savings by nearly £400 and channelling the cash into covering their day to day living expenses. And in order to 'balance the books' mums will be slashing savings in three ways.
Firstly short term savings, typically the money we save in instant access accounts, (for this summer's holiday or emergency car repairs); this will be cut by £240 a year. Then there are cuts to the kids' savings by £60 a year; and mums will also be sacrificing their pension savings, which for nearly 20 admitting to eating out less and buying supermarket own brands', says Katie Moore of Family Investments. 'But they're still being forced to cut back on savings; even though they're concerned about the consequences of this'.
And filling the car for the daily school run costs more too; with petrol prices hitting a new record high now topping £6 a gallon, and with the current situation in Libya and the Middle East worsening it means we're unlikely to see pump prices slashed in the near future.
Are you struggling to pay household bills and run your home?
Are holidays and extras becoming a distant memory?