How much is the economic crisis/credit crunch affecting you?

I have to ask this. I am in the north west of England and a lot of people I know are really suffering at the moment and in turn so am I.

I am a mobile hairdresser and work has seriously wained over the last couple of months due to households where someone has been made redundant or people just can't afford the luxury of having their hair done. Haircuts after all are a luxury rather than a necessity so it's one of the first things people are cutting back on.

My husband works in haulage and he is massively effected because his work is normally heavily overtime based but at the moment there just isn't any overtime to be had.

We're lucky in that we are still able to get by but we haven't bought new clothes for ourselves or our 2 and 3 year old kids for over a year. I am relying on hand me downs etc. I have also begun to buy seasonal local food produce and am cooking from scratch to save on food bills...it's healthier and more nutritious anyways.

How is the credit crunch affecting you and what changes are you making in your life? x