Dad uses just one lightbulb in whole house and takes it room to room to save money
The price of everything seems to be going up at the moment, from food and rent to bills and transport.
We're constantly being squeezed for every penny, and at times it can feel like you're fighting a losing battle.
Martin Bongiorno, who rents in Bateman's Bay in New South Wales, Australia, has been struggling with his finances since he suffered an accident at work.
The incident left him depending on compensation payments to keep him going, and he found himself saddled with a AU $2,000 (£1,071) electricity bill he couldn't pay.
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In a bid to cut down on his usage, Martin took desperate measures.
"I have one lamp positioned in the middle of the room and if I need to move from one room to the next, I just take out the light bulb and move it to the next room," he told ABC.
This is not the only cost-cutting method the single dad has been forced to implement in his everyday life either.
Martin also no longer eats food that needs cooking, doesn't take hot showers, and won't actually turn the lamp on until it is completely dark.
And with his rent having been increased by AU $40 (£21) a fortnight, Martin says he's always thinking about his finances.
He said: "You're constantly in this sort of survival mode. It's exhausting because you realise this is not a temporary thing."
Over in the UK, the situation is no better for many millions who are really finding it difficult to keep their heads above water.
Last year, the Trussell Trust warned that the country was facing breaking point as families struggled to feed themselves.
"It's horrible, the amount of people coming now compared to what it was like," food bank user Sean told us last year.
"Every single week, there are 30 or 40 people lined up outside looking to get donations. And I don't understand where they are going to come."
Sean said he wasn't receiving the necessary benefits because he says he's apparently 'not disabled enough'.
And with each week seeing him further and further in debt, he wasn't sure where to turn.
"It's getting worse now with the rent increases and fuel costs; I'm £1,400 in arrears for my rent now and I don't know how I'm going to pay that. I have no idea," he said.
"I get hardly any money anyway. I have to pay an extra £40 for my rent because the housing benefit doesn't cover it.
"It's just every single week, there's another bill that arrives, and it just pushes me further and further in s**t. And if it wasn't for the food banks, I would be stuck."
Topics: Australia
Dominic Smithers