But it can be very easy to consider these issues to the exclusion of saving. For some people, being hard-up means it is difficult to put any money away and the unemployed and those on low pay are among the people in such a situation, alongside individuals and households struggling with debt.

For others, however there is potential to save quite well, but often consumers will not do so.  

After all, putting money away for the future means not spending it now and new research has suggested many consumers are unwilling to make that choice.

Price comparison site uSwitch.com has found Britons are collectively missing out on £182 billion of tax free savings by not using their full Isa allowance, with only 50 per cent prepared to pay into a cash Isa and a quarter unwilling to make any sacrifices to save.

Only 16 per cent would give up their holiday to save more, while 22 per cent would cut down on some little luxuries.

And 26 per cent of people planning to withdraw money from an Isa in April will use the money to pay off debt.

However, there are plenty who identify using the full cash Isa allowance as a priority, with 42 per cent of those polled saying this is important.

For those who want to manage their finances to help build up their savings, a budget planner may be ideal. It can help people identify things they can cut back on to ensure there is more money to be set aside for saving.

Also, careful budgeting could enable people to avoid building up debt, meaning they will be less likely to feel compelled to withdraw cash from their savings to pay it off.

Earlier this month, a poll by HSBC found 29 per cent of consumers are saving nothing at all. But with better budgeting, many will find that they have more scope to set cash aside than they thought.

On the one hand, in real terms people are much better off and one manifestation of this is the fact consumers possess greater material wealth in terms of cars, labour-saving devices, gadgets for entertainment and so on than past generations.

This has further been extended by the development of technology that means many of the benefits of modern living from computers to advanced medicine were not available a generation ago.

However, the sheer cost of such items has done much to offset the increased affluence they represent. Energy bills are higher partly because we now use more power to run a variety of devices that did not exist in days of yore, such as computer games.

But for children growing up now, understanding all this is a thankless task, for the idea of a world without X-boxes and Playstations, smartphones and the internet is as alien to them as a world before TV would be to their parents.

But for adults wanting to teach children important lessons about the value of money, there has to be a way. Parenting and relationship journalist Kelly Rose Bradford acknowledged that the higher cost of items like games is one factor in making it harder for youngsters to realise the true expense involved. But she noted there is also another factor - not actually seeing cash change hands as many transactions take place by card or online.

She remarked: "It is more difficult for children to actually see real money changing hands these days, which is why early shopping games et cetera are so important.

"Making children save a certain amount towards larger purchases will also help teach them [to] appreciate the value, as will setting a good example yourself, by being careful with cash and promoting the idea that it is not fine to spend beyond your means on credit cards et cetera."

Using a budget planner may be a useful way of passing on such lessons to kids. By showing that money is a scarce resource and that items like computer games cost a lot of it, parents can help teach their youngsters how hard choices have to be made - while at the same time using the planner to help set their own budgets more carefully and sustainably.

As a result, consumers have been trying to find more cash or ways to cut down. That might include using the car less, or even the unpalatable prospect of leaving the heating off at times during what has, mercifully, been a much milder winter than the last two.

For those using a budget planner, one part of the art of managing money is to separate variable costs from fixed ones.

And thankfully, not everything is going up. One such item is Council Tax, which the coalition government has set about seeking to freeze through incentivising councils via central funding.

This year will be the second in which the government is trying to achieve this and after being successful last year - saving band D households £72 on average - communities secretary Eric Pickles has said 80 per cent of local authorities have already indicated they will freeze or even trim the tax this year, with two weeks left for councils to state their plans.

Mr Pickles added: "Not everyone has set out their budget plans yet so I expect to see those taking up the government's freeze deal to climb further.

"A minority of out of touch authorities that seem unwilling to accept our offer should face up to the fact that it is unnecessary and it will hit hardworking households in the pocket. Residents will spot that many neighbouring councils are able to offer to freeze."

For those in such local authorities, a rise in council tax could be bad news indeed and make the need for careful money planning more acute.

However, using a budget planner could help people identify where they can make adjustments to cope.

While this is so, a recent study by MoneySupermarket.com revealed that the extra cost of heating caused by February's cold snap may have cost each household an extra £77 on average - more than the band D saving on council tax mentioned by Mr Pickles.

So while any holding down of council tax is welcome, even the majority of households who do benefit from this may face a greater budgeting challenge.

And such concerns may be increased by worries about how they may deal with higher costs than past generations faced, such as tuition fees, high house prices and pension saving.

For the current generation of adults, learning good budgeting skills may be a hard lesson learned as the days of easy money and affluence that characterised the years before 2007 gave way to recession, austerity, squeezed incomes and a lack of access to credit.

But if that has helped many adults wise up to the need to be careful with budgeting, these skills will still need to be passed on to their children.

Parenting and relationship journalist Kelly Rose Bradford suggested a very good way to do this would be to start very early.

She remarked: "Toddlers love playing shop at home and helping mummy or daddy in the supermarket. Things like this help little ones to grasp the concept of things costing [money] and having a value."

Ms Bradford added that parents should "allow children to make financial mistakes with small amounts of money - blowing it all on day one on a magazine and sweets, for example, and having nothing for the rest of the week".

This kind of budgeting might be something children can also understand if they see their parents using a budget planner.

These work by helping consumers to break down their spending into different areas, such as one for energy bills, one for food shopping, one for leisure spending and so on.

By letting children see how parents have to make decisions over spending cash, youngsters can learn principles that they might apply to their own spends and can be used in various ways as they take on more financial responsibility with age. 

Michael Garvey, chartered financial planner at Edinburgh Wealth Management, argued this month that learning such skills is vital for youngsters and an important part of growing up.

He said those who have been taught the right way to handle money will find the skills they develop "stand them in good stead" when it comes to dealing with the challenges of periods in life such as university and their early career.
 

A study by the Office for National Statistics has examined how this has impacted on consumer spending and some very clear patterns have emerged, which may suggest a large proportion of the population has given plenty of thought to their money planning.

One of the facts apparent amid the range of graphs and figures produced in the study is that the proportion of income being spent is less than before. While income has remained fairly stable, spending plunged in the recession and has yet to rise beyond 2006 levels. The ONS suggested the reason for this is greater saving - which may be partly because people recognise the need to prepare for a rainy day in times of economic uncertainty.

As might be expected, the brunt of the fall in spending was borne by discretionary purchases - in other words, non-essentials. These fell by nine per cent between the first quarter of 2008 and the second quarter of 2009, whereas non-discretionary spending only fell by three per cent.

The study also showed car purchases fell by 25 per cent during the recession and this low level of buying was only interrupted in 2009 by the vehicle scrappage scheme, which offered sufficient value to cause a short-term surge in sales.

With the recession now replaced with low growth and the possible threat of a new downturn, consumers might be equally cautious.

Using a budget planner is one way in which people can make whatever cutbacks they need to when money is tight. It can help to track spending on various aspects of living, so that essentials such as energy bills can be prioritised and choices can be made over which non-essentials to forego or cut back on.

Whether this will need to be done in response to a new recession is uncertain. An Institute of Directors poll published this week showed only 35 per cent believe such a situation is very likely this year, with 53 per cent believing the risk is only moderate.

But with a budget planner, consumers can be ready to adjust as needed to whatever does transpire in this time of uncertainty.

A study by MoneySupermarket.com has revealed the fortnight of very cold weather in February has added £1.6 billion in costs for families, or £77 per household.

This was the additional cost of turning up the heating and the website also found more than a third of people interviewed are worried about being able to afford the cost.

Such a situation may leave some relieved that the winter has, on the whole, been milder than the previous two, as this might have increased the cost still further.

Energy manager at the website Scott Byrom remarked: "Many of us have upped the use of our heating over the past few weeks to cope with the bitterly cold temperatures and snow.

"In addition, with the expensive Christmas period only just behind us, a quarterly energy bill could be landing on the doorstep in the next few weeks which could be anywhere between £500 and £600 leaving many cash-strapped energy customers struggling to find the money to cover it."

With such additional strain now an inevitable fact of the colder months in the year - the only uncertainty being to what extent - consumers need to find a response to help themselves cope and still be able to have the heating on.

And while MoneySupermarket.co.uk naturally recommends switching to a cheaper supplier - which if it does lower bills is certainly one part of the solution - a more holistic approach can be taken by using a budget planner.

This will enable consumers to examine every aspect of their spending and see where their money goes, which means they can seek to cut out overspending and waste, as well as finding ways of buying the same goods for less across a range of areas of consumption, rather than just energy.

Commenting on the issues some have with energy bills recently, Yvonne Goodwin, managing director of Yvonne Goodwin Wealth Management, said those in trouble with paying should contact their fuel supplier because they are contractually bound not to cut people off before establishing a payment plan.

Whether you are cutting back on your weekly food shop, the amount of energy you use around the home or simply spending less on entertainment, it is likely that you will be doing something to reduce your outgoings.

This could reflect in the choice of holiday you make in 2012. If you feel like a week or two in Spain, Greece, the US or even further afield will leave you in financial ruin, it could be wise to instead choose a caravan break.

Jon Dale, PR manager at The Camping and Caravanning Club, has had his say on the holidays, describing them as a highly popular option among Britons.

Of course, a vacation in a tent or caravan in a spot such as Cornwall or the Lake District offers considerable financial benefits, but it is not only in the wallet that you will notice the brilliance of domestic stays.

"It's easy to see why camping continues to be in vogue. Last year the club partnered with Liverpool John Moores University to see if camping really does make people emotionally richer," Mr Dale explained.

"The results conclusively proved that the health benefits of camping and caravanning were very important with 85 per cent of adult campers believing that it can make you healthier."

And when it comes to special occasions, it is not only family holidays on which you can save some cash. Editor of weddingideasmag.com Rachel Morgan recently said there are a number of designs and trends available for weddings that can be lighter on the budget.

For example, she identified gypsophila as the wedding flower of choice for 2012, before recommending its cost-effectiveness.

Caravans look set for just as much success this year, with Mr Dale describing the UK holiday market as looking forward to a "bumper" time in 2012.

If you have money worries, it is certainly good to know there is a fun, exciting and budget-friendly option on the market for you.

The Finance and Leasing Association (FLA) has published data of lending by its members showing new spending by consumers was flat during 2011, remaining in line with 2010 levels.

While total finance issued by FLA members was £51,991 million, virtually unchanged year-on-year, there were variations in the extent to which different kinds of credit were used.

Car finance was up by four per cent, with this accounting for just over quarter of the total lent. But three-fifths of FLA lending was made up by credit cards and personal loans and this tally was one per cent down.

Store instalment credit was down by 11 per cent, storecards by ten per cent and second mortgages dipped by three per cent.

FLA head of consumer finance Fiona Hoyle used the figures to appeal to the government to be "cautious" when introducing new regulations on consumer credit and said this should "not limit the supply of affordable, responsibly-provided credit".

But for consumers, not spending too much credit is a vital step in ensuring they stay on a financial even keel. Many will have suffered from past overspending and may still be doing so now.

One way to avoid this is to use a prepaid credit card. Most cards have a credit limit set by the lender and this means there is a constant open invitation to spend, something it can be easy to succumb to and thus blow the budget.

However, with a pay-as-you-go card it is different. This involves loading up a certain amount on line and that is all that can be spent until the next visit.

So by showing restraint at this point, it means consumers know when they go shopping that there is a very limited amount of use they can get out of their card and therefore overspending can be avoided.

Despite the FLA findings, the fact is that Britons still spend heavily on cards. Credit Action's latest figures put this at £1.252 billion a day and while some of that will be on debit cards, the fact remains that curbing excessive spending on plastic is one of the ways in which consumers currently failing to budget well can act to ease their problems.

Data from HSBC has revealed half of all adults have had difficulty managing to put money aside as the strain on incomes has taken effect.

It revealed 29 per cent were not saving any money at all, despite only four per cent stating low interest rates put them off saving and three per cent stating they would prefer to spend it.

But in addition to this were the groups described as the "struggling" and "static" savers - both representing 23 per cent of adults - who were saving money but then withdrawing either as much or more than they saved, or at least thinking they might have done.

That leaves just 25 per cent who managed top save more than they withdrew.

And the importance of savings is twofold, both in terms of having enough money to deal with any short-term emergencies (such as a burst pipe in cold winter weather) and also for longer term goals such as having a healthy retirement income.

The study did indicated the difficulty in saving was greater for those with extra financial responsibilities like school-age children, as the 35-44 age group was the only one to withdraw more than they invested.

Head of savings at the bank Bruno Genovese said: "2011 was a tough year for savers given the harsh financial climate, but it is positive to see the substantial effort made to save in spite of this. Unfortunately, the high cost of living forced many families in the squeezed middle to dip into their savings pots, leaving them with less than they started with."

For people keen to save more - or even start saving if they are among the 29 per cent who don't just now - the key may be to improve budgeting to enable cash to be set aside.

A budget planner may be ideal for bringing this aim about, as it can track where money is being spent and help to highlight areas where savings may be made, such as by shopping at cheaper stores or getting discounts from earlier bookings.

It is not just parents of school age children who face a challenge, with Director of Women In Debt Georgina Earle noting it will be "difficult" for squeezed parents to offer much financial support to their offspring as they take on the costs of higher education.

Yvonne Goodwin, managing director of Yvonne Goodwin Wealth Management, said of people who are in difficulty with payments: "The first thing they should do is speak to their fuel supplier, whoever they have got their contracts with and let them know that they are struggling with it because they are all supposed to follow a code of practice which means they won't cut off their supply if they agree a payment plan with them and then they keep to it."

She noted a major danger is that some people seek to "ignore" the problem by not opening envelopes, stating that the issue can never be resolved unless people confront it.

And there may also be benefits some people can claim they do not know about, making this an issue worth investigating, Ms Goodwin added.

Such advice could be a good start in tackling the problems faced by many consumers, but those who are not yet at the point of not being unable to pay can avoid things getting so bad by using a budget planner.

This helps consumers track exactly what they are spending on each area of activity, helping to identify areas of overspending. But it can also be used to plan ahead, setting aside amounts to clear energy bills and other fixed essential costs.

By structuring things in this way, consumers will be less likely to fall into arrears to begin with.

And for those who have got into difficulties, better budgeting can help to ease them to ensure that they gradually get things back on an even keel.

Recent research has shown that many consumers who are worried about the cost of their fuel bills after recent price hikes have been working to cut them down.

A uSwitch.com study published last week revealed 85 per cent of consumers are concerned about paying this bill despite the smaller reductions recently announced by fuel providers.

With the overall cost up 21 per cent (£224) on average in a year, 83 per cent have used less energy this winter to try to keep a lid on their bills.