Many families and individuals are really feeling the pinch as bills mount up, food prices soar and petrol prices continue to escalate.

Being the most credit reliant developed nation in the world, you could be forgiven for assuming that struggling Brits would react to the pinch by reaching for their much loved credit cards.

But it seems that amid all the crisis, the average person has managed to keep their head above the water and sensibly resist reaching for their credit cards to pay for essentials.

Yes, it is true, us cash-strapped shoppers have actualy managed to resist the temptation of thatv redit card burning a hole in our pockets, despite soaring food, fuel and mortgage costs, according to figures released yesterday.

The use of credit in the United Kingdom has risen by just 1.2 per cent in the first five months of this year, say payments body Apacs.

And despite the constant talk of rising food prices the average supermarket transaction has dropped from £35.57 in 2007 to £34.33 now. This is perhaps due to shoppers behaving more thriftily as people feel the need to save money.

Evidence has indicated that food prices have risen, so the answer to lower supermarket bills must be that people are heeding warnings and shopping more sensibly.

However, the use of debit cards is soaring. In 2007, it rose 13 per cent, more than double that of credit cards. It accounted for two-thirds of the £354billion of purchases put on plastic last year.