I was "very unusual," according to the customer adviser at the building society...the fact that my husband and I have no debts, apart from the mortgage. So unusual, apparently, that she seemed almost unwilling to believe us. She had asked about store cards and overdrafts, to be met with shaking of heads. We don't even have credit cards. "I couldn't manage without mine," she nodded incredulously.

This attitude seems widespread - especially at Christmas. For weeks we have been urged to buy, buy, buy - even if it means spending money we don't have. After all, doesn't everyone overspend a little at Christmas?

I, however, don't want to be part of it. I'm no Scrooge, but I want a Christmas that is within my means. I only buy presents for close family - an agreement everyone is happy with. Our daughter, Niamh, is still too young to demand expensive gifts. In fact, she's too young to really grasp that Christmas is coming. Naturally we want her to enjoy the festive season as much as any other child, but simple presents keep her happiest. And while, of course, we will buy extra Yuletide treats, we don't feel it necessary to eat and drink far more than usual. No credit cards mean it's easier to stick to our good intentions.

No doubt my husband and I are a little unusual - debt is a way of life for most people, and many accept that a significant part of their income will go towards servicing it. They also accept that when they want something, they can have it...and pay later. The fact that we prefer to save up, or go without, marks us out as slightly different.

We own everything outright, and our belongings don't become broken or worn out before they're even paid for. It is surprising how often we end up feeling as if we have to explain or justify our position, just because it is not the norm. After my daughter was born I would be asked "When are you going back to work?" When I said I was not, the reply came back "Well, of course, if you can afford not to... you're lucky, though." But this would be said with a puzzled look at my old clothes and older car: presumably if I'm so well off that I don't need to work, surely I can afford better? I realise that we are lucky compared to some desperately badly-off families, but I must stress that we're by no means rich - no trust funds, private income or wealthy parents - or even what most would consider well-off.

There is more discreet probing. Don't I find that babies are terribly expensive? The answer is "no" - what do babies really need that is expensive? There are nappies, of course, but they're not that dear - child benefit more than covers them (though I do feel a little guilty that I never got round to buying re-usables).

Cots and prams cost a bit, true, but they're one-off expenses. Babies and toddlers don't need to wear designer clothes, and we don't need to buy many toys: friends and relatives are more than happy to offload their older children's outgrown toys to a good home. I have bought books for my daughter, but there's always the library as well. Other things we happily do without include annual holidays: the occasional holiday is okay, but generally I find them over-rated.

Even before Niamh was born, I worked part-time, so we were used to having a relatively low income. I have started to work from home, parental duties allowing, but I expect it to take a long time before I am established and therefore making any money worth mentioning, so the frugal lifestyle will carry on for a while.

Another part of this is our allotment - a great money-saver. The fresh organic fruit and vegetables cost nothing but time and the seeds or seedlings. We also use some of our produce to make our own wine. Some assume I will go back to a "proper" job when Niamh starts school, but I plan to home-educate, partly because I'm unhappy exposing her to the materialistic attitudes that prevail, even among very young children. Although it is occasionally a little isolating to be so out of kilter with our contemporaries, I accept it: I've made my choices, and I don't want to judge the choices of others. I do believe, however, that some people are prevented from recognising all the choices open to them. Some of the parents I meet would, in theory, like to make a few material sacrifices for more time with their children, but have become too firmly enmeshed in the consumer culture: magazines, television, even their own friends and relatives can entice them, in so many ways, into believing they really need that new handbag, or sofa, or car. Our lifestyle is often more reminiscent of the 1950s than the 2000s, but that's not to say that we don't have a decent standard of living. We're warm, well-housed and well-fed. And when Christmas is over, we won't be facing a pile of credit card bills on the doormat.