If you want to know how to save money, it’s best to ask those on the front line: people whose circumstances mean they have to put time and energy into making sure they don’t overspend. Pensioners, sole parents and students need to get by on very little, and if the rest of us want to live within our means we could pick up some tips from them.

Victorian pensioner Jean Crocker was born during the Great Depression and has always had a frugal way of living. ‘‘You follow what your mother does and mum was the same,’’ she says.

Smart thinking: Jean Crocker reads money saving tips in current magazines that she has been utilising her whole life. Credit:Eddie Jim

When it comes to saving on energy bills, Crocker says she doesn’t always turn the heating on if the sun is shining. She will also fill a thermos with hot water after boiling the kettle in the morning and use the water to make cups of tea during the day. ‘‘I also leave buckets out in summer to fill with rain for watering the garden,’’ says Crocker, who also has a rainwater tank from which she can water the garden.

She also has some great tips for saving on grocery bills. ‘‘I always look for marked-down prices on meat. And if there’s a special on I’ll always buy half a dozen or more, no matter what it is.’’ Crocker doesn’t waste food and cooks everything she buys. ‘‘If there’s half a dozen sausages in the pack I’ll cook them all.’’ She also buys frozen fruit and vegetables rather than fresh so there’s no waste if she can’t eat something before it goes bad.