One man's guide to saving thousands of euro after cuts

JUST like most Irish citizens, James O’Donovan felt the pinch when the recession struck.

Since then, a succession of austerity budgets along with salary cuts cost him dear. He responded by tackling austerity head on — identifying ways to combat it — and has so far managed to save his family thousands of euro a year.

A project manager by training, he has used his own system for the past five years saved well in excess of €5,000 a year on his family’s outgoings, without reducing their standard of living.