scrimp

But experts say that’s bad news for the economy, because widespread scrimping is contributing to a dramatic slowdown in growth this year.

I was destined to scrimp and save and worry about money for the rest of my life.

"We scrimped and saved. My wife had to go out and find a part time job. I had a young baby and daughter and milk tokens was the only thing I was entitled to."

"It's very sad when you get to this sort of age, when you've paid tax and National Insurance for 50 years, and you still have to scrimp and save - it doesn't seem right," he says.

He grew up in rural Catalonia, where as a child his parents had to scrimp and save to buy the four-volume set of anatomy textbooks he now keeps on a shelf in his office.