Not too long ago, millions of Brits were living the good life. Soaring house prices supported comfortable lifestyles, complete with two foreign holidays a year, private education for the children and a shiny new car every time the registration plates changed, often paid for on readily-available credit.

Now, however, with the credit crunch rolling on and showing no signs of abating and people more worried about falling into negative equity than where to go on the next winter break, experts have advised that the Good Life may be the way forward, with household wise to take the lead of the classic British sitcom and cut back on outgoings and embrace sustainable living. We look at how to survive the credit crunch.

As with Richard Briars' and Felicity Kendall's characters, Brits could do worse than turn to their own gardens for organic, health and above all affordable food and thereby free up some much-needed cash to cope with additional rising costs, such as energy bills and mortgage rates.

According to a report released last month by the BBC, wholesale prices for wheat, maize and oilseed rape doubled in the two years between 2005 and 2007 alone, with such increases sparking food riots across the world as millions struggle to buy even day-to-day essentials.

While there have yet to be any rioting in the supermarket car parks of suburban England, retailers have, by and large, been protecting consumers from the worst of the soaring food prices and it is now looking increasingly clear that things are going to get worse before they get any better.

Carrie Pailthorpe, a horticulture expert at Garden Organic, has argued that turning a back garden over from a mini football pitch or once-a-year barbecue venue into a personal allotment could go a long way towards saving a tidy sum each week.

"As fruit and vegetable prices soar, growing your own will increasingly become the answer," she explained.

"It is more cost effective and a viable alternative to buying produce in the supermarket. The savings made will all depend on how much space a person has to grow in, but whether it’s in an allotment, a small vegetable patch or just a few window boxes, the produce grown will certainly save pounds rather than pence."

Indeed, even those living in flats can get in on the money-saving act, with leaves or herbs grown in window boxes a far cheaper alternative to pre-packaged alternatives.

What's more, with forecasters predicting a warmer-than-usual summer, green-fingered consumers will not only save a few pence, they'll also pick up a better tan than they ever could in a supermarket while also staying fit and healthy.