As evenings grow colder and household budgets come under renewed pressure, 79-year-old grandad Errol McGuiness has developed a routine to keep costs down - a routine that could charitably be described as 'Victorian chic.' The pensioner collects rainwater, spends much of his time in a single room, and piles on extra layers rather than turning up the heating.

"I keep lots of clothes on, but don't tell my daughter," he said, presumably while wearing what can only be described as a wearable duvet.

His most striking money-saving measure comes when night falls. "You don't need a light on to watch telly. You don't need a light on when you go to bed. You know the way to the toilet and the kitchen, so you don't need a light on." It's a bold approach to home electrification: simply forget electricity exists. Errol admits he has a health condition and says his daughter regularly reminds him to switch the heating on - advice he appears to treat as a gentle suggestion rather than a medical necessity.

But he is far from alone in trying to cut household costs. New figures published this week showed inflation rose to 3.5% in September, its highest level for almost a year, while higher fuel prices have pushed up living costs for many households. Prime Minister Andy Burnham has promised measures aimed at easing pressure on household finances, including removing standing charges from gas bills - a policy that will surely be welcomed by anyone who has ever stared at a gas bill and wondered why they're being charged for the privilege of being connected to a pipe.

Four years into the cost-of-living crisis, almost two-thirds of low-income families say they struggle to afford essentials such as food, heating and clothing, according to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Almost half said they had skipped meals or reduced portion sizes to save money - a statistic that pairs beautifully with the government's new standing-charge initiative like a sad, cold sandwich.

Among them is 83-year-old widower Bryan, who says he now lives largely in a single room to keep bills down. "I put a cardigan on and whatever it is you put on to keep yourself warm, shut the door, put the fan heater on to warm the house up," he said. "When you see the price keep going up, I think, 'well, I'm sitting in one room'." It's a lifestyle choice that would make a monk feel overindulged.

At Affordable Foods in Blurton, Stoke-on-Trent, centre manager Melissa Baydilly says stories like Errol's and Bryan's are becoming increasingly common. The organisation runs a food bank, social supermarket and outreach service helping people with debt, benefits and employment issues. "Every supermarket you go into, everything's gone up," she said. "There isn't a place where you would go now and not say there's at least a 25% to 30% hike on prices."

She believes pensioners are among those feeling the strain most acutely. "I don't believe, in this day and age, our seniors of the city should go to the supermarket, look at the fruit and veg and think, 'I can't have apples and oranges this week, I've got to pick'. Should they be doing that in their 60s and 70s, when they've worked all their life?" A question that answers itself, really - though the apples and oranges remain stubbornly expensive.

The article also links to further coverage: Burnham proposes plan to cut standing charges from gas bills; VAT to be cut from household electricity bills in October; and what the energy cap changes will mean for my bills. Meanwhile, readers are invited to tell the BBC which stories they should cover in Staffordshire - presumably including 'local pensioner invents new way to watch telly in the dark.'