You may not yet be feeling the effects of the credit crunch too badly, but according to a Chambers of Commerce report, full-blown recession is only months away and almost everyone will have to tighten their purse strings.

Financial difficulties are a major source of marital strife and for a relationship that’s already in trouble, unemployment, debt and a significant drop in disposable income could help push it over the edge. If you’re an “absent” parent, a slimmed down bank balance can – on the surface at least – adversely affect your contact time with the children.

Yet however dire the finances are, there are ways to get around them so that your marriage and your relationship with the kids don’t go down the pan along with the economy. Having a good time isn’t dependent on money; often the things in life that are free turn out to be the most satisfying. Here are a few tips that I hope might be helpful:

Your marriage

• Expensive restaurant meals and theatre visits aren’t the only ways to spend quality time with your partner: how about walking or driving to a rural spot on a clear summer’s night and looking at the stars together; borrowing the same book from the library, reading it snuggled up on the sofa and then discussing it at length, or listening to music you both enjoy and talking about why it moves you. Cooking a meal together at home can be far more intimate than sitting in a sterile restaurant thinking of things to talk about, as can repainting a room, rather than getting a decorator in

• Sit down with your spouse and make a list of how each of you can cut back on expenditure

• If money is a real problem, consider downsizing to a smaller property: it’s not the house that matters; it’s the people living in it. If you fear your home won’t sell, think about having a lodger, which might inject not only extra income but also a new dynamic

• If you can’t afford your usual summer holiday, plan a few day trips instead or explore the possibility of house-swapping with friends

• Challenge each other to cook a three-course meal for under a tenner and treat yourselves to a good bottle of wine to go with it

• Swap designer stores for charity shops and Waitrose for Aldi: you might be pleasantly surprised and the discovery will be a shared adventure

Your kids

• Writing your kids a letter or card is cheaper than sending them a series of text messages – and much more personal

• If you live a long way away from your children and can’t afford to see them as frequently because of the travel costs, take a couple of days off work either side of the weekend so you can see them for longer

• Remember that money doesn’t buy love: you might like to shower your kids with gifts each time you see them, but what they really want is you. Make up for the lack of presents by giving them your presence

• Think of activities you can do with your children that don’t involve spending money – a walk in the park, a cycle ride, an afternoon playing cops and robbers (if that’s still acceptable in these politically correct times), a painting competition or a trip to a free activity session at the local library

• Counter your kids’ disappointment over the fact you can’t afford to take them out for a meal by rustling up something together at home, which can be much more fun

• If your finances don’t allow you to take the children on holiday, see if it’s possible for them to accompany you to the office for a week. Devise jobs for them to do and make them feel like mini entrepreneurs. They’ll love it.