Today's budget has been something that I have been fearing for several weeks now.

For anyone struggling to get by on a paltry income the prospect of cuts and more financial outlay to balance the country's books is not really something to look forward to.

Last weekend I went out and filled up my car in case petrol prices rose and for the past few weeks yours truly has been stocking up on some everyday items in case tax increases caused prices to rise.

However after digesting the key points of the budget I think I got off lightly.

VAT may well be increasing but that isn't for six months. At least income tax didn't rise which means that I only see a tax increase if I spend on items subject to VAT.

The hope a of freeze in Council Tax is another welcome piece of news. I just hope the powers that be do not see this an an excuse to cut the services even futher.

I do feel sorry for those on benefits though as inflation will devalue the value in real terms leaving the most venerable in society even more exposed. Maybe this will be more of an incentive for the unemployed to double their efforts to find work?

What perplexes me is why the tax payers are having to clean up the financial mess that was created by the banks. Surely those who created the financial mess of recent years should have the decency to put it right?

If things are so bad economically how come we read news articles on this site where £50,000 is going to be spent moving a croquet lawn? (See “Related Links” section).

It makes my blood boil to see such waste when the local community are facing VAT rises and other rises that will impact on our standards of living.

At least there are some good things to come from the recent review of spending by the central Government such as the cancellation of the plans to build an unnecessary coach station at Handy Cross.

Why on earth were they going to build a huge, smelly, coach station there in the first place?

In the current economic climate surely it would be unpalatable to press ahead with plans to build a new football stadium at the aerodrome too?

If the football stadium and coach stadium did turn out to be victims of the financial climate them at least some good has come out of the situation we find ourselves in.

As for me, well, I will have to watch the pennies even more closely. My garden provides me with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables and I can exchange any surplus for other useful items.

Maybe others in the local community will have to take up growing their own to make ends meet?

What do you think?