Many people are struggling financially right now. How did you manage your money in the harder times?

“There were a lot of little things that I would do. I kept all my finances in a spreadsheet that was coloured green and when it went into a negative balance, it would turn red. On the spreadsheet it would have columns for the name of the benefit payment, where it was coming from or where it was going. I based it on a typical bank statement. I had my income (child benefit, child tax credits, housing benefits) come in one day and bills go out on another day. And because benefits were often delayed, short or suspended, I had to keep a stringent check on when every penny came into my bank account and when every penny left.”

Now that your circumstances have changed, do you manage your money differently?

“You know, there’s not as much money in writing books as people think there is unless you’re a really big name, so I’m still pretty careful with money. I get paid the living wage and I’m pretty stringent with my food shop – old habits die hard. I spend an average of £20 a week for me and my son, sometimes posting my ‘haul’ on Twitter or Instagram. But also it’s the small things like going around the house switching the lights off, cutting open the tomato purée or toothpaste tube and squeezing out the paste that’s left, watering down the washing up liquid and not wasting any food.

I have severe ADHD, which means I can be impulsive at times, so at the start of this year I physically put my debit card in a locked cash box and unhooked it from my online accounts. I still meander around my favourite websites imagining all the nice things, but it’s a surprisingly effective deterrent. The other thing about ADHD is having constantly mislaid keys, so even if I did convince myself something was absolutely essential, it’s not worth the epic quest of finding the safe place I stashed them in.”

Jack Monroe on how to master your finances without sacrificing the things that make you happy