One in three workers worries about how to stretch their pay packet until the end of the month - with some people even skipping meals to make their money go further, according to research.

Asked what steps they take to save money ahead of pay-day, two-fifths (40%) of people hunt out reduced items at supermarkets, while 39% said they take home-made lunches to work and 34% miss out on social occasions, the research for Post Office Money Current Accounts found.

Meanwhile, 13% of workers surveyed said they have skipped meals in order to save money in the run-up to pay-day and 9% have put off paying back money they owe to family and friends.

Some 33% of people surveyed said they worry about whether they will have enough money to last until they are next paid.

Other common methods of saving money in the run-up to pay-day included cutting down on gas and electricity use around the house, ditching beauty treatments such as trips to the hairdresser, avoiding using the car and walking rather than taking public transport.

Nearly one in four (24%) people surveyed dip into their savings in a typical month in order to survive until their next pay-day and 23% will tend to slip into their overdraft every month before their pay comes through.

Common reasons for people going overdrawn included covering an unexpected expense, splashing out on something that they could not really afford and not following a budget.

John Willcock, head of current accounts at Post Office Money, said the research highlights the "financial juggling act" that many people are faced with performing in order to make it through the month.

Nearly 1,200 people in full or part-time work took part in the research.