Another way to keep costs down is to be focused when putting in an order with the hobby shops.
A lot of them offer free shipping if you spend a certain amount so it's worth shopping around to find one with live stock levels, so you can ascertain whether they've got everything you need in one order.
Too many people think small, you need to think big. If you're up to say £35 with an order you might as well get another 2 pairs of tyres at £8 each to get the "free shipping when you spend £50" deal rather than wasting a fiver on delivery, after all you'll use them eventually.
I have an A4 pad "the ledger" in which I write down all money that comes into my account and all that goes out with dates, and I check my balance every few days. This way even before transactions have cleared I know how much I can spend without going overdrawn.
Leading on from this I make liberal use of my credit card to buy stuff I won't have the cash for for a couple of weeks, but I make sure using it never costs me a penny by paying the balance in full within 28 days. This way you can take advantage of special offers that might no longer be there when you get paid.
Hope this helps, all of the above is the only way I can afford to race competitively.
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