15 Things I did to save money in January

Here’s 15 things I did in January to help get through a long month on a very low budget:

1. I set a budget and divided it in to the 31 days of the month. In my case it was just less than 300 lira (£6.80) per day.
2. I introduced several planned ‘zero spend’ days in to my week where I would not shop or even nip out for a cup of tea.
3. When I knew I expected to spend more than 300 lira in a day, I would not spend anything the day before and/or after to keep within budget.
4. I limited buying any convenience foods like jars of sauce or English products, unless they were on offer.
5. I did meal plans for breakfast, lunch and dinner for every day of the week so that I didn’t spend on eating out.
6. I batch cooked soups and stews and froze at least half of everything I made, to eat later in the month.
7. I bought only fruit and vegetables that were in season at the market or supermarket, making sure to avoid the more expensive ready chopped ones and picked oranges, lemons and pink grapefruit from trees in the garden.
8. I did not throw any produce away which meant making sure I used up everything I had before it went past it’s best.
9. I only bought meat (generally chicken) when it was at a reduced price and bulked out with lentils if using mince.
10. I made 2 lists of things I might spend money on, dividing in to ‘needs’ and ‘wants’ – this really helped to focus on the priorities over the nice to haves.
11. If I went out to eat, I chose something I couldn’t make at home and took any leftovers home and I always checked the menu prices.
12. I drastically reduced the amount of alcohol I drank, specifically staying away from the bars – I’m not someone who can easily drink water or just go for one!
13. I drank tea at the tea gardens where it is very cheap to drink local cay.
14. I walked instead of going to exercise classes or a gym that I couldn’t afford.
15. I limited the amount of cash I had on me so that I wouldn’t be tempted to buy things spontaneously – if I needed it, I would go back to purchase it.

There were other things I did and I’m sure you will be able to add more ideas – feel free to let me know!