How to survive in January on a low budget.

[Dr.Bitcoin_Strange]

Greetings to you all, while I was reading through some educational materials on the internet today, I came across this article and after reading through it, I just felt it could be beneficial to someone here.

The joy and excitement of December festivities often leave us with fond memories but also an empty wallet as we step into the new year.

As we face the financial aftermath of holiday celebrations, it's crucial to adopt practical strategies to ensure a smooth transition into January without breaking the bank.

Here are some tried-and-true tips to help you survive the month on a low budget.

1. Head straight home after work: One effective way to cut down on unnecessary expenses is to resist the temptation of post-work outings. Instead of hitting the town or joining friends for dinner, consider heading straight home after work.

This simple change can significantly reduce your spending on entertainment, dining out, and impulsive purchases.

2. Create and stick to a budget: Drawing up a budget may seem like an obvious step, but it's often overlooked. Take the time to list your monthly expenses and allocate a specific amount to each category, including essentials like rent, groceries, and utilities.

By having a clear budget in place, you'll gain better control over your finances and be less likely to overspend.

3. Patronize public transportation: One of the major contributors to post-festivity financial strain is excessive spending on ride-sharing services like Bolt, Uber, Yango, and others.

Instead of relying solely on these convenient but costly options, consider using public transportation. Trotro (bus) is often more budget-friendly, and the savings can add up significantly over a month.

4. Minimize ride-sharing expenses: If public transportation isn't a feasible option for your daily commute, take steps to minimize ride-sharing costs. Carpooling with colleagues or friends can help distribute expenses, making the journey more affordable for everyone involved.

Additionally, explore ride-sharing alternatives that offer lower prices or discounts for regular users.

5. Embrace frugal living: Surviving on a low budget in January requires adopting a frugal mindset. Look for opportunities to cut costs in your daily life, such as cooking at home instead of dining out, exploring affordable entertainment options, and shopping for necessities during sales or with discounts.

By implementing these practical tips, you can set the stage for a more financially secure and stable new year.

If you have any other good tips that could help manage and survive on a low budget, you can share your ideas.

My Tips:

• Don't take up too much responsibility for your self. Progressively take up one at a time and don't take 2 or 5 at a time.
• Don't promise people (friends and family) money that you don't have. If you don't have the money to gift yet, kindly tell them that you don't have anything on you at the moment. Don't be too proud to say, "No, I don't have for now. "
  

I hope this helps.

[Thyplaymaker]

Yeah actually help alot,  because this where most get it wrong for them to make budget on how to manage themselves they will prefer spending unwisely. Like some group of boys the other day where talking on how he went to club and spend certain huge amount of money ordering drinks and such of thing. Those funds you wasting why didn't you just put them into great use instead.

The other issue is that most people don't think of tomorrow, just imagine now in our country where inflation they give us serious issues just imagine pure water make we dey buy how much that time highest 10 naira per one but now we dey buy 30 naira. Even fuel price self nah block for contri wey light nor constant for most place so this time around you nor need person to carry sit down dey advice you how things dey now supposed to duh wise up your self and start to dey stress your self now so that if people dey shey life hard e nor go hard for your self because when most of dem dey waste cash you dey jejely dey invest your own. Ones again boss thanks for this nice information

[Cryptomultiplier]

Anyone who changed location during the yuletide and new year celebrations know that January is indeed a longer month than the rest months in a year because of the need to settle bills and get set for the whole year.


During this time, we start seeing new year resolutions flying up and down and for those who are sensible enough, this would be a time to properly reflect, cut off stupid or toxic friends, develop new spending habits and cut down on pleasures.
No budget would be so low if these things are taken into consideration and swift implementation.

[Youngkhngdiddy]

Everybody go agree say January na the longest month in every year and for one reason or the other, funds dey quick exhaust for our hand on this first month of the year. For this year sha, the progress just dey in between, sometimes e dey seem fast, sometimes e dey seem slow but main focus be say one gats dey careful about him survival this month make e no go red for am later.
  The economy sha dey projected to worsen and by so, we gats dey careful of wastage, we gats make plans for our incomes too, reduce our budget, reshape our spendings and wear the endurance vest because the situation wey we dey right now for the country, nobody fit rescue us apart from us o. E good say this year our theme na no gree for anybody. No time to stress for less value, value who value you, send who send you, no more cheerful giving sha because as e be, not just January, this year fit choke pass last year.

[SmartGold01]

The content you quoted is helpful and sometimes people do as their body and soul leads them without knowing that there is an essence someone should do that or even before taking whatever action they are about to take. There some people who are not economical when it comes to home management and they want to live all manners of life they wanted, there are some level of low budget we can't go below why because I have come tomorrow understand that the more we live the more our responsibility increase and expand especially when such person is legally married.

[Tribalchief]

I certainly believe that these tips could go a long way in the lives of so many in my country knowing fully well that most people don't take good actions on certain situations. But the no.2 isn't certain because there might be situations were unplanned circumstances comes in which we don't pray for. 2023 happens to be a wasteful year for so many due to lack of discipline. In regards to what you said, I think it's true that we often spend money when we are away from home. Maybe it's due to the people around us at that moment.

With these helpful tips, it's also required of us to picture the country's current situation and make good business plans for ourselves. The inflation should be enough motivation to hustling continuously through any legal means.

[Cantsay]

One of the method I have adopted for spending low is making a list of things I bought.

I don’t know if anyone has tried it out, but I do have a journal where I write out everything I have bought throughout the day, including satchel water and when it gets to my budget or before my budget I’ll see if I need anything important that I might need during the day before I proceed to use my money. 

Not a lot of people do this but it’s actually useful to those that don’t know how to manage their spending especially those that want to save or minimize their wastage of money but still can’t do it themselves – just pick up your journal or any notebook calculate how much you want to spend that month, divide it by the number of days so that you can get the maximum you’re allowed to use per day, then take note of everything you have purchased when it gets to the maximum amount you’re allowed to spend then don’t use any money again – the more you do it the better you become at it, and before you know what’s going on it will become an habit.

[CryptoLaila]

I will like to add this! Avoid deficit budget spending , it will surely drain you, most of us in Nigeria are used to buying what we don't plan for anyhow and this is not a good practice it leaves someone  stranded on term of money and I think I should just conjoin with spending extravagantly.

[Dr.Bitcoin_Strange]

I will like to add this! Avoid deficit budget spending , it will surely drain you, most of us in Nigeria are used to buying what we don't plan for anyhow and this is not a good practice it leaves someone  stranded on term of money and I think I should just conjoin with spending extravagantly.

Yes, unplanned spending is really a problem for most people, but at a point, I only thought that unplanned spending affected people who were younger, but I realized that no matter their age, some people can still spend recklessly. Just like Cantsay said, the best option to help such a person is to always make a budget for how you intend to spend every dollar that enters your hand.

I was always finding it difficult to save up money when I was young because every damn thing I saw would always attract me, and I would want to have that thing even if I didn't necessarily need it. But now that I have grown past that age and am faced with some other important responsibilities,

[Cryptsafe]

OP you are on point but I must say, this aspect of spending lifestyle is amongst the youths and possibly those that are not yet married if i am not mistaken. Do you agree with me that there are some youth that are not married but the responsibility on them is like that of a.married man? I understand that expenses can be curtailed but in some situations, you can not run away from it because the more you grow the more demand comes up for you unless you choose to be single and like what they say stingy before you could be able to do away with much expenses and people not looking your way.

[CryptoLaila]

Yes, unplanned spending is really a problem for most people, but at a point, I only thought that unplanned spending affected people who were younger, but I realized that no matter their age, some people can still spend recklessly.

Yeah! This is so true I never thought  from that angle , thanks for the heads up but youngsters still need to save up for future and they will need every available means and strategies to save up

[Agbe]

I know what you are asking this question and it is because of the excess spending if the holiday season. Life is all about planning. If you plan your life well then you will manage whatever you have to sustain in the period. Now all what you to do is a personal budget which you must follow. How much can be used every day and week. And don't over spend what you have plan to spend every day and week.

[CryptoLaila]

I know what you are asking this question and it is because of the excess spending if the holiday season. Life is all about planning. If you plan your life well then you will manage whatever you have to sustain in the period. Now all what you to do is a personal budget which you must follow. How much can be used every day and week. And don't over spend what you have plan to spend every day and week.

It's not easy to plan and get  totally along in the current situation of our beloveth  currency,  there will just be some disruption of plan and some new arrising events  which will require spending out of your plan and there's  no way to avoid it. Sometimes  to get on with our daily plans  seem impossible with the way the country is turning  into, there's always a need for extra spending  even of planned for.

[Sim_card]

I have come tomorrow understand that the more we live the more our responsibility increase and expand especially when such person is legally married.

Legally married or not, as long as the person is with family, his expenses will increase due to some unexpected emergency that will arise.

One thing that I will say is that we should also avoid to borrow money with interest during this period, because it will have your income along the line and that might hinder your financial plan and budget. Don't go into competition with anyone on what they are doing because you don't know how they got their funds and how much that they are earning. This can also make you spend unnecessarily. Any unplanned expenses that is not an emergency, should be added to your next budget.

[DaNNy001]

I have come tomorrow understand that the more we live the more our responsibility increase and expand especially when such person is legally married.

Legally married or not, as long as the person is with family, his expenses will increase due to some unexpected emergency that will arise.

One thing that I will say is that we should also avoid to borrow money with interest during this period, because it will have your income along the line and that might hinder your financial plan and budget. Don't go into competition with anyone on what they are doing because you don't know how they got their funds and how much that they are earning. This can also make you spend unnecessarily. Any unplanned expenses that is not an emergency, should be added to your next budget.

My brother thanks for this advice, this one na really important note to take because people dey always forget themselves when it comes to spending, most especially the one that are trigger by other people spending habits around them, if you are the type that does this then you might probably find yourself in a situation that would be hard to get out because just like you stated the person you want to portray their habits you don't know how and what they do to get that money they lavish anyhow.