January is often a hard month for many people when it comes to money – a lot is often spent during December because of the Holidays and New Year, so then there’s less to spend when January comes around.

But, every month of the year offers a unique opportunity to save money and January is no exception! In fact, it’s a great month for saving money which is brilliant – starting the year by saving cash can help you save for the rest of the year too.

There’s still time to get in to the money-saving frame of mind as there’s still two weeks of January left. The new year is the perfect time to start re-evaluating your finances, the way you spend and how you can save more this year.

We’ve put together some ideas for things you can do to save money this month. Take a look…

Snatch up holiday returns – have you ever thought about what happens to all the holiday gifts that get returned at the beginning of January? Some go right back on the sales floor but many of them have their price marked down and are sold as discounted items! This makes January a great time to look for deals in store.

Look for discounted gift cards – they’re a popular holiday gift but they aren’t always right for the person they were bought for. Fortunately there are plenty of sites that make a business of buying unwanted gift cards and selling them on for a discounted price. That’s great news for us when we’re trying to save money! If there’s nothing you need right now, why not stock up on some early gift cards to spread the cost over the year?

Check out January’s coupons – coupon sites usually reset their coupons monthly so have a look through the sites to see if there are any new coupons you want to print or download. They’re a fantastic way to save money on many different things including your weekly grocery shop.

Shop for seasonal produce – eating seasonally is a great way to keep your grocery bill down as the produce that’s in season is always the cheapest. Also, remember that own-brand products are often just as nice as branded products and are nearly always cheaper.

Shop at thrift stores – these stores get lots of donations throughout December and that means they have a whole shop full of new items in January. You’re more than likely to find some of the best deals of the year if you head on over to your favorite thrift store this month.

Have you starting thinking about your money saving plans for January, or for 2019?