The agonising wait between December payday and January payday felt like a lifetime, an excruciatingly long one at that.

Overspending during the festive period is sadly almost impossible to avoid nowadays. From indulging in too much food and drink, buying presents, or simply just having the heating on for a bit longer to stay warm, Christmas can be callously costly.

As a result, payday typically comes slightly earlier in December so we can enjoy the festivities to the max, but this can be detrimental in the long run.

January is a miserable month, we all know that, but mixing the post-Christmas depression with a stretched budget makes it all the worse.

The cost of living crisis has made life pretty intolerable over the past few years as everything seems to be so overpriced. Case in point, the time tubs of Lurpak cost £8.

Trips to the pub? Forget it, unless you're prepared to pay upwards of £5 for a flat Fosters. Fancy staying in instead? No bother, but the heating will bleed you dry and remember all those streaming services you pay for (with ads now).

We as consumers are, to put it lightly, being completely conned out of the pot we take home after all essentials are paid for. For some, luxuries have never been so scarce.

The big companies are without doubt sneaky enterprises designed to get the most out of us, but do they take more than they should?

Well, the thought occurred to me that maybe I had been letting monthly payments slip by without notice on things I'd completely forgotten about. A subscription here or there lost amidst the Apple Pay smog.

If you have a smartphone you can go on your bank's app and go through the payments individually to see monthly direct debits and other monthly payments. If you have an iPhone go on > settings > click on Apple ID > and then Subscriptions to see what other sign-ups you have.

Just to be crystal clear though I rang the bank. And I'm so glad I did. 

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Saving on spending:

Disney Plus - £10.99 a month

This is to watch Disney Plus without ads. It has had its time and I don't need it anymore. Gone.

Although I still kept Amazon at £8.99 a month. I find it slightly more worth its buck as it has Prime delivery etc.

Strava - £54.99 a year

Although I do use Strava quite a bit, friends of mine swear the free version is more than adequate. Interestingly enough, I was informed the renewal for the year is just a week away, which I wouldn't have been prepared for.

Cycle Maps - £38.99 a year

The same as Strava here only I've probably only used this app twice. Gone.

H3G - £57 a month

This was my phone bill and the amount alarmed me as it should now be £45. If some payments don't look right it's so important to get these straightened out as soon as possible.

You don't want to be paying extra on top of any contract. This goes for heating bills and other essentials too.

AllTrails - £35.99 a year

Again, like Strava it's a good app but not something I need anymore. Happily with this, however, you can cancel you can keep the account and all its perks for the remainder of the year.

One large ape - £4 a month

I was also kindly informed that I had adopted - and had been paying for - a gorilla called Ihoho for the past four years.

After some deep, deep soul searching, I recalled setting up the subscription as a present for a friend yonks ago. I checked in with the friend who said he hadn't received any updates - I think ever - on how his gorilla was doing, so that settled it for me.

Ihoho, I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news and I hope all is well, but this gravy train has left the station.

Which? advice on direct debits

According to the watchdog, sometimes recurring payments can still be taken from your bank account even if you think you've cancelled a direct debit.

Ask your bank to pay the money immediately back to you as the bank paid the company even though you had cancelled your direct debit.

It's irrelevant whether you owe money to the company. It isn’t for your bank to decide whether or not you owe the money. 

What is relevant is that your bank paid out the sum under a direct debit in which you cancelled.