Money spent: £2.25 (a loaf to last me the week and soup for two days' lunches.)

The expensive train fare debacle made me realise it's not enough just to cut back on frivolous spending.

I can't manage on £15 a week, I need more money, especially for unexpected costs.

So I've looked at my current outgoings to see where I can cut back.

Short of moving flats- which seems a little bit overkill for a six-week challenge- there are only two bills which I have the freedom to change.

News Shopper: LENT DAY 6: Time to find savings

1) Mobile phone.

I had a look at my last few bills and discovered that I just don't come anywhere near to using the 1,000 free texts that lured me into getting the contract I have.

Even more surprisingly, I don't spend as much time on the phone as I thought I did, again wasting loads of free minutes.

My contract was up for renewal anyway, and so I have taken drastic action and changed my tariff.

I've gone from a £30 a month contract to £10 a month.

Unfortunately I won't get a shiny new phone on this deal, but right now I don't care about that- I'm going to get an extra fiver a week to spend!

According to my last phone bill, I would still have been within the free text and call time allowance of this new £10 contract, so in theory I don't even need to cut back on my phone usage... yay!

News Shopper: Greenwich Council wants the Thames Clipper to be included in the Oystercard scheme

2)Travel card.

I'm loath to let my weekly zone 1 to 5 travel card go but I know deep down I've been throwing money away just out of sheer laziness.

For well over a year and a half I've been buying this card as I pass through all five zones to get to work.

I like the freedom to get on any train, bus, tube, at any time, on any route as often as I like.

But at around £44 a week, after rent and council tax, it's my biggest expenditure.

I've given in and from now on I'll be buying a weekly train pass from my nearest station to News Shopper's office in Petts Wood.

That ticket costs £22.10 so I will be saving myself more than £20.

It's going to be painful because I'm restricted to one route, I'm going to have to change at Bromley South, and the infrequency of the trains I can catch is going to annoy me.

The good news.... My weekly allowance is bouncing up to a whopping £40 a week.