The Azure billing landscape is a labyrinthine one, with its share of twists, turns, and, occasionally, dead ends. For the uninitiated, the path through this maze is fraught with confusion, especially when it comes to optimising costs with Azure Savings Plans and Reserved Instances (RIs). This post aims to clear the fog and elucidate the sequence and strategy for applying these cost-saving mechanisms. Understanding the Lay of the Land At the heart of the matter is understanding how Azure Savings Plans and RIs reduce costs. Azure Savings Plans offer a reduced rate in exchange for committing to a consistent usage…