Nine ways to save money for your next holiday Most times we hear people say that they love travelling but don’t have enough money to do so. Agreed, we have steady jobs with commitments such as rent, food, loan, family responsibilities etc. Sometimes it may feel like there is absolutely no room to cut on expenses. But what if we told you that, all it takes is a little bit of planning and some commitment? đ&#x;™‚ Here are nine ways to save money on your next holiday.
Create a travel budget How can you save money without knowing how much your trip would actually cost you? Worry not, this is the easy part. If you have a travel budget planner, plugging in the number of nights of your stay, cost of every meal, flight charges, local activities etc will take only a few seconds. Check out the Ichiqoo travel planner template below. The excel sheet is formula driven and as you change your numbers and unit cost, your total expenses and the difference amount from your initial budget will automatically show.
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You can download this free Travel Budget Planner to plan and manage expenses for your next holiday Once you have a travel budget in place, here are some ways to start saving money for your trip.
Create a monthly personal budget Sometimes the hardest thing about saving money is just getting started. Record your expenses at the beginning of every month in a budgeting app. Dollarbird is a free app that adds past or future income and expenses to a calendar that calculates the impact on your balance, as well as spending by category. This will help you keep track of the money you spend and putting away a percentage of your earnings for travel will be easier to manage. This way, you will be prudent in your spending.
Quit your gym membership & go to the park
Instead of spending hundreds of dollars on your gym membership run at your neighborhood park. The joy of running, breathing in fresh air can be no match to a gym. Running does not require a commute and you can save money in fuel or public transportation too. That is in addition to your gym membership fee! Buy a set of dumbbells if you wish to lift weights. The running community is a very social group for a reason. Find a buddy and run along.
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Cook an extra meal Buying food from outside may not seem expensive for one meal but when you add that up for a year, it will account for a substantial amount of money. The same money can go into your savings for your next travel plan. Try and cook an extra meal at home. Why not pack lunch for work? You will eat healthily and also save up for your next trip. And oh, sporting a bikini at Boracay will be less stressful, thanks to your clean eating habit đ&#x;™‚
Get a side job
Tap into your other skills. Do something you are passionate about, in addition to your 9 – 5 job. The options are plenty. Become a babysitter, dog walker, tuition teacher – anything that you are capable of doing. You can also check out sites like Elance for part-time opportunities. Extra income —> Travel Savings
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Cut down on salon costs You need a haircut, facial, massage, nail spa and more! The list can be endless. Who doesn’t want to feel pampered? But for all the other good to have things, you can replace it with DIY videos. Did you know that an average woman spends close to $100 a month at beauty salons? That’s $1200 a year! Why not buy your own nail polish and paint it yourself? It will definitely help you save a lot. Men are no exception to this. According to Shoppist, a study shows that men spend just as much as women on skincare products. Cut down on beauty products and salon visits and add that to your travel savings
Participate and sell at Flea markets
Jinyoung selling her old stuff at the Hietalahdintori flea market.
You can sell your bags, clothes, books, kitchen items, anything and everything you don’t use anymore. There are online sites where you can sell your unused items too. You will feel good earning some extra money and also cleaning up your house. Double win?
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Reduce going for movies An average movie ticket costs $10. Add up snacks and refreshments and you will end up spending $20 on a movie. Include transportation to the theater and that’s another $10! If you see one movie at the theater every month, you will end up spending $360 per year. That can be half the cost of a holiday in Asia. Watch movies on Netflix or borrow them from friends. You can make popcorn at home too;)
Freebies/Coupons/Discount vouchers Be on a constant lookout for discount vouchers and coupons in newspapers and magazines. A little saving goes a long way. Sites like Groupon offer getaway deals for hotels and travel packages that can go up to 70% off the rack rate. Do you have any other saving tips for your next travel?
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