Did a moth just fly out of your wallet when you opened it? Believe me, I've been there. A lot. Most of us travel on a budget, because we have to. We aren't independently wealthy (if only!), so we can't just spend a bunch of money we don't have.
When you don't have a big budget, you learn to be creative, but you find there are small things you can do that can really add up, too. Here are some ideas to help you pack your piggy bank so you can afford that next trip you're planning:
Cancel memberships - I bet you've signed up for things and then immediately got distracted and, worse, you forgot to cancel them. So, now you're paying for a thing you don't even use. Cancel those memberships and instead pay yourself that money. Make it easy and sign up for Rocket Money and they'll find those monthly fees you're paying unnecessarily.
Watch concerts/theater at home - Yes, going to concerts and live theater is fun, but they can easily add up quickly. I'm not saying to skip those must-see shows, but for most other ones, stream them. BroadwayHD has Broadway shows that you can stream for much less than going in person. The Globe also streams Shakespeare plays, with some big name actors, for a fraction of the cost of a live performance. Disney+ has started streaming concerts of popular artists like The Weeknd, Billie Eilish, and Ed Sheeran.
Make it extra fun and invite some friends over, dress up, mix up some drinks, and have a mini concert in your living room. Take the money you would have spent on a costly concert, and save it instead. Boom! You just saved service fees. Or buy the tickets and get a trip out of it.
Find free things at home - I always suggest finding free things to do on vacation, so your dollars stretch further. Usually there are fun things that cost absolutely nothing and are easy to fit into your itinerary. The same can be said for the city where you live: free music, Shakespeare In the Park, free museum days...
Buy previously owned items/clothing - Some people like to make use of the Free sections on Nextdoor and Facebook. I like to use sites/apps like Poshmark to buy clothes at a fraction of retail. Many times pieces are brand new.
Save your pennies - Yes, we all have a change jar, but I also like using an app that will hook up to my bank account and credit cards, so every time I make a purchase (or pay a bill) it rounds up to the nearest dollar - or more - and moves that difference into a savings account for you.
I use Qapital, where I can set up goals and also attach "rules" to each one. I have 5% of any deposit over $500 automatically transfer over and I round up to the nearest $3, so if something is $2.95, $2.05 gets deposited in my Qapital account. You can have more than one goal at a time and one or more rules for each one. Use my code and get $25 after your first transfer: rt7pa62x
Before you know it, you'll have a good little travel fund going. Yay! Now, start saving to go somewhere amazing.
What are your tried and true ways to save for vacation?
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