15 Ways To Save Money For Vacation

Traveling can be very expensive and to some people traveling is unattainable. The stress of how to pay for a vacation out ways the vacation itself. What if you can afford your dream vacation? That with a little thought and planning. You can be relaxing in no time. Here are 15 ways to save money on your next vacation.

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Vacation Savings Account

Most banks and credit unions allow members to open up a vacation savings account. This allows you to set up automatic payments to the account. Saving money in a separate account ensures you will not touch the money until the date of the vacation. No more dipping into the account. You can also request an interest-bearing account. which allows your money to grow.

Garage Sale

Imagine all the stuff that people accumulate throughout the year. Purge closets, attics, and garages for unused items. Having a garage sale is a quick and easy way to get a little extra cash for your next vacation. Facebook also has many groups you can join to sell items and they also added a market place. Another great way to earn cash is selling through Amazon.

Use Your Vehicle

With new companies like Uber and Lyft. You can earn extra cash on your free time by using your car to pick up and drop off people. You can also rent your car to others. There are companies that allow you to rent your vehicle out to others. Another quick and easy way to make cash.

Monthly Food Budget

To feed a family of 5 can cost $300 every two weeks. By cutting that cost you can save money. Here is how we saved our monthly food. I started to coupon, although, not that good at it because what they offer on the coupons we don’t buy as a family. However, in most cases, I have found great deals for my family. I use local coupons through the newspaper.

Plant a garden is a great way to save on food. We own several fruit trees that bare fruit throughout the year. We also have veggies and other fruits in a garden that grows.

Phone rebate apps are great as well. You can earn cash back from sites like Ebates, Ibotta, and Checkout 51.

Don’t eat out. I know I love to eat and I love to eat out. However, when it came down to looking at our budget we spent way too much money eating out. Changing this one habit is not only good for the pocket-book but great for your health.

***NEVER GO GROCERY SHOPPING HUNGRY!!!

Pick Up A Side Job

This can be a temporary/seasonal job to earn extra cash. My oldest daughter took up babysitting as a way for extra cash. My husband mows lawns for extra cash. There is an abundance of jobs that can make you extra cash such as altering clothes, house cleaning, babysitting, landscaping, car washing and detailing house sitting, and pet sitting.

Housing

When we first bought our home we didn’t know our home can make us money or save us money. Make sure your homeowner’s insurance is up-to-date. We were paying for a dwelling that no longer existed on our property. Just that little change saved us $1000/year. See what your company can offer as far as discounts on insurance. We save money on a home security system. Many companies also offer bundle packages. This can save you money on both home and car.

If you have extra space in your house rent it out using Airbnb. Another great way to save on housing is home improvements. Although it will cost money up front. This can save you in the long run. If you are handy and can do most of these repairs and improvements yourself the better you come out. New windows can keep heat out and cool air in. Updating appliances for better efficiency. All these can save on monthly utility bills. In return more money you can save.

Go Solar

Going solar is a great alternative. After all, who doesn’t want to save the planet? By doing this a few months ago we pay little to nothing on our energy bill. Matter of fact they give us credit as they borrow our energy we get from the sun. This is how we end up not paying an energy bill. Oh, and can I say I am doing my little part in saving the planet. Check your state to see if grants are offered for you.

Gym Membership

Cancel your gym membership. There are so many ways to workout and all for free. Saving that extra money each month can really add up. YouTube is a great place to find free workout videos. Also, Pinterest has great infographics for workouts.  If you own a video game system. Buy used games such as XBox 360 Kinetic Zumba. Rather than spend money, find things around the house to use. Therefore try recycling items around your house to use for your workout. An empty milk container is great dumbbells when you fill it with water.

Credit Cards

Although not a fan of credit cards as they can easily get people in debt. I do have to mention that there are credit cards that help you with vacations in the form of reward points. If you have these credit cards take advantage of them. They are great for airfare as this tends to be the most expensive as far as traveling. There are also credit cards that give you gas perks. You can also do secured credit cards. This is a little safer than unsecured. Secured credit cards ask you to add an amount such as $250 or $500. This can be used for emergencies or travel expenses. You can add any amount and this card can be your spending account. However, I still need to stress when using a credit card that is unsecured you risk APR rates and potential credit problems.

Cancel Cable

I love this one.  After much-needed thought. Do I sometimes miss cable, Yes!, However, I did this a couple of years ago and don’t regret that decision. My family has saved over $1000 a year by cutting the cord. The alternative is Netflix and the Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote | Streaming Media Player. We now watch movies and live TV for free.

Lose the Phone Contract

Like the cable, I wanted to save money but not lose the perks. We got rid of Verizon. Although I love them and they are a great company. My bank account was suffering. I was paying more than $300 on 3 phones. This was with shared data and a kid that went over data which cost us, even more, each month.

We needed to add our other 2 kids to the plan and at this rate, we would be living on the streets just to have a cell phone. Therefore I switched to MetroPCS. I was able to get 5 phones for $50. That was at sign up. Now, these phones are not the latest and greatest. But they work and function nonetheless. In addition to great prices, MetroPCS does offer the latest phones. I was looking for something cheap. I was also making sure I wasn’t about to spend tons of money on phones my kids might ruin. New payment $145/month unlimited everything!!

Discounts

Don’t like couponing, that is okay. After all, you don’t need coupons to save on great deals. You can find great deals on vacations. Great places like Groupon and LivingSocial. In addition, both websites have sections dedicated for getaways. Which include hotel stays, all-inclusive, and activities near your destination.

Travel Agent

Use a Travel agent can also save you money and many can offer vacations on layaway. FYI: Did you know travel agents are FREE to use!! This gives your family the option to put a deposit down on a vacation and pay on the remaining balance each month. Cruise lines such as Carnival and Royal Caribbean offer this as well.

Penny Jar

Use a penny jar to collect all that loose change at the bottom of your purse. This adds up quickly. Another great idea is to volunteer to clean someone’s car out and ask them if you find any loose change if you can have it. You do not know how much money falls in the smallest places in your vehicle.

Your Tax Refund

No matter how much you get back to taxes use this towards your next vacation. Another great alternative is to use the tax refund to pay off debt to allow more flexibility in your paychecks.

With all these great saving ideas you are now on track for that dream vacation. Keep in mind not only are these ideas great for vacation planning but also great for helping you get out of debt. I hope you enjoyed a few tips on how to save money. If you have any ideas I didn’t mention please leave a comment below. I love to hear from my readers.

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