Easy Ways To Save Money For Travel

Starting right now, for one month, track every dollar you spend on discretionary items. Leave nothing out–every single triple venti iced, sugar-free, vanilla latte with soy milk, every spontaneous shopping spree, every midday snack from the vending machine or drive-thru, all of your other indulgences such as drinking, smoking, movies–jot it down to the penny.  After the month is up, come back to this blog and continue reading.

Ok, you get the idea.  So let’s fast forward one month later–when you are rendered speechless.

I calculated my excess spending last January, multiplied that amount by 12 months and the total was astonishing–summing up to just under $2400!

The next thing I did was compare shopping at expensive grocery stores to shopping at cheaper ones and bulk super centers.  The average savings for me, buying the exact same food was around $60 per week–$2880 a year! So now I was at a yearly savings over $5000 and I’m not  finished yet.

Dinner out with my girlfriends with the typical two glasses of wine totals about $40 per night out.  I typically go out with the girls twice a month. That brings the yearly total to $960.  Why not take turns cooking for each other, watching a great movie on demand and sharing a bottle (or two) of great wine from Trader Joes?

With all of that calculated, my yearly saving is at $6240.

Now, I can read your mind–That’s too much to sacrifice. I’m not giving up Starbucks or girls’ nights out.   I’m not telling you to go cold turkey, but even by cutting these indulgences in half,  that is enough cash for a dream trip checked off your bucket list–including airfare, hotel and spending.

Cutting out such expenses has another great benefit as well.  Giving up mindless snacking and drinking empty calories, will have you at least ten pounds lighter and so much healthier for that dream vacation.

 

So there you have it–an easy, manageable way to save thousands of dollars without having to find a second job, or selling unnecessary internal organs.  This will simplify your life, get you healthier and enable you to explore this awesome planet!

I promise you having that gourmet coffee in South America, that midday snack of gelato in Rome, or that glass of wine in the south of France will make it completely worth it.