10 Guaranteed Ways to Save Money for Travel
If you’re like me, you want to travel more post-Pandemic. Have you looked at prices lately? The cost of flights, hotels, cruises, and dining out has exploded! It’s been really frustrating not being able to afford the trips I want to take. This year, I decided that travel is non-negotiable for my family. Everyone deserves to take a break once in a while to travel. Life is too short, right? In deciding to travel more, I realized I had to take a good look at my spending habits and determine how I could save money. We can all benefit from looking closer at how much we really spend each month.
In this post, I will show you 10 ways to cut back on your spending right now, so that you can afford to travel more often.
Related: How I Saved $1000 on My Cruise
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Buying lunch during the work day
This is likely the worst offender for “eating away” at your income. The rising costs of food have made restaurant and even fast food prices soar. Imagine the money you could save by exchanging only one or two meals for lunches packed at home. The same can be said for take-out dinners and coffee drinks. It’s tempting to go through a drive-through for convenience, or when you’re tired, bored, or not motivated to cook. I made the conscious decision that I will only buy take-out meals on special occasions (like birthdays). I remind my daughter that we are saving for nice vacations whenever she asks for fast food. Sometimes, it’s a battle, but I can’t bring myself to waste our vacation money on overpriced take-out that isn’t healthy for us anyway. This is one of the spending areas I focus on when I’m doing a “savings challenge” which puts cash directly back in my wallet. I created a fun travel savings challenge in my Travel Savings packet to share with you. Make sure to get your free printable copy.
2. Meal Delivery Services
On the subject of eating, meal delivery services are unfortunately another money pit. Yes, some of the companies make tasty meals that are incredibly convenient. On the other hand, some meal services I tried are basically, glorified frozen dinners. The cost was $11-15 per meal which is pricey when you’re trying to save. Regrettably, there were several times when we didn’t eat all the meals within the time-frame and had to throw away the meal and consequently, the money.
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3. Gym Memberships
I know so many people LOVE the gym. I admit that all the amenities and opportunities for fitness are enticing. I have been a member of two fitness centers in the last three years. The issue with gym memberships is not necessarily the price. Some gyms charge as little as $10-$20/month which is not expensive at face value. The problem is that, in general, people don’t go to the gym often enough to justify the cost. I’m guilty of this myself. I joined a huge, chain fitness center in the months leading up to the Pandemic with the best intentions. I signed up for a family plan to be able to use the childcare center, and I was paying $45/month. On paper, there were so many benefits—hundreds of machines, indoor and outdoor pools, every kind of fitness class you could imagine. After joining, I realized that all the classes I wanted to take only happened on weekdays while I was working. The childcare center was usually closed by the time I was able to get there after work. My schedule limited my exercise time to nights, but I realized I wasn’t comfortable walking out to my car in a dark parking lot. Consequently, I wasn’t using my membership to justify $45/month.
I joined my community recreation center in summer 2022. Again, I was enticed by the beautiful aquatic center, an indoor jogging track that would be ideal in the hot summer months, and tons of exercise classes that took place after work. The family plan was $50/month. While we loved the aquatic center and visited once a week, we never ended up using the jogging track or taking classes. I was tired after work, and I didn’t have motivation in the summer heat to take an exercise class or walk the track. On the one day per week that we did go to the aquatic center, we only stayed about 2 hours each time. Essentially, my usage did not justify paying $50/month.
I feel that my money stretches so much further with a digital exercise program that I can do whenever and wherever I want—even on vacation. I love that I work out in the privacy of my living room, a hotel room, or even a cruise stateroom. I don’t need child care because I can exercise with my daughter beside me, and sometimes, she exercises with me. My strength, endurance, and overall fitness level are far superior to when I belonged to gyms (and my weight is lower now).
This is all the space you need for a Yoga Burn workout!
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4. Nail Services
Nail services are very expensive, and will absolutely sabotage your savings. The amount you can save by limiting how often you go to the nail salon is significant. I restrain myself by only getting manicures for my vacations. I would rather travel more often than have a fresh manicure every two weeks. On the other hand, I do get pedicures because sandal season lasts about 9 months here in Arizona. I can’t bring myself to wear open-toe shoes with gnarly feet! However, I get a gel pedicure and maintain it at home to make it last two months. Gel pedicures are no joke—I’ve had suitcases rolled over my toes, and the polish didn’t crack at all. My favorite product to keep my calluses under control between pedicures is Dr. Scholls Severe Cracked Heel Repair. Alternatively, you can do your own gel manicures and pedicures. This at-home UV LED gel nail lamp is a bestseller on Amazon.
Limit your manicures = afford more travel
5. Streaming services and cable
Does anyone still have cable? If you do, cancel it now! Do not waste any more money!
If you have multiple streaming subscriptions, consider whether you really watch enough TV shows to need all of them. Consider downsizing to one or two.
I was pleasantly surprised how many local and cable channels I can watch with my digital TV antenna. While it doesn’t replace Hulu or Disney+, this digital antenna was a bargain!
6. Movie Theaters
I know a lot of people want the excitement of seeing a new film immediately, and of course, the experience is better on the big screen. Unfortunately, when the movie tickets for my family add up to $60 not including drinks and snacks, I’m going to pass. I will wait to see the movie on Hulu or Amazon.
7. Annual Upgrades
When I say Annual Upgrades, I’m talking about buying things like a new phone when the new version of your phone is released. If your phone isn’t broken, there’s no reason to buy the new version every year. Another example is buying a new designer handbag solely because you’re bored with your current bag. Similarly, trading in a car every few years to have the thrill of driving something new will continuously keep you in the cycle of expensive car payments.
8. Home Decor
Much like Annual Upgrades, buying new home decor frequently to “freshen up” your living space will wreak havoc on your savings! Like most things recently, the price of home decor has escalated. I have to include holiday decorations in this category, and it pains me because I love decorating for each holiday. However, if forgoing new linens and light-up yard snowmen gets me closer to my next cruise, I will sacrifice the home decor.
9. Binge Shopping
Binge shopping is my term for impulse shopping which is a big weakness of mine. For me, shopping is entertainment. I frequently go into my favorite stores on my day off without needing anything specific. Unfortunately, when I browse without really needing anything, the entire store is essentially, up for grabs. In the past, I never left the store without spending at least $100. In my quest to travel more, I have recently been working on my binge shopping. I started by unsubscribing to store emails, so I am not reminded of shopping several times a day. During my savings challenges, I avoid my problem stores completely for several months.
10. House Cleaning Services
The price of home cleaning services has skyrocketed in the past few years. I have tile floors, kids, dogs, and I work all day which equates to lots of mess and not a lot of time to clean it up. Until recently, I’ve had a chain home cleaning service clean my house monthly. The price has been steadily climbing over the last few years while the quality of service has actually declined. To give you an idea, the price rose from $161 per month to $188 to $289. This is too expensive for subpar service. I have since canceled my cleaning service, and I’m trying to devote more of my time each weekend for cleaning.
And there you have it: 10 guaranteed ways to start saving money today for travel. Even if you can only apply just one of my recommendations today, you will still benefit from your savings! Apply all 10, and you might be booking your next vacation soon!
If you are committed to saving for travel, make sure you subscribe below to get my free Travel Savings packet. It will help you determine exactly where you can decrease your spending and also includes a fun savings challenge.