We all love vacations, but they can be so expensive! However, if you plan carefully and start saving well in advance, then your trip can be paid for long before you leave home.
It helps if you can decide on a date for your vacation. This way you can figure how many weeks or months you have to save your money. You also should make a list of all the expenses involved with your vacation. Don’t forget to list items such as a rental car, fuel, plane fare, hotel, meals, snacks, drinks, entertainment, souvenirs, special clothing, theme park tickets, luggage, and any other expenses your vacation will involve. You should also allow extra in case of emergencies or unexpected expenses. If you take extra money and don’t really need it, then save it for your next vacation in the future. It’s always better to be safe than sorry. Personally, I like to make sure I have at least $700 extra just in case. If you have a major credit card with at least that much credit available, then you are probably fine.
Don’t forget to look for ways to lower your vacation expenses. Go to websites such as travelocity.com, cruises.com, and other sites that offer discounted rates on airfare, lodging, cruises and more. This will help your vacation dollars last longer.
Once you know approximately how much money you will need for your vacation, then you should divide that dollar amount by the number of weeks you have until the day you leave for your trip. This will tell you how much you need to put aside each week in order to save enough for your vacaqtion. For example, if you leave for your trip in 20 weeks and you expect to need a total of $2,500.00, then $2,500 divided by 20 is $125.00 per week.
If your current budget will not allow you to set aside enough money each week to reach your goal before you leave, then you will have to come up with other ways to make money. Think of it as a challenge.
I’m planning a cruise to the Bahamas in ten months and I really want to live it up. I’m planning to spend about $3,000 including all of my shore excursions and other special activities including a little time at the casino. I need to come up with an extra $75 per week until I leave, but I don’t want it to come from my regular budget, so I have some extra work ahead of me.
I’m planning to clean out my storage unit, closets, cabinets, and every other hiding place where I have things I don’t want or need anymore. The nicer things will go on craigslist.org and Ebay.com. The other things will be sold in a yardsale in the spring.
I will also be writing a few product reviews each day for ReviewStream.com. They pay up to $2.00 per review which can add up in a hurry. Of course, I’ll also be writing articles on Helium.com. Every little bit will help.
I’ve also put a recycle box at work to collect aluminum cans for recycling. I have some thirsty co-workers and a very popular soda machine in the breakroom. Aluminum is paying quite well these days.
Then there’s all those books, movies, CD’s, and books on tape that I’ve grown bored with. These will be going to my local book store that pays cash for all of these items.
These money saving tips might work for you as well, but there are also plenty of other ways for you to make extra money for your vacation. You can babysit for friends, house sit while other people are on vacation, take care of people’s pets while they are away, clean houses, work overtime at your job, lawncare, basic landscaping, gardening, and any other service you are capable of performing.
You might be surprised to find that saving money is easier than you thought. I’ve often saved enough for my vacations months in advance and started saving for my next vacation before I’ve even taken the first one. Vacations are so much more enjoyable when you know that you won’t have to use credit cards and pay outrageous interest once the trip is over.