Being broke is frustrating especially when you feel like taking a break. Making a solid effort to save up for a holiday not only gets you the money you need but it gives you the satisfaction of achieving something against the odds which will make the holiday you take even more enjoyable.
Firstly you need to decide how much money you have to raise. This means you need to work out where you want to go and what you want to do while you’re there. Obviously a week of champagne laced dining in Paris will set you back more than a long weekend camping in your local area.
If you’re just desperate for a vacation of any kind then you can scale down what you’re going to do in terms of expense. However even if you’ve got your heart set on a more lavish trip you can still make cut backs without compromising what you really want from the experience.
Get all your options laid out for the trip you want to take and look at where you will stay, what you need to buy to take with you and what you want to do when you are there. Make sure you identify everything you’re not fussy about and scale down the cost. For example a popular holiday destination will be significantly cheaper to visit during off peak season.
Once you’ve made your decisions and got your grand total you need to decide where the saved money will be stored. It’s no good having a savings jar in the house if you, your family or partner keep using it every time you have a rainy day to get through. If you don’t want to keep funds in the house think about whether to keep them in your current or savings account. If you’re going to be saving over quite a few months you could be getting interest on your money to bump up the fund and get you to your goal quicker.
If you’re broke there’s not going to be any money spare unless you free up some funds. Take a look at your expenses and see what you can cut out. From cable bills, a hefty monthly cell phone bill, nights out, coffees or a pricey weekly grocery shop there are plenty of areas in life where you can rein in your spending. If you need motivation to give things up just remember that you’re exercising the power of control in order to get something that you want out of life. You can always reintroduce little extras back into budget once you’ve had your holiday.
Work out why you’re broke. Unless your circumstances are very specific and unusual then it’s likely that you’re broke because of your own bad financial habits. Fix these and you’ll start to have more money all the time. Do you waste money by spending due to boredom or emotional states rather than needing or even wanting something? Do you live above your means? Do you have debt which has created monthly charges which are draining you?
Get better with money and make it a way of life to save regularly and avoid debt. As much as no one likes sacrifice it’s suicidal to confuse bad habits with what you really want out of life. If you’ve formed a bad habit then you can form a good one and the good habit will be something that improves your life. Even if you just drop one bad habit and form one good one every month you’ll be drastically more money efficient by the end of the year.
Another way to get money for a vacation is to earn more. You could do overtime at your job and put your extra pay into the holiday fund or pick up odd jobs and freelance work. Selling possessions via a local sale or online is a great way to stump up some ready cash.
Saving up for a holiday can actually be a lot of fun. Every bit of money you scrape together gets you closer to your goal. Also once you’ve tightened up your lifestyle to be able to put money aside you’ll retain a lot of the thrifty habits you’ve made. You can even establish a rule that every month you aim to have a certain amount of money left over. Save half, spend some and store the rest up for a rainy day or another holiday!