5 super easy ways to save for a vacation

Tyler and I just booked our five year anniversary trip. WHAT. Honestly, that blows my mind. It doesn’t feel like its been five years. Time for a vacation! I think we all can agree the last two years have been a whirlwind for everyone. We have been trying to cut back on spending this year, and so far so good! As a treat to ourself we splurged on a quick end-of-the-week trip, and wanted to share a few tips so maybe you can too! Here are 5 super easy ways to save money for a vacation in honor of our 5 year anniversary.

Tip #1 Cut Out Coffee Runs. Let’s think about this. One medium specialty coffee at Dunkin costs $4.19. If you go five days a week, that’s roughly $21 for just coffee. And that’s if you only get a medium with nothing else. Very rarely do I leave a coffee shop with just a medium coffee. Sometimes it’s a large, and sometimes it is accompanied by a goodie. I know $21 a week doesn’t sound like much, but it adds up.

Tip # 2 Home Packed/Cooked Meals. Let’s start with lunch. You can barely go anywhere for less than $10 for lunch anymore so we are going to use that number. Thats $50 for a five day week. JUST FOR LUNCH. $200 a month eating out for lunch. That was a tough one for me to swallow. Here is what put this into perspective for me. A Poke Bowl at a local restaurant is $12.99. I became HOOKED on them. I ended up going to Food City and spending roughly $22 and had most of the ingredients. That lasted me literally five lunches. $22/5 = $4.40. Ummm. Wow. Do you want to think about what you are spending if you are eating breakfast out everyday? What about Dinner. Full transparency. This has been our biggest saver.

Tip #3 Make a Grocery List. This falls right in with the last one. You are wanting to save money, so I do not recommend going to the grocery store without a game plan. This is the second biggest place we have saved. I am the worlds worst for just browsing at the grocery store. I am truly a psycho and love grocery shopping. However, I have been known to come home with so many groceries and not really any meals. So now, before I go I will plan out our meals and make a list of everything needed for those recipes. Then I check what we have and mark all that off. By the time I get to the store, I have a list of what is NEEDED. I will occasionally throw in the Swiss rolls or Fudge Rounds because I just can’t help it. Trust me when I say… just make the list.

Tip # 4 Stay Out of the Salon. I know, I know. This one can be hard for some people. However, if you are wanting to save for a fun trip, this is an easy spot to cut. Depending on where you are located or what type of nails you may be getting, you could pay anywhere from $25- $40. Just for the sake of it, we will use the low number. Thats $50 if you go biweekly. Let’s add in a $75-$125 for a monthly massage. What the heck, while we are at the salon let’s just go ahead and get that pedicure… for $40. See what I mean? That adds up quickly and can be a good amount to put back for a nice trip. You can always do press on nails from Ulta or Walmart. I use the KISS version, and honestly love them. I think they are like $8 and you can find them on sale at Ulta sometimes. Or visit your local beauty school. Ours offer these services for a much cheaper cost.

Tip #5 Cut Back on the Shopping. Say it with me. JUST BECAUSE IT IS ON SALE DOESN’T MEAN YOU NEED IT. I know, those sales can get ya. But do you REALLY need that soft grey shacket to go along with your black one and your light grey (yes this is a personal story. yes I have a problem)? Also, yes Target has released new clothes. No you do not need them. You are wanting to go on vacation, remember?

Here is a freebie for you. It is not something to necessarily “cut”. Go through your closet. Go through your cabinets. Have a yard sale. You never know how much you can make and put towards a trip! Plus, it feels really good to get rid of stuff you no longer use!

Well folks, that’s all for today. I hope this helps you. And remember these are just suggestions. To us, traveling is more important than eating out all the time. Some people could not care less about traveling. To each their own. Do you have any suggestions for saving? Does your family or you personally do a savings challenge? I would love to hear anymore tips you may have!