Focus: First and foremost you have to realize that saving money will take a bit of sacrifice, so remain focused and remind yourself of the reward that is waiting for you at the end of your saving journey. That will help keep you focused and less likely to give up.
Keep track: Before you start, look at your credit card bill and cross off everything you think you could have gone without. This will be hard, but be honest. You do not need to eat out. You need gas, groceries and electricity to cook your food. After that, keep track of your spending using an app or the good old notepad.
Have a goal: Price check the vacation you would like to take to make a goal of how much you will need to save and how long it will take you to save that much. Check out prices for hotels, airline, food, entertainment, travel insurance and add a little extra just in case. If you need to save five thousand in ten months, that is 500 a month. Try it for a couple of months and see how feasible it is. If it causes you too much stress, there’s no need to get discouraged. Just extend the your saving time to a year or whatever amount will make you feel comfortable.
Do it yourself: The first rule is to stop paying for services that are superfluous in your life. Make your own coffee, paint your own nails, and make your work lunch at home and so on. This will quickly help you save money. If you can’t even imagine living without those services, make an effort to reduce them. Make your own lunch three times a week if you currently eat out every day for example. Remember, progress, not perfection!
Plan ahead: Pre-pack your snacks for the day or the week to avoid falling into the vending machine trap. Yes, the coke only costs $1.25, but with $4 you can probably buy 12 of them. Be smart about your choices and avoid spending money on impulse buys, even if they don’t cost much.
Unplug: Go around your house and unplug everything that you don’t use in a daily basis.
Prioritize: You will need some entertainment, so separate some of your budget to be spent in things that make you happy. If you love going to the movies, go to the movies. But go to the early bird special and bring a snack from home instead of buying a popcorn and soda combo that will cost you just as much as the movie ticket itself. Or, if you like to eat out, skip the appetizer or alcoholic drink you usually get.
We hope these tips work for you! To learn about extra ways to save, View this Stay Sky Suites Blog! Happy savings and we will see you soon sitting poolside enjoying a cold beverage with us at Lake Buena Vista Resort in Orlando!
