If you want to go on your dream vacation and are planning your travel bucketlist in 2020, you have to give up something to save some money. You probably know that saving money is a necessity in our daily lives and sometimes it is more difficult than you want it to be. This is where you will have to be honest with yourself and check your everyday habits. Learning how to save money for travel doesn’t have to be painful. Here are some helpful ideas on how to save money from your everyday routines and grow those travel savings!

1. Cook at home. Try to overcome the wasteful habit of having lunch and dinner in restaurants. Try to cook your food at home at least three times a week, and soon you will notice how much your meal budget will be reduced. If you do not have time to stand by the oven, then you can limit yourself to buying ready-to-eat meals that are enough to heat in the microwave before use.
2. Avoid coffee breaks in bars and restaurants This does not mean that you should stop drinking coffee at all, but you can start making coffee at home and drink it at breakfast before you go to work. Or you can always carry a stainless steel flask with your premade specially flavored coffee.
3. Make a shopping list before going to the store Resist the temptation to buy everything in a row just because the sales season and big discounts are at your local store. If you make a shopping list before you go to the store, this will help you focus on the things you need and avoid the temptation to buy a bunch of junk.
4. Keep track of how long foods are stored in your refrigerator If you increasingly find yourself having to throw away spoiled cold cuts, meat, gravy, dairy, and other products, then it’s time to start thinking about the contents of your refrigerator or purchase products in smaller quantities.
5. Do not take loans and leases
   Resist the temptation to take a loan, borrow money or lease to buy a car and the like, no matter how profitable the proposal seems to you. Do not buy things that you really cannot afford. If you are tempted to loan, you will lose a huge amount of money by paying interest.
6. Pay your bills on time
   Get ready when it comes time to pay your monthly bills. Automate it all, which means let the bank pay your bills automatically from your bank account. Then, you will never forget to pay the bill and you will not have to pay a penalty for late payment.
7.  Borrow books instead of buying them If you have the option, borrow the books you want to read from the library. An annual subscription to library services is much cheaper than buying even one book.
8. Avoid spontaneous purchases
   Avoid spontaneous shopping. If you need to buy something, find out the prices and offers from different sellers to be sure that you have made a really good purchase.
9. Use public transportation instead of your car If you are lucky enough to live close to work, then use buses, ride a bike or motorcycle, instead of driving your car. You can also use inexpensive transport services to get to shops, post offices or other places that are not so far from your home.
10. Pay Yourself first when you get paid! What I mean by this is, to add money to your savings, and travel fund before dispersing your paycheck to everything else that is a debit to your account. If you don’t cut into that pie for your plans, you will never find the money otherwise. Putting what is important first, keeps you from spending on frivolous things that you will regret. It’s easily done with phone apps like Acorn or Stash. Like come on, who are we kidding with that 5th red nail polish and 10th pair of jeans that you swear are different than the others. I think you’d be happier at year’s end with that trip to Bali. Don’t you agree?

What do you do to add to your travel fund? Do you use any of the tips that I haven’t mentioned? Let’s discuss!! In the meantime, I’d love it if you were to follow me on Instagram and Twitter. Ask me whatever!

Until our next rendezvous …

XOXO

Trudy

This post was collaborative effort.