That said, family vacations certainly do not come cheap. With so many costs to consider (flights, transportation, food and entertainment costs) and the fact that you are paying for multiple people rather than just yourself, the price of taking a trip soon mounts up. It can feel as though saving for a vacation is something that could take an eternity if you are just depending on your usual salary to cover the costs but fortunately there are several ways in which you can make a little extra to fund your trip, or become better at budgeting and saving for a short period.
Assess Your Outgoings
Sometimes we become so accustomed to living with a certain budget or managing our finances in a particular way that we never really feel the need to question it. Assess your expenses each month and see if there is any way that you can cut back and improve them so that you save a little. For example, it may have become the norm that you stroll into Starbucks every morning and order that Grande Caramel Macchiato and a Cinnamon swirl, but $5 per day adds up quickly and if you cut that out, you've got yourself your entire vacation food budget! Start walking past Starbucks every day like a horse with blinkers on. Like seriously, pretend like you haven't even seen it.
Cut Down on Transport Costs
Do you and your partner both run cars and drive to work every day? It may be more comfortable and convenient to run your own private vehicles but it's not necessarily the most economical. In order to save money, consider walking or cycling one or two days a week (if your workplace is within a reasonable distance). Alternatively consider carpooling. Sure Sheila from accounting is super annoying, but the money she will pitch in for the gas is just that little bit extra you need to boost your family vacation fund.
Take on Extra Work
In an ideal world, making extra money would be as simple as asking our employers for a little extra work or overtime and then going ahead with the additional time assigned in order to make more money. In reality it's not always possible to receive extra pay in this way, especially if you are a salaried employee that does not qualify for overtime. If you feel as though your monthly paycheck does not stretch and you want to make a little extra there are a few things you consider.
Find freelance work - It is possible to find freelance work across a number of fields. You may be surprised by how many jobs come with the ability to work remotely. You can find freelance work through online job boards and social media groups for freelancers. This is not just restricted to creative endeavours like writing and design, you can even find sales roles and administrative roles that enable you to work remotely.
Take on part time work - If you are working a 9-5 in an office, perhaps you or your partner could consider taking on a more casual extra job in the short term to make a little extra during the weekends and evenings. Roles like bar work, restaurant work and call center work are favorites here since they typically allow a flexibility of schedule.
Teach English Online - With more and more people around the globe realizing the importance of learning English, the demand for English Teachers is at an all time high. Even if you do not have a formal teaching qualification, it is possible to teach English online, particularly to people in the Far East. More often than not, these people simply want to practice their spoken English with a native speaker and as such, all you need to do is chat with them and help them improve their vocabulary and pronunciation. You may even make a new foreign friend in the process!
Sell Your Junk!
You don't need to begin pawning all of your worldly possessions but you would be surprised by how much money you have held up in junk that you have laying around your apartment that you never use. From selling your old jewelry and clothes, to selling DVDs and electrical items, there are numerous sites online dedicated to buying your old things from you. The beauty of many of these services is that there is almost zero effort required on your part at all. Most of these services will arrange a courier to come to your home to collect the items. Once they have been received, the payment for them appears in your bank account just like magic!
Switch to Budget Food Alternatives
Take a look at your food budget and see if there is any wiggle room for making some short term cost reductions. Can you cut out some of your luxuries and indulgences? Can you switch to own brand produce instead of organic lines? There is potential to save a relative amount of money this way.
Save the Change
Have you ever noticed how you always seem to accrue a heap of change at the bottom of your purse/pocket/wallet? Instead of letting this change linger, or spending it on junk just for the sake of using it up, add it to a jar or a tin. You would be surprised by how fast this can accumulate in value!
0 Comments