When you hear the word travel, what do you think of? The thrill of adventure? Your upcoming / previous trip? Or money?
Money is usually the first thing people think of when it comes to travelling. And, because of this thought, there are so many of us who will never see beyond our own backyards. It’s the oldest excuse in the book… “I can’t afford it”.
To be able to see the world is a privilege that we have to work for. Plus, with no adventure being the same, you will find that travelling definitely builds your character. My previous experiences have definitely made me who I am today, but I will save that for the next entry.
I firmly believe that all of the small things add up. So, I thought I would write a list of 5 small changes you can make, to guarantee extra cash on your next (or first) trip.
1. Do you really need that coffee?
Coffee is the enemy of saving. Believe me, I calculated it. Let’s say you buy a coffee every day before work. Is it $3? Maybe even cheaper? Let’s say, you then catch up with a friend on the weekend over coffee. That’s $3 x 6 days = $18. Imagine what that might become after a month, or even a year. Once you realise how much you spend on coffee annually, it’s quite scary. Since I calculated my expenses, I have resorted to only making instant coffee, and TBH, I’ve become quite the pro.
2. Would you rather…
Start to mentally compare what you are doing right now, and see if it would be even better in another country. Here are some examples:
Would you rather buy a coffee from the same place every day? Or a coffee in Rome?
Would you rather eat a croissant at your local cafe, or in France?
Would you rather order from Pizza Hut, or Pizzaria La Notizia in Naples?
Would you rather drink at your local bar, or in London?
Trust me, it all adds up.
3. You can make that at home!
There seems to be a food pattern right now… But it is food that takes away most of our money! One thing that I find with A LOT of people, is that they think it is cheaper to buy fast food, or even frozen meals. While, yes, it appears that way at the time, you can also buy fresh ingredients that will last many meals, for example:
A footlong Subway is around 7.00 – 10.00 AUD. It might even be cheaper where you are. But, instead of spending $10 on one meal, I can buy all of the ingredients for around $15. Seems more expensive, right? However, in the end, I have 8 – 10 wraps and my lunch is set for the entire week. It’s also much more nutritious!
My motto here is: Don’t buy what you can make.
PLUS: Get in the habit of ordering table water, rather than buying soft drinks (coke, etc.)
4. Shop alone, or online!
I find that shopping with friends can be a very influential experience. How many times have you bought something, purely because your friends kept saying how “cute” or “good” it looks? Sure, they might be right, however, you might not actually need it.
I realised that splurging only ever happened when I was with friends, and to shop by myself meant that I had more time to consider my purchase.
Ask yourself these questions next time you are shopping:
Will I take this on my next overseas trip?
Can I think of more than one event that I can wear this to?
Does it match with anything I already own?
Is it on sale?
Personally, I try to only shop when there is a sale. Although, I have also recently found that online shopping can be a very strict and thoughtful process. It’s so easy to just select everything you like, however, once you look at your shopping cart, it’s a different story. Are you willing to spend that much online? What if it doesn’t fit you? There is much more to consider. I have found that by choosing just a few favourite online stores, I have much more control in what I am spending. My number one rule is to never spend more than 100 AUD online. I also try to only shop once a month, whether it is online or in store.
My favourite online stores:
Meshki
Showpo
Beginning Boutique
5. Split your Pay
As soon as my pay comes through, I seperate it into five categories. First is Rent. Second is Bills. Third is Travel. Fourth is Savings. Fifth is Groceries. Just by getting into the habit of separating your pay, you will see how quickly it can actually build. As a result, you will feel much more organised, and you won’t be as tempted to buy unnecessary items.
And that concludes my five tips to save money! Heard it all before? Maybe. But, just by putting my mind to it, I have found that it actually works. All you have to do now is commit to the idea of saving, whether it is for travel, or something else, and you will feel much more in control!
xx
that film chic 