As Summer comes upon us, the road trips, pool days and picnics in the park with your kids will start to ramp up. The big family vacation is right at your front door. And while Summer is only here for a few months, now is as great a time as ever to start thinking and saving towards it. Americans love a good vacation, planning gives us something to look forward to all those months ahead of time, I know it’s one of my favorite ways to enjoy that pre-vacation bliss. Think about it, have a bad day at work? Just envision lying on the beach in Hawaii with a Mai Tai in hand! See? Works every time.
Keep in mind the process to save money shouldn’t be a burden or stressful, that is why you plan months and months in advance. But how do you save a year in advance? Here are some suggestions according to the Penny Hoarder, and some from us on the top 10 creative ways in which to save money for that next big family vacation.
- Open a dedicated high-interest saving account, and set up a automatic deposit every month to drop into the account.
- Cut back on monthly food budgets — buy in bulk, grow your own fruits and vegetables, or cut out extras you don’t need like soda or candy.
- Use your car to make some extra money — you can rent out your car (Relay Rides or Get Around), or drive for Uber/Lyft on the side. If you live in a metropolitan enough area selling your car, and getting around on foot, bike or public transport could be an option and in no time you could add a huge check into that savings account!
- Pick up a side job — a little extra income never hurt anybody! There are always freelance, contract or seasonal roles that need to be filled, for fall think raking leaves, pick apples in an orchard, or temp sales associate come holiday season. That side job will make saving that much easier and sweeter.
- Save on housing — if you have an extra room or garage you can turn into a small living space it’s a good opportunity to rent it out on Airbnb, you can also save on your utility bills by contacting PG&E, your cable provider, or home/renters insurance to see what they can do about lowering costs before you begin to look at other companies. Generally, they will want to save your business and will most likely accommodate if you haven’t asked before.
- Selling nice but unneeded stuff — this is one of the easiest ways to declutter and make some cash, trust me, I just did it! Use services like Threadflip or The Real Real to sell trendy clothing, you can also try selling furniture or home goods via eBay, FB groups/Instagram stories, or Craigslist.
- Make your Credit Card work for you — pay for expenses with a credit card that allows you to accumulate airline miles and you might end up flying to vacation for free.
- Spend less on working out — working out is so crucial to staying sane and de-stressing, but gyms are pricey and there are lots of other ways to workout and stay in shape on the cheap. Think, YouTube video tutorials, renting DVD’s at the library to follow along, running a path in your neighborhood, at home yoga, or head to Groupon and see if there are any discounted gym rates.
- Finding deals on outdoor equipment – if your vacation will consist of outdoor adventures involving equipment you need to buy like tents, skis, or gear, you can save money by purchasing second hand whether at a garage sale, or thrift shop. You can also resell your gear post-vacation to make some of that money back and plan for that next trip!
- Get paid to take a vacation — be a tour guide, explore a new destination and write a freelance article you can pitch to magazines or online publications.
These are some great suggestions on how to save for that big family trip, we know they can definitely solve some of the but-what’s-next questions on saving. If you are coming up short on time to save or find your self in need to money ASAP feel free to give us at Credit Direct a call. We can loan up to $40,000, more than enough to cover that luxe vacation you are envisioning, we’re sure.