When planning a trip, money is often a headache for many. With today's post we want to show you how easy it can be to save a few euros/dollars/soles/any currency throughout the year so you can spend them like royalty during your trip. And we're also going to challenge you to a simple challenge that will save you €1,050 in one year !
The most basic trick that we should all do is to record each of the expenses we make (shopping, bills, gasoline...) in our daily lives. This way, at the end of the month, we can see where we spend the most money and be able to act to reduce it. You can make an Excel spreadsheet with some tables and set yourself some goals.
Now, let's see the tricks to save money divided into categories:
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| TIPS TO SAVE MONEY EATING
- Avoid buying drinks: water is much cheaper (and healthier).
- Learn to cook: you'll avoid eating out, save money and enjoy it just as much - or more.
- Take a Tupperware with you to eat at work. Do a simple calculation: a normal meal in a normal restaurant costs between €7-10. This means an expense of around €35-50 a week, €140-200 a month, €1,680-2,400 a year!!
- Same goes for coffee: make it at home and take it with you in a thermos. If you get bored with plain coffee, there are thousands of ideas online for making special coffees. Just think: 30€ a month saved on coffee is 360€ saved a year… and with 360€ you can live a month in Southeast Asia!
- Create a weekly menu: this way you will only buy what you need and forget about the 'just in case' items.
- Avoid drinking alcohol. It's okay to have a couple of beers during the week or a couple of mojitos at the weekend, but be careful with what you spend: if you drink an average of 4 drinks a week you'll be spending around €80 a month, €960 a year!
- Don't waste food: it's not just a matter of saving money, but also of ethics. A good trick to avoid throwing away anything you've bought is to make mini-inventories once a week: this way you'll know everything you have and when you should use it.
- Create your own little garden at home (on the balcony you can grow tomatoes, lettuce, parsley, basil, mint, rosemary and more…).
| TIPS TO SAVE MONEY AT THE SUPERMARKET
- Make a shopping list… and stick to it!
- Go shopping with a full stomach.
- Check out the different offers and find out about discounts.
- Ask if there are any special offers (at the Consum near our house there are 50% off meat offers, especially early on Mondays).
- Buy the savings packs, but only if you are sure you will use them.
- Look at the price per kg/litre: the final price is not what counts, you have to consider the price per kg/litre.
- Use loyalty cards.
- Always check your purchase receipt to make sure you were charged correctly.
- Don't buy plastic bags, take cloth ones.
| A NICE TRICK TO SAVE MONEY AND GET HOOKED UP
| TIPS TO SAVE MONEY ON TRANSPORTATION
- Consider whether you really need a car… if you live in a big city, public transport (or a bike) may be sufficient. You will save on parking and petrol.
- If your car is essential in your life, we recommend that you download the “Gasolineras de España” app to find the cheapest gas station offers near your home.
- Use blablacar , a platform where you share car seats for a modest price: for example, if you are travelling from Madrid to Barcelona, you can place an ad so that other travellers can join the journey and reserve a seat in your car. On average, a journey from Madrid to Barcelona costs around €30. This means that if you find 4 travellers who join your plan, you could earn €120 (not including a few travelling companions).
- You can also use it to find transportation from one place to another.
| TIPS TO SAVE MONEY AT HOME/ FREE TIME
- The library is a great ally in times of crisis: here you can find books, films and magazines to enjoy free culture at home.
- Find out about free events in your city.
- Cancel your gym membership and exercise for free (at home, running, cycling, etc.). If you spent around €50 a month going to the gym, you will save around €600 a year!
- Dinner at a restaurant will cost you around €15-30. It's better to organise a home-cooked dinner with friends: each person can take care of a dish (starter, main course or dessert). It's much cheaper and just as fun, if not more. You can take turns to take the same dish home so you don't always have to eat the same dish!
- There are websites (Groupon, Let's Bonus, Atrapalo…) that offer real bargains like 2 for 1 in restaurants, discounts on plane tickets, hotel nights at bargain prices… the best thing would be to resist the temptation to save as much as possible, but a treat every now and then is not a crime either!
- Sell what you don't need: clothes, appliances, furniture, books... everything you won't need can be sold online on websites like www.segundamano.es or in apps like Wallapop...
- …or you can sell your things to your friends and acquaintances (if you are going on a trip you can organize a farewell party and take advantage of the opportunity to hold an auction).
- Don't buy on a whim! Before you do, count to 10. Or 100. Or 1,000. Most of the time we don't really need what we want to buy... hold back and you'll have more money to spend on your trips!
- Instead of buying gifts… make them! DIY is becoming more and more popular and a handmade gift is worth much more.
- Don't touch your extra pay. I know that the temptation to buy a new outfit or go to a rural hotel as soon as you get your extra pay is strong, very strong. But if you manage to leave them intact, you can increase your travel budget by a few more €€€€!
- Obviously… save on electricity: the most famous advice for saving money! Turn off all appliances, use low-consumption light bulbs, don't use the oven too much, wash clothes in cold water, don't put hot food in the fridge.
- Only use the dishwasher when it is fully loaded, although if you manage to get into the habit of washing up right after eating, you will save a lot of money! We are working on it…
- If you go out to 'look' at the shops, don't take your credit card with you. Only cash...and not much!
- Stop smoking: it's terrible and expensive. If you smoke a pack a week you're spending around €208 a year and if you smoke more... do the math.
| TIPS TO SAVE MONEY WHILE TRAVELING
Oh… I think this deserves a separate post 🙂 Coming soon!
– MINI CHALLENGES TO SAVE UP TO €1,050 A YEAR –
We bring you a few mini challenges that will help you save more than €1,000 in a year with very little effort! With that money you can go on a great vacation to many incredible destinations around the world.
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CREATE A 0€ SPEND DAY
Once a week, don't spend anything, don't shop at the supermarket, don't have a beer, don't buy a t-shirt... NOTHING!
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SAVE €1 DAILY
If you manage to save €1 daily you will end up having another €360 to enjoy on your travels!
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SAVE €20 A WEEK
If you manage to save €20 a week you can count on €960 a year!
And now… the super method to save €1,050 a year:
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Easy, right? Do you know any other tricks to save money ?
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