Travelling is a freeing experience that provides us with invaluable experiences and memories we can cherish for a lifetime.
Whether it be broadening our horizons, finding a summer romance in a foreign country or seeing landscapes that make us feel in awe of the world, there is something for everyone in travel.
Travel is an absolute privilege and only undertaken by those with the will-power and ambition to put away those hard-earned dollars.
Saving is not an easy thing to do, and requires slight alterations in lifestyle and habits.
Although there may not be commercial travel until 2022, now is the perfect time to save for that first post pandemic trip.
I’m sure you’ve been told to track all your expenses and create a budget for each week before.
These are both great methods to save money but people often lose momentum after a few weeks or months. Longevity is crucial to saving.
Have a side hustle:
One major key to success in saving is finding side hustles. If your income and spending are relatively around the same level and you’re dying to take that Europe trip next year, you’ll need to find new ways to earn.
Find some babysitting jobs in the area. Clean out your closet and sell your old clothes on Depop. Tutor some of your younger sister’s friends. Pick up an extra shift.
Get creative and flexible in the way you make money.
If you don’t have time to earn more, spend less:
Unfortunately, you can’t have it all. Plain and simple.
If you’re working for a modest income in hospitality or customer support, you will need to sacrifice things. If you love buying designer clothes or expensive dinners every week, you may need to slightly alter your lifestyle.
A lot of our income is spent on short-term pleasures that increase our happiness at the time of purchase. We then adjust to having these things and find the next thing to buy and the cycle goes on.
Food and drinks are probably the largest leak in our bank accounts but who can blame us? It’s a social experience and nothing beats clocking off work and heading to a bar with the girls.
Ask yourself, “Is this $20 espresso martini worth it? Will I remember this espresso martini in a year’s time?”
More often than not, you won’t. And these small sacrifices have a butterfly effect.
Have a forward-thinking mindset:
Pre-prepare in all things you do. It’s a fact, whenever you’re in a rush or haven’t planned ahead, you’ll spend money.
If you have a solid outline of what your week will look like, you can preemptively avoid situations where you will need to fork out money.
Meal prepping is a great way to plan ahead for the week and prevent yourself from spending cash on lunches at work. It’s also an investment in your health – an added bonus.
Public transport is often overlooked and underrated. These days, people are opting for convenience (or laziness) and ordering $40 Ubers across Sydney or spending valuable income on petrol.
On nights out, try getting a bus from pres to your party destination and then an Uber on the way home. This way, you’ll halve your transport costs each week.
These may seem tricky to do in the beginning, but as soon as they become habits you’ll be a super saver.
And it’ll all be worth it in the end. There’s nothing more magical and rewarding than saving up, and loving every second of your trip.
