And just worry about having fun!
You will remember that we did not tell you that **it is possible to travel practically for free**, although this sometimes implies somewhat radical behavior , like catching the food that supermarkets throw away when they close. However, this year you can increase the number and duration of your trips in a much more "classic" way : saving.
That yes, that you have tried many times and there is no way, that in the end or little that you manage to collect goes to some unexpected expense much more "important" than escaping to Bolivia. But everything is relative, adventurous friend, and a life-changing ride scores higher than a broken clutch once you look back.
The key is therefore not lose perspective and live doing what you really want. What is it that you really want? Let's do this simple exercise to find out: If you were told that you had one month left on Earth, how would you want to spend it? We are going to say that, as the average reader of Traveler, you will answer that surrounded by yours and knowing the world.
Okay, now think that today can be your last day among the living (and this is not an assumption: any day can be the last, of course). Look at your past: Are you happy with what you see? Are there more hours of work than fun? How many of the traveling purposes that you had did you fulfill? How many did you leave behind?
This is how we want to see ourselves when we look back
HOW TO SAVE WITHOUT DYING TRYING: PEROGRULLO TIPS THAT YOU NEED TO PUT INTO PRACTICE NOW!
First of all, make a list of ALL the expenses you have in a month. Include every little thing, like the mid-morning coffee or the chocolate bar you buy for the movies. If you don't remember your finances in detail, use your card statement , which can give you clues, or better yet: record each of your transactions in a personal finance app (there are millions!).
Keep your expenses under control for at least four weeks: you will realize that Much of your money goes on nonsense. And it is precisely that percentage that you want to save to do big things. That's why:
- CUT IN VICES: Skip the coffee, especially if it's from Starbucks or some other particularly expensive brand. If you are sleepy, sleep more or get up earlier and make yourself a good coffee at home ; reduce your spending on alcohol: we are not saying that you should not drink, we are saying that if you can drink the first few in a friend's lounge, your account will drop significantly; stop smoking: win your wallet and your lungs!
- PUT A LIMIT ON THE MEALS YOU EAT OUTSIDE THE HOME: Take the number of times you go to restaurants and cut it in half. If necessary, take Tupperware to work, even if it's hard for you to start cooking. In the end, the comfort of having food put in front of you is very expensive. Remember: every meal you save in your city is a meal you can make in another country!
- SUBSCRIBE TO PUBLIC OR NON-POLLUTING TRANSPORTATION: Walk or take the bike when you can, which, in addition, you will exercise, or get a bus, metro or similar pass and take the opportunity to read on the journeys. You will avoid the stress of traffic and parking, as well as gasoline.
- LEAVE THE COMMERCIAL AREAS: From home to work and back again: sometimes you need a break, and you go for a walk in the city center. MISTAKE: As nice as it is to visit it from time to time, it is full of commercial areas designed to encourage you to consume. You'll end up having a drink on a terrace (something you won't be able to have on the other side of the world, remember) or buying something you don't really need. Instead, take a walk in a park or better yet, get lost in nature. Perhaps at first it may not seem as "fun" as window shopping, because we are used to constant stimuli, but in reality what your body is looking for when it wants to take a break is PEACE, not neon lights.
You hardly need any money to have real fun!
- REPEAT WITH ME: "I DON'T NEED IT": Before buying anything, think: Do I really need it? Then go home and let a few days go by without spending. It will save you from impulse purchases (the worst!) and you will realize that there are many things that you acquire simply to "reward yourself" , for example, because you have worked a lot that week. When you detect that you need some kind of gratification, go camping, play sports, sit on the couch and watch a movie, meet a friend or take a long bath: exchange the consumerist gratification (whose satisfaction, on the other hand, will last very little) for time for you and save that money to buy plane tickets.
- INVESTIGATE: If you have finally decided that you have to get that item, don't buy the first one you see. Compare prices and quality (with the internet it's very easy!), check if it's cheaper in another store or online and see if it's worth paying a lot of money this time. It may be something important (for example, a refrigerator that spends very little ) and that "cheap is expensive" becomes true.
- IF IT WORKS, DO NOT TOUCH IT : It is difficult to live under this maxim used by computer scientists when we are bombarded daily with advertising about how wonderful that new TV/computer/washing machine/cream (insert ANYTHING here) is, but it is also absurd to simply change cars because there is another more fashionable. A trick to minimize consumer pressure: skip the tv , and instead make use of an on-demand content service such as Netflix (quite cheap and without advertising) or even AtresPlayer and the like, which have far fewer spots than general channels. And don't forget the internet!
- CHECK WHAT YOU HAVE: Is your bank card the best you can get? Why not unsubscribe from the landline now that we go everywhere with the mobile? Can you switch to a low-cost company on your electricity bill? Saving requires being an attentive consumer . Take a while, even if it seems like a pain, and your trip to New York will be a few euros closer!
- DON'T GET INTO CREDITS: If you don't have money to buy it, don't do it. It is better to save and pay everything at once to mortgage yourself with credits that you may not be able to repay and whose interests will make you wish you had never been born.
The more comfortable you are at home, the less you need to go outside to consume
- SUBSCRIBE TO THE SECOND HAND: The blender you need to start cooking more at home is half price at Wallapop, the records that cost you five euros in the store are one at the flea markets and queuing in a shopping center loses meaning when you can find clothes much more special that is sold by weight in any vintage store. Not to mention that your best friend has the TV you need, who is going to move house and doesn't know where to put it. Keep your eyes peeled and you'll even find unique items! Another valid option is to get used to buying only during the sales period.
- DO IT YOURSELF: You can paint the walls, clean your house, make some bookshelves, and even cut your own hair. The Internet is full of tutorials that will teach you how to carry out practically any task, however crazy it may seem. Try it!
- DIRECTLY, PASS THE MONEY: Believe it or not, you can get a lot of things without money. There are, for example, time banks, in which each one contributes their know-how, and networks of people who exchange clothes or objects that they no longer use (and there is a lot on offer in this regard in matters of babies and children: you can search those in your area on the internet). You can also propose new transactions, such as holding a yoga studio reception for a few hours a week in exchange for taking classes. Being creative is being thrifty!
Remember : it is mainly about keep perspective. Of imagine yourself in your favorite destination whenever you are going to fall into indulgence (put a picture of it in your portfolio if necessary!) Also, if it seems too much to do all these things at once, always you can try each month with one of the tips.
When the 30 days are up and your trip bank is fill it with the euros you haven't spent on the cafeteria bun , you will realize that you do not miss it so much, and that, in some way, you feel freer to disassociate yourself from the need to buy "the latest" and by avoiding regrets that follow compulsive shopping . Try and tell us!
When the forces of saving weaken, imagine yourself like this
HOW TO SAVE WITHOUT DYING TRYING: A VERY EASY PROJECT TO FILL YOUR PIGGY BANK
With the habits that we have mentioned you can spend less in a very short time , but how to make effective savings? The best thing is that you set yourself a goal. Think: How much money do you need for your trip and when do you have to have it accumulated? Maybe... 1,378 euros in a year? Then this is for you:
- 52 WEEK CHALLENGE: The gradual nuance of this project makes it ideal for beginners . Thus, the first week you save one euro, the second two, the fifth five... So that at the end of the 52 weeks that a year has, you have a balance of 1,378 euros in your favor, which is enough for a trip quite interesting, don't you think? Well go for it!
Where do you want to go? The whole world awaits you!
*** You may also be interested in...**
- The definitive guide to travel without money - Tips and tricks to find cheap flights - Fly for free all your life? This billionaire has made it - For your trips: Cash or card? - This couple has been traveling the world with their four children for 15 years - 21st century nomads: a perpetual roadtrip in search of beauty - Seven good, beautiful and cheap getaways - Practical tips for traveling and saving in Southeast Asia - Free Berlin: what to do without spending a dime in Europe's cheapest capital - Nine apps to help you on your vacation - This couple has left everything to live by the sea - All articles by Marta Sader
Prepared?