Top tips for Saving money

Hiya,
I was just wondering what peoples tips were for saving for travel?
At the moment I am saving hard and have managed to save a lot by home cooking and cutting back on alcohol. Does anyone have some non obvious saving tips?

James

Edited by: katija

I get a big plastic display bottle from a liquor store. I paste pictures on the side of it, of places I'd really like to see/visit.

Every night, ALL CHANGE goes into it. I put it by where I undress,
You'll be surprised how quick that thing will fill up.

happy trails!

Thats a great tip! It reminds me of the first part of Up where they are trying to save for a trip to Peru. I will get on that.
Thanks
James

Edited by: katija

depending on the temperature where you live, turn off the air conditioning or turn the heat down to a minimum.

that way you will save money and you will prepare yourself for your adventures ahead.

on that note you could shower weekly, stop shaving, walk everywhere and cut your own hair. hahah =)

also, couchsurfing is a great way to meet people from different areas and have a good time without spending a lot of money. then, when you travel you'll have a place to stay.

My roommate and I rented out our living room and attic :P Not tolerable to most people, but we're all broke... three of us are also on my (discounted) phone plan, so we have iPhones for half the normal bill. Buy in bulk as much as you can.

I budget US$5 of "whatever" a day (coffee, food, beer), US$40/week on groceries and cook meals, and use Mint.com to keep track of it all. My credit card has frequent flier miles, so I put almost everything on my credit card and pay it off in full before it's due. This always keeps me accountable for every penny I spend, because I can see it on Mint.. as opposed to cash, which isn't as trackable unless you want to collect a bizillion receipts. I've racked up enough miles to save US$2000 on flights during my trip.

I also do as much under-the-table work as possible, e.g. dog-sitting, housecleaning, etc. It makes me effectively more per hour than my full-time job. I put that money towards pre-trip supplies.

I also have a piggy bank like #gawkabout's - I bought a laminated wall map to plot routes on, and used the tube it came in as a travel bank... pasted map pictures, random tickets, money and entrance passes from former trips on it, and dump all my change in it. There's some $5's and $10's in there too :P

Act like a poor person, get rich.

Get a big plastic display bottle from a liquor store. Paste pictures of a few must sees on the side, to keep fired up on that dream.

Every night ALL change from pocket goes in it.

happy trails

Get a part time job or like muteki said, try to do as much under the table work as you can. Aside from saving, I find that expenses can also be cut down significantly if you travel with a group.

One trick for me is to never purchase anything the first time I see it. You will be surprised how many times you realise that you don't need it at all or that you are fine with a cheaper version. Impulse buying is one of the worst way to kill a budget.

Same with groceries: go there with a list and don't buy anything that is not on that list (unless it is milk or coffee).

Last but not least: forget about bottled water ... check with your cityhall and you may find out that the tap water quality is just as good as the bottled water, sometimes even better!

I try never to pay the full price for accomodation. I ask how much the room is and then ask if its possible to get it a bit cheaper. If they so no, I start to walk away and hey, many times suddenly the room is cheaper, try it!

true... just spend less on your trip... bargain, and realize that authenticity you do not buy with money... unless you think bungee jumping is the way to discover Zambia

Whilst travelling, always buy tomorrows food the night before. No matter which country you're in - on what continent, there'll be a shop in a town that's open till late and closes at around 10-11pm. They'll sell off some of their fresh food at around half price (or even less ! !) about half an hour or so before they close up. Saves a fortune over a month on the road.

cut coupons only buy items on sale and then use coupon on top of that

I don't know enough about you to make other recomendations some things I can live without like a cellphone other people can't.

Ones home or cars are big factors downsizeing those are a big start. I have found my tastes get simpler as time goes by. I no longer require these things.

I think for me is just priortizing what you will spend save first before you do anything else. One rule for me is once money goes into my travel fund it is never touched.

oats for breakfast, PB&Js for lunch, rice and beans for dinner, fruit for snacks (pick from trees in your backyard/neighborhood/orchard).
learn local edible plants and fungi - harvest them.
visit your local food bank, soup kitchen (offer to volunteer too).
buy from thrift stores.
grow your own food.
dumpster dive.
walk/bike/hitch everywhere.
trade & barter.
do it yourself.
enjoy the simple life!

If you drink a lot of coffee or tea, invest in a vacuum thermos. Make your hot drinks at home and bring your thermos along with you to work or whenever you're out and about, rather than buying from cafes or coffee shops. It sounds minor but it can really add up fast, and as a bonus, you can bring the thermos along with you when it's finally time for your trip. (I hear the minimalists screaming in horror even as I write this, but I drink a lot of coffee, and so for me, taking along a thermos is well worth the weight penalty. YMMV.)

12,, a friend just told me dumpster dives at mini storage places, at the end of months.

He found a computer and took it to a compyter shop.
The owner said it was ok, but full of porn.

He had the giy clean it out of all that trash. He then gave it to a poor black college student.