14 Ways to Save For Your Next Adventure

Many people have this perception that you can only travel if you’re rich. That is certainly not the case. And I would just like to provide a disclaimer--- these are not easy changes to make. But for many of us, to achieve the things we want, we have to make sacrifices. After saving and budgeting for four major trips, I have adopted a particular lifestyle that facilitates a more intense way of saving. Although I have not completely embraced all of these opportunities, I do feel like these provide a good starting block for those of you who would like to travel, but "just don't know how" to pay for it.

Here are 14 changes you could make in your life, right now, to help you towards your next adventure.

Air-conditioning / heat. Believe it or not, it is possible to live in a winter climate without heat. Call me crazy. But I went the entire fall and winter seasons without turning on my heat, except for two days (when I had the flu). Living solo and not being able to split utilities, made this one of my bills that I knew I needed to reduce. During the winter, I survived by sleeping with a heated blanket type of contraption. Some nights got down to 50F in my apartment. But it was doable. On these nights, it was so cold that I slept in triple layers, with a knitted hat and gloves. Call me crazy. But I prefer to say- it’s dedication.😊 My utility bill has not gone above $70 since I cut heat/AC out. My friends and colleagues were paying upwards of $400 a month on their heating bill this winter.

This is a rolling savings of about $80-100 per month. 6 months later - $480-600 saved.

Transportation (gas). Gas is expensive. Carpool or take public transportation. Although this was not a strategy that I particularly used to save money, choosing to ride a bike, walk, or carpool can definitely save you money.

I fill up my car 2x/month for $50.
$50 x 4 = $200 a month
$200 x 6 months = $1200 spent

Anything that reduces this number is fantastic. Personally, I carpool a lot. I am lucky that many of my friends live nearby. I would say I am ride-sharing for at least five rides each week. Even though saving gas wasn't one of my major goals and hasn't been an expense I particularly tracked, it has worked out to be an area of savings.  

Eating out. I could go on a soap box about eating out. You don’t realize how often you “eat out” until you cut it out completely. Let me tell you--- for me, this wasn’t an easy sacrifice. Why? I don’t mind cooking for myself. That wasn’t my issue. My struggles came from when friends and colleagues would ask me to grab lunch and I would have to decline. This was more of a social sacrifice, than anything. Now, I did have a few exceptions that I do not want to be hypocritical about. As a graduate student, there were some events when I was required to attend a business lunch or workshop/training and had to provide my own lunch. For these instances, I did succumb to purchasing my meal.

Most people eat out 2-3 per week. For each time you cut, you save at least $10. That’s about a $40 savings per month, if you were only eating out one time before you decided to make the change.

Choosing to eat out one less time per week $40 per month. 6 months later - $240 saved.
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Drinking out. I love to go out, especially to bars/clubs. This was a particular struggle for me over these last six months. If you can cut-out “drinking out”, you will save so much money. Unfortunately, I couldn’t go “cold-turkey” on this one. So, I gave myself some rules instead. For those of you who do not drink alcohol or coffee, good on you. You’re already saving money.

            Alcohol. My rule: You are allowed to have one purchased drink per week. It has to be under $5. If the drink is $2 and you could get two for under $5, sorry. You can only have one. That’s it. End of story. If someone happens to buy you a drink, that doesn’t go towards your count.

            Coffee. I am a coffee-holic. I love coffee. Immediately, I cut out buying coffee at coffee shops. This means no more lattes at Starbucks. ☹ I tried to think about how I could spend the least amount of money and still enjoy coffee. I use a drip coffee maker and buy ground coffee. I do not throw away coffee, ever. Old coffee- I turn into iced coffee. As a reward, I occasionally allow myself to buy a coffee/tea from Starbucks. But my rules are that I am not allowed to buy anything fancy. So plain coffee or unsweetened tea. That’s it. No exceptions. Once again, if someone happens to buy you a coffee, that doesn’t work against you. Good for you! 😊 As my trip neared and I approached the 90 day mark, I realized that although I wasn’t spending a lot of money on my coffee habit, I was still spending money. And a little bit does add up. I stopped buying the flavored creamers. I stuck to buying half-and-half and blended coconut-almond milk. Combined, this would cost me $6 and would last me two weeks. So, my coffee habit was essentially costing me $12 for creamer and about $6 for a bag of coffee, per month. Even though this is under $20, my last month and a half, I cut my coffee consumption too. So instead of having 2-3 cups per day, I switched to about 5 cups, per week. Like I said, although it may have only saved me a few dollars. Dollars do add up.

Switching to drip coffee at home:
($6/bag + $12/creamer) = $18 a month.
$18 x 6 months = $108 spent.

Drinking "coffee shop" coffee, like Starbucks:
Average 5$/drink x 5 days = $25 a week
$25 x 4 weeks = $100 a month
$100 x 6 months = $600 spent

Processed foods. Many people think that processed foods are cheaper, so stick to those to save money. And although this is true to an extent and most processed foods are in fact cheaper than non-processed fresh foods, you end up spending more money on processed foods in general than you would fresh ingredients. Let me explain myself. Pasta, practically without any nutrients, is very cheap. It’s cheap, but it doesn’t really fill you up. There’s no fiber. No protein. No nutrients. So you’re paying for food, but that food isn’t fueling you. Instead I suggest choosing foods that fuel you. And this isn’t easy. Buying a couple pounds of celery for the week and telling yourself that when you’re hungry, you’ll eat celery and peanut butter (among other things) isn’t fun. And I’m not saying that I lived off of celery and peanut butter. I ate very well. Following my snapchat would prove that. But, I stopped buying the empty calories. If it wasn’t going to fuel me, I stopped buying it.

Go grocery shopping with no plans. Okay. So what do I mean by this? Well, if you go to the store with a plan and a grocery list, I guarantee you that you will spend more money than you need to. Why do I say this? Unless you are a coupon counter (which I am not, and would also be great for money-saving), you aren’t going to know what’s on sale and marked-down until you get there. Prices change all of the time. How are you supposed to know when something has been marked up? Obviously, there might be a couple items that might be regulars. For me, (lately) those are bananas, unsweetened blended coconut/almond milk, half-and-half, and non-fat Greek yogurt. That’s it. Other than that, I have no plans with my meals. I go to the produce section. Whatever is on sale, I buy it. I don’t care if I love it, have never eaten it, or have no experience cooking it, it’s going in my basket. You can figure out what you’re going to cook later.

***Side note*** Although I am not making this one of my "must try to save money" options, switching one meal a day to a banana smoothie (liquid meal) is money saving. I spend 50 cents per smoothie I make, between a 1/2 cup of unsweetened blended coconut/almond milk, a banana, and two ice cubes. Making that simple switch, typically saves you between $21-35 per week, depending on what your food budget is. 

“Looking good” costs. This category includes haircuts, manicures, pedicures, waxing, buying cosmetics, tanning, buying new clothing. The list goes on and on. Don’t do it. You don’t need that dress or those shoes. Give it up. Stick to what you have and use it as long as possible. Only replace when it is absolutely necessary.

 “Necessities”. As mentioned in my previous post, unless it’s necessary, you don’t need it. If you make the decision today to only buy when necessary, you will be shocked to see what things you longer are buying. There are so many things that people think they “need”, but only have been accustomed to their comforts. Some of the things I no longer buy include paper towels (I use linen towels), makeup wipes, fruit juice, just to name a few. Literally, if you look at my spending each month. My expenses consist of--- groceries, gasoline, utilities (electric/gas), rent. That’s it.

I give myself about a $20 buffer each month to “splurge” on some item or combination of items to keep myself sane. It serves as a reward. If I were to cut out this $20 “splurge”, I definitely would save myself an extra $120 over six months. To me, a Starbucks iced tea, a piece of salmon at the store, and a celebratory dinner out are worth it.

Presents/gift-giving. Spending money is spending money. Gift-giving seasons can be difficult for individuals who are saving. There are definitely alternatives to purchasing gifts. For me, instead of a physical gift, I enjoy hosting friends over for a nice dinner. I have to feed myself anyways. So I might as well treat a friend to my good cooking. 😉 And honestly, if your friends aren't understanding, they are not really your friends.

Picking up side-jobs. Some people disregard side-jobs because they “don’t make much money”, “aren’t worth it”, or are uncomfortable/inconvenient by nature. Side-jobs are worth it. My side jobs are pretty diverse and I don’t turn down any opportunities for earning money. I have tutored, babysat, taught language lessons, taught Sunday school, coached, and found part-time employment from my university. Honestly, making minimum wage isn’t that intriguing for just a few hours per week. But, like I keep saying, little money does add up.

Tutor one time per month for an extra $25-50. You do that for 6 months and you are earning an additional $150-300 just from one hour each month. ​

Become a “mostly-vegetarian”. I would like to say that I am a “mostly-vegetarian”. I am not a vegetarian for any other reason than meat/fish is expensive. When you cut out meat/fish from your grocery each week, it becomes much cheaper. I can very comfortably spend less than $30 per week, eating well. But recently, I’ve been spending less than $15 per week. I call myself a mostly vegetarian because if/when I eat outside the context of my home, I do eat meat. I love meat. But when it comes to my kitchen, I am basically vegetarian. I buy tofu semi-regularly and eggs. Both of which are cheap.

Invest in hobbies that are free or practically free. Many people have expensive hobbies that require regular costs. Indoor rock-climbing, although really fun, costs no less than $40 month. Practicing martial arts or taking lessons at a dance studio, also really fun, are costly. Going out to the movies. Money. Going shopping. Money. Find hobbies that don’t cost you anything but time. For me, I love to dance. So, I go dancing regularly and go to clubs that don’t charge a cover. Hiking, running, meditation, journaling, reading, learning a new language, playing an instrument, talking with friends and family… the list is limitless. Find things that you love that are also free or practically free.

Stop being a “member”. Anytime you are a member of something, you are responsible for a membership fee, usually monthly. Gym memberships are the easiest thing to cut out. Yes, working out will be more difficult and you’ll have to be more creative. Go on a run. Do exercises/workouts that do not require equipment and that you can do at home. Buddy up and utilize some of your friend’s membership perks. Go to a free community center. Other than gym memberships, subscriptions to anything really do add up. Cut those out and you’ll be surprised how much you save in six months or a year.

Pets. This might spark some debate. But, this needs to be said. If you are a pet lover, good for you. I am not against pets, but pets/babies are extremely expensive. Between food, water, toys/accessories, veterinary costs, and vaccinations… It really adds up. Even keeping a fish requires constant care and cost. When thinking about adding another little one to the family, I would opt out if I were you.
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Overall, there are a variety of different ways that you can make small changes in your life to save a little bit extra each week. Weeks turn into months. Months turn into years. Soon, it just becomes a lifestyle. For some you could make these changes and have enough saved after one month, others might have to go three years. Either way, a sacrifice is a sacrifice. Little money does add up. And eventually, you will have just enough to make your dream trip a reality. 

Happy saving!