Easy Ways to Save Money for Travelling

Hey Owlets,

One of the first questions I'm always asked when I mention I'm a travel blogger is how I manage to afford to travel so much. Obviously part of my job is visiting different destinations and being paid to share them with you, but I also like to take holidays with my family which requires a lot of willpower and a few sacrifices in order to save as much money as possible.

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Work out what you consider essential

You may have seen that quote making the rounds on Instagram - it goes something along the lines of "You say you can't afford to travel but you spend £10 on lunch each day. You could afford to travel but you don't like making lunch", and while it's a bit preachy the sentiment is totally spot-on. We all like our little luxuries, but when it comes to saving money you need to decide whether £3 per coffee is worth it. If you have 2 cups per day, that's £42 per week, £168 per month or £2190 per year that you're spending on takeaway coffee instead of a holiday.

Make Simple Swaps

Another way to save money is to incorporate small habits into your life that help save you a little money. If you have to have your takeaway coffee, maybe buy it from a fast food store like McDonalds for £1.50 instead of £3.50 in somewhere like Costa. It'll still be good coffee but an awful lot cheaper. Little changes can be made everywhere, not just on your morning coffee. When you're doing your weekly shop, swap big name products for supermarket own brand (they're usually half the price), try buying plain food and seasoning it yourself rather than a pre-prepared alternative that costs more, and try to check the prices while you're shopping because sometimes own-brand products aren't always the cheapest option. If you're prepared to really make changes then try switching supermarket.

Separate your savings

Saving money is great, but if it's easy to get to you'll spend it without realising. It may be that you think "I have a bit more money this month, I'll just treat myself", or you forget a go a bit over budget on things. If the money is in your account and easily accessible you won't save it. Try putting the money you save each day into a jar in your house, set up a separate Paypal account and send the money you saved to that at the end of every week, or use a budgeting bank card that will tell you what you're spending and where, and help you to save little bits at a time. If you keep doing that then you'll quickly save more than you realise.

Look for Deals and Savings Wherever you Can

One of the best ways to save money is by looking for discounts, and shopping online is probably the best place to do this. A lot of brands will have discounts to entice new customers, and it goes by the email address rather than the delivery address, so if you make a new account you can reuse the discount code. A lot of brands also have loyalty discounts and offer points for each purchase. Outside of new or returning customer schemes, there are a number of websites set up to show you the best UK deals or websites that publish voucher codes, like Raise. These sites will list what's on offer and where, post discount codes and share giveaways that are running across the internet, so you can check the best place to buy before you place your order.

Find your Balance

I know this last one isn't really a tip, but it's still important. If the methods you're using to save money are making you utterly miserable then you'll quickly get frustrated and give up. If one way doesn't work out for you then don't do it and find something else. Doing something small is better than doing nothing - even if you only save a few pounds a week, you're still saving and eventually you'll have the money to treat yourself.

Hopefully these tips help you - I've listed every way that I personally try to save money and I'm someone that is incredibly careful with my spending so I can use it to enjoy better things later on. If that method doesn't work for you then that's ok - you have to be comfortable living with the amount you're saving and the way you're saving it. Just keep going and keep thinking about where you're going to visit when you finally book that trip. If you're keen to save money on holiday, I have some tips on how to travel cheaply, as well as advice on how to save money while you're travelling.

Good luck, and make the most of every second of your trip as soon as you can afford to go!

Love and Feathers, 

 The Owlet 💜 

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