Wanderlust Wednesday- How to Save Money for Traveling

Hello there!  I hope everyone is having a great week!  This week’s edition of Wanderlust Wednesday I wanted to do a post on how I save up for traveling.  I work at a pizza place part time and am a full time student, so my family can never understand how I manage to fund these trips, but it’s really not as hard as it seems, and I wanted to share my top nine tips of how I get my extra money.

1. Don’t spend your money on things you don’t need!  This is the biggest one.  I’m not saying that I never splurge or buy foolish things, but I don’t do it very often.  I don’t have a new flat screen TV, an iPhone, and I don’t get coffee or food out very often.  It really does save a significant amount of money.
2. When you buy things use coupons.  It’s pretty easy these days to find a coupon for just about everything you need.  Then when you save that money, put that money you were going to spend anyway to the side.
3. Save and cash in cans.  I was buying sodas and sweet teas all the time, so I decided to buy a 12-pack of soda for less than the price of 2 sodas or teas and then when you finish them, throw them in a bag and take them to your local scrap-metal buyers.  It’s not a ton of money, but every bit counts.
4. Pick up change.  All of my friends used to judge me when we were walking in somewhere and I would stop to bend down and pick up the pennies.  It sounds really silly when you hear it, I know, but I find about 20 dollars every year, just picking up change when I walk in somewhere.  It’s literally free money!
5. When extra money comes your way, put it away for a trip.  When I get money for my birthday, or tax returns, or a bonus, I put at least half of it away to help save for a trip!  It’s that easy!
6. Take a hobby and turn it into extra cash.  I take family portraits, senior pictures and engagement photos for people on the side, and make crafty things to sell at craft fairs!  They’re things I enjoy and would make anyway, but now I get to make a little extra money to float towards my travel funds.
7. Walk or bike.  I think this is going to be a biggie this year!  I hope that gas doesn’t get up to 5 dollars a gallon, but I’m doing as much biking as possible to not foolishly use that gas!
8. Find entertainment in free or cheap things.  Go to the park, go on a walk, watch a movie or cook dinner at home, or bust out a board game!  It’s just as fun as long as you’re in good company!  
9. Find a way to be able to visualize what you’re saving.  I think it’s really important to be able to see what you’re saving because you feel like you’re putting a dent in your vacation.  I have huge jars that I put my money in that I save, or you can make a chart to show savings and fill it in…  There are a lot of ways to do this, but I think a visual helps you feel like you’re accomplishing something.  

Hopefully you guys found these tips helpful, and I would LOVE to hear how you guys pinch your pennies!  I’m always looking for new ways get save so I can get out and see more of this beautiful world!