7 Things You Can Do Right Now to Save for Your Summer Vacation
With Spring in full bloom, it’s natural for our thoughts to start drifting onto one of life’s yearly conundrums: how exactly am I going to afford a summer vacation?
It’s likely that cutting back on your rent or reducing your socializing hours aren’t high up on your list of ways to save money. That’s why we’ve come up with seven more practical solutions, below:
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Use A Clothes Line Or Rack to Dry Clothes
Choosing to hang your clothes up on a line/rack instead of using a clothes dryer will save you around $85 a year, according to the California Energy Commission. In fact, a dryer is the least energy-efficient appliance found in homes in the United States, so it’s best to only use it as a last resort!
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Sell Unwanted Items Online
Nearly nine in ten people have unwanted items sitting in their homes, according to a recent report by Gumtree. That same report estimates that when those unwanted items are pooled together, households could be sitting on over $3,000 dollars’ worth of unwanted goods.
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Buy More Second-Hand Goods
Every item that you buy doesn’t have to be brand new. In fact, the second-hand economy is currently booming thanks to a combination of the Internet and growing concerns over the sustainability of fast fashion.
That’s made it easier than ever to find useful items at knockdown prices. Some items you could consider buying used for your vacation include;
- Clothes
- Sunglasses
- Luggage
- Camera
- Books
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Turn Off Unused Power Outlets
Leaving your power outlets on with appliances plugged in could be putting an extra ten percent onto your monthly energy bill, according to the US Department of Energy.
Turning off every single socket isn’t the most practical of solutions. Instead, we’d advise using power strips with an on/off button. This way, a simple flip of a switch will turn off multiple items at once.
And we probably don’t have to mention that saving energy like this is a much more eco-friendly approach. You can help the planet and save a few dollars at the same time.
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Never Pay for Water Again
One million plastic bottles are bought every minute across the globe. That’s a crazy figure when you consider how easy it is to refill an old bottle using your tap at home.
Taking this step will only likely pay for a couple of cocktails by the pool but it’s one mother nature will thank you for time and time again.
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Quit Your Gym Membership
Sculpting your beach bod before vacation doesn’t have to involve going to the gym.
The warmer temperatures of Spring mean it is arguably now more enjoyable to go out for a walk at the park than it’s to run endlessly on a treadmill.
If you don’t fancy burning calories through exercise, think about changing your diet instead. Drinking less alcohol is a good place to start as it will reduce your calorie intake and save you a small fortune.
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Buy a Cheap Bicycle
The cost of gas is rising and is only likely to go up further in the years ahead. Swapping your car for a bicycle might seem like a drastic step, but it’s one that could save you thousands of dollars every year.
Choosing to ride to work rather than driving is also a classic example of killing two birds with one stone. The more riding you do, the more confident you’re going to feel in your swimsuit this summer.
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Cook for Your Friends
It’s always nice to meet up with your friends to a nice restaurant and enjoy some good food. But if you’re looking to save some money, you might want to consider cooking yourself at home. And this doesn’t mean that you need to give up your social life. Invite your friends over and cook for them. You can even ask them to bring some ingredients as well and join you in the kitchen － cooking together will definitely make it more fun. You might even learn some new recipes.
Conclusion
As you can see saving money doesn’t necessarily mean you have to make any drastic changes in your lifestyle. No need to move to a smaller place, give up socializing, shopping and dining out altogether. Sometimes you can save a lot just by making small changes like the ones listed above. And if you think about it, there are many more ways which can help you save for the summer vacation. Just spend a moment to think of things that you could do differently or maybe just less often. Your wallet and the planet will thank you later.
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