We’ve all been there at one time or another. There are times when you desperately need a vacation but your wallet is looking a little thin. Here are a few of my favorite ways to infuse some much needed cash to a lackluster account. No side gigs necessary!
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1. Ditch the Starbucks. Swap out expensive morning coffee drinks for home-brewed beverages or what’s available at your office for free. I rarely buy coffee but when I do it runs me about $6 for one small beverage. You can get a whole packet of instant coffee and some flavored syrup to go in it for slightly more than that. But you’ll be able make a lot more coffees with it. The cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice that make up the pumpkin spice blend are probably already in your pantry at home anyway. At an average savings of $5 per cup, if you replace 2 of your weekly Starbucks runs, you could save about $500 a year.
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2. Trim your own hair. That is, only if you’re brave enough. Professional stylists usually charge $20 for a basic trim that you can easily do at home.. As is the case for most DIY projects, youtube has a lot of good how-to videos that you can watch for more details. But the only supplies that a trim requires is the scissors that you probably already own. If you mess up, don’t worry! Its only hair and it’ll grow out. Doing this every other month could easily save you about a $100 a year.
It’s not really that complicated.
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3. Color your own hair. This is probably a lot less scary for most people than trimming their own hair. This can save you around $600 per year, depending on what the going rate is at local salons and how frequently you need a touch-up.. Professional dye jobs run about $60 on average where I live but I’ve spent as much as $100 to have my hair fixed. Even though the dye itself costs about $8 a box, you’re still saving about $50 each time you do your own and this quickly adds up.
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4. Do your own nails. Nail polishes come in a wide variety of colors and price ranges but you probably have numerous bottles at home that you can use without having to buy more. Even if you only give up one professional manicure a month, you’ll still save over $200 that you can put in your vacation fund.
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5. Take your lunch to work. If you find yourself running around the corner to get lunch every day, stop what you’re doing. Replace your meal with a cheaper homemade alternative. Maybe PB&J sandwiches with a side of carrot sticks and ranch dressing aren’t gourmet fare. But if they help you get to your dream vacation destination, why not skip the fancy nibbles? Even if you only give up one day of takeout a week, you could still save around $250 a year.
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When combined, these methods will end garnering around $1800 for your vacation, which is probably enough for a nice trip if the airfare isn’t too expensive. I’ve personally used all of the following methods to save money and find that they work really well. Of course, cutting your own hair is probably not for the faint of heart. However, skipping a latte or a take-out lunch once or twice a week is definitely something that anyone can do.
