41 Ways We Save Money So We Can Afford To Travel

I've noticed that my husband and I live a little differently than some of our peers. We pass up some common conveniences that others may view as a necessity.

We prioritize saving for travel instead of putting our money towards a monthly Audible subscription or getting a new fridge.

If comfort and convenience at home is a priority for you, it's unlikely you'll be able to afford to travel often without a six figure income. 

Some feel they need a nicer and bigger fridge before setting aside money for a vacation. Of course, there is nothing wrong with that.

But when I hear people say they can't afford travel, I wonder if they really mean that travel is not a top priority for them.

I suppose many of us accept certain priorities by default. For a lot of people, it feels like common sense to replace their older car before going on a trip. But that doesn't mean that's the only, or even the best way to live.

Life is a matter of priorities. The question is: Are our priorities intentional or have we fallen into a typical consumerist pattern?

If you really do want to see more of the world, consider several small lifestyle adjustments I've shared below.

Be open to the idea of a mindset shift, and ask yourself if what you see as essentials might really be options.

I've listed some lifestyle choices that my husband and I make so we can free up our money for travel without depleting our savings or going into debt.

These are small, seemingly insignificant changes, but all of these combined saves us money that we would rather contribute to our travel fund.

Hopefully, some of these examples can help you see that travel really is an option for you.

This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase using one of these links I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions are my own. Thank you for your support and help in keeping The Bucket List Chronicles running! 

Related Posts: 

6 Ways To Save Money On Travel Expenses 

7 More Ways To Save Money On Travel Expense

SAVINGS

1. When saving for a trip, we open a high yield savings account or a dedicated savings account, set up an automatic monthly deposit, and let the interest build.

2. We will pretend to have a car payment even when we don't. We always buy used but not very old cars. Once our car is paid off, we plan to put our current monthly payment amount into a savings account. The idea is to save up enough for our next car whenever our current one finally breaks down. Then we can pay for the "new" one in cash and avoid paying interest. In the meantime, we never sign up for more than one car payment at a time.

BILLS

3. We turn the thermostat down to 67 or lower in the cold months to save on our gas bill and we don't take long, hot showers. Wool blend socks and cozy sweaters keep us comfortable at home in the winter. 

4. We shop around for cheaper phone and internet service providers like Mint Mobile, Xfinity, and Google Fi.

ENTERTAINMENT

5. We minimize subscriptions: only Amazon Prime and Spotify.

6. We borrow movies from the library. It's a little inconvenient but I find it's perfect for saving time as well as money. When we discover something we would like to watch, we will request it from our local library. In addition to saving money, this habit enables us to watch what truly interests us and prevents us from filling our evenings with shows we just settled for.

SHOPPING

7. We avoid impulse purchases and wait as long as possible before buying. I'll make a list of things I need or want and let it sit there until I either delete the item off the list or decide I do want to buy it after all. I typically wait much longer than a month, but the wait period varies depending on the item and how much it's actually needed.

8. I'll see if I can borrow before buying something. We don't use a humidifier more than twice a year and I don't want one more thing to store, so I'll borrow one when the need temporarily arises. I'll borrow small things too like cookie cutters and a glue gun. We like to lend out our things as well, such as our hiking baby carrier.

9. We don't go shopping for fun, especially not online. Sure it's fun to peruse the occasional used bookstore or candy store (specialty candy stores are a weakness of ours) but we don't go out shopping as a form of recreation.

10. We don't own any smart watches, tablets for the kids, or Bluetooth headphones.

11. We keep our electronic devices as long as possible such as our phones and our one laptop, before getting new ones. Our one TV was made in 2008 and purchased used. 

12. We buy used furniture most of the time. The majority of our home furniture was either given to us or purchased used.

CLOTHING

13. We rarely buy new clothes for anyone in our family. We accept hand-me-down clothes for our kids from our family and friends whenever possible and rarely buy new clothes.

14. We also don't have very many clothes in each size for our kids because they outgrow them so quickly. Last spring, I bought just one pair of sandals for each kid. They were worn out by the end of October, but they didn't need any more than one pair to last through spring and summer.

15. We don't wash all our clothes after every wear. My kids are young enough that they don't get sweaty and gross and so I don't wash their shirts, jeans, or dress clothes after every wear unless they got food or dirt on them. I don't wash my T-shirts, jeans, pajamas, etc. after every wear either. This saves water and detergent, and makes clothes last longer. We hang dry when possible which also extends the life of our clothes.

16. When I do buy clothes and shoes for myself, I choose high quality. Cost is different than value. I'll happily buy one real cashmere sweater that will last for many years than five cheaper sweaters in that same amount of time.

17. We take care of our clothes and mend them before buying replacements. I've regularly worn the same $70 faux leather jacket for ten years now. I had to stitch up the lining once when it was coming undone and I plan to keep it as long as possible.

GROCERIES

18. We don't buy bottled water

19. We don't drink alcohol. The cost for drinks can add up so quickly.

20. We don't drink coffee so there's zero temptation to go out for coffee or to buy it on the way to work.

21. We rarely drink anything other than water. Well, I usually drink water. My husband and two young kids drink milk too. But we don't keep soda, sparkling waters, or juice on hand at home. We do like Dr Pepper but only drink it occasionally.

22. We don't eat out very often. Once a month, or twice at most and we never use Uber Eats or Doordash. 

23. We eat less meat than the average American household. We don't do weekly meatless meals either; we just cook with less meat in general. For example, I'll use half the meat a recipe calls for and/or add more vegetables to the dish so we consume a little less meat with each dinner.

24. We meal plan to save on groceries. I don't meal prep, mind you. I just make a short list of dinners I would like to make throughout the week. I always make extra so we have leftovers for lunches. And we eat the same foods for breakfast everyday, so that's a no-brainer. 

My grocery list is planned around these four or five dinners/leftover lunches every week. This helps me avoid impulse purchases and our perishable food gets used before it goes bad.

25. We limit packaged foods when grocery shopping. We buy a lot of in-season produce, whole grains, eggs, and dairy. Making a meal plan for the week and a specific grocery list prevents me from buying packaged snacks which we really don't need. 

I don't even buy pre-sliced cheese since it's cheaper to buy a block of cheese and slice it myself. I'll bake treats at home. Homemade cookies are cheaper and taste better than store-bought anyway. I even make play dough at home at a fraction of the cost as store-bought.

HOUSEHOLD

26. We don't buy paper goods such as paper plates, napkins, plastic utensils, or ziploc bags. I asked my sister-in-law to bring some extra water glasses when we hosted Friendsgiving. Otherwise we had enough dishes for everyone.

27. We rarely buy or use paper towels either. I use E-cloths or Norwex cloths for cleaning. 

28. We don't by trash bags. Sometimes I'll forego using my reusable bags at the grocery store so I have some plastic bags to use for our few small garbage cans. Otherwise we just go without.

29. We don't buy cleaning supplies. Disinfectant wipes and multiple types of cleaners are unnecessary. Plus Clorox wipes may sanitize but they're terrible for wiping crumbs, dirt, and tough sticky spots off surfaces. 

Instead, I use heavy duty spray bottles  with reusable cleaning cloths. I make my own cleaner with water, distilled vinegar, and a tiny bit of dish soap.

30. We don't use fabric softener or dryer sheets. They're unnecessary and leave funky residue on clothes. Instead, we use wool dryer balls to reduce static and cut drying time. 

31. We maintain our old(ish) appliances. Our fridge is somewhat small and old, but we don't need a big one or one with a water dispenser. What we have works great. Same with our old oven. And when our microwave busted, we went months without one instead of going out to buy a new one right away. We used Duck tape to fix the hose on our old vacuum because we don't want to invest in a new one just yet.

PERSONAL CARE

32. I don't go out to get my nails done ever. I've gone to a nail salon twice in my life and it's just not worth it to me.

33. We cut our own hair. Well, I cut my family's hair and my mom trims my hair for me.

34. I rarely get my hair done. I'll get balayage done on my hair once every two years if not longer.

35. I rarely wear makeup:  just once or twice a week on average. And I keep my makeup bag minimal. There's no need to buy multiple eyeshadow palettes or lipsticks. I stock up on skincare and makeup once a year on Black Friday when I can get 35-40% off.

36. I also have few hair products and skincare products. Actually, I have no hair products aside from shampoo and conditioner. And my skincare routine is minimal. I don't buy/use perfumes or scented lotions either.

37. I don't wash my hair every day, more like every three days or so. This saves me on shampoo, conditioner, and my gas bill because I spend less time in the shower on days I don't wash my hair.

38. I use every last bit of my products. I'll cut tubes of product to scrape out the dregs and I even use the tip of a mechanical pencil to scrape out chapstick when the tube appears empty but it's not quite all used up. Maybe this sounds like a lot of work for little pay off, but it's less of a hassle than you might think and it really does save me money in the long run.

39. I use less product in general. You need much less laundry detergent than you might think. The same is true with shampoo, deodorant, facewash, and toothpaste. It may seem like a miniscule way to save money, but every little bit counts. And using less of each product can make a big impact across your overall household savings.

40. We get regular dental check ups to avoid expensive and painful dental work down the road. And I never miss flossing. Taking care of your health will save you a lot of money in the long run.

41. We don't have any pets. We both like animals, especially me, so we might have a pet or two someday. However, adopting a dog or a cat means a lot of extra expenses such as medical care, dental care, and paying someone to watch them while we are away. Travel is a higher priority for us and it's more easily done without animals as a part of our home.


Well, there you have it and I hope these idea were helpful. 

What is my list missing?

How do you save money so you have enough for travel?

Share in the comments!