Vacation - what a lovely time but there is a lot of planning that goes into your awesome getaway. Here are some ideas to help you take that much needed vacation.
1. Budgeting early for your vacation.
Research the different locations you would like to visit and find out what the average price would be to go to one of those places. You can have a "reach" location and a "more doable" location.
Having a specific location for your vacation budget is a good way to keep it separate from your other finances. Opening up a specific checking account for your vacation can be the best move. It would be separate from your other accounts and you would be less likely to double dip.
The more time you have to plan, the better.
2. Find extra money in your budget.
Most bank apps have some type of tracker to show you where your money is going (food, entertainment, bills, etc.) and it will be so helpful to be able to track where you are spending your money. Look back three months to see where you are consistently spending. You will be surprised how much your daily iced coffee and weekend eating-out adds up. When budgeting for your vacation, think about how much you need to save per week/month in order to afford the trip and then look at where you are spending and where you can cut back.
3. Don't leave free money on the table
Look at what type of rewards you qualify with your credit cards and other cash reward places. Cash back rewards credit cards are a great way to get more for your buck. You simply put your purchases on the card (so basically just use it as you would any other credit card), and if you pay off the balance each month and then accrue the cash back, you can then use the cash for your vacation.
4. Make money while you are gone
This doesn't necessarily help you budget for your vacation, but it is an idea on how to make some money while you are gone. Depending what type of living condition you are in, think about listing your room/apartment/condo/house on AirBnb while you are gone. This can give you some extra cash that you weren't expecting while you are away. Make sure to have someone local that can help your AirBnb visitors in case.
If taking a vacation is important to you, there are so many ways to budget appropriately to make sure it is a vacation to remember. Make sure to reach out to a professional to see other ways to budget accordingly that won't effect your other financial areas.
For Educational Purposes Only – Not to be relied upon as financial, tax, or legal advice. The views expressed are those of the author/presenter and all data is derived from sources believed to be reliable.
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