Want to Start Saving For a Vacation This Summer?

A Simple Tip That WORKS!

Summer is going to be here before you know it! There are lots of ways to save but today, I’m going to share with you how we save for our summer vacation spending money. It’s simple and it WORKS! How do I know? Because I got $400 worth of change in just a couple months. The longer you do it, the less you have to get from the bank before your vacation! Keep reading for details!

When you purchase something using cash, use bills and not change!

I know this sounds opposite of what we usually do, but all the extra change will go toward your summer vacation! Even if a soda cost you $1.03, pay with $2.00 instead of $1 and 3 pennies. This will give you .97 cents to put in your jar. All the change adds up quickly. In just a couple of months doing this, my husband and I had accumulated almost $400. This is a picture of me cashing in our change that we used for spending money:-))

$1 spent Periodically Versus a $500 Withdrawal From the Bank

You might feel like your wasting a dollar but $1.00 missing here and there is much better than forking out $500-$1000 out of your bank account for spending money! Think about how many times you purchase little things using cash and use the change in your car, pocket or wallet so that way you get only bills back. Now think about how much change you will have if you never get into your your change stash. Yes it seems like you saved a little by using your stash of change, all of that change adds up if you never use it to get bills back. It’s a simple yet effective way to save for spending money!

Want to Save Even More?

This is more of a sacrifice but it will help you save even more for your summer trip. When using a higher bill, like a $5,$10, $20, or $100 bill, place the the $1 bills in the jar along with the change. This option is good for people who want to save even more for their trip.

Happy Savings!!

Related articles

• Gas Saving Tips for Summer Travel (daydaily.com)

• The Easiest Ways to Save Extra Money (creditloan.com)

• Start Saving for Your Summer Vacation Now – SC Johnson Green Choices (raisingthemgreen.com)

Money Saver Tip: How Paying with Cash Can Help You Save

How often do you swipe your debit/credit card?

For me, I would say I use my debit card an average of 5 times per day! I use it for everything and NEVER have cash! It’s so easy to swipe your card for groceries, clothes, little odds and ends and gas.

I am at the convenient store to buy a drink but I don’t have cash, so what do I do? I buy something else like a candy bar or a special snack for my girls because I don’t want to swipe my card for $1.00. So instead of spending $1, I have spent $5-$10. This doesn’t sound like a lot, but if you do this a 3 times a week, instead of spending $3 total on a soda at the convenient store, I spent $15-$30.

What about the grocery store? I have my grocery list and planning on purchasing just the items on my list. My kids ask for a certain snack and I end up buying it!! Or I see things that are not on my list that I end up buying. Why not? I’m using my debit/credit card so what’s a few extra items. So instead of spending $150 at the grocery store, I have spent over $200.

Benefits of Using Cash

• It is harder to let go of the actual cash than what is is to swipe your card so when using cash, you will see that you are not spending as much money. In return, you will have extra money to put towards other things!

• If you use cash, you won’t be as tempted to buy all the “extra” things.

• You are more cautious at the grocery store because you don’t want to go over the allotted amount you have in cash to spend.

• You don’t buy the extra shirt that you hadn’t planned on purchasing because you don’t want to go over the amount of slotted cash for clothes.

• You see firsthand the amount of gas you use, so you are more cautious about the gas you use. Instead of running errands a couple times a day, you might get it all done at one time.

Personal Experience

7 years ago, we used the cash system and paid off lots of debt which allowed me to be a stay at home mom. Over the years, we slipped back into using our debit/credit card out of convenience, so we have accumulated debt. After brainstorming ways we could save, (cut back on cable, phone, or Internet), we came to a simple conclusion…… GO BACK TO THE CASH SYSTEM! It worked with us before, so it will work again!!

Related articles

• Watching out for debit card fraud (stltoday.com)
• Budgeting for Your Peace of Mind (quicken.intuit.com)
• Using Your Bank Check Card/Debit Card on Vacation (ally.com)