Ways to Save for a Summer Vacation

It's Summer! It's time for picnics in the park, days at the beach and  fun in the sun.  A few years ago I started to brainstorm about easy ways to save for vacations with my family.  Here are some of the ways that I save money for vacation.

I save my coin change.  Every time I go to the store or purchase something, I put the change in a  jar.  It is amazing how quickly that change adds up.  Within a year I usually accumulate a few hundred dollars.

Open a vacation savings account at your local bank and deposit a set amount each week into it.

Make grocery lists and stick to them.  It is so easy to walk into a food store and pick up things we never intended to buy in the first place. By sticking to your intended grocery list, you can save a lot of money over the year.  Give it a try.

Set weekly allowances and budgets.  Allow a certain amount of money per week for entertainment, food, shopping etc.  Whatever money is left over for the week, put in a vacation fund envelope.

Pick up a side job.  If time allows, pick up a part time job a couple of days a week. You can even look for temp work for weeks that you have nothing planned.

I have yard sales.  I like to get rid of clutter, and each year I go through all of the rooms in my home and sort out the things that we no longer use or need.  I make my own signs and make sure to post them at least a week in advance, in key areas that I know they will be seen, so that I can draw as much traffic to my sale as possible.  I usually net $300+.  I think the reason my yard sales are successful is because I don't overprice my items.  I also make bundle deals as the day gets later.  Afterall,  I don't want to bring the items back into my home.  Anything I don't sell gets donated to Goodwill directly after my sale.  I never haggle price.  If someone wants to pay me a dollar less, I take it.

Use coupons and coupon apps.  Not only do I cut paper coupons, but I also use my supermarket's app, which has digital coupons, and I also use coupon apps.  Apps like Ibotta (referral link) , Savingstar and Checkout 51 offer coupons for various stores.  When you purchase the items listed on their sites, you scan it and your receipt and they deposit your savings into your account.  Once you accumulate enough to cash out, the money is sent to your Paypal account.

Save those recyclables!  Saving bottles and cans adds up.  In some states you can earn a nickel or dime per item.  That is a dollar for every 20 items.  It's good for the environment too!

If you have a credit card, you may want to change it to a cash back card.  Some banks and credit card companies offer cash back for purchases.  The money accumulated can be applied to your credit card balance or deposited to your account.

Join  Swagbucks.  Companies like this pay you a percentage of your online purchases back.  They are free to join and easy to use.  Join using my referral link  and start earning today.  I have earned a few hundred dollars for shopping online, doing surveys and other activities on their website.

Sell unused items online.  Nowadays there are many online sites to sell your old unused items.  Sites like Ebay are great for selling items.  If you are good at a craft, you may want to sell things online at Etsy.  Have new items on hand?  Try selling them on Amazon.  The resources are out there.  You just have to be ambitious and find them.  Try a site that fits your needs.

I hope these tips gave you ideas on how to save for a summer vacation.

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