From my friends at home it usually sounds something like this, "Ohh, that's nice - I wish I had the money to travel like you do!" And from my friends abroad, (who often have different standards for what is tactful or not) "Wow, you must be rich to travel like that!"
Either way, I hear it all the time: allusions to what my consistent traveling must indicate about my financial state.
Without going into detail about my bank account or income, I'll just say up front - I am not "rich" by very many people's terms.
When people make comments like those, I'm always tempted to go off about how nearly everyone in the US is "rich", or about how people could travel more if they were willing to give up unlimited data or weekly shopping trips. I also have to swallow my comments about how it's not as easy or romantic as it looks, how I spend less money traveling than most people do on their monthly phone bills, how staying in a HOSTEL is different than staying in a HOTEL, etc., etc., etc.
Instead of going off on any of those rants - I'll save those for another post *wink* - I decided to let you in on Beth's handy-dandy-super-secret-money-saving-tips.
My philosophy of money-saving is this: Saving money inherently means that we pinch pennies and make sacrifices - what you spend on, and what you forfeit is your prerogative, but here are a few general guidelines I've traditionally followed while at home to prepare for my next adventure.
1) Coffee/Alcohol
I'm not a big drinker unless I'm working out and the drink is water, so this one isn't so hard for me.
I don't believe it's a good idea to entirely cut out things that give us innocent pleasure, so I still buy myself the occasional beer or latte - my drinks of choice - but try to limit myself to one or two per week.
It's a simple, effective way to save a small amount every month.
2) Clothing: Secondhand (almost) everything
We all know that our clothing can make a very important first impression. It can make us feel confident and attractive, comfortable or uncomfortable, out-of-place, or any number of positive or negative emotions, so it's important to pay attention to what you buy.
That being said, most of us buy way more clothing than we actually wear, and most of us also spend a good chunk of our paychecks on those un-used clothes.
So my solution is to buy secondhand. And only buy what I know I need. I take my time, look through every rack, try on everything that interests me, I buy an entire season's wardobe for $40-$70.
3) Food/Eating out: Just Don't It
Food is amazing - very few people love to eat more than I do, I promise!
Eating out, however, not so much my thing. It's good, but it's not great; and usually, for the price of a nice meal at a mid-range restaurant, you could buy and make all your meals for the entire day - or if you're into PB&J, an entire week.
I don't starve myself, but I realize that saving $25 per week by not eating out more than once or twice, allows me to try a couple, or maybe a dozen, new plates or pastries wherever my next destination may be.
4) Library/Redbox vs. Netflix
Having fast WiFi and limitless entertainment is almost a staple of life for most people here in the US. But for me, it was one of those things I decided to sacrifce - but not entirely! I just marched right down to the Public Library, showed some proof of residence and had an entire world of instruction, entertainment, and history opened to me.
And for those times when the present came calling, Redbox it was! $1 per night? I can swing that once a week.
5) Driving vs. Walking
Yes, until a month ago, I had a car. And I used it when I needed to. But that wasn't every day. I purposefully lived within a mile of where I spent most of my time, and walked.
Not only did I save a tremendous amount of money on car maintenance and gas, I got plenty of exercise and fresh air every day and never had to feel guilty or pressured to buy a gym membership.
6) Phone & Connectivity (US and abroad)
It's important to stay connected, for me, for my family, friends, followers, etc. That being said, I found a very cheap way of doing it... It's called Republic Wireless, and this is not an ad.
What I'm saying is that I paid $200 2 years ago for my first smart phone, an Otterbox case, charger and everything else. Since then I've been paying ~$12 per month while in the US, and ~$5 while abroad.
Is it the most advanced phone ever? No. Do I get cell reception when I'm hiking in the deserts of southern Peru? Well, if I have WiFi, then yes. Does it perform the most vital functions of a phone while allowing me to pay less than %20 of what many people pay? Absolutely.
7) Entertainment
It doesn't have to consume your whole paycheck!
Like eating? Buy some fresh ingrediants and learn to cook amazing things!
Like exercising? But a set of weights, work out with YouTube, go hiking, biking, walking, jogging...DANCE.
Like reading? LI.BRA.RY.
Like art? Pen and ink. Paper and pencil.
Like alcohol? Yeah...you're SOL.
*coughs*
But seriously, instead of saying you don't have the money, determine what you spend more on than you really need, and sacrifice a little pleasure now, for some life-changing fun later!
Either way, I hear it all the time: allusions to what my consistent traveling must indicate about my financial state.
Without going into detail about my bank account or income, I'll just say up front - I am not "rich" by very many people's terms.
When people make comments like those, I'm always tempted to go off about how nearly everyone in the US is "rich", or about how people could travel more if they were willing to give up unlimited data or weekly shopping trips. I also have to swallow my comments about how it's not as easy or romantic as it looks, how I spend less money traveling than most people do on their monthly phone bills, how staying in a HOSTEL is different than staying in a HOTEL, etc., etc., etc.
Instead of going off on any of those rants - I'll save those for another post *wink* - I decided to let you in on Beth's handy-dandy-super-secret-money-saving-tips.
My philosophy of money-saving is this: Saving money inherently means that we pinch pennies and make sacrifices - what you spend on, and what you forfeit is your prerogative, but here are a few general guidelines I've traditionally followed while at home to prepare for my next adventure.
1) Coffee/Alcohol
I'm not a big drinker unless I'm working out and the drink is water, so this one isn't so hard for me.
I don't believe it's a good idea to entirely cut out things that give us innocent pleasure, so I still buy myself the occasional beer or latte - my drinks of choice - but try to limit myself to one or two per week.
It's a simple, effective way to save a small amount every month.
2) Clothing: Secondhand (almost) everything
We all know that our clothing can make a very important first impression. It can make us feel confident and attractive, comfortable or uncomfortable, out-of-place, or any number of positive or negative emotions, so it's important to pay attention to what you buy.
That being said, most of us buy way more clothing than we actually wear, and most of us also spend a good chunk of our paychecks on those un-used clothes.
So my solution is to buy secondhand. And only buy what I know I need. I take my time, look through every rack, try on everything that interests me, I buy an entire season's wardobe for $40-$70.
3) Food/Eating out: Just Don't It
Food is amazing - very few people love to eat more than I do, I promise!
Eating out, however, not so much my thing. It's good, but it's not great; and usually, for the price of a nice meal at a mid-range restaurant, you could buy and make all your meals for the entire day - or if you're into PB&J, an entire week.
I don't starve myself, but I realize that saving $25 per week by not eating out more than once or twice, allows me to try a couple, or maybe a dozen, new plates or pastries wherever my next destination may be.
4) Library/Redbox vs. Netflix
Having fast WiFi and limitless entertainment is almost a staple of life for most people here in the US. But for me, it was one of those things I decided to sacrifce - but not entirely! I just marched right down to the Public Library, showed some proof of residence and had an entire world of instruction, entertainment, and history opened to me.
And for those times when the present came calling, Redbox it was! $1 per night? I can swing that once a week.
5) Driving vs. Walking
Yes, until a month ago, I had a car. And I used it when I needed to. But that wasn't every day. I purposefully lived within a mile of where I spent most of my time, and walked.
Not only did I save a tremendous amount of money on car maintenance and gas, I got plenty of exercise and fresh air every day and never had to feel guilty or pressured to buy a gym membership.
6) Phone & Connectivity (US and abroad)
It's important to stay connected, for me, for my family, friends, followers, etc. That being said, I found a very cheap way of doing it... It's called Republic Wireless, and this is not an ad.
What I'm saying is that I paid $200 2 years ago for my first smart phone, an Otterbox case, charger and everything else. Since then I've been paying ~$12 per month while in the US, and ~$5 while abroad.
Is it the most advanced phone ever? No. Do I get cell reception when I'm hiking in the deserts of southern Peru? Well, if I have WiFi, then yes. Does it perform the most vital functions of a phone while allowing me to pay less than %20 of what many people pay? Absolutely.
7) Entertainment
It doesn't have to consume your whole paycheck!
Like eating? Buy some fresh ingrediants and learn to cook amazing things!
Like exercising? But a set of weights, work out with YouTube, go hiking, biking, walking, jogging...DANCE.
Like reading? LI.BRA.RY.
Like art? Pen and ink. Paper and pencil.
Like alcohol? Yeah...you're SOL.
*coughs*
But seriously, instead of saying you don't have the money, determine what you spend more on than you really need, and sacrifice a little pleasure now, for some life-changing fun later!
