I need saving tips! I want to save money for a beautiful vacation in Europe. Do you have any?

I'm married and I have 2 kids very early and we had to pospone this ideal trip with my husband. But now we are definitly going to do it, so I need to save money at home. Tips, please!!

Public Comments

1. Cut out unnesscary things and put the money you would use for them in a jar or something and then when it is significant put it in the bank. For example morning coffee. Also see if you bank has a vacation club account that way you can't touch the money your saving.
2. stop spending in silly things...smoking?
3. Try not to spend on things you don't really need or don't use too often. Also, instead of getting national brand stuff, get the store brand kind. There really isn't much of a difference anyway (depends on what though). You could also take a small amount of money every time you go shopping so you can't spend more than you have with you. Hope that helped some!
4. You should each put a dollar or two in a Jar every day and don't touch it for any other reason.
5. Here's what I did to get a motercycle on 6 dollars an hour. Total up your bills. Put yourself on a budget. Save a percentage of your paycheck, mine was 15%. Don't use credit. After all that you should see a steady growth to your savings account allowing you to take the trip in time. Also, your tax return could offer alot of help as well.
6. save you money oh well that is easy. You would put money in an well something but dont use that money all the money you get you put in there dont go out to eat or spend money i have a lot of moneyy bc i save
7. Put your money in a savings bank and then write what your goal is on the bank.
8. Buy things using only bills and then put all the change left over in a jar.You would be surprised how quickly this adds up. And REALLY think about purchases...do you really need that...
9. Set up and automatical withdrawn ever month with your bank. Once this option is added, each month money will transfer from your checking account to your savings account. You can choose the amount you want, and you can choose the date each month that the money will transfer. It is free and it hels me a lot. Choose the day after you get paid so the funds will be avaiable and its free! You can also try a piggy bank at home at try to put atleast 10 dollars a day inside. That way, you'll forget about the money, and when the time comes for your trip, youll have the money saved up! Have fun in Europe!
10. Start a Europe Trip savings. Put all loose change in there and some dollars mabe. Then every month count and roll the change. Do that until u have unough money to go.
11. I go to Vegas once a year, so in order to save money for my trip I begin a savings jar at home. I never spend my change, I just put it in my jar at the end of the day. Sometimes I stick dollars in there as well. When my jar is full I wrap my coins and take them to the bank and put the cash in the jar. After you see how much money your change turns into you want to keep up with it. My boyfiend and I have contests to see who has the most money in our jar after it has been filled up. Between the two of us we save A LOT of money in just one year from saving our change.
12. If you work, you should a) Put in as much money, or atleast $15 into your savings account weekly. b) take out all the stuff you don't need-like cut down. *****EXAMPLE********* ~ you see a nice shirt, you already have stuff to wear but you just want it because everyone else or because it's pretty. You decide, nah I want to go to europe to relax. maybe another time. c) Have a garage sale, you will raise money for your vacattion and put it in your account. That way you get rid of your old stuff and gain money and extra space for other things. Out with the old, in with the new. If you don't work a) make something that you can sell b) sell your old stuff, and make room for more. c) do extra things for people or around the house and charge for it. (Nothing too much) d) Make up a show, sell tickets for around 1.00- 5.00 per person, and put on an act. It could be for family or friends. e) save every penny you get or recieve, even WHAT YOU find legally! hOPE THIS HELPS
13. open a christmas account with your bank, they do not let you touch the money until christmas time and they usually match your deposits, so you get alot back.
14. DONT GO ON SHPPING SPREES I REAPET DONT GO ON SHOOPING SPREES good advice and only spend money on cheap stuff not what u want but what u need
15. Here's a list: Shop for lower car insurance. Raise your deductible to $500 on comp and collision (if car is financed) and to $1000 (if car is not financed). This will lower your premium. Cut out un-necessary expenses in the cable bill dept. Call up your internet provider and let them know you need a special because there are other company's tempting you to change providers. Even if you don't have another better special, it may surprise you what offer you do receive. Drop all excess expenses related to you phone bill. Make sure if you call a lot of long distance that you are on a flat billing plan. If you go out to dinner, ask your spouse what is more important--saving for the trip or dining out. If both matter, maybe going out could mean the $1.00 menu at Wendy's. Eliminate any NSF fees (if you have them). They will rob you quicker than a robber in the night. How? Refuse to spend money unless you have the cash. Tell people that say that can't wait, too bad. Limit your trips to using the car once per day. I.E. group all errands and depart only once per day. Cut out all incidentals. Don't just "drop" and "shop" (dropping whatever fancies you into your shopping cart) PLAN AHEAD WITH A LIST. If you don't think of it ahead of time, don't buy it later. Buy and install a setback thermostat. Program it so that it only heats while you are all getting up in the morning, and then again after 4 PM when everyone's home. (This could save you hundreds over a few months.) You or small kids at home during the day? Simple. Live in one room during the day while the rest of the house remains cold. You may need to buy a room heater (not electric) to keep the one room warm. Run the dishwasher on the NO HEAT DRY CYCLE and load that puppy to the hilt = don't run it more than once per day. Check your water heater setting. If you can manage it, turn it down to just hot enough for showering. Then have everyone shower for a max of 6 minutes per person--no baths. Change all your light bulbs to low watt fluorescent bulbs. Make sure that you study each bulb in several stores and find the ones that produce a high lumen for a low watt consumption type. (Not all bulbs are the same.) Also, buy at Home Depot the bulbs--forget Safeway type stores, they are grossly overpriced. Wal*mart also has lower priced bulbs. Eliminate all incandescent bulbs (this includes 60 watt standard bulbs in each bedroom, etc. Hint: This will actually cost you a lot of money in bulb cost, but the savings will come back to you. It all depends on how long you burn your lights, and what type of bulbs you already use. If you use 100 watt bulbs and each fixture has 2 - 3 bulbs, you will see a huge savings especially if the bulbs are constantly on. If you use only 1-60 watt bulb in each room of a 2 bedroom apt, you may not realize that much and it may cost you more for the bulbs. But over time, it will pay. Take the expensive bulbs with you when you move, and replace them with 4/$1.00 bulbs so that owner does not charge you when you move.) Close all the blinds and keep them closed for as much as possible. Heat is retained this way. Shop at Goodwill and other 2nd hand stores. Reduce the cost of the Europe Trip by buying right. I.E. Get the best deal on airfare, hotels/hostels, etc. Get onto reduced lunches (if you qualify) for your kids (if in school). Buy cheaper detergent. Tide is expensive. Consider the ones that cost at Wal*mart $2.89 (check the quantity of cycles per jug and make sure you are not be ripped off by tricky marketing). The same goes for softener. We have used both and there is not much difference, if any. Go to the Dollar Store and buy the Oxy Clean Laundry additive--for a $1.00. It helps a lot, especially if you use the cheaper detergents. Our whites come out great. Also, I am continuosly amazed at how much cheaper things are at the dollar store. Yes, it is annoying, but if it puts $20 every 2 weeks into your account that's $400 you would have lost to Safeway over the next 10 months. Go to the car wash less and do your own car vacuuming at home in the garage. I really liked the vacation club with direct deposit that is untouchable. That way you won't be tempted to draw it out when you think you need the money. Just treat the deposited amount as if you are paying an important bill that is non-negotiable. Why do we pay others so diligently but we can't even pay ourselves with the same commitment. Last but not least, run an ad for OVERNIGHT baby sitting services. You may get a few customers who work either the late shift or the late, late shift. In either case, you pick up their children from daycare (at 6 PM when the daycare closes), and keep them, say till 10 PM or later. Better yet, spend the night with you and the parents get them at 7 AM, etc. This is an excellent way to increase your income as much as $500 or so a month. It is a sacrifice for you and your family, but it can also be fun. Then, every penny goes into the vacation account. P.S. Ask the payment be made in cash. Say, you need it this way to avoid a bank trip which is clear across town. Don't get burned with bum checks from people who may not pay--even tho’ you did in providing all the service. Also, for deals like this, it is not out of the question to have them pay a week in advance. I.E. they say they are going to drop the kid or kids 4 days a week. OK, payment in advance for 1 week, and no refunds. No kids dropped, no refunds. This cuts out the whole, I only came 2 times, so I only owe for 2 days nonsense. Remember, you are changing your whole life to cater around the needs of another family, so the least you can do is get paid for that. If they are not serious, then get someone else to work for. Simple as that! But whatever you do, don't get screwed trying to raise a few bucks for an overdue vacation. That's just stupid. Hope this helps.