Travelling on a budget
Sun, Sea & Saves!
Travelling is definitely one of my favourite things to do, especially now we have more freedom to do it. I share our travels across my social media pages and I'm often asked how we manage to afford to do it as regularly as we do, considering the current economic climate in this country.
The top and bottom of it is that I rely on rewards, points and vouchers, and made lifestyle changes that freed up some extra funds.
Let's talk about how...
We're lucky to be in a position where we have a credit card - choosing to use our credit card at 0% interest to pay for a holiday gives us access to reward points that we can use to save some pennies on the holiday, flights and excursions whilst we are there. We also collect points through it on our Nectar card. Most agents these days let you pay monthly for your holiday, where you secure a holiday with a small deposit then pay a monthly fee until it's paid off, usually a few weeks before you're due to fly. We see this as being no different, other than our monthly payment going back to our credit card instead of a travel agent & getting some extra perks we otherwise wouldn't get.
Lifestyle Changes
Over a year ago I chose to give up alcohol for good, I've shared the ins and outs of this on my social media and in blog posts before now, but never really shared the financial aspect of it and how freeing it has been for my purse as well!
Between myself and Michael no longer drinking we are saving hundreds of pounds a year. You might think "how much were you drinking?!" but in reality, it doesn't take that much to spend that much - alcohol isn't cheap! Though I was definitely consuming more than the average person does, even if you only indulge in half a bottle of wine a day, at £5 a bottle every other day or so you're looking at almost £1,000 in one year. That's not taking into account bottles of spirits bought in for special occasions, buying a few drinks at family functions and events, a few drinks out with a meal on a weekend ... it really does add up and I dread to think how much money we've actually spent on it over the years! Mocktails and soft drinks don't come to nearly the same amount so we save a substantial figure. We now put that money to good use elsewhere, including holidays.
Vinted
I don't know how many of you have been lured in by Vinted but I know I'm definitely guilty. There's something really satisfying about clearing out clutter and getting money for it in return with ease, no messing, and all done from my phone too - and nope, this isn't an ad, I just love the app! Over the last few months we've been going through the house bit by bit selling off everything we no longer need or use, and have been putting that money aside to contribute to future travel plans. Would 100% recommend anyone to do this - you could have gold mines sitting gathering dust.
Sun Holidays
This could definitely be an option for people who are struggling more to get away - it's a perk I make use of and have yet to complain. The Club950 with The Sun allows you to collect token codes to book really cheap holidays both in the UK and abroad, from as little as £9.50 per person. You can see more about how it works, the locations available, and get answers to their FAQs here: www.club950.co.uk
Again, not an ad, just want to share the tips and tricks we've learned along the way and this one is definitely a bonus.
Prioritising
I'm definitely at a point in my life now where I've really evaluated what is important to me. Memories over money these days, living not just surviving, working to live, not living to work. Because of that I now choose to spend money as a priority on things like trips and holidays. Alfie is growing so quickly and this is time we will never get back so want to make the most of it whilst we can. We forego the meals out, the nights out & limit spending on other occasions to make sure we have it spare to spend that time together.
You can follow along with our travels through our TikTok and Instagram travelling pages:
Instagram: @sarahtravels1
Tiktok: @holidaywithsarah