Saint Augustine, theologian and philosopher once said, “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.” In the common world road trips create an escape from the daily routine.
In order to have a successful trip you need to be fully prepared, and financially able to handle any unforeseen circumstances while on your trip. However, the first thing you need to figure out is how to start saving.
There are several tricks that can be utilized to help save money gradually over a period of time, most of them take an extremely minimal amount of effort and actually make saving easy.
Keep a jar of change
This is one of the oldest methods to holding on to money; in day-to-day life change often just gets thrown in a cup holder and forgotten. That change does build up, and it will build up faster than you realize.
Consider putting the jar in your laundry room, every time you find money in the laundry put it in the jar as well.
Pick a number
Every bill, of any value has a serial number, with 2 letters followed by a series of numbers.
Pick a number from 1 to 10, every time you get a bill that has that number at the end of its serial code put it away and save it.
Make a budget
Figure out all your expenses every month, and find out how much extra spending money you have after your bills are covered.
Once you have determined the amount extra you have, decide on a percentage and then take that amount out of your account each month and place it in a savings account.
Say no
Be aware of what you are spending money on, this is something to keep in mind while you are on your trip as well. Choose not to spend money on unnecessary purchases, if you buy a cup of coffee every morning of the week, go at least one day a week without buying your coffee.
So now you know how to save for a trip, but how can you prepare and plan out your expenses for the actual trip. Creating a budget specifically for your trip can allow you to maintain your spending and stay within your budget.
If you are able to plan your budget in a way that overestimates your spending, then you will end up with extra money to help cover for accidents or unforeseen issues.
Figure out your gas cost, and make an allowance for the fluctuations in gas price. Be aware that the cost of gas is different depending on what state you are in, find out which states you will be driving through and their gas prices.
Always be familiar with the distance in miles, and then make sure you have enough in cash to cover the cost of gas home with a little bit extra to help cover food. You do not want to get stuck at your location because you lost your debit or credit card. It is ideal for the cash to be kept in the car or in your suitcase, out of your wallet.
Being aware of your potential cost and budget will help you know how much to save, and extending that awareness throughout your trip will help you have a successful and enjoyable trip.
Photo: Richard PJ Lambert / CC 2.0