Traveling has always been a way we relax and build memories.  In order for us to be free to take what we consider somewhat extravagant vacations; we live our day-to-day lives as minimally as possible.  Don’t get me wrong, I personally am not a minimalist.  While I admire people who can live that way, it is not me.  I love my comfort items and feel like having things that make our life easier is important.  I guess you could say we prioritize what we spend our money on and save anywhere we can on items not on the top of our list. 

Here are some of the strategies we have adopted into our daily lives to help us save and be able travel to places we have prioritized: 

Become familiar with local thrift stores 

After a few visits, you will know which ones carry quality goods and which are not worth the time. One in my area gets donations from a local boutique when they are overstocked.  I can buy the same item there for $5 that is being sold at the boutique for $35.  Don’t be afraid to look for the treasures amongst the duds.  Many thrift stores also have discount days for special interest groups, like senior citizens or veterans, which can save you even more from the thrift store prices.  Another local thrift shop has 50% off of the entire store from 9-10 every day and all day on Thursday.

Only pay retail pricing for things that never go on sale

Keep a mental list of items you will be needing and catch them when they are on sale or when found at a discount.  Once you start shopping, you will know a good deal on them when you see them and that is the time to buy. If you need something right away, there may not be a choice but to pay retail, however if you get good at this strategy, you will be amazed at how less often you are in that position.

Take the time to hit up garage sales 

I absolutely love to garage sale.  I love meeting different people, seeing how they landscape their yards, and seeing what items they have gently used that are for sale.  I would not hesitate to say if you came in our house, 80% of what you may compliment us on came from a garage sale.  Keeping an eye out for things that are on your mental list will save you from having to pay retail later.  I will be writing a whole separate blog on garage sales soon!

Be very selective about what you pay others to do for you 

We have decided over the years to go ahead and have someone else mow our lawn and care for our pool.  Most of the landscaping I do myself and most of the home maintenance and repair my husband does.  We tried to do it all at first and in our situation found it to be a priority to pay for a couple of things to be done. 

Look for swap groups 

I belong to a plant swap group where someone will post that they have extra canna’s (for example) and are willing to trade for lilies.  This is a great way to expand your landscaping without incurring additional cost and since many plants multiply as they grow, you probably have items to swap in your beds right now. 

Use credit cards wisely

Credit cards can be very dangerous and cause you to incur a lot of debt if you get into the habit of not paying off the balance.  While I know some financial gurus will tell you to cut up your credit cards, we use credit cards for almost everything we purchase.  Now….one important note is, we pay off the credit card balances monthly, and we only use cards that give you cash back for using them.   We save up the cash back and only redeem it for something we really want.  We have paid for entire trips to Mexico with our credit card cashback! 

Why We Save

We love to find a good deal and it makes us feel good. But our real goal is to travel more, vacation more, and live more, and saving along the way makes this happen!

Leave a comment for how you save money, and what you are saving for!