Summer vacation. During your elementary, middle, and high school years, those two magical words meant three months of freedom! No school, no waking up early, no early bedtimes. It was your annual reward for grinding through the previous nine months of academic pursuits. Yet somehow, summer always managed to fly by faster than it was supposed to!
Now that you’re an adult, your summertime respite has probably shortened considerably. Instead of three months, you might get a week away—maybe two, if you’re lucky. But just like when you were young, you always wish your time away could last just a little bit longer. It seems like no matter how old you get, summer vacation still holds a special kind of magic.
There’s still time to save for summer vacation!
But even with all the sun-kissed nostalgia that makes summer vacation a lifelong treat, there’s one thing that can ruin the fun faster than a thunderstorm at the swimming pool: vacation-related debt. Summertime memories are fun to recall, but it’s not nearly as fun to receive monthly reminders that you’re still paying the price for that fun—plus interest.
If you’re like most people, summer usually sneaks up on you. You start the year with good intentions, but somewhere along the way you forget to set aside money to cover your vacation plans. With summer only a few weeks away, you might be wondering whether it’s possible to save enough money to cover this year’s vacation. We’re happy to report that it’s absolutely possible! It will take some discipline, but you can do it. Here are five tips to help you get started.
Five Quick and Easy Ways to Save for Summer Vacation
- Create a savings plan.
Sometimes, the easiest way to save money is to identify the ways you’re currently wasting it. By creating and following a sensible budget, you’ll be able to pinpoint the areas where you’re spending too much. For the next five weeks, do your best to eliminate frivolous expenses and only spend money on things that are essential. You’ll be surprised how quickly your savings add up. - Find fun for free.
Just because you’re saving for summer doesn’t mean that you can’t have fun in the meantime. But it does mean you might need to find some different activities. Movies, dining out, and entertainment can add up quickly. The average cost of dinner, drinks, and movie tickets for two comes in at around $100, so, imagine how fast you could pile up the savings if you decided to cook at home, stroll through a park, play some board games, or browse at a bookstore instead! - Resist the convenience tax.
We’re all busy. Sometimes it’s just easier to pay for convenience. Whether it’s drive-thru coffee on the way to work or take-out food for dinner, shelling out a few extra dollars can save precious minutes throughout the day. But if you’re trying to save money for summer, you might want to pause these practices. When you consider that you can save $3 per day just by making your morning cup of coffee at home, the money-saving benefits of this step are ridiculously clear. (And don’t worry, we’re only talking about five weeks. You’ll be back to that extra-hot-triple-skinny-no-foam-half-caff latte in no time.) - Hang onto that tax refund.
If you’re expecting a tax refund this year, well…you’ve probably filed your taxes already. That means either your refund has arrived already or it’s on the way. As tempting as it can be to celebrate your sudden cash infusion with a big purchase, it might make more sense to hang onto that money and use it to pay for your upcoming summer vacation. Yes, that’ll require a little discipline, but enjoying a fantastic, debt-free vacation is worth it! - Cash in on your spare time.
OK, so maybe this tip isn’t technically about saving—but it can be. If you figure out how to earn a little extra money, that gives you even more chances to save. (See? Told you it could be about savings.) Once you’ve maximized your creative saving methods, it never hurts to earn a little extra money. Side jobs are a great way to make quick cash, and thanks to apps like Nextdoor, Taskrabbit, and Gigwalk, finding work is easier than you think.
If you’re saving for this summer, it’s probably going to feel like an all-out sprint. But with a little advance planning, next year’s summer savings won’t have to be quite so stressful. Here at Secured Advantage Federal Credit Union, we offer convenient vacation savings accounts that let you automatically deposit a little money from your paychecks throughout the year and withdraw the funds just in time for your stress-free summer vacation. Call us or visit one of our branches in person to learn more about these specialized savings accounts.
