How I save before we go

[sea_u_onboard]

Yes - we collect our change (had over $300.00 for the last cruise - took a year to collect)

 

Yes - The rebate checks go in there, as does the money for stuff sold on ebay.

 

Yes - we recycle cans for cash.

 

I stopped playing the Lotto and put that money away each week - I figure it's doing more good there - since I rarely win.

 

I use this board to find out about great - inexpensive - things to do while on shore.

 

Recently I started something new - and boy am I racking it in now. I used to use coupons all the time but got away from it because "we could afford to shop without them". Well - I realized that I was missing an opportunity here. I don't buy anything that I don't normally buy - but I do calculate how much I saved with coupons and that amount goes into the fund also. I figure if I take the time to clip them that we should be able to do something fun with it.

[Happy ks]

I've clipped coupons, stashed change and all that for years. The best way for us to save is to take a set amount out of each paycheck that goes into the vacation fund.

[Cruise Junky]

Our cruise savings comes from: All Change...minimum $120 per month, sometimes as high as $180 (helps to have 1 & 2 dollar coins). $50 per pay each into our vacation account. So that's $320 - $380 per month. Any lottery winnings under $5 goes into the pot. It's amazing how quickly it adds up.

[bearette]

I am the Queen of coupons. My husband says I wouldn't buy anything without a coupon. Not true, but most of the stuff I buy has one or two! Anyother way I save money for vacations is by taking my lunch to work and making coffe at home. You would be suprised how much money you save by making your own starbucks like drinks at home (or buying the frappuccino ones from Costco for the times when you have to have starbucks). That lunch money adds up fast too, about $5 a day.

[mconthehighseas]

My husband has been travelling a lot for work, so I haven't been able to coupon like I used to. But collecting change - I have been VERY good at that. DH brought home 2 buckets of change from the last trip - and that went straight to the bank.

 

I just made my final payment today, and it looks like when the bill comes in, it will be paid from:

rebate checks

garage sale earnings

ebay/ half.com earnings

CHANGE!

[Cruise Junky]

My husband has been travelling a lot for work, so I haven't been able to coupon like I used to. But collecting change - I have been VERY good at that. DH brought home 2 buckets of change from the last trip - and that went straight to the bank.

 

I just made my final payment today, and it looks like when the bill comes in, it will be paid from:

rebate checks

garage sale earnings

ebay/ half.com earnings

CHANGE!

 

That's great..it makes it so painless to save for vacations.

[kendon]

Ah, so others do it too. We just started the e-bay cruise fund this week to help pay for the 9th cruise. Our eighth cruise is being paid for in part by saving quarters, a bit taken out of each pay check, and a garage sale. All of this is quite motivating to clean out the house for the best reward at the end! How else do you guys sve for a cruise?

[LisaGoeke]

I also do a lot of couponing and rebating. I take ALL my rebate checks and put them in our special vacation account.

[mconthehighseas]

I decided that the only way not to have a heart attack saving for next year's cruise was to direct deposit some money into our vacation fund every paycheck. It won't pay for the entire cruise, but it will make it easier not to be stressed out about saving change, couponing, and all the other ways I save.

[MizzCard]

I have this huge apothacary jar that used just for saving just pennies. For one, I was curious to see just how many it held.....A little over 8,000!!! (took 5 years) No, I didn't roll 'em. A co-worker and myself hauled them in two cavas bags to my bank that has a change machine, counts the change, spits out a receipt and the teller gives you the cash....I put mine in our cruise account. I don't spend any of my change, always use bills. I round off my salary to the hundreds, anything over ($25-$50) goes into the cruise fund. We've cruised every year and the whole cruise is paid for prior to sailing....this includes more than enough for our onboard account!

[49holding]

I also save loose change and every month count it and roll it...usually $80 to $100 per month, also here in NY we have 5 cent bottle and can deposit so the returns also go into the fund. Another thing I do is buy my stamps from the machine in the post office I get dollar coins as the change. That with any casino winnings and I can easily accumulate $1400 to $2000 per year. That is my spending money for cruises and other vacations.This year I am going on a cruise with friends(without my family)and my savings more than paid for my trip. Paying for it myself my husband can't complain.

[oscarmoraz]

Anyone ever seen the Cruise Fund Wishing Pot Bank? We just picked one up from Sea Island...try to do a search on google for it...nothing less than $5.00 goes into this for me...lol

[demodawn]

We used the RCCL credit card and have a $100 on board credit and we just used it and paid it off each month easy money!

[sea_u_onboard]

Anyone ever seen the Cruise Fund Wishing Pot Bank? We just picked one up from Sea Island...try to do a search on google for it...nothing less than $5.00 goes into this for me...lol

Found it here -

http://www.etreasuresgifts.com/frdotvaset.html

[nutbrown]

Besides saving change, I started saving my $1 bills. At the end of every week I take all of the singles out of my wallet and put them in an envelope.

[MrsPete]

Saving change is an "iffy" way of saving money. It does not INCREASE the amount of money you have -- it just moves that cash in to an "untouchable" fund. If you tell yourself, "I have X amount of spending money this week and that's it", then you're saving money by putting aside your change. On the other hand, if you go to the ATM machine and pull out a twenty every time your pocket money is gone, then you're not really saving. Whether this is a savings depends upon how YOU handle it.

 

Also, if you're saving change, don't ever put it into one of those ChangeStar machines at the grocery stores. They take 9.5% of the money! I cringe every time I see someone using one of those. Your bank will give you empty change rollers for free. Some large banks even let customers use their change roller for free.

 

A more certain way of saving money is to DECREASE your spending in "painless" areas. For example, taking your own sodas to work can save a ton -- if you usually buy them out of the machine for .60 each, then it's a big savings to buy them in 12-packs. And if you start bringing water from home, that would save even more -- not to mention the health benefits. Eating out can cost a fortune too. Suppose your family's in the habit of eating out 3Xs per week at a cost of $40 each time (not unusual); cutting back to 2Xs per week could save over $2000 per year.

 

Other areas where it's easy to cut back:

Magazine subscriptions.

Health club membership that you're not using anyway.

Cut back on phone options that you're not using or movie channels that you rarely watch.

Make your own greeting cards (those are really getting outrageous!)

Get a digital camera -- it'll pay for itself quickly because you'll no longer buy film and you'll only print the pictures you like.

Rent a movie instead of going to the theater.

Trade used books with a friend instead of buying them new.

[mtd716]

Trade used books with a friend instead of buying them new.

Or get a library card. I put a hold on books online all the time, and the county library system delivers them to my local branch when they are available. They have even ordered books for their collection when I have made requests for something that is not part of their system. Getting a library card was the best thing I ever did!