How To Save Money During A Staycation
Over the last year, the nature of vacation has changed somewhat. The global lock downs have made it extremely difficult to travel, and today’s financial climate means that more and more people are choosing to stay at home as a way of saving money.
Taking a break from your main job might mean you won’t have the ability to put those extra hours in, especially for those that rely on working extra hours to pay their bills. The best option available is to cut back on costs as much as possible during this time, which can be done by following these simple tips.
Create a Budget
Most people don’t take budgets that seriously, usually because they believe that they have a strong handle on their spending habits. But budgets, when maintained properly, can be a powerful way of saving money that you would have otherwise lost. You don’t even need to create the budget from scratch, as there are plenty of free programs and phone applications that are easy to use and allow you to keep track of your finances without needing to teach yourself to build a completely new budget plan.
Cook At Home
It’s tempting to go out every day and buy yourself something tasty from the local fast food joint, and while the food here can be cheap, it’s nowhere near as cheap when compared to making meals at home. The ingredients on their own are a fraction of the price, and you’re able to buy them in bulk for a reduced cost. This also gives you the chance to try out new recipes thanks to the power of the internet. On top of all of that, cooking at home also inevitably means that the meals will be much healthier both for you and your family.
Limit Expensive Travel
The idea of a staycation is to use the extra time to visit the sights near to where you live, but it might also be fairly appealing to hope into the car and go for a long trip somewhere new. While there’s nothing wrong with this, long road trips can be expensive depending on how far you intend on travelling.
It might be worth skipping or limiting how far you want to go, rather staying close to your home and focussing on the things nearby that you’ve never seen and hoping for lucky numbers. This might not be the best option if you live in a small town and have already seen all it has to offer, but for those that stay in a large city, there’s almost always something new to discover.
Opt For Cheap Hobbies
One way of spending time while on a staycation is by enjoying hobbies, and there are plenty to choose from. Model making, for example, has always been popular, but it can be an expensive hobby to take up due to the costs of the models and the accessories needed for them. It might be a better idea then to opt for hobbies that are cheaper to maintain, such as learning a new language, reading, painting, and others.
