Money Talks

I know it has been awhile but writing about traveling while staying put to replenish your bank account is more difficult than I thought! But for right now it is time to take a step back and answer the number one question we have been receiving: How did you afford all of this?

The statement “I can’t afford to travel,” is my biggest pet peeve. Just because you can’t afford five-star hotels and 11 course meals every night doesn’t mean you can’t afford to travel. 

My inbox has been flooded with the loaded “how did you pay for this” question dozens of times in the past few months. And here is how: I worked three jobs for nine months, lived at home with no overhead bills (except gas) and took every extra job I could find, from pulling weeds to dog sitting, I was your girl. 

While I worked with no social life basically until the day I left I watched my bank account go up and up and up, until that fatal day when I bought my ticket and boom goes the dynamite and all my money. I still wasn’t worried. 5 months is a long time, but I am cheap and know how to budget. 

We tried to never pay more than $15 a night for a place to sleep, we cooked our own food when we could and almost always took leftovers. When we budgeted, the largest margin was for activities and alcohol, yes alcohol. You can always find a cheap meal from McDonalds or a local hole-in-the wall restaurant, or grocery store, and missing out on a bike riding wine tasting in Austria was more important than a three-course meal. 

But now is the real kicker. After I returned home I went from three jobs to only one job and moved out of my parents’ house and entered the real world of paying rent and utilities. And a trip to Norway that was exactly 90 days away from the time we touched down at MCO. So naturally I had to make some adjustments. 

Every person saves and budgets differently but here is how I work: the jar system. I have mason jars stashed all over my room labeled with “Adventure Jar” “Shopping Fund” “Rent and Utilities” “Dinner” “Gas” and “Plane Tickets.” Every time I am paid tip money or paycheck I sit in front of my jars and divide up my money. Every time the money in my wallet reaches $100 I do it all again. 

This sounds ridiculous, I know. But, it works for me. If my “Dinner” jar is empty, I don’t go out and if I know I have to buy a plane ticket in a week I put a little extra in that jar. I could explain a huge mathematical equation used to divide up my cash stash but in reality it is all based off of what I need. No, I don’t do a lot of social activities when I am home, however, I’d rather fly to Norway on September 2nd than eat at the new Vietnamese place on the corner. 

Spending money is easy, saving money is not. Just because you don’t have as much saved up as you want doesn’t mean you are doing anything wrong it just means you need to count it all again and put away a little more each week. My blogs always end on a cheesy note so why stop now? Traveling is the only thing you pay for that makes you richer. Work as much as you can and buy the plane ticket and figure it out from there, I promise it is worth it.