Do you limit yourself to camping or visiting a local attraction each year for your family vacation? Do you dream of taking your family on a cruise or to a luxury resort? I can tell you just about anything is possible with a budget. Developing a family budget is a small sacrifice, but for some it may seem insurmountable… The more money you want to save for a vacation, the harder it may be to save. The first step in saving money is to determine where all of your money is going now. This can be accomplished by documenting your spending habits, the mortgage payment, rent, car insurance, lunch out every day at work, movies or DVD’s for the kids, even that cup of coffee you purchased at your favorite drive thru should be recorded. Document your spending habits for a month, then examine your findings. Many people are surprised to learn how much money they are wasting on unnecessary purchases. These purchases often include, coffee beverages, cigarettes, alcohol, and eating out. To save money for that much deserved vacation, you will need to cut all unnecessary purchases. Cutting unnecessary purchases sounds easy, but the reality is that it takes a commitment. If you are not able to change your spending habits, then change them as much as possible. For instance, instead of purchasing a cup of coffee each morning on your way to work, brew your own at home and take it with you.

Last time I checked, Starbucks specialty coffee was $4 to $5 dollars. $5 a day times 5 days is $25 a week or $100 a month that you could put into a vacation fund. Additional cut backs could be packing your lunch instead of buying it out everyday,(an average lunch out is $10 and that is being really conservative.) So you could save at least $50 a week or $200 a month if you brown bag it. Between coffee and lunch you could be saving at least $300 a month. If you are going to commit to saving money for a vacation, you need to make sure that you actually save the money. Each week take the money you would have spent on coffee and lunch and other things you have decided to give up and open a savings account with it. I think you will be surprised just how fast the dollars will add up. In addition to accumulating interest, you are less likely to spend the money. Changing your spending habits is one of the best ways to raise funds to take your dream vacation. While saving money is important, it is not the only way that you can vacation on a budget. Other discounts can be obtained through membership clubs. Saving the money needed for a memorable vacation may seem at first like a difficult task, but after time it will become a part of your daily routine. Try this for a month and see how much money you can save. Saving money and looking for last minute discounts are both great ways to afford that dream vacation, but together they can save you more money than you ever imagined. Thank you for reading my article. My name is Vikki and my husband and I save thousands each year with our Travel Membership.