How to Have a Budget Holiday

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Many of us love having a holiday but often the cost of it can be a problem. Some people choose to borrow money to pay, but some do not want to borrow or do not have a good enough credit rating to be able to borrow. This means that they have to find a different approach. Having a budget holiday could be a way around it.

It might sound appalling to have a budget holiday and you may feel it would be better not having one at all. However, there are some things that tend to happen on holidays which you may be able to replicate at a lower price. You might also be able to compromise on a few things and this could means that you will be able to get all of the relaxation and fun without having to break the bank. There are different things that you can do which will lower the cost.

  • Do not travel as far – one big part of holiday expenses can be the actual travelling. The cost of a plane, boat or even train or bus can be very high. With fuel costs high, petrol or diesel is also expensive. This means that trying to cut down how far you travel could make a significant difference to the cost. It can be good to compare the costs of travel to different destinations and this will help to give you an idea of how much you pay just for this. If you already have a destination in mind then perhaps comparing costs on travel will be worthwhile. There may be some methods of transport which will be considerably cheaper which although perhaps less comfortable and slower could save you a significant amount of money.
  • Go self-catering rather than hotel – a hotel is very much more expensive than self-catering. This is partly because you will need to pay towards the food that comes with your hotel (assuming breakfast is included) as well as having to eat out for other meals which will cost more than cooking your own. You can still eat out a bit if you self-cater, but perhaps making a few meals and taking them with you or buying some ready meals which will be cheaper than eating in the hotel or a restaurant.
  • Do not holiday for as long – the longer you stay away for; the more expensive your accommodation costs will be. Therefore, if you stay for a shorter time then it will be cheaper. You could consider having a long weekend, short break or a week away rather than a fortnight. If this does not feel like it would be long enough then perhaps it would be better to wait and save up until you can afford a longer holiday.
  • Do not buy new things before you go – often a holiday can be a great excuse to buy some new things. New luggage, clothing, mini size toiletries, sunblock and all sorts of other things are often bought in readiness for your trip. They are normally not necessary as all and just cost extra. If you do not get new clothes then there will be more room in the case for the normal larger size toiletries which are better value for money. Do not worry about luggage, it will hardly be used – just for the journey so it is unlikely to need replacing. If you are travelling by car you can always use boxes and bin bags anyway, especially if you are self-catering – it may look a little odd taking a bin bag of clothes into a hotel!
  • Keep entertainment free – we often like to do things to entertain ourselves on holiday. This might mean going to shows, cinema, events, museums, day trips and things like this. These all cost money of course and they could be out of your budget. There are free things that you can do though such as walks, picnics, free monuments, beaches, parks and things like this. If you find out before you go, about what things are available to you, then you will be able to plan some free or all free activities. This could save a lot of money.

If you are imaginative, you should be able to think of lots of ways that you can have a holiday which will not be so expensive. It may not fill you with excitement, but look at all of the options that are available for the money that you have before you dismiss it. It could be that you will be able to put together a really great holiday without having to pay more than you can afford. It might be hard to imagine that people really enjoy budget breaks and some even have lots of fun just being a t home as a family. Try to imagine what it might be like for you and whether it is something that you think you will be able to do.

How to make Sure You Have Money Left for your Hobbies

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We all have things that we like to do in our spare time. These range massively and they cost different amounts of money. However cheap or expensive your hobbies are, you will need to make sure that you can afford them. You will not really want to get out a loan via somewhere like Boutell.co.uk for something that you do regularly. Especially if you have no guarantor. It is therefore important to make sure that you make sure that you have some money available for it.

Do not overpay

The first rule of thumb is to make sure that you do not pay more than necessary for anything. There are lots of things that we all buy and we often pay more than we need to for them. This is because we either are in the habit of buying it or do not really check how much we are paying. Therefore, if we start getting into the habit of comparing prices as well as making sure that we really need what we are buying, then we could find that the amount that we are spending significantly reduces. It is worth making sure that you do this with everything – not just when you are at the shops but all of those things you pay by direct debit that you may just forget about. You might be able to save a significant amount of money if you find a cheaper version of a significant number of things that you buy regularly. Obviously quality will be a factor as well and you want something that will last or be good but you might be paying more than necessary by paying for a big brand name or something like that when there might be a cheaper alternative that is just as good.

Prioritise spending

It is also well worth prioritising your spending. Make sure that you pay for the things that have to be paid first and then other essentials. Then consider what you want to spend the rest of your money on. It is easy to buy all sorts of things and then realise that you have nothing left for your hobbies. Hobbies are important. They help us to relax and this is really important. Getting stress relief has all sorts of benefits particularly on our mood and health and so it is something that perhaps you should prioritise over some other luxuries.

So, make a note of everything that you have to buy and make sure that you are not paying too much for it. Then ensure that you may for these things first so that you do not forget or run out of money before you buy them. Then consider prioritising your hobby next; before other luxuries. It may depend on whether you think other things are important, but you want to make sure that

Save up

It might be necessary to save up for the items that you need. It could be that you will not have enough remaining money to be able to pay for what you want for your hobbies. If this is the case, do not just give up. Start saving some money towards it and then you should soon find that you will have what you need. You may want to set up a special account with a regular payment going in to it so that you do not forget. It could be worth making sure that the payment goes out just after you are paid. This means that you will be sure that there will be enough money in the account to cover it. You may also want to put any money you have left at the end of the month into that savings account as well. This will mean that it will add up much more quickly and you will be able to buy what you want even sooner.

Write it down

When we write things down, we tend to commit to them more, which is why things like to-do-lists or written goals works so well. This can also apply to your hobbies. Write down what you would like to achieve and how much it will cost and this should help you to be able to more easily achieve what you want. Having this constant reminder of what you are aiming for will mean that you will hopefully remain more motivated. You should remember to question everything you are buying to make sure that you really want it and that you are not paying more than necessary for it. Hopefully focussing on what you really want to spend money on will help with this as well. You may decide not to buy certain items so you free up money for your hobbies and this can help you to be able to buy what you need more quickly. Hopefully you will be excited by being able to buy it and the closer you are to being able to buy what you want; the more motivated you will be.