keepsakes https://www.wisebread.com/taxonomy/term/23986/all en-US 5 Travel Splurges That Are Worth Every Penny https://www.wisebread.com/5-travel-splurges-that-are-worth-every-penny <div class="field field-type-filefield field-field-blog-image"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <a href="/5-travel-splurges-that-are-worth-every-penny" class="imagecache imagecache-250w imagecache-linked imagecache-250w_linked"><img src="https://www.wisebread.com/files/fruganomics/imagecache/250w/blog-images/tourist_in_paris_visiting_landmark_eiffel_tower.jpg" alt="Tourist in Paris visiting landmark Eiffel tower" title="" class="imagecache imagecache-250w" width="250" height="140" /></a> </div> </div> </div> <p>Many people like to splurge on designer clothing, fancy houses, or flashy cars. For me, however, the big indulgence has always been travel, at least since I've been able to afford it.</p> <p>I'm perfectly fine with the fact that my husband and I share a 2009 Prius and that our &quot;fine China&quot; is made up of plastic cups we got for free. Heck, I'm even okay with the fact that half of our furniture came from garage sales. But I'll gladly spend enough cash to pay for the travel experiences we desire, even if it means going without some of life's extras. (See also: <a href="http://www.wisebread.com/how-to-build-your-best-travel-budget?ref=seealso" target="_blank">How to Build Your Best Travel Budget</a>)</p> <p>While we do our best to rack up airline miles and find deals on hotels and condos, we still pay out of pocket for much of the expense. But you know what? Most of the money we spend on travel is more than worth it. And even though I love saving money, there are some travel experiences that I wouldn't dare scrimp on. (See also: <a href="http://www.wisebread.com/top-5-travel-reward-credit-cards?ref=seealso" target="_blank">Best Travel Rewards Credit Cards</a>)</p> <p>Saving some cash is great, but not when it takes away from what could be an epic travel experience you'll never forget. Here are five instances when you should go ahead and splurge (within reason, of course). (See also: <a href="http://www.wisebread.com/9-things-you-should-never-skimp-on-when-traveling?ref=seealso" target="_blank">9 Things You Should Never Skimp on When Traveling</a>)</p> <h2>1. Anything that saves your most important asset: time</h2> <p>Most of us who travel have limited time on our hands. Perhaps we have a week at a time to spend abroad, or just a few days in each city we choose. In those cases, it makes sense to pay more to save what we have the least of: time.</p> <p>To save time, you might choose to pay more for a direct flight instead of one with several stopovers. With this strategy, you could avoid hours spent idle in an airport and instead have more time to enjoy your destination. Similarly, maybe you choose to splurge for a high-speed train instead of taking a slow-moving bus. It costs more, but it frees up more time to sightsee and explore new worlds.</p> <p>I know my husband and I almost always book skip-the-line passes for museums and attractions for this very reason. You pay a premium to skip past the winding entry line, but you often save hours each time. Here's why the premium is worth it: Imagine you're visiting the Colosseum and Roman Forum in Rome. You can get skip-the-line entry into both for around $42, or you can pay $14 for a standard ticket. Since the lines can easily last several hours, you're paying $28 per person to buy several hours more of sightseeing time in Rome.</p> <p>Would you pay $28 for a few more hours spent wandering the eternal city? I would, especially if I only had a week to spend in the first place. (See also: <a href="http://www.wisebread.com/4-reasons-you-should-splurge-on-experiences-not-things?ref=seealso" target="_blank">4 Reasons You Should Splurge on Experiences, Not Things</a>)</p> <h2>2. A once-in-a-lifetime experience</h2> <p>Bucket list experiences aren't always available, but when you find one, you should take it. Of course, what is considered &quot;bucket list&quot; is entirely different from one person to the next. For some travelers, forking over $100+ to ride a gondola in Venice might be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. For others, a true &quot;bucket list experience&quot; might be scaling Mount Everest or Mount Kilimanjaro &mdash; both time-consuming, expensive, and dangerous endeavors. (See also: <a href="http://www.wisebread.com/once-in-a-lifetime-experiences-ive-earned-with-credit-card-rewards?ref=seealso" target="_blank">Once-In-A-Lifetime Experiences I've Earned With Credit Card Rewards</a>)</p> <p>My husband and I splurged for a once-in-a-lifetime experience earlier this year when we were in Bora Bora, which was a bucket list trip in itself. While we were content sitting on the deck of our overwater bungalow for days, something inside told me we should sign up for the quintessential Bora Bora excursion and swim with sharks. After all, when would we be in Bora Bora again, if ever?</p> <p>So we did swim with sharks &hellip; and it was absolutely electrifying. It was around $100 per person for the excursion, which was more than I wanted to spend at that point, but it was worth it and I would do it again.</p> <p><img src="https://www.wisebread.com/files/fruganomics/u5197/1_0.png" width="605" height="454" alt="" /></p> <h2>3. Experiences that help you learn</h2> <p>Traveling somewhere new can be a learning experience in itself, but there's something to be said for hiring a knowledgeable guide. Whether you're touring the Louvre in Paris, seeing China's Terracotta Warriors for the first time, or wandering Vatican City, it's helpful to have someone around who knows what you're looking at.</p> <p>Unfortunately, hiring a guide can be expensive. Websites like <a href="http://www.toursbylocals.com/" target="_blank">Tours by Locals</a> offer access to local guides in 158 countries around the world, but in some cases, the costs can be staggering. Still, the cost can be worth it if you want a private guide of your own.</p> <p>If you want to save, you can also book a guided group tour through a website like <a href="http://www.viator.com/" target="_blank">Viator.com</a>. Don't forget to check the concierge services or travel portals of your credit card. Group tours are typically less expensive because you have to share your guide with other people who sign up. However, you can still gain the kind of insider knowledge you're after.</p> <h2>4. Anything that makes the &quot;travel&quot; component of your trip easier to handle</h2> <p>Earlier this year, my husband and I took our kids to Spain and France for fall break. Always trying to save a buck, we mapped out our ideal subway route to get from the Madrid airport to our rental condo.</p> <p>What a mistake that was. Having never used the Madrid underground system before, we quickly found ourselves scaling multiple staircases up and down with four giant pieces of luggage. And since we had to change metro lines three times along the way, we had to go up and down, up and down, up and down to the point where our kids &mdash; ages six and eight &mdash; were exhausted and crying. Full disclosure, I was pretty unhappy about it, too.</p> <p>And we did it all for what? To save $50 on a taxi to the hotel? It wasn't even close to worth it. The funny thing is, we are usually more in touch with situations like these where our travel experience could be improved if we weren't so cheap. But we spaced out on this one.</p> <p>The bottom line: Do what you can to save money, but draw the line when saving a little cash will make everyone miserable. Travel is hard enough on its own &mdash; especially if you are bringing kids along. If you can make the process less stressful for a reasonable amount of money, you will thank yourself later. (See also: <a href="http://www.wisebread.com/8-money-lessons-i-learned-from-three-weeks-in-europe?ref=seealso" target="_blank">8 Money Lessons I Learned From 3 Weeks in Europe</a>)</p> <h2>5. More space (if you need it)</h2> <p>Whether you're traveling alone, with a partner, in a group, or with your kids, it's easy to settle on a cheap hotel or hostel and justify it by saying you'll never be in your room. While that may be true, I've personally found I'm a lot more comfortable if I have some space to spread out. I've stayed in a hostel with my husband and kids before and it was fine, but some of our best travel experiences have been in places where we've had our own condo and a separate bedroom for the adults.</p> <p><img src="https://www.wisebread.com/files/fruganomics/u5197/2.jpg" width="454" height="605" alt="" /></p> <p>For this upcoming summer, I even splurged for a rental villa with a pool on the Amalfi Coast of Italy. It is easily twice the cost of renting an apartment away from the beach, but I want to relax in our own place without having to travel to soak in the beautiful views. To save money, we'll make most of our own meals and do free stuff in the area. It's a trade-off for sure, but it's one I'm willing to make to get the experience we want.</p> <p>Life is short, and the time we get to travel is often fleeting. Most of us get what, 10-20 vacation days per year? Saving money is important, but it's not everything.</p> <p>To get the travel experiences you truly want, sometimes you have to spend some cash. But don't take my word for it. The next time you travel, try splurging on something you've always wanted to do or paying extra to make your trip more convenient. Chances are, you'll have an experience you won't regret.</p> <h2 style="text-align: center;">Like this article? Pin it!</h2> <div align="center"><a data-pin-do="buttonPin" data-pin-count="above" data-pin-tall="true" href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wisebread.com%2F5-travel-splurges-that-are-worth-every-penny&amp;media=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wisebread.com%2Ffiles%2Ffruganomics%2Fu5180%2F5%2520Travel%2520Splurges%2520That%2520Are%2520Worth%2520Every%2520Penny.jpg&amp;description=5%20Travel%20Splurges%20That%20Are%20Worth%20Every%20Penny"></a></p> <script async defer src="//assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js"></script></div> <p style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://www.wisebread.com/files/fruganomics/u5180/5%20Travel%20Splurges%20That%20Are%20Worth%20Every%20Penny.jpg" alt="5 Travel Splurges That Are Worth Every Penny" width="250" height="374" /></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <br /><div id="custom_wisebread_footer"><div id="rss_tagline">This article is from <a href="https://www.wisebread.com/user/5193">Holly Johnson</a> of <a href="https://www.wisebread.com/5-travel-splurges-that-are-worth-every-penny">Wise Bread</a>, an award-winning personal finance and <a href="http://www.wisebread.com/credit-cards">credit card comparison</a> website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:</div><div class="view view-similarterms view-id-similarterms view-display-id-block_2 view-dom-id-3"> <div class="view-content"> <div class="item-list"> <ul> <li class="views-row views-row-1 views-row-odd views-row-first"> <div class="views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="https://www.wisebread.com/how-hotel-booking-websites-can-save-you-money-and-headaches">How Hotel Booking Websites Can Save You Money (And Headaches)</a></span> </div> </li> <li class="views-row views-row-2 views-row-even"> <div class="views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="https://www.wisebread.com/all-the-ways-you-can-score-more-points-and-miles-this-holiday-season">All the Ways You Can Score More Points and Miles This Holiday Season</a></span> </div> </li> <li class="views-row views-row-3 views-row-odd"> <div class="views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="https://www.wisebread.com/how-professional-award-bookers-can-get-you-free-rewards-flights">How Professional Award Bookers Can Get You Free Rewards Flights</a></span> </div> </li> <li class="views-row views-row-4 views-row-even"> <div class="views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="https://www.wisebread.com/7-ways-to-save-on-a-european-getaway-with-kids">7 Ways to Save on a European Getaway With Kids</a></span> </div> </li> <li class="views-row views-row-5 views-row-odd views-row-last"> <div class="views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="https://www.wisebread.com/how-to-vacation-in-greece-for-300-or-less">How to Vacation in Greece for $300 or Less</a></span> </div> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div><br/></br> Shopping Travel family vacation keepsakes travel budget travel gifts travel splurges travel tips vacation tips Tue, 06 Feb 2018 09:30:08 +0000 Holly Johnson 2098609 at https://www.wisebread.com How to Decide What to Keep When Downsizing https://www.wisebread.com/how-to-decide-what-to-keep-when-downsizing <div class="field field-type-filefield field-field-blog-image"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <a href="/how-to-decide-what-to-keep-when-downsizing" class="imagecache imagecache-250w imagecache-linked imagecache-250w_linked"><img src="https://www.wisebread.com/files/fruganomics/imagecache/250w/blog-images/woman_moving_boxes_494760324.jpg" alt="Woman deciding what to keep when downsizing" title="" class="imagecache imagecache-250w" width="250" height="140" /></a> </div> </div> </div> <p>Having trouble downsizing? You're not alone. Many of us are attached to our <em>things</em>, and that can cause anxiety when it's time to clear out the clutter. But when you start looking at your possessions practically &mdash; do they all serve a real purpose? &mdash; you'll have a better idea of what stays and what should go. Here are a few suggestions for the former. (See also: <a href="http://www.wisebread.com/7-mantras-to-sharpen-your-resolve-to-downsize-and-declutter?ref=seealso" target="_blank">7 Mantras to Sharpen Your Resolve to Downsize and Declutter</a>)</p> <h2>1. Photos</h2> <p>My home is filled with lots of photos because I enjoy having those memories visible at all times. Of course, the other upside to keeping your pictures when downsizing is that they barely take up any space. The framed photos do, of course, but frameless photos hardly require any real estate in your home. In fact, I have hundreds of pictures in an old shoe box that go back more than 20 years. And that's all I'll ever need for real-world photo storage, especially nowadays.</p> <p>If you want to preserve your photos even further and eliminate the shoe box or album altogether (because there is a chance it could get lost or destroyed, especially if stored in a basement or attic), scan everything into your computer. If you feel the task is a bit more than you're willing to take on, consider sending the hard copies off to a professional photo-scanning operation &mdash; there are plenty of options online at various price points &mdash; that will take on the grunt work for you and send back a flash drive or DVD of your digitized photos. (See also: <a href="http://www.wisebread.com/12-smart-ways-to-organize-old-photos?ref=seealso" target="_blank">12 Smart Ways to Organize Old Photos</a>)</p> <h2>2. Clothing</h2> <p>Twice a year I go through my closets to edit my wardrobe. Anything I haven't worn in a year gets the boot along with items that look worn, torn, or otherwise out of style. I know I keep way more than I should, but dressing nicely is important to me, so I justify the abundance that I have because it makes me happy.</p> <p>If you're not emotionally attached to your clothing, but still have too much of it, start thinking about the items as <em>function </em>and not <em>fashion</em>. Start with a base of two weeks' worth of clothes &mdash; pieces that are good for work, weekends, and leisure time. That includes undergarments, pants, shirts, and other daily pieces. I'd suggest this strategy for all four seasons so you have items that will carry you through the entire year and whenever you travel.</p> <p>Next, focus on the specialty items &mdash; like your wedding, funeral attire, and suits for business meetings. Keep one outfit for each and eliminate the rest. You need a couple pairs of shoes, too &mdash; ideally dress shoes, sneakers, and a pair of boots. Once you set all that aside, revisit your closet and pick a couple pieces you really love and resolve to part with the rest. You can hand them down to family members (all my excess goes to my nephew), sell the in-great-condition items on Swap.com (I've made over $100 in the past two months), or donate to charity, preferably a local mission that outfits the homeless or low-income job seekers.</p> <h2>3. Important documents</h2> <p>Certain documents, such as tax records, should be kept for seven years. Others should be kept forever, including marriage licenses, deeds to your home(s), military documents, birth certificates, passports, life insurance policies, immigration records, and more. Consult our list of <a href="http://www.wisebread.com/how-to-clear-out-financial-clutter?ref=seealso" target="_blank">important documents to keep</a>, if you're not sure.</p> <p>To ensure their safety, consider scanning documents that aren't already in digital format and save them in two separate but secure locations, one of which should be an external hard drive that you keep hidden or locked in a safe. The other could be a flash drive in another location &mdash; neither should be internet accessible. Failing to secure these items could result in you becoming the victim of identity theft, like the 13.1 million Americans who lost $15 billion to identity thieves in 2015.</p> <p>Shred any other documents that contain your personal information, as some identity thieves will go through people's trash looking for data found on important papers. Use at least a crosscut shredder, which is more secure than a standard strip-cut shredder. A micro-cut shredder provides the highest level of security.</p> <h2>4. One item from your collection(s)</h2> <p>I won't get on you about how whatever you're collecting is probably costly with no real return on investment, and how all it does is take up space in your home while providing a place for the dust bunnies to live. No, I won't do that, because I'm guilty of the same thing. I have just one collection &mdash; Pez dispensers &mdash; that I've been adding to for the past two decades, but all the toys do is sit in a trunk in my basement. I know I should get rid of them, but it's hard to part with something that makes me smile. Seeing as how they have a home in the basement and I'm not currently downsizing, I think I'll keep them around a while longer. When I do decide to sell them off, I'll keep just one set &mdash; <em>Tom &amp; Jerry</em> characters I picked up in Spain in the mid-90s. Those are my favorites.</p> <h2>5. Practical furniture</h2> <p>You need three major pieces of furniture, essentially: a bed to sleep in, a couch or chair in your living room, and a table at which to sit and eat. If you need to downsize even those items, it can be done easily by choosing smaller versions of whatever you have now. What you absolutely don't need is furniture that doesn't have a function, like the desk in the office you never use or that formal dining table that no one ever dines at.</p> <h2>6. Necessary tools</h2> <p>If you work with a lot of tools, edit your collection at your discretion. But if you're like the rest of us and reach for a hammer or a screwdriver a couple times of year, sell off the rest of the stash that you purchased for one-time projects. Saws, benches, landscaping gadgets, and more have to go if all they're doing is taking up space in your shed or basement.</p> <p>If you're in a giving mood, hand them down to younger family members, newlyweds, or someone you know who's just starting out in life. Otherwise, tools have great resale value; try Craigslist or the letgo app to recoup some of your costs if you prefer to make a buck instead of giving the lot away for free. (See also: <a href="http://www.wisebread.com/10-household-tools-every-frugal-homeowner-should-own?ref=seealso" target="_blank">10 Household Tools Every Frugal Homeowner Should Own</a>)</p> <h2>7. Your &quot;good&quot; dishes</h2> <p>One of my biggest pet peeves is opening a cabinet full of mismatched, random dishes. You'll recognize this symptom of my OCD in my own home, where every dish is white, evenly numbered, and aligned perfectly in my cabinets. You'll understand what I'm talking about when you purge your kitchen of dishes you don't need and pare down to only the good stuff. The ones you bring out for company. Because life's too short to save those for holidays while you eat off cheap plastic plates the rest of the year.</p> <h2 style="text-align: center;">Like this article? Pin it!</h2> <div align="center"><a data-pin-do="buttonPin" data-pin-count="above" data-pin-tall="true" href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wisebread.com%2Fhow-to-decide-what-to-keep-when-downsizing&amp;media=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wisebread.com%2Ffiles%2Ffruganomics%2Fu5180%2FHow%2520to%2520Decide%2520What%2520to%2520Keep%2520When%2520Downsizing_0.jpg&amp;description=Planning%20on%20downsizing%3F%20Whether%20you%20want%20to%20lead%20a%20more%20minimalist%20lifestyle%2C%20want%20to%20join%20the%20small%20houses%20movement%2C%20or%20just%20want%20to%20save%20money%20and%20simplify.%20Here%20is%20the%20best%20way%20to%20declutter%20and%20get%20organizing!%20Learn%20how%20to%20decide%20which%20items%20you%20should%20be%20letting%20go%20with%20our%20tips!%20%7C%20%23minimalism%20%23downsizing%20%23minimalistlifestyle"></a></p> <script async defer src="//assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js"></script></div> <p style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://www.wisebread.com/files/fruganomics/u5180/How%20to%20Decide%20What%20to%20Keep%20When%20Downsizing_0.jpg" alt="Planning on downsizing? Whether you want to lead a more minimalist lifestyle, want to join the small houses movement, or just want to save money and simplify. Here is the best way to declutter and get organizing! Learn how to decide which items you should be letting go with our tips! | #minimalism #downsizing #minimalistlifestyle" width="250" height="374" /></p> <br /><div id="custom_wisebread_footer"><div id="rss_tagline">This article is from <a href="https://www.wisebread.com/user/931">Mikey Rox</a> of <a href="https://www.wisebread.com/how-to-decide-what-to-keep-when-downsizing">Wise Bread</a>, an award-winning personal finance and <a href="http://www.wisebread.com/credit-cards">credit card comparison</a> website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:</div><div class="view view-similarterms view-id-similarterms view-display-id-block_2 view-dom-id-6"> <div class="view-content"> <div class="item-list"> <ul> <li class="views-row views-row-1 views-row-odd views-row-first"> <div class="views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="https://www.wisebread.com/10-smart-ways-to-keep-your-entire-life-clutter-free">10 Smart Ways to Keep Your Entire Life Clutter-Free</a></span> </div> </li> <li class="views-row views-row-2 views-row-even"> <div class="views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="https://www.wisebread.com/12-garage-sale-items-that-sell-like-hotcakes">12 Garage Sale Items That Sell Like Hotcakes</a></span> </div> </li> <li class="views-row views-row-3 views-row-odd"> <div class="views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="https://www.wisebread.com/25-things-to-throw-out-today">25 Things to Throw Out Today</a></span> </div> </li> <li class="views-row views-row-4 views-row-even"> <div class="views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="https://www.wisebread.com/how-to-spring-clean-your-whole-life-one-step-at-a-time">How to Spring Clean Your Whole Life — One Step at a Time</a></span> </div> </li> <li class="views-row views-row-5 views-row-odd views-row-last"> <div class="views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="https://www.wisebread.com/7-reasons-to-get-spring-cleaning-done-during-winter">7 Reasons to Get Spring Cleaning Done During Winter</a></span> </div> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div><br/></br> Home Organization cleaning clear the clutter declutter downsizing keepsakes minimalist organize your life organizing Thu, 04 May 2017 08:30:09 +0000 Mikey Rox 1939974 at https://www.wisebread.com