I seek out discounts on Groupon for resturants in the area that we are visiting, pack the car with snacks, water and drinks and book hotels through Expedia or other discount services.
This was a great article and offered great advice. I started working at home about 4 months ago and it has its ups and downs. The most important part is finding a change of scenery. Staying in the house all day and night will definitely make you go crazy and burn you out quickly!
Thank your for the advice. I'm looking to start investing on my own but my knowledge is limited. I am going to start using these free tools to educate myself so I dont just throw money blindly at stocks.
Excellent article. The most useful tip was to surround yourself with passionate and positive people. These two qualities are contagious and can help you enjoy your work once again.
Before you even start planning, save, save, SAVE! If you have all the money for the trip saved up before you even leave, that is the most frugal way to travel. Figure out if it is more economical to fly or drive and if the difference in price is worth it. (We're looking at a trip now where flying would only take a day and driving would take 2.5 days each way, but driving would still be several hundred dollars cheaper, even factoring in hotels and food over the total 4 or 5 days.) Buy snacks at the grocery store before you leave. Enjoy your nicer meals out for lunch -- dinner is almost always more expensive in a restaurant. Get the whole family involved in saving for your vacation. And remember, you don't HAVE to go on a big vacation every year, go when YOU can afford it, even if it is every few years. You'll enjoy the vacation so much more when you know that the bills won't be haunting you for years to come.
When my husband travels for his work my 4 year old son and I always tag along. We are able to feed the 3 of us with my husband's per diem money by observing the following tips & tricks: Restaurants are for dinner only. Pack non-perishable foods that you can use to prepare your own breakfast & dinner. Granola bars, rice chips, dried fruit, applesauce, bagel thins and peanut butter work great. On our first day of travel we hit a local grocery store to grab juice, cheese, lettuce, etc. for our hotel refrigerator. We bring silicone/collapsible bento boxes with us to pack a daily lunch and take it with us as we sight-see. Also bring your own silverware and mesh bags to easily wash fresh produce on the go.
Instead of eating full meals while traveling, my husband and I will buy smaller foods throughout the day to share. It lets us try a wide variety of foods and keeps costs down. Because we do so much walking, it keeps us energized and a mini picnic or grab and go food keeps us on the move and on to our next destination.
Great tips. I have been an avid user of frequent flyer miles, especially those gained from credit cards. I travelled business class between Australia and Canada on a number of occasions - it is the way to go on something that far! Have yet to try the house sitting - something to consider down the track.
we stay at bed & breakfasts. most of the time you can use the kitchen to cook your own meals, and that can save you a lot of money - especially on islands where almost everything is imported
I am motivated to save because I lost my job in the Fall. Not having discretionary fun spending money has forced me to reevaluate, and pinch pennies everywhere
We rent vacation apartments and prepare breakfast and dinner in the apartment. We also prepare picnic lunches to take with us for our time sightseeing. This saves our family of 5 a lot of money!
Also, everyone carries a bottle of water at all times. Then we don't have emergency drink needs that often could end up costing $20. Saves a lot!
I believe all energy should be nationalized. Energy should only be one dollar a gallon, etc. If this was to happen you would see the economy take off like a rocket.People would go back to Sunday drives with the family,buying lunch,stopping for ice cream,shopping,etc. In other words, you would give people back their disposable income.Everything this country needs. Compared to what we have today,There is no downside.
Most certainly appreciate this article, very inspirational for traveling. I long for the day where I would be able to experience this vast world and it's beauty's.
What motivates me is fear. I am afraid that one day I will not have enough money to eat or pay my medical bills. My grandmother who lived through the depression I think put that fear into me.
The REAL value of the whole life hasn't been mentioned. If you own whole life as you are entering the retirement years, when you don't 'need' it anymore, you then unlock a different set of distribution options for your money.
The whole life insurance makes all of your other investments so much more valuable when you have the freedom and flexibililty to spend them down to zero instead of having to live off of interest only...which is the highest tax option, and the riskiest option when you consider the way the market has been over the last 10-12 years. Owning whole life has nothing to do with the cash value (or at least that isn't the main reason to own it). It has always been amazing to me that the financial entertainers of the world don't seem to understand this concept.
Every time I have run the calculation, the value of a whole life policy is something between 12-15% if you tried to calculate the amount of tax free money you would have to accumulate to create the same leveraging power as a whole life policy.
It is a wonderful product in the context of an all around financial plan.
What a great article! Reading about your house sitting gig on a beach in Grenada makes me want to drop everything and go explore the world. Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
I hate banks. When I was young, 19 years old, right off Army, my close friends went around buying thir cars, their houses and getting the good chicks.
Someway how, may be from my father, I went the other way: I saved money. It was has hard on me to see those kids always looking good, with new cars and nice places on the beach... I even tried to get a loan, but the way I was dressing did not impress the bank manager which laughed at me...
I am 49 now, I have my house paid off in Brasil, Italy and I just might buy in the US, in cash, may be in south beach, miami.
Tnk God. Those loosers look at me now like I falled from the sky with som sort of
inteligence on doing what I did, while it only took me will after will.
But the question is, what are the taxes for buying with cash in the US ?
YES! My husband and I love movies. It's our "thing." We belong to AMC stub hub and Lincoln Film Society (in NYC). But that said, we do see more movies in theaters over the summer because those tentpole movies usually require a bigger screen than your TV to make the visual effects really come to life. But we do also see art house movies in theaters too if we're really interested in it, and can't wait for DVD.
I "like" you on Facebook!
I seek out discounts on Groupon for resturants in the area that we are visiting, pack the car with snacks, water and drinks and book hotels through Expedia or other discount services.
This was a great article and offered great advice. I started working at home about 4 months ago and it has its ups and downs. The most important part is finding a change of scenery. Staying in the house all day and night will definitely make you go crazy and burn you out quickly!
Thank your for the advice. I'm looking to start investing on my own but my knowledge is limited. I am going to start using these free tools to educate myself so I dont just throw money blindly at stocks.
Excellent article. The most useful tip was to surround yourself with passionate and positive people. These two qualities are contagious and can help you enjoy your work once again.
Before you even start planning, save, save, SAVE! If you have all the money for the trip saved up before you even leave, that is the most frugal way to travel. Figure out if it is more economical to fly or drive and if the difference in price is worth it. (We're looking at a trip now where flying would only take a day and driving would take 2.5 days each way, but driving would still be several hundred dollars cheaper, even factoring in hotels and food over the total 4 or 5 days.) Buy snacks at the grocery store before you leave. Enjoy your nicer meals out for lunch -- dinner is almost always more expensive in a restaurant. Get the whole family involved in saving for your vacation. And remember, you don't HAVE to go on a big vacation every year, go when YOU can afford it, even if it is every few years. You'll enjoy the vacation so much more when you know that the bills won't be haunting you for years to come.
I travel frugally by searching for the best deals on sites like tripadvisor and slickdeals.com.
I make sure my car is maintained regularly,and I limit any vacation travels to shorter destinations.
When my husband travels for his work my 4 year old son and I always tag along. We are able to feed the 3 of us with my husband's per diem money by observing the following tips & tricks: Restaurants are for dinner only. Pack non-perishable foods that you can use to prepare your own breakfast & dinner. Granola bars, rice chips, dried fruit, applesauce, bagel thins and peanut butter work great. On our first day of travel we hit a local grocery store to grab juice, cheese, lettuce, etc. for our hotel refrigerator. We bring silicone/collapsible bento boxes with us to pack a daily lunch and take it with us as we sight-see. Also bring your own silverware and mesh bags to easily wash fresh produce on the go.
I use travel deal sites a lot. I try to subscribe to local daily deal sites in the areas I am traveling to find dining coupons.
Instead of eating full meals while traveling, my husband and I will buy smaller foods throughout the day to share. It lets us try a wide variety of foods and keeps costs down. Because we do so much walking, it keeps us energized and a mini picnic or grab and go food keeps us on the move and on to our next destination.
Great tips. I have been an avid user of frequent flyer miles, especially those gained from credit cards. I travelled business class between Australia and Canada on a number of occasions - it is the way to go on something that far! Have yet to try the house sitting - something to consider down the track.
i liked you on facebook :)
we stay at bed & breakfasts. most of the time you can use the kitchen to cook your own meals, and that can save you a lot of money - especially on islands where almost everything is imported
I am motivated to save because I lost my job in the Fall. Not having discretionary fun spending money has forced me to reevaluate, and pinch pennies everywhere
We rent vacation apartments and prepare breakfast and dinner in the apartment. We also prepare picnic lunches to take with us for our time sightseeing. This saves our family of 5 a lot of money!
Also, everyone carries a bottle of water at all times. Then we don't have emergency drink needs that often could end up costing $20. Saves a lot!
SS51,
3 times the volume, 3 times the heads, 6 oz.
I believe all energy should be nationalized. Energy should only be one dollar a gallon, etc. If this was to happen you would see the economy take off like a rocket.People would go back to Sunday drives with the family,buying lunch,stopping for ice cream,shopping,etc. In other words, you would give people back their disposable income.Everything this country needs. Compared to what we have today,There is no downside.
Most certainly appreciate this article, very inspirational for traveling. I long for the day where I would be able to experience this vast world and it's beauty's.
What motivates me is fear. I am afraid that one day I will not have enough money to eat or pay my medical bills. My grandmother who lived through the depression I think put that fear into me.
The REAL value of the whole life hasn't been mentioned. If you own whole life as you are entering the retirement years, when you don't 'need' it anymore, you then unlock a different set of distribution options for your money.
The whole life insurance makes all of your other investments so much more valuable when you have the freedom and flexibililty to spend them down to zero instead of having to live off of interest only...which is the highest tax option, and the riskiest option when you consider the way the market has been over the last 10-12 years. Owning whole life has nothing to do with the cash value (or at least that isn't the main reason to own it). It has always been amazing to me that the financial entertainers of the world don't seem to understand this concept.
Every time I have run the calculation, the value of a whole life policy is something between 12-15% if you tried to calculate the amount of tax free money you would have to accumulate to create the same leveraging power as a whole life policy.
It is a wonderful product in the context of an all around financial plan.
What a great article! Reading about your house sitting gig on a beach in Grenada makes me want to drop everything and go explore the world. Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
You can always piggy bank off someone's account, but other than that, secured credit card is the best way to go.
I hate banks. When I was young, 19 years old, right off Army, my close friends went around buying thir cars, their houses and getting the good chicks.
Someway how, may be from my father, I went the other way: I saved money. It was has hard on me to see those kids always looking good, with new cars and nice places on the beach... I even tried to get a loan, but the way I was dressing did not impress the bank manager which laughed at me...
I am 49 now, I have my house paid off in Brasil, Italy and I just might buy in the US, in cash, may be in south beach, miami.
Tnk God. Those loosers look at me now like I falled from the sky with som sort of
inteligence on doing what I did, while it only took me will after will.
But the question is, what are the taxes for buying with cash in the US ?
YES! My husband and I love movies. It's our "thing." We belong to AMC stub hub and Lincoln Film Society (in NYC). But that said, we do see more movies in theaters over the summer because those tentpole movies usually require a bigger screen than your TV to make the visual effects really come to life. But we do also see art house movies in theaters too if we're really interested in it, and can't wait for DVD.