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| Australian money! |
Although I’ve been in Australia for just over a year now, I still haven’t spent
all of the money I saved up before we left the UK. That’s not to say I haven’t dipped into it from time to time, because I have. But I chose to come to Australia on a
Working Holiday Visa so the idea was that I would fund my travels through working abroad and therefore get the best of both worlds;
meet new people and gain new experience by working and use the money I earned to keep travelling.
As a Working Holiday maker, I was required to be able to prove that I had a certain amount of money in my bank account on arrival in Australia, so all of the saving I did for the 6 months before we left England in June 2010 was partly to adhere to this rule and partly because I didn’t know I was going to land a job two weeks after arriving in Sydney and I wanted to be prepared.
In just 6 months (Jan-June 2010) I managed to save approx AUD$5000.
Here’s how I did it;
In fact, before I tell you, it’s probably worth mentioning that I am notoriously bad with money. For some reason the value of it has never been drummed into me and when it comes to figures I’m lost without a calculator (I mean, embarrassingly lost. Sometimes I’m lost even with the calculator. You get the point…)
This just proves, beyond a shadow of a doubt that if I can save for long-term travel in just 6 months so can you!
Ok:
1. I created a spreadsheet:
Ok, although technically I didn’t create (as with money, excel isn’t my strong point either) it was a really useful starting point to map out how much money I had, how much I needed and the gaps in between. Every month when I got paid, the person who made my spreadsheet (read: the boyf) helped me update the figures so I could see my incomings, outgoings and how much I had left to save. Geeky? Yes. Stupid? No.
2. I sold ALOT of stuff on eBay:
From shoes and clothes to furniture and exercise equipment, I’ve never spent so much time queuing up in the Post Office . The secret to my eBay success? Thinking of it as a sales pitch; no- one’s going to buy something from you second-hand over the Internet if you can’t sell it to them with a well-written description, well-lit, well-taken photograph(s) and attention to detail. You can also feed your eBay posts into your facebook newsfeed now, giving people even more chance to buy what you’re selling.
3. I didn’t buying myself ANYTHING:
Ok, not strictly true, I did buy myself normal everyday items (look I’m not going to go six months without washing my hair, I may be rocking the hobo look lately but I’m not that gross) but I did really cut down on my spending. I learnt to budget on a weekly basis, something I’d never done before and thought about every pound that I spent.
4. I lived at home:
After a few years of to-ing and fro-ing between renting with friends/my boyfriend and living at home, I finally moved back in with my parents in mid 2009. I still had to pay “rent” but it was nowhere near as expensive as renting elsewhere. The benefits of moving back home weren’t only financial though; it was great to have the support of my parents and spend time with them before leaving for Australia.
5. I prioritised my money:
I still had to pay for important things like car insurance, car tax, petrol and rent and I made sure that those things were paid for first and usually at the beginning of the month when I’d just been paid. Once these things were out of the way, I had a better idea of what I could save for the rest of the month and what I could spend.
6. I stayed in: Ok, I didn’t stay in every weekend but I definitely limited the money I spent on going out for big nights with my friends by staying in with them instead. I figured that I’d spend a lot less staying in with my best friends or my boyfriend and watching films then if we went on a night out. Yes, I spent a lot of weekends doing literally nothing but I was comforted by the fact that I would soon be travelling the world and it would all be worth it.
7. I tried to get the best deals (otherwise known as becoming a cheapskate):
Some things, like paying my car insurance in one whole whack to save money, wasn’t an option for me on the wage I was on so I tried to save money in other areas. I drove slower to save petrol, I bought the cheapest brands, I stayed on a pay-as-you-go phone deal so that I could buy credit when I needed to. It may not sound like much, but I’m pretty sure they all helped.
What are your best tips for saving money before trips?
In an effort to save money for this trip, I wouldn't go grocery shopping again until my refrigerator was absolutely empty.
This didn't turn out so well. Apparently, a mixture of condiments and freezer-burn bananas does not constitute as dinner? I know, this was news to me as well.
So instead, I just started unplugging all my electronics before I would leave the house or go to bed at night. My electricity bills dropped AND I saved the earth! All in day's work for a cheapskate I s'spose….
Not grocery shopping until you've run out of food IS a good idea though! I definitely would have done that if I hadn't been living with my parents!
Sounds very similar to what I did. If you can deal with living with your parents, and they'll have you its a HUGE saver.
Each pay day i would also put a sum in an ISA from which i couldnt withdrawl unless I went into the branch with ID etc. No plastic bank card = no dipping into the travel fund on nights out/shopping sprees.
@Neil: "If they'll have you" being the operative phrase! I know I was lucky to have this option!
Having an ISA account without the bank card is a great idea as well, thanks for visiting
I haven't yet started to save up because I need to get a second job before that happens, but I'll be saving up for roughly 6 months as well before I leave for a year for a Eurasia trip, and all of these points help! It also helps that I don't really have friends to go out and spend money with and I'm naturally frugal, but even with rent as cheap as it is, all of my bills take up the money I get from my min wage job, so I can't start saving until I get a second job.
Something I will be doing soon though is selling a skill to people in the neighborhood to get just a bit of pocket money. My skill? Dog nail clipping. I'm sure this is a point that could help many others as well, no matter what odd skills they have.