If you’re anything like me, your bucket list is ever-growing. There’s always something new that I’ve discovered and I know I have to try it, see it, experience it, or travel there. But sometimes, there are things that sit on my list for a really long time.
And they aren’t stuck there because I don’t want to do them. Sometimes it can be hard to make the trip or do the thing because of money. Let’s face it: bucket list items aren’t always cheap. So what do you do when you’re dying to see Machu Picchu, but that plane ticket just isn’t in the budget right now?
Here are some ridiculously easy ways to save some cash each month, so you can start saving up for your next big adventure.
Look at the Cost of Public Transportation
Depending on where you live, this could save you some cash throughout the year. If you live in a city with decent public transportation options, you might want to compare the cost of driving everywhere compared to taking the subway or bus.
Driving everywhere can start to really add up, and it’s not just about the cost of gas, either. Parking is the largest single expense for vehicle owners, especially if you accidentally get the occasional parking ticket.
Eat Out Less
Going out to eat adds up really quick. That $30 meal you just had for dinner could likely have been made at home for $10. If you tend to dine out a lot, you could save a ton of money by cutting that habit.
There are a ton of recipes out there for easy meals that take less than half an hour, or dishes you can throw in a crockpot that will be done by the time you get home from the office.
It applies to lunches while you’re at work, too. Try prepping lunches on Sunday that you can take to work all week, or pick up some cheap frozen meals you can heat up on break. By not spending $10 at the deli every weekday, you’ve already saved $50 that week.
Quit Smoking
While I think you should do this anyway for your health, it can also be a big way to keep your wallet full. A pack of cigarettes has an average cost of $5.51, but the price in most states is between $6 and $8. If you live in NYC, you might be paying upwards of $12 or $13. I’ll let you do the math on just how much money you’d have if you quit smoking!
Open an Interest-Bearing Account
If you’re saving money over a longer period of time, you’ll gain more from throwing some money into an account that will earn you interest. Go ahead and start putting the money your saving into an interest-bearing savings account, and don’t touch it until you’ve saved enough to meet your goals.
But if you’re looking at more long-term goals, you’ll benefit even more from products with higher yield rates, like a CD or a money market account.
Kat Sweet
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