Ways to Save Money While You Have Fun

written by: Tania Staar; article published: year 2010, month 05;

In: Root » Legal and finance » Wealth building

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Once a month, spend a romantic evening at home. Bundle the kids off on sleep-overs, prepare a great meal for two, unplug the phone, light some candles, and enjoy. Take the $50 a month that you'll save on dinners, and invest it in your $100,000 mortgage. You'll save almost $40,000.

Vacation a week before or after the season. You can easily save half on both the airfare and lodgingswithout sacrificing your tan or a single downhill run. Plus, places of interest will be less crowded and shopkeepers more eager to please.

Compare airports. Similar flights from nearby airports to the same destination can have dramatically different fares. Gerri has often cut her airfare in half by driving an extra half hour to Baltimore-Washington International Airport. (Parking is cheaper there, too.)

Vacation at home. Stock the refrigerator. Tell everyone you'll be out of town for the week. Cancel the newspaper. Unplug the phones. Have the post office hold your mail. Visit local attractions. Then use the thousands you'll save to pay down your debts and retire a few years early.

Stay with faraway relatives and friends, but don't expect them to fund your vacation. Offer to help with groceries, be prepared with your own transportation, and check out guidebooks from your local library so you can keep yourselves entertained if your host needs a break. You'll still save a lot, and your hosts will be that much more likely to welcome you back.

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