It's fun to dream about traveling the world, but actually saving enough money to go is just not gonna happen at this point. Right?
Not if you're committed. Make some small changes now, and 2015 could easily be the year you finally embark on the trip of your dreams.
1. Switch to a travel rewards credit card.
You'll rack up airline miles or hotel points just by living your everyday life. The best part is that most cards give you a special signup bonus in the form of oodles of points.
2. Negotiate your bills.
Apparently if you complain that your phone or cable or Wi-Fi bill is too high, providers will often panic about losing your business and thus negotiate a lower price. Who knows? It could save a few bucks, if you're brave enough to make the call.
3. Forfeit one habit per month.
You already know the annoying changes you should make: making your own coffee instead of getting Starbucks, taking the subway instead of a cab, packing lunch instead of eating out every day. But actually dropping those habits forever would be sad. So pick just one to ditch each month, and watch your savings pile up over the year.
4. Become a generic brand junkie at the grocery store.
Trust us, the in-house brand of tortilla chips are just as crunchy as Tostitos. Tell yourself you'll revert to name brands if you notice a difference, but you almost certainly won't.
5. Set up a savings account just for your trip...
...and then schedule automatic transfers into that account. Seriously, if you schedule just $14 a week -- that's $2 a day! -- you'll stockpile over $700 in a year without even noticing.
6. Or if you don't trust yourself, make a CD account.
It stands for "certificate of deposit," and it's this place where you stash your money while accruing more interest than you would in a normal savings account. The only catch is that you can't withdraw the money for a set length of time -- one year, two years, whatever -- without paying a fee. Perfect for protecting (and growing!) your travel nest egg.
7. Mystery shop.
Register online to be a mystery shopper-- companies will pay you to make undercover visits to their restaurants and give feedback on customer service. The payout isn't huge, but they'll almost always comp your meal.
8. Sell your clothes.
No, not all of them. Just the ones you don't actually wear... and there are more of them than you'd ever think. Summon the courage to part with your beautiful-but-I-never-put-it-on sweater, and take it to a high-end resale shop for big bucks.
9. Tell people you're on a mission.
Make it known that you're saving for your dream trip, and people will feel honored to join the effort. Your friend will be happy to make dinner with you instead of going out to eat somewhere pricey, if she knows the end goal is a trip you've always wanted. And holiday gift-givers looove to sponsor trips with cash donations.
10. Find a cheaper gym.
There's a good chance you can find one with a lower membership fee... like the YMCA. Or make a pledge to cancel your membership until you've saved for your dream trip, and load up on some fun workout Podcasts to get you through.
11. Use an actual piggy bank.
This trick is famous because it works. If you choose to set up your piggy, though, you must also vow to dump ALL your spare change in him every day.
12. Cancel your cable.
You know you're only keeping it for the "Friends" reruns. Stream them online instead.
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