Saving For Travel As A Student: Basic Tips

Saving For Travel As A Student: Basic Tips

Many students are trying to start working while studying at the university in order to travel or live independently of their parents or guardians. However, not everyone manages to combine these two parts of life as some institutions are strict and do not allow flexible schedules or free attendance, while others have a study period from early morning to evening, so there is no time for any job at all. Even if you are able to combine both work and studying, you will probably need some help. Do not hesitate to use some writing services, which would help you write your personal statement for graduate school or a thesis paper for a university. Having made all the things work out, you might have troubles saving up for all the things and trips from your wish list. There are different ways to save and a few simple tricks to help you do it.

If you devote all your time to your studies and do not have time to switch between your university and job, turn your regular occupation or hobby into an opportunity to make money. Help your fellow students with their homework, coursework, and theses. This will not only bring you a profit, but also broaden your horizons. Another option that can bring earnings is the possibility of employment within the walls of your educational institution. You may work as a part-time librarian, an assistant in the dean’s office, a laboratory assistant or a secretary. You will spend more time at the university you love, filling up your wallet and making useful acquaintances in the process.

Save a little, but regularly

If you have some pocket money and a part-time job, then you can save some amount for your goal. You might have heard that it is best to save about 10% of your monthly income and this is definitely a good idea. It is not too much and in a few months, you can accumulate a substantial amount. If you have a chance, try to save more in the next months. For example, at least once every three months you may put aside 15-20% of your income.

Important! You do not have to wait until the end of the month to put aside money for a dream. You should do it right away. The beauty of this method is that, most likely, you will not even notice the lack of this 10%, and the money will be saved.

Review your expenses

Necessary expenditures such as food, transportation, and medicines are things that one cannot live without. It is important to understand that all the above-mentioned types of expenditures also might include things that you can do without to optimize your expenses. For example, you need bread, but you do not need a bag of chips. You must pay for mobile communications, but online games or some service subscriptions are unnecessary expenses. Making shopping lists in advance will minimize your expenses, as you will buy only important things. 

Consider getting used to keeping track of your expenses. You can write them down in a notebook, or you can download a special app on your gadget. Among such mobile assistants, there are popular apps like CashFlow, CashTrails, etc. Having got this good habit of writing down everything you spend on you will never ask yourself, “Where did the money go?” again. You will have all the information on the income and expenditures at hand.

Keep your eyes on the prize

To make the process of saving money well-structured, you need motivation. Saving money “for nothing” usually brings neither results nor pleasure. It is better to set not only the goal from the beginning, but also a specific amount of savings you want to get at the end and time you are ready to spend for your dream: a month, six months, a year, etc. Stretching out the savings for 5 years makes no sense. Your financial goal just as any goal should be specific and measurable.

The main thing here is not to cross the line and become greedy while saving.

Do not forget to treat yourself

Saving up can be stressful, so you need to provide yourself with comfort. By depriving yourself of little pleasures, you might devalue your goal and give up on the way. However, you should be moderate, so that your mood swings would not trap you into buying unimportant things and distract you from your goal.

Sell all unnecessary things

Except for avoiding impulse purchases, you might consider selling some of the things you already have. Get rid of unnecessary things and you will be pleasantly surprised how much you can get from selling them. Put the money you get right away into special savings account for your future trips.

Saving for something pleasant and exciting like some journey can definitely motivate along the way. Yet, even while traveling it is possible to spare some money. You should look for discounts and the cheapest options everywhere. You may save up by staying at some foreigner’s place by using CouchSurfing or visit museums and galleries on days when there is no charge for admission. Just spend some time on the research.

It can be not that difficult to study well and work to afford your trips. Just stay positive and focused so that you will be able to experience great student life full of memorable trips and bright moments.

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