The Jetpacker

Katie Hammel, a blogger over at Gadling, posted a fantastic article on the BootsnAll travel community website listing 28 ways to save money for travel.  We’ve implemented quite a few of these strategies into our daily lives because our logic is: the more frugal you are at home, the more you can splurge abroad.

So we’d like to create an addendum to Katie’s comprehensive list.  Here are 10 more ways to save money so you can indulge on the vacation of your dreams:

1.  Buy in bulk. Wholesale stores like Costco and Sam’s Club sell mega-sized products you already buy at comparable prices.  I can get 2 bags of instant rice at my local grocery store for $2, or I can get a 10-pack at Costco for $4.  Dry goods like toilet paper, paper towels and detergent are best to stock up on in bulk because they have a longer shelf life.

2.  Don’t buy name brand. Right next to that $4 box of Raisin Bran, you’ll find the grocery store knock off, which is just as tasty, for $1.50.  One of my favorite finds was at Costco was their anti-allergy medicine.  I used to buy their double packs of Zyrtec for $35 and each bottle only contained 30 tablets.  But the Costco brand allergy medicine, which contains the exact same ingredients as Zyrtec, was only $16… for a year’s supply.  Hmm… $35 for 60 tables, or $16 for 365 tablets?

3.  Skip the bottled water. Whether it’s justified or not, some people just don’t do tap water.  But buying bottled water every week gets expensive.  Instead, buy a filtration system like Brita or Pur.  The filters for a Pur system are about $5 a pop and last three months.  If you only use bottled water while working out, invest in a re-useable sports bottle.

4.  Don’t buy foods you continuously waste. Katie makes a great suggestion to cut coupons and create a meal plan for the week.  In addition, take inventory of your grocery purchases.  What products do you buy that routinely go to waste?  We all buy things that get partially used or never used at all.   Keep track of what gets tossed out and avoid buying it, or at least too much of it, from now on.

5.  Cut entertainment costs. Katie mentions saving money on movie-watching by using an inexpensive rental service like Netflix or Red Box.  Why not also rediscover the movies you already own?  I’ve been doing that recently, and all these movies I remember loving years ago I don’t like now — Waterworld?  What was I thinking?  All those movies I no longer like have been making their way onto Craigslist for a few bucks each.  I try to avoid eBay because of the outrageous fees.

Another way to cut entertainment costs is to stop downloading songs off iTunes.  I know people who spend up to $30 a month buying music.  A cheaper alternative to frequent music buyers is Rhapsody, which offers unlimited downloads for $12.99 a month.  But if you want to save even more, download your favorite radio station onto your iPod with iheartradio — it’s free.

6.  Sign up for a savings account with benefits. There are tons of options out there so find one that fits your needs.  Bank of America continues to run the “Keep The Change” program.  All your debit card purchases get rounded up to the nearest dollar and the difference gets transferred to a savings account.  Then BofA matches every penny that goes into your savings account for the first 3 months (up to $250) and continues matching 5% a year.  It might not be much, but every little bit helps.

7.  Recycle. Going green is not only good for the environment, it’s also good for your wallet.  Depending on where you live, you can get up to 10 cents a pop for all those cans and bottles you throw away.  Last year we recycled enough to pay for a hotel room for one night.  And we helped out the planet at the same time.

8.  Use less milk. We all complain about the cost of a gallon of gas, but not about the cost of a gallon of milk — even though they cost the same amount.  And how much milk do you waste every week?  If you don’t drink the whole gallon before the expiration date, buy the smaller half-gallon jugs.  And, of course, recycle the empty container afterward.

9.  Sell ad space on your car. Most of us suffer through unthinkable amounts of traffic every day.  Now you can sit in your car and listen to morning talk radio… and get paid for it.  Companies will shell out significant money to advertise their product on your car.  The larger the ad, the more money you make.

10.  Borrow stuff. Think of all the stuff in your place that’s collecting dust, stuff that your friends or neighbors might find handy.  Chances are your friends and neighbors have stuff you might need that they’re not using anymore too.  Tools?  Lawnmower?  Bike?  Ask around.  I needed a graphing calculator last year but I didn’t want to pay $80 for a new one.  So I borrowed one for the whole semester from a friend who wasn’t using it anymore.

What are some ways you save money for travel?