Category: Couponing to Travel

Couponing to Travel, destinations, resources, saving money, travel tips

October 2019 Recap: It’s Almost Here

Jessica Lippe
October feast
Some food I made for work the other day. Savings tip: Don’t limit cooking to your own home. You can often cook while traveling and even at work!

Now that it’s November, we are in the month that I’ll get to take my first trip to The Bahamas! I’m counting down the days both for this cruise and my 2020 backpacking trip around Central Europe.

If you’re new to this blog or haven’t been following this series, you can click here to find out how I got this incredible deal on a cruise to The Bahamas. I write up a recap as each month passes, so that you can see my travel savings progress and get some tips for how you can save, too!

Travel Agents Aren’t Helpful

Although I booked the cruise months ago, not all the pieces for this trip happened all at once. Later, we booked plane tickets. My mom and I decided to catch a flight that arrived in Florida the day before the cruise departs, so we knew we’d eventually need to book a night at a hotel.

Then, the airline we were taking there decided to cancel our flight.

Of course, since we’d already paid, they automatically booked us on another flight. The problem was, it would be a day later, so we wouldn’t get to Florida in time to board the ship. My mom called and had them change it to the day BEFORE the original flight. So that’s how we ended up making plans to spend Thanksgiving in Florida! (Do they serve flamingo there instead of turkey?)

The benefit to that was we each got $100 travel credit with the airline. So I guess I’ll soon have another trip to plan!

Now that we had to book two nights at a hotel instead of just one, my mom suggested that we visit a travel agent at AAA. I don’t know if I’ve shared this here before, but the one other time I met with a travel agent at this company, I ended up spending more on a Niagara Falls Pass than if I’d just bought one at a tourist info center when I got there. So I didn’t have a good feeling about seeing another travel agent.

I should’ve trusted my gut.

We gave the travel agent our requirements for a hotel, and everything he showed us was NOT what we asked for. All of them were too far away from the area we wanted to stay in, or too expensive. I thought maybe that’s just what the going rate was, but I was still skeptical and wanted to do my own research at home.

I ended up easily finding a beach-side hotel in an ideal location for 50% less than anything that travel agent told us about. And then I found a price match that made it even cheaper. Find out how I get the lowest rates possible on hotel stays here.

Does this mean I should become a travel agent? Maybe. But the sad thing is, even when you do pay upfront for a service like you do with AAA, travel agents are still looking for the biggest commission possible. Do your own research to find out what the best deal will be for you instead of them.

What to Do in Florida

Epcot
No, Disney isn’t in the plans. This will actually be my first time going to Florida for something other than Walt Disney World.

Having a beach-side hotel pretty much takes care of our entertainment needs while we’re in Fort Lauderdale. So the only other expenses to consider are food and travel (from the airport and then to the cruise port). I’m covering all that for free with Swagbucks.

On Swagbucks, I got free gift cards to a few restaurants in walking distance from the hotel. I also got a free Uber gift card. I’d recommend this site as a way to earn some extra money and cover some costs of any kind of trip you’re planning. They have free gift cards for airlines, cruises, restaurants, gas stations, and more!

My Books Hit the Shelves (+ Other Work)

Uncommon Adventures, Rick Steves, and a pumpkin

A big highlight from October was seeing my books at my local library! Both of my current books are here in Southern Oregon. Of course, you can get them around the world on Amazon!

I’ve also been working on the final touches for my next book that will be hitting shelves in just a few weeks. You can pre-order The Ultimate Survival Guide to Working at Camp as an ebook, with the paperback coming soon.

Speaking of camp, I started back up helping at weekend retreats. That’s been a fun way to spend my weekends and reduce my expenses. (Free travel!)

I worked a few extra shifts, which will help fund my European adventure. And there’s some more exciting things in the works for my work. I can’t share them with you yet, but I should be able to by next month’s update!

November Goals

Beautiful Day Mister Rogers
Do YOU need a November goal? Go see this movie.

My biggest goal is to make sure I have a great time at the end of the month as I leave for my trip! The cruise goes into December, so I will not be giving a December update. I am choosing to not use WiFi on this trip, partly to cut costs and partly so I can be in full break mode. And I won’t have as much savings updates to tell you because I’m not going to be miserly on this trip! But don’t worry, this website has lots of other travel content for you to read, and I’ll probably make a few more posts until then.

I’m working on a launch for my next book. It’s more a niche audience, just people who work at or are interested in working at camps. But I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback from beta readers in the professional camp industry, so that’s encouraging.

As far as Europe goes, I still have a lot of planning to do for that. I have a rough itinerary, but a large part of that depends on if I’m accepted into the Diverbo program. I have yet to hear from them, but I loved my time with them in Spain and hope to continue this voluntourism in Germany. If/when I’m accepted, I’ll start booking hostels. Here’s hoping!

Oh, and Christmas is coming up, isn’t it! I guess I have some shopping and preparations to do!

Books, Couponing to Travel, saving money, Travel Life, travel tips, writing

September 2019 Recap: Girls Who Change the World

Jessica Lippe

A lot happened in September. I paid off the remaining fees for my upcoming cruise to The Bahamas. I worked on another book (which releases today). And I bought a ticket to Europe! Unbelievably, these were just a few of the many things that happened this month, and I’m excited to share how they happened and how I saved money for travel.

Catch up on my travel savings goal in June, July, and August. 

Girls Who Change the World

Girlz 4 Christ

As I try to build up my writing career, I released my second book today! This is actually a collaboration with two other writers and is the first book from my publishing company, Girlz 4 Christ Publications. While it’s not a travel book, it’s full of interviews from inspirational people (including an entire chapter dedicated to girls living in different countries around the world), and I hope it will be a nice addition to my traveler/writer lifestyle.

Girls Who Change the World is available in both paperback and Kindle e-book. (Travel tip: Download e-books onto your phone to save space packing.) Check it out now on Amazon!

A fun thing I got to do in September for this book was a feature on the morning news for theDove TV.

Now that this book is out, I’ll be doing some promotion for it, but now I can work on my next book release. The Ultimate Survival Guide for Camp Staff releases in late November. I also started a new writing project the other day. Most of it’s under wraps for now (I’m not even entirely sure what will become of it), but it does involve a lot of travel!

Couponing to The Bahamas

September Couponing

Admittedly, I am a bit disappointed in how little I couponed this September. My couponing total since July for this trip is $368.08, which means I added barely over $30 this month. But I do have a pending rebate where I’ll end up earning more than that in just one transaction.

With the cruise and flights paid for, all that’s left to cover is the expenses for the two nights in Fort Lauderdale before the cruise. So I do still have some couponing to do, but with an unexpected offer this month, I’ll be switching the focus of my savings goals!

Working Toward Central Europe

Europe Guidebooks

When you find a $524 round-trip flight from your dinky little hometown airport to Munich, Germany, you have to jump on that opportunity! I explain more about finding this incredible flight deal here. Although I’m working on covering the cost of my upcoming trip to The Bahamas, and successfully did so with my trip to the British Isles, I won’t be doing the same thing this time around.

I’m keeping track of my earnings from things like book sales (Girls Around the World as well as Uncommon Adventures), selling things (when I pack everything into a carryon, who cares about the stuff back home!), and other moneymakers like Swagbucks and working extra hourly shifts. So far, that’s netted me $111.12.

Saving money isn’t the only way to prep for travel. I’ve been watching a lot of Rick Steves Best of Europe travel shows and checking out travel books from the library. I have a general route planned out that I want to backpack, and am trying to plan out how many days I should spend in each place and what activities I want to do there.

Many of the countries I want to visit are German-speaking. While I think I’ll survive in English, I do want to be able to speak a little German out of respect and be able to read signs, menus, etc. So I’ve been learning with Duolingo and FreeRice.

October Goals

This is my last full month to get ready for The Bahamas cruise. I’ll have fun getting ready for that!

I’m trying to dedicate Tuesdays to my business. Working multiple jobs outside the home while building a business at home isn’t easy, but with a dedicated day (plus a few additional hours spread throughout the week), I hope to increase book and article sales.

But I am totally excited about Europe. That’s not just an October thing; I’ll be dreaming of and working toward that until I leave in February!

What are you currently saving up for? Let me know in the comments!

Books, Couponing to Travel

August 2019 Recap

Jessica Lippe

What happened to August? How is it September already? In fact, where did the entire summer go? I don’t have the answers to that, but I am looking forward to all the potential shoulder-season travel opportunities!

Multnomah Falls

Work and Saving

I didn’t reach my normal savings goal this month. I try to save $200 per month through couponing, but the past two months have only netted me $336.80. I’m partly blaming that on working more. I had less time to save, but ultimately made more money. In addition to more work hours, I also got to work promoting my new travel book, Uncommon Adventures, as well as putting together my next two books. But I also saved up some coupons and other offers that I’m already putting into use in September.Screenshot (78)

I think my favorite savings experience in August was seeing The Lion King in theaters. Since I got three General Mills cereal boxes (which I got a good deal on for 99 cents each), I could submit my receipt to Fandango, and ended up getting to see this movie in 3D… just for the cost of the cereal!

Although I got the base cost of my Bahamas cruise and shore excursions for free, I’m trying to lower the cost of all the other expenses, such as the taxes, port fees, and insurance. I’m saving some of that money buy buying discounted Carnival gift cards from AARP of all places! They don’t even care that I’m not even close to retirement age! (Though with all this saving and investing I’ve been doing, I want to figure out how to retire early.)

One way I’m saving money that won’t affect this trip, but will allow me to have more travel money in the future, is I’m getting more involved in investing. I opened a CD and have been watching videos and reading articles on how to have my money make money.

Travel Experience

maryhill stonehenge
The heelstone and Maryhill’s Stonehenge

Working not only affected my time for couponing, but also my travel time. But I did finally get an overnight summer road trip! It was a whirlwind trip to Multnomah Falls, Washington’s Stonehenge, and Crater Lake National Park. I also went day hiking at Mill Creek Falls and kayaked at Applegate Lake.

September Goals

Summer sometimes is more synonymous with stress than it is relaxation. That can be true for me. However, in the past, I could mark the end of summer with the start of school or the end of summer camp work. Without those timekeeping devices, it’s hard to tell when summer is really over for me. Will the pace slow down soon, or speed up more? Or will it stay the same awhile longer? I’m not sure, which makes it hard to set goals for this month.

Some things I do know about September: I’ve got my hiking club’s final trip of the year, I’ll do some housesitting, and I may be going on another quick overnight trip. I did just find out that the flight we were supposed to take to our cruise was cancelled, so we got a flight a day earlier. That means one more day in November that will be spent in Florida, so I’ll need to research fun things to do there.

Professionally, I’ve been busy putting the final touches on a book that’s releasing October 1st. Girls Who Change the World isn’t specifically my book; it’s a compilation of inspirational interviews that Girlz 4 Christ has done over the years. But I’m also working on a book that IS mine; The Ultimate Survival Guide to Working at Camp releases in November.

QUESTION: This isn’t really related to this post, but which book cover is your favorite? Although I’m partial to the Girls Who Change the World cover, there is still time to make minor adjustments to that and the camp book cover. If you have any suggestions, let me know!

Books, Couponing to Travel, Uncommon Adventures

July 2019 Recap: Counting Down to Uncommon Adventure’s Release

Jessica Lippe

Today is book release day! My very first travel book, Uncommon Adventures, released on Kindle and Paperback! So before you continue reading how I saved for travel this past month, check the book out on Amazon.

Uncommon Adventures Jessica Lippe

(I hope you enjoy this post illustrated by book quotes- you have my permission to share these!)

Making Time to Travel

No matter where in the world I go, I can always count on being able to enjoy a pleasant stroll.

I didn’t really have any trips planned for July, mostly because I didn’t have the time! Every weekend involved one commitment or another. But I was able to turn some of those things into adventure.

Earlier in the month, my church hosted a rafting trip. I joined the fun and got to paddle a tahiti down Southern Oregon’s Rogue River. THAT was a lot of fun, and while it was worth every penny, it didn’t exactly contribute to my travel saving.

The next weekend, it was my turn to host a church event. I took a small group from the women’s ministry to explore one of the most unique hiking trails I’ve ever seen: the world’s only Bigfoot Trap! I loved this adventurous group and we decided to even hike down to Applegate Lake and then drive to a covered bridge together.

Travel was partially limited because I was working a lot more, with some different hours than my normal schedule. Because I was working in daylight hours more, I could often walk to work. This was a great way to get in some exercise, enjoy my local community, and save on gas money. But I got to have some bigger adventures with work, too. Since I was working the morning of 4th of July, I took everyone to an Independence Day parade. During the last Saturday of the month, work took a trip to Wildlife Safari. Since this trip was for work, I didn’t have to pay for admission. We even had volunteer drivers to transport us!

How I $aved Over $200 in July

the ultimate adventure to have is the adventure we’re invited to take with Jesus.

My current savings goal is for a cruise to The Bahamas this December. If I save $200 per month between now and then, I’ll have no problem reaching my goal. I went a tiny bit above and beyond this month, saving $204.80.

As suggested above, church was a great resource for fun, low-cost summer activities. In addition to the adventures above, I attended a free movie night (with free snacks!) and enjoyed the usual church services. Two other good activity resources were the library and parks and rec.

Most of my savings came from using Swagbucks. I saved on regular needed purchases, plus I got some freebies and even moneymaker deals! My other online moneysaver site is GiftCardGranny, where I buy discounted gift cards.

Now that I had most evenings off, I got to attend my local baseball league’s games twice. The Medford Rogues have a deal that when they have home games on Wednesdays, Rogue Credit Union members can get in free. I signed up for this bank earlier this year to help me save for travel, so that’ s definitely been worth it!

A not-as-fun way I saved happened when my car ran over a bolt and I got a flat tire. Thankfully, I didn’t even have to change the tire myself because I have a AAA membership, which did this for free. The next day when I took my car to a tire shop, they offered to fix it for free! And they gave me free popcorn to boot.

It really is the little things that add up. Sometimes mass mailings include a coin, and I save up those coins. I also pick up coins when I go for walks, and one evening I found 79 cents lying in an intersection!

Goals for August and Beyond

Shouldn’t we treat every day that we live on Earth like an adventure_

July brought some changes, and August will likely bring even more. Now that I’m an author with a book under my belt (I even have an Amazon page!) I’ll be promoting Uncommon Adventures while working on a few upcoming releases as well! I also have some other tough decisions to make, so I’ll need to pray and think things through this month.

As far as travel saving goes, I’ll be housesitting for a while, so I’d like to treat that as a sort of staycation. I’m taking my church’s women’s ministry on another day hike in the middle of the month, so that will be fun. I recently bought an on-sale Groupon to a wildlife refuge, so I may use that soon. And the National Parks Service is offering a free admission day to all parks on August 25th. I will definitely be taking advantage of that, and maybe I’ll even make a long weekend out of it! By this time next month, I hope to report that I’ve saved at least $400 toward my trip to Florida and The Bahamas.

Just for fun, here are a couple more book quotes!

Do you think you’ll like Uncommon Adventures? If you read it, be sure to review it on Amazon!

camp, Couponing to Travel, saving money, Travel Life

June 2019: Getting Back Into Travel Saving

Jessica Lippe

With a wonderful trip to Ireland and the UK in May, June was a time to transition back into saving for travel. Here are a few things I did, as well as what I’m looking forward to.

The Pacific Crest Trail

I only took one overnight trip this month. Although it wasn’t too far from home, I got to experience a new campground, new friends, and a new learning experience. Best of all, it was FREE!

The Pacific Crest Trail Association is a nonprofit organization that maintains the long National Scenic Trail that goes from Mexico to Canada while crossing through California, Oregon, and Washington. Since a section of the trail goes through the mountains near me, I was able to attend one of their Trail Skills College weekends this past month. Most people traveled a lot farther than I did to attend- some people traveled seven hours! Although Trail Skills College is offered in several spots along the Pacific Crest Trail, a lot of people like Southern Oregon’s “Big Bend” section or the classes that the PCTA offered here.

I joined this two-night weekend camping trip at Hyatt Lake. On Saturday, I spent the day taking the “Cooking and Camping with the Crew” class, where I learned some planning, cooking, and hygiene skills that could be used in all my travels, but particularly when I volunteer with the PCTA in the future. Although I didn’t sign up for any Sunday classes, I was able to take advantage of kayaking on the beautiful Hyatt Lake.

The next weekend, I found myself back on the PCT! I haven’t had the opportunity to volunteer on a trail project with the PCTA yet, but I did lead a hiking group around the Green Springs Loop outside of Ashland, Oregon. So all of my June travels involved this little slice of the Pacific Crest Trail.

Sick Days and Syria

To be honest, my PCTA Trail Skills College experience wasn’t as great as I expected it to be. Sure, everyone was nice, the food was good, and I learned some good skills. But I ended up with some GI troubles. To make matters worse, the campground we were using had its water shut off, so no bathrooms or running water! Not the best way to spend a sick weekend, but I was just well enough that I didn’t want to go home and miss out.

A week later, I made sure that I was starting off healthy, because I was going to do an eating challenge. I took The Ration Challenge, which meant for one week, I would eat the same food distributed to Syrian refugees. I had to make two substitutions. (Since I’m soy intolerant, I replaced the vegetable oil ration with coconut oil. I also exchanged sardines for a vegan protein alternative since I don’t eat seafood.) I learned to get creative with the little I had. With only a few ounces of flour, I learned to make really thin crepes. With rice outweighing the rest of my rations combined, I learned to make congee, rice milk, puffed rice, and extending everything else by sneaking in some rice. I enjoyed the lentils and think I’ll start adding more to my regular diet. Although I prefer to add tahini and spices, hummus made out of just chickpeas and oil is still delicious. But most of all, I gained empathy for these hardworking people and joined a global movement.

All was going well until my second-to-last day of the challenge. As recommended, I limited my physical activity that week. However, I still went on three walks, the last one was to get to a CPR and First Aid class I had to take. I had only eaten a few spoonfuls of congee for breakfast that day, and I brought some crepes with a little protein spread on them. One hour into the class, I wasn’t feeling well. I felt like I was going to pass out. That would have been super embarrassing for me. My classmates and instructor would have thought I was being squeamish over the course material, when in reality I used to be an EMT. It was just that I didn’t have enough sustenance. As my table partner wrapped the fake injury on my arm, I used my free arm to pull out my crepes and eat them. I also drank my water. It wasn’t enough. I excused myself to the bathroom, still feeling faint. I found a roll of Lifesaver mints in my purse and ate half a roll of them. The fast-acting sugar made me feel better within minutes, so I decided it was safe to continue with the Ration Challenge. Later that day I attended an evening church service where I took communion without thinking, but that was my only “cheat” day, and even then I had two ounces of oil and two pounds of rice left over at the end of the challenge!

But sickness seemed to be a weekend theme this month. The last Saturday of the month was also spent in sickness. On a positive note, it means I wasn’t spending all my money on weekend adventures!

Restarting the Savings

From January to April of this year, I kept a log of my savings. I took a break in May so I could enjoy the fruits of my savings with half the month spent on a trip to the British Isles. Although I got back to saving this June, I ended up not keeping a spreadsheet. My plan is to modify my old spreadsheet and start using it again this July. But just because I didn’t record everything doesn’t mean I didn’t save!

I didn’t really spend any money on travel. Two nights of camping with the PCTA was free, as was the day hike on the PCT. Before the camp, I stopped in Ashland for their free First Friday Art Walk. I just had to cover the cost of getting to these places in my car. I’d say that was a good deal!

When I wasn’t sick or on the PCT, I enjoyed my hometown. I did two other hikes, one up Table Rock and the other through Denman Wildlife Area and Touvelle State Park (I visited on a free admission weekend). The Medford Parks and Rec department hosts summer movies, and I attended the first two. The first movie was a drive-in, which was extra fun!

I’ve also been walking a lot. One day, I walked 15 miles! That day included a walk to a beauty college to get a discount pedicure. Unfortunately, two days later I got a blister on my toe while walking, so I didn’t get much time to show off the pedi! I try to replace driving with walking whenever possible, even when it means coming home from the grocery store with a bag stuffed full of collard greens that were on clearance for fifty cents a pound! Walking is my main form of exercise, but I also got in some free cross-training!

Although I don’t have any gym membership, I did end up getting a good workout at two YMCAs. I was recently contacted by two young adults that used to live with my friend’s family when they were little girls, and they asked me to visit them since they recently moved to Grants Pass, Oregon. It’s been nine years since we last saw each other, so it was awesome to reunite. We went to their local Y, and they were nice enough to give me a guest pass so we could all go swimming. A week later, I went to my own YMCA for their free Family Night.

I did some things on Swagbucks and was able to cash out a free $25 gift card that I’ll be using at a restaurant on my upcoming trip!

July Plans

From now through November, my savings focus will be on my cruise to The Bahamas. I’m flying out on Thanksgiving evening for a week of fun in Florida and three Bahamian islands. I’ll be keeping track of my savings and should update you at the end of the month with a savings spreadsheet. Since I got such a great deal on the cruise, there isn’t much that still needs to be paid for on this trip, so I might need to set another travel goal in the next month or two! Where should I go in 2020?

I also joined Plastic-Free July. As I travel, seeing garbage where there should be beauty has been discouraging. Pollution is a global problem, and reducing single-use plastic is a visual and effective way we can all work to combat this. I’ve been working on reducing my footprint for a while, but maybe this month will give me new ideas and inspiration. I think it might help grow my travel fund, too.

As far as travel, I don’t have anything set in stone for July, but I know that will change soon!

Couponing to Travel, jobs, saving money, Travel Life, travel tips

April 2019: Work Hard, Save Hard, Travel Hard

Jessica Lippe

April had a lot going on. I worked a ton of hours, but I also traveled a ton of days. And yet I still had time and energy to focus on saving. In fact, I far surpassed my goal of couponing $2000 this year! How did I do it all?

0423191518.jpg
This past month, I accomplished a one-day goal of making it to the top of this mountain, but I also accomplished a long-term goal of couponing to Europe!

To find out about my current savings challenge, click here.

Check out my previous savings challenge updates: January, February, and March.

Work, Work, Work

April Fools
Work doesn’t have to be boring. It’s the perfect place to throw April Fools

My main job doesn’t usually allow us to work overtime, but I was given a few exceptions this month because there were shifts that no one else was available to cover. (Like me, pretty much everyone who works there has multiple jobs, and some take time off to travel too.) Yay for extra hourly pay! I also got paid time-and-a-half for working several hours on Easter evening. Since I did all the Easter activities in the morning and afternoon, I didn’t miss out on the holiday while earning holiday pay.

Besides the pay and knowing that my work makes a difference in the world, another perk to working more hours is that I’m not tempted to spend money while I’m at work. Still, I’m excited to turn the pay from this work time into fun during travel time!

Travel, Travel, Travel

Keep Portland Weird Sign
My first trip to Portland in nearly five years. The rest of my travels were to smaller towns (or even to the backcountry)

To be honest, I thought I’d be further along in preparing for my trip to Europe. But here I am, just a week away and I haven’t even packed yet! (On my last trip to Europe, I was all packed over a month ahead of time.) But other travel opportunities kept popping up, and I wanted to take advantage of them all! I don’t think there will be any more travel until I head to the airport on Wednesday, so now I’ll be able to focus on getting ready to go. But everything else was definitely worth it!

I mentioned last month that I got a super discount on a cruise to The Bahamas. My mom and I decided to buy our plane tickets to the departure port a few weeks ago. While that would normally cost less than the cruise itself, because of how much I saved, the plane tickets will be the biggest expense! I also purchased two excursions through the cruise line and saved a total of 19%. (That’s 10% off during a sale weekend, and another 10% back for using the cruise’s credit card.)

But the real fun was all the travel I got to do in April. The first weekend was sort of a camp weekend, except it didn’t take place up at camp. It was my first time participating in the annual coast trip. Even though it rained the entire time, we stayed in a cool rental home and did get to go out a little.

It felt more like camp last weekend when I went up to the mountains on my own. I visited the church we attend during most weekend camps, and afterward, I went a few miles up the road to hike a bit of the PCT. Despite being a native Oregonian, I don’t have much experience with the Pacific Crest Trail. This was the longest I’ve ever hiked on it, and my first time hiking it in the state of Oregon. It made for a pretty good day trip, all for the cost of just a little gas in my car!

That wasn’t my only hike this month. I spent one of my days off hiking on Roxy Ann, which is just a few miles from my house. I went up to the summit of the peak and then explored a new trail I hadn’t been on before.

Another outdoor adventure was a day trip to the Lava Beds National Monument. While this normally isn’t a cheap excursion (it’s now $25 dollars per vehicle entry), I time my visits to Lava Beds around the National Parks Service’s free entry days. With a free entry day to kick off National Park Week, I got to explore about a dozen lava tubes for just the cost of getting there. I also made short stops at Tulelake National Wildlife Refuge and Valor in the Pacific’s Camp Tulelake on my way there and back.

Pear Blossom is my city’s annual big festival. Although I ended up working the morning of the parade, I did attend the street fair the day before while I was babysitting. I actually walked there with the kids, which was an adventure on its own. While they each bought a snack, we mostly walked around to snag freebies from some of the booths. I got some good stuff! Some of it, like a travel tube of sunscreen, will be useful on my trip to Europe.

I housesat for a few days. It was just while my parents were on a camping trip, but being in a different environment (and using their hot tub) is a change of pace.

But my biggest trip of the month was at the very end, and actually went into May. I knew I’d have to go to a passport agency if my passport didn’t come, so I made an appointment in Seattle. It did end up shipping, but I decided to head north anyway. Like March, I was invited to another advance screening of a Christian movie. However, they didn’t offer this screening in Medford. Although know I spent more in gas to get there than what a movie ticket would cost, I did get to see the upcoming Kendrick Brothers’ movie Overcomer. I took a friend along, and we both really liked it.

Portland was just supposed to be an extended day trip, with me driving there while my friend slept and her driving home while I slept. However, shortly before we left, she decided to get an AirBnB reservation. This extended our trip by a day and allowed us to pack in more adventure. (Since May 1st involved travel up until my scheduled work time, and then I went to bed immediately after work, that’s why I’m posting this update late.)

Save, Save, Save

National Pretzel Day free pretzels
We each got a free pretzel on National Pretzel Day

I’ve saved $2,243.91. I also made a lot of extra money working, but I decided to stop counting that as I’ve already met my earning goals and it was getting difficult to keep track of all the extra time I worked.

One fun way I saved this month was while babysitting on National Pretzel Day. After picking the kids up from school, we all headed to Wetzel’s Pretzels to grab a free soft pretzel.

Overcomer wasn’t the only movie I saw this past month. I saw Unplanned during my local theater’s discount Tuesday. I used my Cinemark Rewards to get a $3 off coupon for my movie snack pack. My local library also had a free movie day this month, and they provided popcorn and soda for free! The library was also a good place to borrow materials and attend a lecture about a local historical area.

I bought a Groupon last year that I wasn’t able to use, but Groupon allowed me to exchange it for another one. I used it towards a massage and used a coupon code on top of that. So I got a super-inexpensive-yet-quality massage!

Lowe’s had a spring sale a few days ago. When I first saw someone post about it on Instagram, I thought it was a scam. Why would they send you a gift card just for texting them that was good for one day only? Later when I found out this was legit, they had already run out of coupons. However, I’m a part of a few Facebook saving groups, and someone from one of those groups gave me a $10 code that she wasn’t going to use. I used it to buy potting soil (for free seeds I got at Pear Blossom) and some spinach seedlings. I’m now growing a variety of herbs and veggies in containers on my front steps.

I was a little lacking in Swagbucks this month, but I did end up earning enough to get a discount Visa gift card as well as a discounted gift card to Domino’s.

The biggest savings was using my Carnival credit card towards my cruise. Not only do I get savings when I book shore excursions, but I also got a $200 credit with my first use! Two of my credit cards actually owe me money right now due to rewards.

What May Will Look Like

2019 Couponing Savings Goal
My April spreadsheet. Check out all the ways I surpassed my goal!

I’ll still be saving money, at least for parts of May. It’s my birthday month, so of course I’ll be redeeming a few birthday freebies! But since I’ll be on my trip for the majority of the month, I will also be taking a vacation from tracking my savings. I may travel frugally, but am willing to spend money if it’s worth it. At this point, my savings have added up to a big amount. With it, I’ve been able to pay for my flights, hostel reservations, and packaged attractions. Basically, the only extra expenses will be food, ground transportation, and maybe a souvenir or two. I’ve been working so long for this, but I can’t believe that it’s finally here!

Couponing to Travel, day trip, destinations, resources, saving money, Travel Life, travel tips

March 2019: How to Save Money with MORE Travel?!?

Jessica Lippe

Welp, I’ve just about made it! I’ve wanted to save $2000 in coupons and sales in just over four months, and in March alone I couponed over half of that amount. Yes, I scored some super-big deals this month (two of them were each worth about $500), and well as several smaller ones. And yes, I will share how I did it with you.

But first, you may want to catch up on ways I’ve saved each month since the beginning of the year:

Here’s what I did in January.

And here’s February.

If you want to know what I’m saving all this money for, this post explains it. 

Spring Break Bucks

ScienceWorks rocks
Glowing rocks at the science museum… membership and admission covered by babysitting!

Like most adults, I don’t get a designated “spring break”. But kids still do. Parents often need to hire babysitters for longer hours during spring break and other school vacations. Since I babysit on Fridays, I made some extra money for the extra hours.

If you’re good around kids, school holiday babysitting isn’t even hard. In fact, we had some fun playing tourist around town. Since the kids’ spring break covered two Fridays, on the first Friday we went to the nearby town of Ashland for the Scienceworks science museum and Dagoba chocolate factory. The next week, we went downtown to the food truck food court and then toured Harry & David’s world headquarters. (The kids liked the sweets, and I had to agree!) So basically these gigs involved having fun. They did like sleeping in each morning and then playing video games before doing anything else, so I got to use that time to read guidebooks and plan for my upcoming trip. Win-win!

I also took on some extra shifts at my regular job. So far this year, I’ve made an extra $926.26 in additional income. Half of that ($463.13) is going to go toward my trip. While I’m happy with this amount, I was expecting to have earned a little more by this point, so hopefully I’ll have more moneymaking opportunities before I leave in May.

Preparing for Departure

Travelon Packing Cubes
Four packing cubes for the price of zero… now that’s a deal worth getting excited over!

I’m not leaving the country until the second week of May, but I did a lot in March to get ready for it. And I tried to save money everywhere I could!

The most important item that I need for this trip is a passport. Unfortunately, the US government isn’t too keen on offering discounts. (I did unintentionally get a discount on my very first passport, but that’s a different story!) But anyway, I applied for that so I should receive a new passport in time.

Another key element was getting a flight between Ireland and England. The plane ticket I bought last month flew into Dublin and out of London, so I searched Kayak.com and found a ticket for the short hop for just under $34. No couponing was involved here, but I think it’s the cheapest flight I’ve ever flown!

I booked a couple of short tours to major sights outside of the city, and that was a good area to save a few bucks. I’m going on an overnight tour to Blarney Castle, Cork, and the Cliffs of Moher with Paddywagon Tours, and managed to save $11 there. I also used The London Concierge (exclusive to buyers of The London Pass) to book a Stonehenge and Bath tour with Golden Tours. I made my booking during a flash sale weekend, so I saved $15!

As far as gear goes, I’m trying to use what I have. But I did have an Eddie Bauer $10 off coupon. Combined with a 50% off sale weekend, I got a set of packing cubes for free!

Healthy Living

Medford Growers Market
Walking to the farmers market kills two (healthy) birds with one stone- plus I saved on gas!

The word “health” and “cheap” don’t normally go together. I had an unusual case of adult hand-foot-and-mouth at the beginning of the month. Because of the blisters covering my throat, I could only eat and drink certain items for a few days. To get a better deal on these foods and avoid spreading germs to innocent shoppers, I tried Fred Meyer’s ClickList for the first time. I ordered everything online, used digital coupons, went to the parking lot, and everything was delivered to my car. I still prefer shopping in-store so I can price compare and find clearance specials, but it’s nice to know that this option is available and cost-effective.

After I was back to my healthy self, I decided to get even healthier. My plan is simple: walk a few more miles and make sure at least 50% of what I eat is vegetable. This will get me in better shape so I can walk even more around Ireland and England (though I won’t necessarily follow the vegetable rule there!) This hasn’t directly saved me any money, but it will allow me to do more on my trip and save on health costs in the long run. And so far, it hasn’t cost me any more than my usual food.

Big Ticket Savers

Couponing Spreadsheet March Update
Look at all I’ve saved and earned! Just $100 left to coupon!

I’m so glad I got a reward credit card. My CapitalOne card offered a $500 reward for spending $3000 in three months. This was on top of its regular cash back. Normally, $3000 is a lot of money, but I put all my trip expenses on it, plus made a few other strategic purchases.

And Finally: How to Save Money with MORE Travel

Union Creek Oregon
The views from our snowshoe trip. But soon, I’ll exchange snow for sea!

At the beginning of the month, the only entertainment I had planned was seeing an advance screening of the movie Breakthrough. Entry was free with an invitation, and I bought a discounted Cinemark gift certificate from GiftCardGranny so I could get free popcorn. The movie was great and you should go see it, but I was in for a surprise at all the adventures the rest of the month would bring!

As I mentioned above, day trips while babysitting were a great way to get paid to adventure locally. Helping at camp two weekends this month was also a way to free fun. Meals, lodging, and activities are covered, so I’m spending less than I would need to spend at home.

On a free weekend, I went snowshoeing and sledding with my parents. By going as a group, I didn’t have to buy a sno-park permit just for myself. Plus, it’s not safe to snowshoe solo.

But the best travel deal I cashed in on this month won’t happen until November and December. Swagbucks recently added Carnival Cruises gift cards as an option for redemption, and they were extra discounted when they were first posted. Although that offer is no longer valid, I’d encourage you to keep checking on Swagbucks‘ rewards as they often offer some good ones, but long story short, I got the entire base price for a 5-day cruise to The Bahamas for just $30!

I also got a Carnival credit card to help pay for the taxes, fees, and excursion expenses for this trip. So I’ll soon be getting another credit card reward, this time for $200 plus FunPoints. And despite being in my 20s, I joined AARP Rewards for Good so I could get 10% off another cruise gift card. (I bought it with my CapitalOne card to help me reach my $3000 minimum.) I’ll still have to pay for my flight to Fort Lauderdale where the cruise departs, so maybe I’ll be doing these monthly couponing updates even after my Eurotrip so you can see how I’m saving for my cruise!

 

 

 

Accommodations, Birthday, Books, Couponing to Travel, day trip, destinations, saving money, Travel Life, travel tips

February 2019 Update: Change in Plans and Change in the Bank

Jessica Lippe

February may be the shortest month of the year, but these past 28 days were packed with more than I expected. I worked even more than I do in a typical month, I saved more money with couponing than I did in January, and a lot happened with my planned trip.

Wondering what this challenge is? Start here. 

Check out my progress report from January. 

Shall I start with the good news or the bad news? (Hint: always pick the bad news first.)

I’m Not Going to Germany

After waiting over a month to hear a response about my pending placement with Diverbo, I sent a follow-up email. They finally got back to me saying that both the program I wanted to be in as well as my back-up program were full. They didn’t even have room on the waiting list for my first choice! Since this was a big motivator (and money-saver) for going to Germany, I decided to defer my time there until I have a confirmed place in a Diverbo program and instead went back to the drawing board.

Mount Tibidabo, Barcelona, Spain, Western Europe
At the summit of Mount Tibidabo during my previous trip to Europe, shortly after my time with Diverbo

A few years ago, as I was about to make my first trip to Europe, I wanted to see it in three trips: one for the Mediterranean (check!), one for the British Isles, and one for Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and the Czech Republic. Since I didn’t want to lose my momentum for going to England, I decided to go back to this original plan and add Ireland to the mix. (I also briefly considered Iceland, but since that’s so far away from the rest of Europe, it could be included as a stopover for just about any trip.) The switch from Germany to Ireland surprisingly came with some money-saving opportunities!

How I’ll Save Money In Ireland

Last week, I bought my plane tickets! I will fly into Dublin and out of London. I haven’t bought a flight between the two islands yet, but I’ve looked up the cost and it’s incredibly affordable.

While I was always planning to go in May, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be in Europe for my birthday or celebrate in my hometown first and leave a day or so later. As I looked up Dublin hostels, I found a cool one that offers a free night on your birthday. That sealed the deal for me! My 28th birthday will be my first full day in Dublin.

Birthday Hot Air Balloon Selfie
What’s more exciting: this hot air balloon ride I took on my birthday in 2015, or being in Dublin for my birthday in 2019?

I’ll actually stay in two hostels in Dublin, and three in Ireland. After a couple nights in the first hostel, I’ll take a bus trip to see sights like Blarney Castle and Cliffs of Moher while spending the night in Cork. When I return to Dublin, I’ll stay at the hostel that partners with the same tour bus company. For spending two nights there, I get a free bus trip to Wicklow!

 

Overnight Greyhound Bus
I’ve taken many bus trips in the past, including exploring the breadth of the US, France, and Spain!

I wanted to take a third excursion to Northern Ireland and Giant’s Causeway, but decided to go with a different tour company this time. Although this one wanted to charge me an extra 5 euro for what would basically be the same trip, they included the admission for the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge when other tours did not. And because I started making a reservation but didn’t finish, they offered me a 5-euro-off coupon code to come back to their site. Score!

I was disappointed that I would not be part of a cultural exchange like I would in Germany’s Diverbo. (It turns out that people in England and Ireland are already great at speaking English!) But I did find out about another opportunity to connect with local Dubliners…

My Money-Saving Activities this Month

Since the beginning of the year, I’ve earned an additional $629.51 (through extra work hours and projects) and saved $772.41. This was a few dollars short of my goal (I wanted to be at $800 by now), but I’ll chock it up to being a shorter month. This doesn’t include the money I’ve saved by using the library. My library lets me know how much money I’ve saved on my receipts, and it’s been nearly $1000 this year alone. I’ve chosen not to include this since I probably wouldn’t buy the books, DVDs, and musical instruments I borrowed, at least not for full price. But this did lead me to other money-saving ventures.

Library Guidebooks, Movie, and Reciept
All the money I’ve saved with things like guide books. Even The Princess Bride movie was for Ireland’s Cliffs of Moher (Cliffs of Insanity) research purposes.

I’ve been borrowing a lot of Rick Steves books, and one mentioned an Irish program where you can meet a local. With City of a Thousand Welcomes, the organization will pay for me and a local volunteer to go out for a nice tea and chat. I’ve already reserved my spot for the day I arrive!

Europe Guidebooks
One of these guidebooks is so good, I read it like a novel. The other I’m allowed to tear apart and bring along with me. Both are FREE!

Since I can’t take the library’s Rick Steves books to Europe with me, I took advantage of my AAA membership and got their Europe guidebook for FREE! I plan to tear out the England and Ireland sections and just take those along with me, with a bunch of notes added from my other reading.

Wildlife Safari Guanaco
A guanaco at Wildlife Safari’s drive-through

Despite my focus on saving money this month, I was still able to take a day trip to Wildlife Safari. I celebrated World Hippo Day with their free hippo-themed activities, and even used a free carload pass I was given a few months ago (for donating blood) to get everyone in my car free admission to the drive-thru safari. So I got the whole trip just for the price of (discounted) gas! The rest of my recreation was free activities like local walking, hiking, and even snowshoeing on our snow day! I also experienced the snow and sledding for the two weekends I helped at camp, and filled a few more days with extra work shifts.

Looking Ahead

With dates set and airline tickets purchased, I know March, April, and May will be focused on this trip. I have a few coupon and other savings ideas set into motion, but I have a feeling that I’ll soon be scrounging for more ways to save.

February Couponing to Europe
My couponing spreadsheet thus far. The blank spaces are deals that I plan to use, but haven’t cashed in on yet.

As of right now, I have $772.41 couponed and $629.51 extra dollars earned (only half, or $314.75, of my extra earnings goes towards this trip). That’s a total of $945.02 saved for this trip, but I’ve already spent $1644.07! Most of this expense is for the overseas flights, but also includes trip insurance, The London Pass, and the Giant’s Causeway day trip. So this trip is technically “in debt”, but I am putting all these expenses on a rewards card so that I’ll get a nice cash back bonus in time for the trip. Since I have other necessary trip-related expenses like hostels, more out-of-city excursions, transit, and food, I’d better keep on couponing!

Have you ever experienced an unexpected change in plans that ended up saving you money? Let me know in the comments!

Couponing to Travel, travel tips

January 2019 Update: Where I’m Going and What I’m Doing

Jessica Lippe

My first month of Couponing to London is officially in the books! January was a good month to get started with saving, and going to Europe now seems less like a dream and more like a reality!

Note: Affiliate links are used in this blog. They can help us both save more money for travel!

London: Coupons, Rebates, Passes, and Rewards

Originally, I thought I only ended up saving $179.15 from couponing and rebates this January. Although that’s a lot more than what I usually save, it was quite a bit less than my monthly goal of $400. But I also set some things in motion so I can get good deals down the line before I leave for Europe.

Those savings from this month allowed me to buy The London Pass! I’ll be using this for three of my days in London. For the one-time purchase of this pass, I’ll be able to visit as many fun and historic sites as I can fit in during those three days, free of admission! I’m excited to ride the hop-on, hop-off double-decker bus and cruise River Thames as well as see the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, The View from The Shard, The Tower Bridge, Shakespeare’s Globe, and SO MANY other attractions!

London Pass Order Confirmation
I was so excited to get this email!

Even though I haven’t finalized dates for this trip, I decided to buy The London Pass now because prices increase in a few days! The London Pass is good for a full year from the date of purchase. There’s a 30-day money-back guarantee, so I have until March to make sure that I’m actually going to London.

The London Pass was also something that I couponed for! I was excited to find a promo code for 10% off a 3-day pass, but with an extra Swagbucks Search, I found a 15% off code! So I saved money buying The London Pass, and I’ll save even more when I use it!

I was trying to be content with my $179.15 savings when at the last minute, a $200 credit card bonus finally kicked in. I thought it would be another month or two until that reward would process, so that was a nice way to just about bring me to my January goal, totaling in at $379.15. I also recently opened another credit card that I’m putting all my travel expenses on, so I should get another bonus before I leave.

Gobble Ravioli
Enjoying a homemade Italian meal from Gobble while simultaneously adding to my England travel fund.

Besides The London Pass and credit card cash back, a lot of my rebates and coupons came from Swagbucks. I signed up for meal boxes from Gobble and HomeChef through Swagbucks, and the rebate turned out to be more than the money I spent. There was also a deal for Fabletics, which was great since I wanted some new athletic pants for my trip anyway (and it’s always great to get paid for something you want)! I also got some discount gift cards, and I’m doing my usual deal cycle for snacks and gas at Fred Meyer.

These coupon and rebate savings will go towards my flight there, hostel, food, and attractions I’ll be visiting before or after my three days of using The London Pass. I’d like to ride The London Eye, which isn’t currently part of the pass. I’d also like to spend a day in the Greenwich area and climb the O2. I may even take a day trip to Stonehenge and possibly somewhere else. (Stay tuned!)

In anticipation of London, travel was limited to almost nothing this month. I didn’t even have to visit the gas station! There was only one weekend helping at camp instead of the usual two per month, and my only real entertainment day was seeing Mary Poppins Returns for free. I did plan a low-cost day trip for February, so I won’t go as stir-crazy next month. But this January, I did spend a lot of free time walking. I explored my town while trying to get back my “backpacker body”. I’m also continuing my tradition of giving up sugar for 21 days near the start of the year, so between no sugar and lots of walking, I can tell I’m getting healthier.

Germany: Extra Work and Volunteering

Two Euro
My savings for Germany so far. (Or just change leftover from my first Eurotrip.)

I also took on several extra work hours and projects to earn extra income. I’ve decided to put only half of that toward my Germany travel expenses. The other half will go partly to the government (yay taxes), partly to charity, and the rest to save for other endeavors.

Diverbo Certificate of Appreciation
Proof I spent a week speaking nonstop English in Spain

I also applied for what will probably be my biggest money-saver on this trip. I spent a week volunteering with Diverbo when I was in Spain, and I’m looking forward to doing it again, this time in Germany. I haven’t done much planning for Germany because the specific Diverbo session I get accepted into will determine if I spend additional time in Frankfurt or Munich. My preference would be Munich because that’s where the session starts that is held in the Black Forest. Can you imagine spending a week meeting people from all around the world while walking through the world-famous forest, eating delicious fine German cuisine, and staying at a resort for free? And they call that volunteering!

Although I haven’t finalized any dates yet, I think May might be a good part of the pre-summer season to travel. I have approximately another $800 worth of coupon and rebate savings that I’ve mapped out, so over the next three months, I’ll be looking for more ways to save at least another $800. Time to get creative!

Do you have any ideas for ways to save for travel? Share them in the comments!

Couponing to Travel, destinations, film, resources, saving money, travel tips

Couponing for Mary Poppins Returns (and a Visit to Her Hometown!)

Jessica Lippe
London skyline and pigeons
Despite the song from the original movie, please don’t feed the birds. I heard a Parisian tour guide describe the overpopulation of human-dependent pigeons as “winged rats”.

I may be a little late to the game, but yesterday I finally got to see Mary Poppins Returns.

With all the adventures Mary Poppins has with the kids, it got me thinking about my own travels. Especially about London.

But wait, I haven’t been to London yet!

However, England is on the itinerary for my next international trip. (The other potential destination on this trek includes Germany.) Consider this my official announcement! Now that the word is out, here are the two questions I know I’m going to be asked:

  1. When are you going?
  2. How can you afford it?

The answer to number one isn’t set yet, as it mostly depends on the answer to number two. And that brings me to the point of this post…

But First Let’s Return to Mary Poppins Returns

Movie Ticket and Popcorn
The ticket says it was $5.25, but it wasn’t really.

Although I saw the movie during my theater’s “Discount Tuesday”, I still didn’t want to pay that price. I noticed that Fandango had an offer for this particular movie. If I bought $8 worth of Ivory soap, I could get up to an $8 discount to see Mary Poppins Returns. Although I didn’t really need the soap, I decided to buy it anyway and try to find something useful to do with it. (I ended up selling it all for the same price I bought it.) I uploaded my receipt to Fandango, and they gave me a promo code. Even with Fandango’s reservation fee, the total of the ticket was still just under $8, so I got to see the movie for free.

But wait! That’s not all! Last month, there was a similar Fandango promotion with Chex cereal. For buying three boxes of cereal, I could either see The Grinch or get a $5 concession credit. There was no minimum spend for this deal, so I found some valuable coupons that made each box of Chex just over a dollar each. Since I’d already seen The Grinch with another free ticket promotion (disclosure: I’ve found discounts or free tickets for the last several movies I’ve been to), I decided to get the concession credit, which I finally used yesterday. I was disappointed to find out that there was a small price increase in concessions since I last went to Tinseltown, but I decided to still buy the junior popcorn. The posted price was $5.40, but I used my $5 off coupon.

I didn’t even pay for gas. I live just over a mile away from the closest movie theater. By choosing an afternoon movie time, I was able to safely walk there and back during daylight hours.

My grand total for this complete movie theater experience? Forty cents!

And since Mary Poppins Returns is a Disney movie, I’ll be uploading a picture of my ticket to Disney Movie Rewards. There I’ll get a small rebate that I can use toward a variety of Disney merchandise, tickets, and more. I also scanned my Cinemark Connections so I earned points for future movie-related discounts. And the forty cents was paid with my rewards credit card for cash back. Once these three rebates are used, I will have made money from this excursion!

So What Will I Do With the Savings?

As I just demonstrated, seeing a movie like Mary Poppins Returns in theaters doesn’t have to be expensive. Going to the real London doesn’t have to be either, although I guarantee that it will cost much more than even a full-price movie ticket! Starting at the beginning of 2019, every discount I score will be logged onto an Excel spreadsheet titled “2019 Couponing to Europe”. Although I’ve couponed before, I’ve never couponed with the goal to save for a trip!

screenshot (5)

I have seven different categories for coupons and deals:

Swagbucks: This is my main online way to save and earn. Since doing things like taking surveys and watching videos takes time kind of like work does, I’m only counting rebates and discounts on this spreadsheet to make things simpler. Check out the “Shopping” and “Discover” sections of the website to find good deals- so will even give you a bigger rebate than what you initially spent!

GiftCardGranny: This is my other go-to online savings place. It’s a search engine specifically for finding discount gift cards. Over the past year, I’ve already saved lots of money by buying gift cards to places I normally shop anyway. Although I still have several of those gift cards waiting to be used up, I look forward to refreshing my gift card stockpile this year. By having an account, I also earn “Granny Points” that I’ll eventually redeem for free gift cards!

Other Online: This covers any online deals I found that aren’t through Swagbucks or GiftCardGranny. The one item I have in this category so far is an Amazon gift card I received through a nonprofit I helped to sponsor.

Fred Meyer: This is where I typically shop in town. (For U.S. residents outside of the Northwest, this store is called Kroger in your region.) Most weeks they offer a “Freebie Friday” deal, where anyone with a free shoppers card can download a coupon for a completely free item. Fred Meyer also accepts manufacturer’s coupons, which I’ve already taken advantage of. In addition, I use their gas station because I’ve found ways to get discounts on Kroger gas, too.

Other In-Store: This is the category my movie deals went into. It’s basically the catch-all for any coupons or discounts not mentioned above unless it’s related to my trip or my bank.

Travel-Specific: Over three years ago when I went to Europe on my Mediterranean Trek, I got two free nights in a Venice hotel since I’d made so many other bookings on HostelsClub. I still have some credit on that site, which I plan to use. While researching for my trip, if I find any discounts or free hours for attractions I was planning to visit, that goes in this column. Any freebies or specials for food, lodging, airfare, and transit will go here too.

Banking: I used to use a credit card that gave me 1% back on all my purchases. I recently got a new credit card where I get 1.5% back, plus a $200 bonus for spending $1000 in the first three months. I’ve transferred all my expenses to this credit card except for my rent, which I pay in cash. All of my credit rewards will be saved for travel, plus all of the interest I earn from my savings account. I also recently opened up a new account at a credit union that is separate from my bank where I’ll be depositing the sum of all my travel savings each month. (It currently has a little more than what I’ve saved so far since I wanted to start earning dividends as soon as possible!)

What Are the Caveats?

The problem with couponing and other discounts is that you can get caught up in such a good deal it is, you forget that it’s not even something you would normally buy. I am trying to be very conscious with only couponing if it falls into one of these three categories:

  1. It’s a discount on something I would normally buy anyway
  2. It’s something I would like for free
  3. It’s a deal that will end up making me money (this is the best kind!)

I’ve also already run into some situations where I wasn’t sure if something actually counted as a discount. For example, I made two returns to stores this year. I wasn’t sure if I should put them on my spreadsheet since that would open the door to “hacking” by just buying and returning purchases. But both of these purchases were things that I thought I truly needed at the time but the course of events changed that. I am trying to buy only what I absolutely need for the time being, so this shouldn’t be much of an issue in the future. However, I plan to start selling some of my old belongings soon, and I can’t decide if that is something that should count on my couponing spreadsheet.

Am I Saving in Other Ways?

Of course! My couponing goal is $2000, which I’m hoping covers the overseas plane ticket and most of my time in London. In Germany, I plan to spend one week volunteering, so I won’t have any expenses during that time. For other Germany expenses, possible England side-trips, and pre-trip costs (I need a new passport, etc.), here are some things I’m doing:

  • I’m currently doing an eat-out-of-the-pantry challenge to see how long I can make meals using only food I already have (or things I get for free with couponing). Since I also get free meals at work, I imagine that my pantry will last me awhile.
  • I’m taking on extra work when it’s offered for hourly or per-project pay. I currently work several jobs, which is great because I typically don’t spend money while I’m working. So more work means more pay AND less spending!
  • My spending’s on a diet. For the final three weeks of January, I’m not spending any money unless it’s my regular charity donations or I get a rebate that’s greater than my purchase price. After that, I know I’ll be more conscious about my spending and saving habits.
  • I’m finding other ways to earn through Swagbucks.
  • I’m walking a lot more, whether to run errands or just for recreation. This is partially to save money on vehicle expenses, and partially to get my “backpacker body” back!
  • $2000 isn’t the cap for couponing. If I find ways to save even more before I leave, that means even more money for fun!

With just a spoonful of sugar, saving for England and beyond can be a fun challenge!

Couponing to London.jpg

Note: This post utilizes affiliate links.