How I Save Money for Travel

Living though a pandemic has been tough: both emotionally and financially. If you’re anything like me you’re more than ready to get out of the house and explore again. Today I’m sharing some of my top tips for saving money to reach your goals!

Qapital. This savings app (starting at $3/monthly) helps you by leaving the guesswork out of saving. Set your own rules, anything from rounding up to the nearest dollar, a percentage of your paycheck or even reaching your daily step goal (and more) can get you closer to your savings goal. 

Pros: You can create your own rules and triggers to set aside and they’re FDIC insured. If you decide to pay for one of the plans above basic, you can also invest to save faster. If you use this link to sign up along with code g93tn3yk you’ll get $5 dollars towards your goal!

Cons: No plan allows you to collect interest on your money, so it’s just kind of sitting in your account until you reach your goal.

Discover Cashback Debit. That’s right, cashback on DEBIT purchases, no credit card required and no fees either! With this card you’ll get 1% cashback on every purchase. Which doesn’t seem like much, but if you use your debit account for everything like I do, it adds up and you can either choose to use the cashback in your checking account or automatically have it go into your savings account.

Pros: No fees, cashback on up to $3,000 in debit purchases a month. Extraordinary customer service that will make you feel like you are their only customer. Seriously, everyone I’ve ever spoken to at Discover is an angel.

Cons: You can’t redeem that cashback for gift cards or anything of that nature.

The piggy bank. A classic mode of saving if you operate as a cash-only person (or mostly cash) If you live in a state that has a bottle/can return like me, my boyfriend and I have a rule that all that money from returning goes towards future fun things. Be it a night out or towards travel. 

Pros: A fun activity to watch the jar fill up

Cons: Your money is just sitting there, not making any interest and is easier to dip into if you get tempted to spend towards something that isn’t your goal.

Stocks. I am not *really* qualified to talk about the market and know very little about it. BUT with all the easily-accessible information about them now and apps that make it easy for us “regular people” to invest our money and grow it to benefit not only ourselves but even create generational wealth. Check out this blog by Nerd Wallet to find the right app for you.

Pros: Now easily accessible, lots of apps to use, great advice if you find the right sources.

Cons: Can be complicated to understand when to buy/sell/trade, can be risky - make sure you only invest what you’re also comfortable potentially losing.

Essentially, you always want to make sure your money is secure, accessible, working for you and safe. I hope these tips helped you out if you’re looking for new ways to save.