Last Minute Saving Tips for Vacation

I don't know about you but the winter blues are setting in and I'm already thinking about vacation time. I hope to be able to take a last minute trip with some friends this year but am still figuring out how to make it happen in my budget. May have to be a last minute thing. I found some great tips from Teri Cettina on Yahoo that I thought were great and worth sharing.

• Start with a plan. Get a specific idea on how much you can spend. Guesstimate how much you think you may spend on everything (hotel, car, gas, souvenirs, meals, etc.). If you are surprised its better to be surprised before you take the vacation instead of after the fact. This way at least you can make adjustments either in your current spending or on what you think you will be doing on the vacation.

• Make sacrifices now so you can enjoy your vacation when it comes. To help you save make some sacrifices now with your spending (health clubs, restaurants, etc.). In the long run you will be glad you did as your vacation will be what you wanted it to be. Great thing Teri states is, "Remember: You're just trading today's fun for the fun you'll have during your vacation. Move what you normally would have spent on these items into your vacation fund."

• Save money with a "Pantry Week". I love this phrase, coined by Mary Hunt, founder and editor of Debtproofliving.com. Take a week to not go to the grocery store and eat what you have in your pantry. It's OK to eat a simple sandwich for dinner one night :-).
  

• Spend less time in restaurants. The National Restaurant Association quotes the average monthly spend for families with kids under 6 at restaurants to be over $200. If you can't stop cold turkey look into ways to trim this down. Look for kids eat free nights at your local restaurants. Check out Restaurant.com for discount coupons. Make a compromise, eat at home and then maybe treat yourself to a desert out. Get creative.

• Take advantage of your tax refund now. If you usually get a tax refund each year then your employer is most likely taking too much out of your check for taxes. Consider adjusting your W4 for a while to give you more money now that you can use for your last minute vacation. You can always adjust it back later.

• Let your credit cards be your friend. Use those cards that provide incentives for most purchases to build the incentives up. You can then use some of the incentives toward plane tickets, hotel costs, etc.

My Couch Is Your Couch

Summer is coming and that means vacation time is coming.  Are you planning one?  Thinking of taking a smaller one?  After all the economy is a bit tough on the pocket book, right?  Well, hold on a minute before you think further.  Maybe you can take the big vacation after all.  Maybe even the trip you wanted to take to your favorite international destination.  I know what you are thinking, that's way too expensive for me right now.  What if you could go and didn't have to pay any lodging?  That could change the cost of the trip a bit.  That is what Casey Fenton was thinking when he found an inexpensive plane ticket to Iceland back in 2000 and had a idea to email 1,500 students at the University of Iceland to see if he could stay there.  This led to the idea of Couch Surfing.

Per wikipedia, the CouchSurfing Project is a free, Internet-based, international hospitality service, and it is currently the largest hospitality exchange network.  The project was commenced in 2003 and formally launched on January 1, 2004.  To date there are more than one million registered users.  You don't have to offer up your home to be a user of the site.  You can use it solely to 'surf' for a 'couch' to stay on.   After a traveler finds accommodation, the communication is consensual between the traveler (a.k.a. surfer) and host. They work out logistics between them that satisfy both parties.  It is expected to be free but the surfer may offer to pay for food expense or compensate in other forms such as helping to clean up a little when they stay, etc.  Also, the host can also accommodate by offering to the surfer to show them the sites around town.  Its really an added bonus to receive that from someone who lives there.  The site also offers other safety tips if you are thinking of 'surfing'.

But, how safe is this?  Feels as though you would be staying with a total stranger.  First, keep in mind there is correspondence between the two parties before arriving.  You have some time to get to know each other a bit.  Also, CouchSurfing has implemented things to help strengthen the trust circle.  Their network is built with friend  link-strength indicators and testimonials. They have a voucher system where members can vouch for each other (referrals).  And they also have a verification process where they validate name and address. Once you complete the entire process your member profile is marked as being validated.  So if you are surfing you can choose to interact with only those members that are validated if you choose.

I have not yet used this service but would love to hear from anyone who has.  If you have used CouchSurfing can you share your experience?