How Do You Save Up For Cruising?

My first cruise of the year normally takes place in the early spring.  I always call it, my free cruise.  Its not that I get the cruise for free, but it is payed for by money not earmarked for anything else.  Since my job tends to have long hours around the holiday season what I do is put aside any money I make from overtime.  Since this is “extra money” there is no way better way to spend it than on a reward for myself.  Usually, I end up with more than enough to cover the full cost of the cruise and all expenses without changing any of my spending habits.

Another thing I like to do is keep a keep a large jar at the bottom of my stairs.  This is my change jar.  Anytime I end up with loose change I toss it in the jar.  When the jar gets full, or its time to take a cruise I take the change to the bank to exchange for bills.  While it won’t buy you a cruise it’s not uncommon for the change jar to cover the airfare or a pre-cruise hotel.  The keys are to not dip into the jar (or let any nieces or nephews), and to try to put something in every day.  I usually pay for everything in bills, even if I have exact change.  This always leaves me with a donation for the change jar.

I used to buy lunch every day, now I bring my own.  Although the lunches I bought were never that expensive, anytime you can find a way to save six dollars a day its a good deal.  This small change probably saves me about 1,000 dollars a year.  It also has allowed me to cut my caloric intake and maintain a weight 8 pounds lighter than my old weight.

Some other low impact ideas for saving for your cruise:

Just say no to Starbucks and bring coffee from home.  Put the 4 dollars you would have spent into an envelope for your next cruise.  If you are someone who buys coffee every day you will save roughly 700-900 dollars per year (the cost of a cruise).

Shop at the farmers market.  Not only are you supporting the local economy but the produce is often fresher and better tasting.  Savings for 30-50% are not uncommon at the farmer’s market.

Round all of your debits up and credits down in your check book.  Then at certain intervals during the course of the year transfer the “found money” into your savings account.

These are only a few of the ways would be cruisers can save up money.  Some of them are common sense while others are a little more outside the box. The best part about all of them is they are all made to impact your disposable income as little as possible.  In fact, most of them are designed so that you see no difference in the amount of money you have in your pocket.

If you have used any of these techniques or know of any more that may be useful to someone else, let us know.

Related posts:

1. Ten No Effort Ways to Save Money Onboard a Cruise Ship
2. Sticker Shock at the Liquor Store
3. How Booking Early Can Help Save You Money
4. Things You Need to Know About the Swine Flu Before Cruising
5. 10 posts to Help You Cruise Smart Cruise Safe and Cruise More Often

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