Special ways to save for your cruise?

[AlohaPride]

Isn't it stunning how fast change can add up to a sizeable sum? We drop our coins into a jug and now and then I bring it to be counted. It always is so much fun when I see how much we accumulated.

 

 

Oh yes! This is fun! I used the machine last time, and ended up paying $80 in fees. Next time, I'll just roll the money ;)

[AlohaPride]

We charge everything but pay in full every month. :D

 

I've been trying for YEARS to get DH to do this. He is unwilling. Hopefully one day I'll change his mind!

[schoolinmy3]

I haven't counted our coins in years! They are in a 5 gal bottle. I think I am afraid to now, it would take forever to roll and count them. :eek:

 

I didn't mention in my earlier post but we also have no mortgage, car payments or credit card debt. We charge everything but pay in full every month. :D

 

I wish we had no mortgage. Right now we have two mortgages as we have owned two homes since last summer when we moved to help out my in-laws. Not only that, our new home is in a flood plain with a mandatory $1400 flood insurance. :( The catch is it is a 100 + year old home that gets water in the basement probably once every 50 years from a small creek a few blocks away. But the flood insurance doesn't cover anything in the basement (i.e. furnace and hot water heater)! What use is that? We're considering paying off the mortgage after the sale of house 1 so that we can drop this useless insurance on house 2. Still we also avoid car payments and don't carry credit card debt. We charge everything and use the Thank You points we accumulate for airfare. For this cruise we were able to get two free airfare tickets to Seattle (we live in Pittsburgh, PA)

diane

[dwarven1]

It's easy to think many people have a money tree out back judging from the number of cruises they can afford, even though I'm sure that isn't the case.

Poseidon, here's a few tips. Nothing magic, I'm afraid... it all takes time to do.

 

1 - pay off your credit cards EVERY MONTH - interest charges are death on your budget.

 

2 - work your butt off to get to a senior position - technical, management, whatever you like doing. I spent many years on call 24/7 as I was the sole telecom support person for a travel agency. I took every manufacturer's class I could to learn more about telephony and our phone system in particular. I also spent quite a few weekends in at work doing upgrades, supporting special sales, etc. End result is that I'm now a senior tech with a LOT of experience... and the paycheck shows it. It wasn't free; I paid for it in sweat.

Mrs Dwarven1 spends a lot of time on the road for her company... but they give her nice bonuses fairly frequently, but again... she works her tail off for them. Which makes a cruise a nice change of pace.

 

3 - Pay the least you can for your car... (consumerreports dot com, edmunds dot com, kbb dot com, etc, are your friends!) and keep it at least 4 years after it's paid off. We buy a car every 4 years - hers, then mine, etc - so that we only have one car payment at a time. Currently, both cars are paid off and have been for 2 years or so - they're holding up better than expected. Oh, and keep the car maintained properly - maintenance is cheaper than replacing the car every 4 years!

 

4 - Don't eat out often - buying the food and cooking it yourself is much cheaper. Brownbag it to work, too.

 

5 - When you buy tools, clothes, etc, buy GOOD ones. Good tools and clothes will last you longer than cheap ones and are cheaper in the long run. I'm still using S-K sockets that my father left to me - they're at least as old as I am. Buy quality stuff, whatever it is, and it will last.

 

Hope this helps you a bit.

[simplelife]

Next Saturday will be 8 years since I quit smoking.:D

The money I save by not buying cigarettes easily covers my cruise "habit" now!:)

Congratulations on getting and staying smoke-free.

Besides saving money, you'll live longer to enjoy more cruises.

[Marie321]

My DH and I are school teachers. Every summer we take care of 40+ lawns (mowing and edging) every week. The money goes into the cruise fund. We live in the south, so our mowing season goes from early March until late October or early November. Once school starts, we mow after school until dark and almost all day Saturday.

[EGG]

Congratulations to the person who gave up smoking. This also saves on not needing to pay for a balcony cabin.

 

I've read that the first thing people should look at to save money is eating out. For example, my DH and I always brown bag lunch - not because we have to but because it is healthier. Instead of paying $5 a day each we spend $2 a day each (and that is pushing the price of a tuna or egg salad sandwich, fruit and water). $30 a week for 40 weeks of the year and that is $1,200 just for lunches.

 

Only you can calculate your dinner eating out. Give up 1 modeately priced meal out a week and save $20? a week. (Chicken or chopped meat or pasta at home is maybe $5 for 2 people, and eating out is $25 and that is cheap with tax and tip). Do this for 40 weeks X $20 and save $800 a year.

 

My daughter in law gave up her Starbucks coffee when they purchased their first house. I think she put $80 a week towards their mortgage payment. They got one of those fancy coffee machines as a housewarming present and the coffee they make at home tastes better then ever.

 

Good Luck!!

[NetwrkEng]

In addition to all the sound advice regarding debt, cars, etc. A few things we are doing this year. Since we have two in college we need all the help we can get to support our habit. :D

 

If you think the change adds up fast try 5$ bills. The DW and I have this year instituted a plan that if you end up with any 5$ bills at the end of the day then they go in an envelope. Really adding up fast!

 

Another idea we are going to do this year is something I saw on these boards awhile back. Instead of struggling to think of something to get each other on "gift" occasions, since we usually get anything we really need or "justify" ;) in our heads, it can be challenging after all these years to think of something to give. So, this year we are going with cards, maybe flowers, and a donation to the cruise fund of your choosing. Since what we enjoy most is spending time with each other travelling it makes a perfect gift for both of us.

[Senoj84]

I always plan to save some money each pay but that doesnt always happen. So, when it's time to make my deposit for my cruise-I usually just pay the necessities and don't splurge on anything! This year I had to cut back a little on getting my hair and nails done every month and I even had to cut back on buying MAKE-UP!! That was so hard

 

I also have a side business that I earn extra money from and all of that money gets saved or goes to things I need.

[bobbyleduck]

If you want some good information about saving money every day on your food budget, read the following (and yes, that's me). With regards to eliminating one dinner out per week: That would mean we'd have to increase our dinners out by at least three per month, because we don't eat dinner out more than once per month.

 

http://www.bendbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080618/NEWS0107/806180317

 

Happy cruising to all who can still afford to cruise (and fly)!

 

Bob

 

P.S. Also, we haven't paid for toothbrushes, toothpaste, mouthwash, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, lightbulbs, hair color, extension cords, dishwasher detergent, and many other things in more than 15 years. All, thanks to "FREE" after rebate from RiteAid and Walgreens. In fact, Walgreens actually pays us 10 percent extra just to take those items and more off its hands.

[linkerbink]

I'm retired, but I've signed up to work for a temp agency. I usually get called for a few days a month, but recently I was offered a three month assignment to cover someone who is out on maternity leave. I ordinarily wouldn't want to work that long (there goes my summer!) but the $5,000 I'll earn will pay my Panama Canal cruise in full.

[ChevyCruiser]

I'm kidding, of course. ;) Being retired now, we don't "save" for a cruise. We've done that already ... over the years of work and prudent investing. We don't spend money on other things that some people do. We don't have a lake cabin, bass boat, airplane, or expensive hobbies. We like to cruise, so that's where we direct some of our invested funds.

 

Amen, brother! We have been retired about five years now, and it was a major reversal in our thinking to realize THIS was what we had been saving for. When we retired, our net income dropped about 50%, but we actually have more money left over at the end of the month than we did while working.

 

Our big tip is to live BELOW your means, and to echo Suze Orman - don't borrow money to buy things you don't need to impress people you don't know! We bought smallest floor plan in our development when we could actually afford the largest. We drive our cars about 200,000 miles before even thinking about a new one - the second 100,000 is the cheapest as far as your operating costs are concerned. We coupon. We hardly ever pay full price for anything, and will bargain shamelessly for almost everything - being on a fixed income and all;) And we go for the early-bird special whenever we can.

 

Proof that it works? We took four cruises last year plus a five week driving trip around the American Southwest. Three cruises this year, but longer ones.

 

More? We use an American Express credit card and charge everything we can BUT pay it off every month so that we don't pay any interest. We accumulate points that we use to stay at Hilton-family properties. During that five-week driving trip I mentioned, we only paid for a hotel four nights - two we couldn't find a Hilton nearby and two we stayed on an Indian Reservation in a tribe-owned resort.

 

Bottom line is to save, save, save and then cruise, cruise, cruise. Dollar for dollar, crusing is the best bang for your vacation buck that you'll find anywhere!

[AlohaPride]

I have a question, and its probably really stupid.

 

But...

 

I'm going to ask it anyways.

 

I asked DH about using a credit card and paying it off every month to not pay any interest, and he said that we still pay a daily interest. So, you are still paying more when you use your credit card even IF you pay it off every month. I'd never heard of this. If this is the case, why is credit card use so popular?

[cassie cruiser]

It's important to read the fine print in the credit card agreement. There are many cards available where no interest accrues as long as you pay the balance in full by the due date. We use a Delta/American Express card and earn Delta miles on every purchase. You have to be able to pay in full every month - if you pay interest, it will cost you more than the miles are worth.

 

We charge everything - groceries, phone bill, newspaper, satellite TV, gasoline (!), internet, and anything else you can think of. The miles add up fast. We are flying first class to Ft Lauderdale in December using our miles.

[dustyroad]

It's easy to think many people have a money tree out back judging from the number of cruises they can afford, even though I'm sure that isn't the case. They could be carefully cutting coupons each week for all I know.

 

One friend had a garage sale one summer, the money paid for his shore excursions.

 

What do some of you do to pinch pennies as you eagerly wait for your cruise?

 

i have a xmas club i cant touch all year i use for the downpayment

all of my change goes into a cruise-fund-can

and finally i scour the net for the cheapest cruise and flight all the time.

every little bit helps.

[patrice1]

Here's some of what we do -

• We only go out to eat when it's a charity event
  
• We only book CCL because the military rates include vets
  
• We order one $50 Gift Certificate from CCL every other week - it's our onboard account when we get on the ship
  
• We have one small car & a scooter - gas, even today, is only $60/mo. (easy in Key West :o )
  
• Shop at 4 grocery stores for sales every week
  
• Brown bag every day
  
• Use Netflix for movies
  
• Get books from Library
  
• We pay ourselves first every paycheck into the savings
  
• Have credit cards, but pay them off every month or two
  
• DH works all the overtime offered & I have taught as an adjunct at the local college (in the process of doing it again next semester)
  
• Use "extra" $, like bonus, tax return & extra paychecks to buy big things, like new sofa, TV, etc.

After working as hard as we do, at our age (mid-50's), I can't imagine going without one nice vacation a year. Now that the housing market is down here, we're also saving in hopes of buying a home. Until this year, we thought it impossible as a 1 bdrm. condo in New Town started at $500K!:eek: Now, you an get a decent townhome in Old Town for $300K. We'll keep saving!

[Momma2ruby]

We are a 40 and 37 yr old couple with a soon to be 5 yr old. We pay ourselves first. I keep three checking accounts: One for our bills and necessities, one for my husbands work account (food, expenses) and one for our cruise. We just started cruising last October. Each pay period, I drop $50 into the account..automatically. That is our spending money for when we get there. Excursions and our bar tab!

We both work so my paychecks go directly for my truck note and day care (I get paid weekly) and that is only 2 checks a month. The other paychecks are my "free money" to do with what I want....

We go thru Vacations to go to get the best rates and I started planning the trip in June. I kept the extra two paychecks in the account and paid for the trip upfront. We got our cruise for $1066 for a 5 day for the three of us including our insurance. ($70 a day for us)....

I paid the trip off in a month of saving paychecks and now my account is getting large for our excursions and souveniers and bar tab!

 

[simplelife]

Counted and rolled coins from the change jar from the past couple of weeks today. $12.

 

I have over $50, by the time of our cruise in December, it will be $100. Just before we go, I'll cash in the coins for $1 bills and this will be my incidental money.

[dustyroad]

Counted and rolled coins from the change jar from the past couple of weeks today. $12.

 

I have over $50, by the time of our cruise in December, it will be $100. Just before we go, I'll cash in the coins for $1 bills and this will be my incidental money.

it is amazing how fast it adds up. you will have plenty of play money by the time you go and it doesnt seem to hurt at all saving up this way. have a great cruise.

[PHXscuba]

We started our marriage as "starving students" and have worked our way up to "comfortable", with 4 kids along the way. I still clip 25-cent coupons and use double coupons, price-matching, etc. I do lots of homework for any large purchase and insist on a company fixing/replacing anything that doens't work as promised.

 

I always check online for discounts for just about anywhere we go. I want to get the most for any money I spend. For example, I have cut the attractions cost for our San Diego vacation this fall from a full price of about $770 to about $550 for a family of 6, and I'm still looking for better deals. We are staying in a condo instead of two hotel rooms, which saves about $200, plus gives us more room and a better location. And we're not going in peak season. For a cruise, that translates into a lower-category room and booking independent excursions, or sailing from a port nearer home during the slower seasons.

 

Our cars are paid for, we have a budget that includes retirement and college savings, and my kids wear clothes from Target, not brand names. We make sure we have money in savings before we take the vacation we want. I like to plan vacations WAAY ahead so I can get an estimate of how much a trip will cost and start saving for it.

 

We decided family travel was a bigger priority than a boat or other toys, but we have other friends/family who choose the boat (and the gas for it) rather than plane tickets or cruises. My retired MIL/FIL are on a cross-country RV trip that I would sooner die than do, but they're in heaven. Just goes to show everyone has different ideas of a "good time"!

 

PHXscuba

"You can't have everything -- besides, where would you put it all?":D

[slk230]

I didn't read all of the responses but there were some interesting ideas but I save up to $10,000 per year just by not having children.

 

Estimates run as high as $7,000 to $10,000 per year to raise a single child. ($10K x 18 years = $180,000)

 

Of course part is invested, the rest is spent on me. I'm not being selfish, I just chose not to have kids. Do I feel like I am missing something by not having someone call me 'daddy'? Never.

(I was raised in an orphanage and vowed never to have children)

[AlohaPride]

I didn't read all of the responses but there were some interesting ideas but I save up to $10,000 per year just by not having children.

 

Estimates run as high as $7,000 to $10,000 per year to raise a single child. ($10K x 18 years = $180,000)

 

Of course part is invested, the rest is spent on me. I'm not being selfish, I just chose not to have kids. Do I feel like I am missing something by not having someone call me 'daddy'? Never.

(I was raised in an orphanage and vowed never to have children)

 

Wow.

 

I have to wonder, if you were raised in an orphanage, wouldn't that encourage you to adopt? :confused:

 

Its a good thing you know what you want. I admire that, I think.

[slk230]

Encourage me to adopt? Hell no!

 

I can't stand the sound of a crying child. It floods me of memories of being abused and neglected and makes me uncomfortable to be in public around ill behaved children. I also avoid anyplace that draws children. (Disneyland, McD's etc)

That's why I like to cruise, there are very few children on 10+ day cruises during the school year.

[SoonerOne]

We have only been on one cruise and I charged it and then paid it off when we got back, I HATED that, so, I re-thought my cruising plan. I booked our next cruise and paid the deposit then I took the remainder balance and divided it out in equal monthly amounts until final payment is due. I call my CVP each month and pay that amount. I treat it just like another monthly bill....I also put $50 aside each month to pay for our hotel, gas and eats in our departure city. So far so good:)

[Latitude 20]

We do many of the things suggested on this thread (save change, live way below our means, have money automatically deducted for savings, etc.).

 

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is to take advantage of your employer's ESPP (Employee Stock Purchase Plan) program if one is offered. Money is taken out of each paycheck and at the end of the offering period that money is used to purchase company stock at a discount (usually 10-15%). We both contribute the maximum allowed and sell the stock the minute we get it to lock in the 10-15% return. Been doing this for 10 years and it's managed to pay for two kids to go to college plus several very nice cruises.

 

Kathi & Leo