My god am I looking forward to this years holiday. It’s not till August but that means I have plenty of time to save and make sure I have lots of spending money. I’ve also been taking a look at other ways I can make this saving process easier and mean that I can still afford the odd treat between now and then.
Student Discount
Yes, I may have graduated last year but I have access to my student email for life which means that I can still buy an NUS Card each year. I find this particularly handy for paying for travel to and from work as it knocks about £20 off per month. By buying a 4 weekly ticket I can still use the bus whenever I need to to get into town or to cover an extra shift which I’ve been doing a bit more of. Obviously, it also means I can use it for shopping discounts too and ensures I can buy myself a nice new holiday wardrobe.
Clothing Sites
Speaking of holiday wardrobe, I’ve been checking out some more affordable fashion retailers (try saying that three times fast) and came across Everything 5 Pounds*. I definitely think some of my holiday clothes will be coming from here as then if I don’t wear them again I won’t be too heartbroken compared to if I’d spent more money on them. Since changing one of my medications I’ve dropped two dress sizes which means none of my holiday clothes from last year fit so I’ll be trying to keep that spending spree as small as possible.
Credit Cards
I would never advocate getting a credit card to pay for a holiday but for certain things they can come in really handy. Depending on the hotel you’re staying in they’ll want to take what’s called a pre-authorisation of your payment card so if you run up a bill they can charge it straight to that card. The problem with this is if you use a debit card you need to have the money available but you also need to be prepared to not be able to spend any of that money till well after your holiday as it can take an age to go back into your account. Whereas with a credit card, yes you still need to have this as an available balance but it’s just moved into the background rather than you having to wait to get the funds back. Vanquis* offer a range of credit cards but always do your research before applying for one.
Shop around for holiday currency
Now I get a staff rate on my currency so this doesn’t so much apply to me but when buying currency don’t be afraid to ask if anywhere will price match the competition. Also look for deals where you pay for your currency online then pick it up, you’ll generally get a higher rate and therefore more for your money that way than if you were to buy in branch.
There you have it, my tips for saving and not getting caught out on holiday. Do you have any tips for me?
Disclaimer: This post contains sponsored links but all views and opinions are my own.
