Count one, two..and ta-da! It’s summertime once more in the beautiful islands of the Philippines! That’s right! In less than 3 months, almost all of your friends will be on the road again, making their way to their favorite summer destinations. Wanna join them but still don’t have an idea where to get the dough? Well don’t fret! You still have plenty of time to secure just the right amount of money to spend for a great summer weekend getaway.
Let me share to you my top 3 most effective ways to save money. There’s nothing fancy here; they’re simple and very easy to follow. I have to warn you though that these would require an extreme amount of discipline, patience and determination.
1. Don’t use your car nor take a cab. Ride a jeepney or squeeze yourself in the MRT/LRT. I used to take a cab going to the office, and back, and normally spent P160/day. When I started riding the jeepney and the MRT, my transportation expenses went down to P38/day only. I started to save P122/day. Let’s do the math. P122 X22 working days= P2684/month X 2 months, that’s a whopping P5,368!
2. Don’t go out every weekend. Lessen your trips to the clubs or to the malls at the end of each week. As one of my good friends would say, going out would mean spending money. How much do you normally spend every week in the malls? in the clubs? P500? Close to a thousand? Why don’t you do it twice a month, or once a month only? How much will you save? I bet you’re good in Math!
3. Cut down your electricity bill. Turn the air-con off. Use electric fans instead. C’mon! If others can sleep without it, why can’t you? Okay, maybe that’s a little harsh for some. Well, don’t say I didn’t warn you. These tips, no matter how simple they are, may require a lot of determination. I actually did this and saved P1500/month. Of course, there are many other ways by which we can lower down our electric bills. All it takes is a little effort and some plain common sense on our part.
And that’s pretty much it!! Try to follow these simple tips and you would save more than enough money to spend for a great summer weekend getaway without even noticing it. Please understand though that these may not be applicable to everyone as each of us has different lifestyles. I don’t buy my coffee at Starbucks. Maybe you do. If you could reduce your visits to the coffee shop, you could save a good amount of money too. Bottom line is, if we identify our unnecessary expenses, cut them down, or completely get rid of them, below would be the result.
ok, ok, i have been doing these 3 since time immemorial. i take jeepneys everyday, i don’t go for a friday night out, i don’t use aircon at home, and i don’t even go to starbucks, but i am still not ready for a summer weekend getaway. any fourth or fifth tip?
The key here is to examine our lifestyle and identify our inessential expenditures. Stop those and you should be fine. Or maybe you have saved enough already, Boris. It’s just that you decided not to spend it on a trip. You must have used it to buy something that you wanted more than a weekend getaway. A great lens, perhaps? 🙂
or perhaps because i am already in a summer weekend getaway even though it is not yet summer, and it is not a weekend hahaha… perspective reorientation? paradigm shift?
i haven’t told you thanks for the post. it does me 2 things: 1) dream of a summer getaway; and 2) dream of saving. i believe all good things start with a dream. leave it at that.
kaya yan Boris, ikaw pa. hehe. dreams require extreme patience, discipline and determination to turn it into a reality 🙂
ah i thought dreams only require one to sleep hehehe kidding me. your post’s intent is very helpful, really. no wonder you are a finalist…
“no wonder you are a finalist…” uy, may kasamang keso de bola! hehehe. kidding. salamat boris 🙂
i only travel once every pay day. hehe and i make sure ang binobook kong promo fare ay very near or right after the paypay. =)
This is noted! Summer kaya is best time of the to travel specially within the country trips. My personal tip to save money for summer trips – cut at least a thousand from your earnings every payday and minimize unnecessary expenses as much as possible, you’ll save a lot.
wow! can i just say how awesome your blog is! very informative especially for a traveler like me who is just starting. i will surely visit this once in a while. good job! 😀
Thank you 🙂
this blog is very helpful to travelers like me and very informative. hopefully i can start my own blog that shows all my travelling experiences. like for instance, my Mindanao, Visayas, and Luzon adventure last 2011. for 2 months i’ve been all over the Philippines just with my backpack and a small diary and my total budget is Php8,000.00. can’t believe it?! well you must because i’ve been there and done that. even myself can’t believe it but with the help of “PERSUASION” and “STRONG WILL” i’ve done it.. 🙂 i’ve met exciting people, sleep whenever and wherever i can, eat amazing and delicious foods. i’ve been on the road for as long as i could imagine but it was worth all the hustles and troubles you will experience once you see the beautiful places and sites of the philippines. it was really a once in a lifetime experience. Philippines, truly a paradise!