Some questions I get asked quite a bit are “How can you travel so much?” and “How can you afford it?” I have different replies. It depends on the day. My most famous is “I am frugal”. There are many ways to save money and eventually I hope to touch base on most of them. I am always learning and finding new ways. This post is going to touch base on just a few.

One of my big ways to save money is at the grocery store. I have an app on my phone which has special deals. I also clip coupons and watch the sale ads every week. I really only buy things when they are on sale. If I can pair it up with a coupon, then it is a real a bonus. You can combine manufacturer’s coupons and store coupons together. Some stores will double coupons (I really miss that at my store). When I get a good deal on staple items (shredded cheddar cheese) I buy 2 and freeze one. To some the little savings don’t seem like a big deal, but they all add up.

I always check the deals on gift cards. Every grocery store carries a variety of gift cards. From time to time there are special incentives. This is such a great opportunity to stock up. Last week there was 15% off of Itunes, AMC and a few others. The week before last, you could purchase a $50.00 Cheesecake Factory gift card for $40. Just the few months before Christmas, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day you can get a $50 gift card for $35.00. I stock pile these cards and use them when I travel, to buy things I need or as gifts. If I need something I usually can find a gift card for it. I like to buy Groupons and there is a gift card for that too.

Another incentive for buying gift cards at the store I shop at is that the store gives me 5 times the gas rewards! I can save gas rewards up to a $1.00 off per 25 gallons. This is a $25.00 savings. I make sure I use all 25 gallons too. I use my credit card (which I earn reward points on) to buy the cards. In some ways I am getting 3 benefits, buying the cards at a discount, getting a dollar off per gallon of gas and reward points on my credit card (which I use for travel).

What are some ways you save money while shopping? Please let us know by commenting below. Happy savings!

One of the things I do months before I leave on a trip somewhere is to look at Groupon. Whether it is in the USA or another country, you can find a Groupon. For those of you who do not know what Groupon is, let me explain. Groupon is a website where you can purchase food, goods, services and travel at a discounted price. These are at various restaurants, spas, online goods and travel to many places. You purchase the Groupon through the website, print up the Groupon or show it on the Groupon app on a smartphone.

I started a couple of years back, when I was leaving for Charleston, SC. I kept an eye on Groupon and found quite a few good deals. I was able to find a Groupon for ghost walks, bars, restaurants and some really neat items only sold in Charleston. I found places I never knew about and loved them. I now go back to those places. I got half off my ghost walk and paid $20 for $40 of food. I check Groupon before I go anywhere now. Groupon is all over the world.

My next trip to Italy was inspired by Groupon. I saw an incredible deal that I could not pass up and now I have a trip booked. It is fun to watch for deals. It is even more exciting to get them!

When I was growing up I thought only the rich and famous went to Europe. Once I went, I found that anyone can do it, you just have to be intentional! Start by picking where you want to go. Pick the time of year you want to go in. Then just plan it! There are quite a few variables in this concept, but you have to start somewhere.

The list is the first step. My list is a mental list, some have bucket lists, anyway you want to do it start with the list. I would suggest write it down. Start a travel journal and the first page can be your list of places. In my head my list is in order of where I want to go next. It doesn’t always happen that way though. Most of the time, it’s the place that presents the deal for the time I am traveling. For example I wanted to go to Walt Disney World a few years ago, I found that it was a lot more inexpensive to go to Germany. Since I loved my trip to Germany the first time I went with the frugal route, I never regretted that decision either!

Second step is to figure out the time you want to travel. If you are planning a summer vacation and do not like extreme hot weather then you better jump Alaska, New Zealand or Australia up to the top of your list. If you don’t mind the heat and all you want to do is sit by the pool or beach then pick something tropical or even Las Vegas. Sometimes you have to think of what is going on in the region. Like going to Germany during Oktoberfest, New Orleans during Mardi Gras, or New York City for New Year’s Eve. All these places have well known events happening and lodging is really expensive. Another thing to watch out for is religious celebrations like Ramadan in the Middle East. This is a time of fasting, so no drinking or eating during the day. Plus some places are closed. This could put a damper on your sight- seeing.

Next, figure out who is going with you. Sometimes this can change everything! People always say they want to go, but not everyone is intentional! In some cases you might have to show people the way. If you really want to go with a particular person somewhere then you have to sometimes be pushy to make it go the way you want, take charge and plan it. Evaluate who you’re going to be traveling with. Many things can alter your trip. Some people want to spend hours in a museum, see every cathedral, go to all the clubs, if this isn’t your cup of tea don’t travel with them. Do some soul searching, find out what is important to you, look for someone similar to travel with. I personally found I am the type that wants to see everything. I keep going all day long, make the most of my experience.

Then the planning, things can change during this process. People who were going can drop out, at the last minute someone can join, you really don’t know until the day you leave. For big trips most of the time I am taking 6 months to a year to plan these. Sometimes I see a deal that can’t be beat, and before you know it I am on a plane to London for a long weekend. There are many steps in the planning process. I will get into my process throughout my blog. This posting is just a highlight. Always have your passport up to date! Then when a deal comes in you can just go and have fun!

There are so many opportunities to travel and experience the world. We are lucky that as a Free Nation we can do that, you just have to be Intentional!

Every year I do a girls trip. I started this tradition about 7 or 8 years ago. I have gone several different places. It all started in New York City. I did New York 2 years in a row and loved it. The 3rd year it was Savannah and Charleston. Las Vegas the 4th year (my niece turned 21). Trip number 5 Washington DC. Trip number 6 was back to Charleston. Trip number 7 is where I am gonna start my stories of how frugal I get with my travels.The magic all happened in New Orleans (or the few months before when I was planning).

One night I got an invitation to a Gala in New Orleans, my neighbor and sister said they would go, so we went! That very night I started looking at air fair. I was fortunate because I had a voucher from a previous flight (I will talk about vouchers often, I will explain them later). I also went to work on the hotel. Fortunately I have friends that work for hotels so we were able to get the Waldorf Astoria a 5 star hotel on a great budget.

The word was out and my sisters and I were joined by 3 great friends! I discovered that 6 girls on a girls trip is a great number. We put 3 girls to each room. We had 3 nights. Each girl gets one in a bed all to themselves. The hotel was amazing! Very close to Bourban St. and Canal. We also split meals everywhere we went, so we got to try different foods and didn’t over eat.

My next item to plan was transportation to and from the airport. I looked up cabs, we would have to get a van for 6 of us or take 2 cabs. Plus we would have to stand in the long cab lines. Then there is the shuttle, you paid for round trip but you stop at many other hotels first. I looked into limos, that was quite pricey. Luckily the night I looked into limos Groupon posted a deal for limos. I got a limo waiting for us at the curb, for less than the cost of the shuttle. Groupon also offered a trolley tour and cemetery tour for more than half off.

I called to order  our tickets to the Gala. After explaining I was returning from California to New Orleans just because of their Gala we got the tickets for $25 off. Then they treated us like VIP. We did get the majority of the attendees dancing!

One of my things I like to do on a trip is everyone that goes has to buy a piece of jewelry to remind us of our trip. Part of the fun is shopping for the piece. We found ours in a boutique and managed to get a break on the piece because we bought 6.

We toured, stayed, ate, rode and partied all first class! It was amazing! New Orleans is a very fun place to go, just remember you don’t have to break the bank to do it. 

Key budget items: Score an inexpensive nice hotel, check out Groupon and Livingsocial before you go anywhere (months before you go) share meals, and ask for better price!