I don’t know about you Wanderloves, but adulting is hard! I mean, wouldn’t it be nice to learn about life skills during some point in school? I took quick a bit of Home Ed, my cooking skills are rather on point. I remember balancing a “check” once in 5th grade and that was about it… Coulda used more help there. Would have come in handy for the real world.
Lately I’ve been trying to pay more attention to my financials. Budgeting is no fun. When I first ventured out on my own I was very good at paying my rent and my credit cards right away and right on time. Somewhere along the way, I swiped my credit card just one too many times. It was nothing drastic or crazy. Then I ended up in a state where I wasn’t saving anything. Basically living paycheck-to-paycheck. There is no doubt a huge portion of this has to do with #FOMO. Being that I have a very select group of friends, if and when anyone asks me to hang out, I am there! I love going to a local restaurant or farmer’s market over the weekend. And somehow I just swipe my life away. The amount I spend on food alone is bonkers!
Why is this post relevant to a travel-based blog? Well one, I want to talk about real life things here too. But also because, travel is something I want to incorporate into my budget. I took a hard look at what I am spending on to see where I could pull back. From the money I save on the things I do not actually need, I can put towards my travel adventures! You know the money you are working for should be spent on things you actually want (and occasionally need)!
A short-ish term goal of mine is to pay off my student loan debts and get rid of my credit cards. My travel goal is to not plan a trip I cannot afford. Either I need to have a payment plan or I pay with the money I actually have. Oh and I need to start budgeting the full trip. You know when you go on vacation and you act like nothing matters? Calories! Credit Card Limits! What’s that!? This is how I behave on vacation anyways. But instead of going to all the coffee shops, I’m going to do some research ahead of time and pick out the must-do’s. That way when I come back home from what should be a fun, rejuvenating trip, I am not stressed AF. This is what adulting is all about, right?
Give me your best budgeting tips in the comments? What are you financial goals?
Leave a Reply