With the summer holidays already a distant memory, dark winter days
are casting a menacing shadow over our lives. But what if you had the means
to nip off for a luxury weekend in Dubai or a short break to the sunny south of France? With these nifty, thrifty tips you could be swapping sarnies at Pret for a Croque
Madame on the Cote D’Azur.
Gary Knight Grey squirrel perching on a bench while feeding
1)Bring your lunch to work: One of the biggest ways to deplete your salary is on lunch. Daily forays to Pret soon mount up and with a minimum spend of £5.00 on a frugal day the monthly costs are in excess of £100.00 and an eye-watering £1200.00 a year.
If the dull drudgery of making sandwiches every night fills you with dread, make a larger portion of your evening meal, decant half into a Tupperware box and you’re good to go – ensure the lid’s on tightly! For more creative ways to save your salary, why not pick your own fruit and vegetables or have a go at a spot of urban foraging. For more ideas and inspiration on quick and easy home-made lunches check out my Pinterest page.
Office Breaks Parkside Farm
2) Dress for less: Shopping for work clothes is never much fun so why add to the misery by spending full-price on costly items such as bags, coats and shoes. Make a pact to buy work attire twice a year at the summer and January sales. Avoid the horrors of the Boxing Day scrum and hang on till the end of January when all the frenzied sale purchases make their weary way back to the shops. If you urgently need clothes at any other time of year, sign up for sale alerts with shops.
3)Claim your refunds: with signal delays a daily occurrence and tube fares costing the equivalent of several round-the-world trips, it makes sense to claw back as you much of your season ticket as possible. If your tube connection is delayed more than fifteen minutes – you can claim a refund from Transport for London.
Tomosaurus Tube
4)Quit your gym membership: With an estimated third of UK residents giving up their gym membership by the end of January, it’s worth assessing whether your monthly membership costs are worth the expense. If you genuinely enjoy going and are visiting the gym a minimum of once a week it’s worth hanging on to it. If the reverse is true, think about alternative options that will get you off the treadmill for good. Try out a yoga rave or head for the hills on a day hike escape to Hampshire. The opportunities are endless.
Indra Kubicek Yoga Rave
5)Travel during your commute: brighten up your daily commute and boost your mood with a browse through the holiday websites/brochures as you hurtle underground. Visualisation is one of the strongest routes to success and taking ten minutes to picture yourself on a beach in the Seychelles or trekking through the Atlas Mountains will reinforce your desire and motivation – making it easier to avoid nipping in to Pret on the way into the office. We all work to live and what better way to live than to save your salary for travel.
How do you save your salary for travel? All tips and advice welcome below.