by Pam on August 29, 2010
There are a lot of ways you can save money when you travel. My husband and I generally camp whenever possible as it has been a cheap way for us to get to see a lot of places. However, some friends of ours recently introduced us to an organization called Mennonite Your Way. They had gone to the U.S. for a vacation and they stayed with people who open up their homes to travelers. Not only did they save a lot of money by not having to stay in hotels, but they also had the opportunity to meet a lot of new people.
Mennonite Your Way is not strictly for Mennonites, in case you were wondering. According to their website, it’s a hospitality network for Christians. They have created a directory of over 1700 hosts in approximately 60 countries and for a donation you can get a copy of the directory. Then, you can contact the hosts located in your area of travel and make arrangements with them directly. The whole purpose is to encourage fellowship with folks from all over the world. On top of that, it makes traveling a whole lot cheaper as well.
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by Pam on August 15, 2010
If you enjoy playing video games as a hobby, you may find that it can really hurt your pocketbook if you buy all the latest games at full price. One way to enjoy the games without spending an arm and a leg is to buy used video games online or at stores such as Blockbuster. Patience will always save you money as well. Rather than buying the newest games when they are first available and paying an exorbitant amount of money on them, wait for a while and the prices will go down, especially after another version of the game is introduced.
If you would rather not wait, then buy the game at full price. Play it until you are tired of it, and then sell it on E-bay or on a used website local to your area. Many large cities in Canada have a site where you can post your item for free such as www.usedcalgary.com, www.usedtoronto.com, etc. You won’t get all of your money back, but used video games are usually fairly easy to sell for at least half the price you paid for them, and likely more if you are selling the latest version.
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If you are like me, you enjoy trying foods from different countries from time to time. The easiest way to do this, of course, would be to go to a specialized restaurant that serves that special cuisine you have always wanted to try. However, going out to eat is often really expensive and may not fit within your entertainment budget. But that doesn’t have to stop you from trying different things and expanding your menu.
Rather than eating out, check out local markets and small grocers in your area that offer goods from various countries. Major cities will often have stores catering to their multicultural populations so it shouldn’t be hard to find grocery stores and shops that sell delicacies from around the world.
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Hobbies can be expensive. The neat thing is that if you are creative, you can enjoy a hobby without spending an excessive amount of money. You don’t have to buy the latest and most expensive equipment and gadgets. Instead, you can buy them used or in some cases, make them yourself. Some hobbies are practically free, while others can be costly, but if you’re careful, you can make your money go a lot further, still allowing you to do the things you love.
Take photography for example. Although it may be considered a fairly expensive hobby due to the cost of cameras, lenses, developing film, and so on, there are ways you can cut down on costs. To get some ideas, check out the article “10 Ways To Save Money On Your Photography”.
The article discusses ideas such as using borrowed equipment rather than buying your own, posting your photos online rather than paying to develop them, and taking pictures at places where it’s free as well as making use of natural light.
Even if you are on a tight budget, it is important for you to allow yourself a small amount to spend each month on your hobby. Having a hobby is healthy as it gives you a chance to relax and enjoy yourself after a long day at work or with the kids.
As nice as it would be to get your hands on the latest and greatest equipment out there, it’s definitely not a necessity. Feel free to pursue your hobbies, just be realistic about how much you can spend on them.
Ever since I started this blog, I have been preoccupied with jotting down ideas about earning extra money or being frugal whenever I hear about them or experience them firsthand so that I can share them on this blog. Sometimes I think of myself as the Frugal Queen and wonder if maybe I am a bit extreme, but I guess it all boils down to the fact that I work really hard for the money I earn, and as a Canadian I pay a lot of tax, so I want to make sure that the money I spend is being stretched to its limit. I guess there’s nothing wrong with that.
To further emphasize my frugal queeniness ( I know that’s not a word!), I want to tell you about my experience eating breakfast at McDonald’s. Once a year for some reason I crave McDonald’s. I am not sure why, but I always do, and when I finally give in to my temptation and eat there, I end up feeling ill for a few hours, and then I regret spending my money on something that makes me sick.
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During our travels this summer, my husband and I stayed at various national parks throughout the U.S. We have also stayed at many national parks in Canada over the past couple of years. We have found that you don’t have to spend a lot of money while staying within these parks. Here are a few ways we have saved money:
1. Some national parks provide free shuttle bus service. We took advantage of this service whenever possible. It was much easier to see what the park had to offer without having to drive around in our car, and it was cheaper because we didn’t have to pay for the gas.
2. If you are able to time it right, you can sometimes get into national parks for free. During our most recent vacation, one of the parks we stayed at was promoting their park by allowing free entrance for one weekend. We just happened to be there at the right time. If you are thinking of taking a vacation at a nearby national park, check out the park website to see if any free entrance weekends are being offered and book your vacation around that time. The neat thing is that entrance fees are usually very reasonable and are often valid for 7 days. In all the U.S. national parks we visited the entrance fee was just $25.
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In response to the Summer Road Trip Challenge I posted earlier this month, I wanted to fill you in on how it turned out.
We had a fantastic time visiting several national parks throughout the southwestern U.S. As planned, we camped along the way, and because we spent most of our time in the desert, we didn’t have to deal with a lot of rain. Instead of rain, we experienced extreme heat with temperatures up to 43 degrees Celsius.
We brought along $2200 and we ended up spending $1030 for our trip. We also did a bit of shopping and spent $263 on shoes and a few other items. We were happy to discover that gasoline is quite a bit cheaper in the U.S. than in Canada, and when you are driving more than 8000 kilometers, it makes a huge difference.
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