{"id":2630,"date":"2018-11-09T01:05:12","date_gmt":"2018-11-09T01:05:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thewanderingrumpus.com\/?p=2630"},"modified":"2018-11-14T17:13:57","modified_gmt":"2018-11-14T17:13:57","slug":"10-ways-we-save-for-travel-as-a-family","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thewanderingrumpus.com\/index.php\/2018\/11\/09\/10-ways-we-save-for-travel-as-a-family\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Ways We Save For Travel As A Family"},"content":{"rendered":"

This story includes affiliate links for which we receive a small commission at no extra cost to consumers.<\/i><\/p>\n

One of the most common comments I get when we return from a big family trip is \u201cMy family could never afford to do that.\u201d We are a family of five \u2013 I work from home doing freelance writing and communications work part time and my husband works in IT for a local healthcare company. The only<\/em> way we can afford family travel is by budgeting and saving!<\/p>\n

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Mineral map of the world in Germany<\/p><\/div>\n

Here are my 10 best tips for budgeting & saving for travel as a family:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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1. Making Travel a Priority<\/h2>\n

I am a firm believer that if something is important to you, then you prioritize it! My husband Brad and I have always included travel as a priority in our lives. In fact, after we had kids, one evening we actually wrote down our family priorities \u2013 those things as a family where we want to invest our time and money \u2013 and travel was high on that list \u2014 along with retirement (I recommend you try this with your family, spouse or partner). We have made travel a priority for our family over new cars, non-essential home renovations, and various monthly expenses. While we occasionally dream of adding a master bath and some extra living space to our cute Nashville bungalow, we\u2019ve ultimately realized that saving up for travel is simply more important to us!<\/p>\n

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Read more about how we prioritize travel at an interview I did with The Family Backpack<\/a>!<\/p>\n

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Moroccan door in Rabat<\/p><\/div>\n

2. Grocery Shopping<\/h2>\n

Nearly two years ago, we shifted about 90% of all our grocery shopping to Aldi<\/a> and this has been a game changer for us (our family and friends frequently tease us about our obsession with Aldi). Grocery shopping primarily at Aldi has saved us literally hundreds of dollars a month on our grocery budget \u2013 we also shop occasionally at Costco, Trader Joes and at our local farmer\u2019s market.<\/p>\n

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Exploring in Rabat Morocco<\/p><\/div>\n

3. Credit Card Miles<\/h2>\n

We utilize Capital One<\/a> credit cards exclusively to rack up airline miles to save up for airline tickets. We pay off our credit card every month and get new cards every 3-6 months to earn benefits for more miles. We also will build up miles to use the Southwest Airlines Companion Pass<\/a> in the next few months.<\/p>\n

*My husband Brad is currently working on a post about our credit card miles system that is very user-friendly \u2014 I will link to it here when it is live.<\/p>\n

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Journaling in Paris<\/p><\/div>\n

4. Start a Side Hustle\u2026or 2<\/h2>\n

There are so many ways to find opportunities to earn extra money for travel (or other interests) through a side hustle – a side hustle\u00a0is a way to make some extra cash that allows you the flexibility to pursue what you’re most interested in. Some of my favorites include:<\/p>\n

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