DISers who can easily afford a cruise need not post...

[Chattyaholic]

The way I saved for our cruise?
I'm a waitress and my real paycheck is the amount of tips I bring home at the end of each shift, but I do receive a paycheck from the restaurant every other week. I get a $3/hr. wage and my taxes all come out of that, plus any food I eat during my shifts at the restaurant so usually the paycheck is somewhere between $50 and $100. Those checks automatically go into my savings account. I just made my final deposit and now have enough to make final payment on our January cruise, just from those paychecks. It really worked well for me and I wouldn't hesitate to do it that way again.

 

[westjones]

Oh the cruise is VERY worth it!

When I become a stay at home mom (after DH and I being DINKs for several years--is that term still used? Or was it just a 90's thing ), I had to find ways to save money.

Someone else mentioned this, but I wanted to add to it. Entertainment can be very expensive! We liked going out, but it could be very costly. So I started watching for 'free' events in our community. You would be surprised how much you can do with your family for free! Also, we have a Dollar Movie theater, and we do indulge in that from time to time.

Coupons are great, and shopping the sales. Once you get started you will find all kinds of ways to save money. The energy I once put into my job, I was able to put into running our household (and planning our vacations--tent camping can save a ton of money!).

DJ

 

[aprilgail2]

Originally posted by scottygirl
aprilgail2,

Instead of giving Uncle Sam a interest free loan, why not adjust your withholding and put aside a lump sum of money through direct deposit into an account that bears interest and is not easily accessible. I'm not flaming you, it's just that I am a CPA and I hate to see people using tax refunds as savings. JMHO

Well I know myself and even if it is accessible at ALL I will find away to get at it LOL....I like getting that nice refund every year...I have so much coming out of my pay between my 457, my pension, my daughters college fund, my flex spending account that covers my daughter 4,000 a year preschool and my medical flex spending account.. I have learned to live on the little that is left but if there was any way to get at that other money I would so it is just safer for me this way...

 

[Bbgrizzle]

Great thread!

For our last cruise we paid almost $6,000 for 5 of us in a category 4. That was far too expensive for us! This year my mom and stepdad are joining us and they will keep one of our kids in their room so that we can move to a lower category (category 9 this time). That will save us a lot of money right there.

Other things we are doing to afford the cruise:

I started substitute teaching 3 days a week. (I wasn't working before).

I have 3 DD's and it gets expensive to clothe them! So I work 3 hours a week at Gymboree (kids' clothing store) and get a 40% discount off the clothes, which is great! It's tempting to buy more clothes than they need (everything there is so adorable!), but I'm doing okay so far.

Taking our lunch to work has saved a lot of money, and we have stopped eating out as much.

 

[lynn71092]

My suggestion for the coin saving.
Get several rolls of pennies and everyday before you leave the house grab about 10 pennies. then when something is like $5.43
give them 3 pennies, never any silver. This way your saved coins are all silver and adds up more than with pennies.

 

[geffric]

other ideas -
Use Tap water instead of buying bottled water.

get the DVD's / CD's or video from the library for free instead of renting.

when the dishwasher has finished, instead of letting it go on the dry cycle, open it up and let the dished air dry.. saves on electricity.

Homemade teacher and friend gifts - instead of purchasing

 

[ZebraStripes]

I have been fortunate to work for a company that gives bonuses (ha, that'll be ending soon, so I'll have to figure out something else). So my bonus money goes to cruising. However, I do empty out my wallet on Monday moring of any paper bills I have left. I keep it all in an evelope to use for tips or shore excursions. Over a year, it s-l-o-w-l-y adds up. Not as much as I had hoped for, but a little bit.

 

[ducklite]

You could think about working part time one or two evenings a week when your husband would be home with the kids, and automatically banking that check into a savings account. Even $50 a week would add up to enough to pay for your cruise at the end of the year.

Anne

 

[Tooth Fairy]

Could save a lot of money but does it work? Just wondering if anyone has had any luck doing this.

 

[smchan]

For the ladies here...

I just found this today but haven't checked it out yet.

Making Bread: The Magazine for Women Who Need Dough

Sam