how do you afford a holiday?

BusPass_2

My wife and I are off to Cala Mijas in March.

Ryanair flights £24 total, hotel ( bed and breakfast 4*) booked through Airmiles gained from converting Tesco Clubcard points. If you ignore our weekly Tesco spend, which we would have to do anyway, we have a week's holiday in Spain for £24. Admittedly we will have the bus fare from Malaga Airport into Malaga (1 euro each) and the bus fare from Malaga to Cala Mijas (2 euros 40 each) to pay but hey, I think we can afford that. Breakfast is buffet style and taking a tip from German tourists we wrap up some rolls etc in paper napkins so snacks during the day are sorted!

We can't live at home for that if you take heat and light into account so we are actually saving money by going on holiday!!!

dzug1

BusPass wrote: »

We can't live at home for that if you take heat and light into account so we are actually saving money by going on holiday!!!

Sounds good - but don't forget your home insurance may not cover you if you leave the house unoccupied with no form of heating in the winter - which I think March still is.

BusPass_2

Good point but we have the heating on a timer for limited periods at a low setting to counteract this very situation.

The saving I am referring is to the number of times you feel chilly in March, up goes the central heating thermostat, and you are literally burning pound notes to keep warm.

MrSmartprice

I think the best solution for making sure you can afford holidays is sensible budgeting. We have had 7 overseas holidays so far this year and have 2 more booked already. And we don't owe a penny for any of them. I'm not saying everyone will be in the position to go abroad as often as that, but the principle is the same.

By sound financial budgeting I mean not wasting money. We eat well, often drink wine with meals, and dine out a couple of times a week. When we go shopping we take a list and buy what we decide we need. We rarely buy on impulse as it's an easy way to double your supermarket bill. We have followed Martin's advice and buy 'value' brands when they are good enough. We do not blindly follow brands.

I am convinced people get into debt due to excessive spending rather than insufficient income. It amazes me how many people buy trolleyloads of junk, eat takeaways, binge drink, smoke, buy lottery tickets and scratchcards, and dress themselves and their kids in designer trash. Cut out this waste and put the money aside and the holidays will follow.

As for the person who pays for the holiday by bringing back a load of fags, words fail me. If they are selling them, that's illegal. And if they are not, that's the economics of the madhouse!:rotfl:

Philippa36

We save every month to pay for our holidays.

We spent a fortune last year on 3 weeks in Costa Rica, this year we've not booked anything but are saving for a week in NYC in spring and 3 weeks touring the US in the summer next year.

Can't wait!