Romantic Couple's Trip Tips That Your Wallet Will Love from Millennial Finance Blog, She Makes Cents

How to Create A Romantic Couple’s Trip That Works for Your Budget

Published on July 25, 2017October 22, 2018 by Danielle YB VasonLeave a comment

Have you ever been on a group trip where everyone’s budget wasn’t aligned? For example, when one friend is suggesting a luxury villa experience when the group’s median budget for this trip is a 4-star hotel? Or when no one can agree on activities so you end up doing everything just to keep the peace? What’s that sound? Oh…it’s your credit card being swiped for something you probably can’t afford to pay for in cash and something you probably didn’t want to experience in the first place. Unlike any other type a trip you take, a couple’s trip can be one of the best ones for your budget. This is true if you and your partner are pulling your money together, have shared money goals, and agree on a budget even before planning your vacation.

Selecting Your Travel Destination

It’s time for a romantic getaway but you have no idea where to go. First, you and bae should figure out what type of experience you want. Are you looking to be adventurous? Do you want to relax and decompress under palm trees and listen to the ocean? Are you even planning to leave the room? You have to consider the experience and then pick a location accordingly. If you never plan on leaving the room, then you should consider splurging on your accommodations and try to save on getting there. Think about where your money will go the furthest to giving you the travel vibes you are seeking.

Another thing to consider is the season. Sure, that Groupon vacation deal to the Caribbean looks great in October. You think to yourself how great it would be to have one last beach vacay before the end of the year. Well, the Caribbean is super cheap in the fall because it’s hurricane season and their bookings are sparse. You may be getting a great deal, but if you are planning to lounge on the beach and soak up some sun, you will be there in the wrong season. Moral of the story- do your research before settling on a location. It will save you money, time, and frustrations. Another thing to consider when traveling the world is to consider the regional and religious seasons of your destination. Channeling your inner Carrie Bradshaw and tripping to the UAE for a luxury vacay will not give you the same experience if you travel during the religious season of Ramadan. Learn your seasons and travel accordingly.

Finally, while you are doing your research, take a moment to learn about the culture. Want to frolic around in a sexy bikini on the beaches of Dubai? Well, good luck with that. While women aren’t expected to wear a hijab, you are expected to respect their culture and cover up. Your sexy bikini just turned into a one-piece swimsuit…and not those high French cut ones that the Kardashians have been rocking lately.

Getting There. Drive or Fly

Driving: I like a good road trip, especially when the Mr. and I let the top down, have a great playlist going, and only are traveling to a destination that we can get to in 4 hours or less. Apparently, for road trips, 4 hours is the magic number. According to personal finance site Mint, car drives that are four hours or under in length are usually more cost-effective than flying. If you are ever trying to figure out which option is best for your budget, try googling “Fly or Drive Calculators”. There you will find a few options that will help you determine how you will get there for the least amount of money. Related Post: Lyft Riders Earn Free Skymiles

Flying: A few years back we researched the best day to buy plane tickets and that information still rings true. Every time we buy plane tickets, I stalk Delta and watch the rates for about 2 weeks. The Mr. and I rarely will fly other airlines, because our goal is to bank as many Skymiles as possible so that when the time is right, we can use Skymiles to pay for our tickets. A few years ago when we were dating, I flew roundtrip FREE because my ticket was paid for entirely out of his Skymiles. Last month, I was able to fly to from Atlanta to St. Lucia by combining both of our Skymiles to get one FREE roundtrip ticket to our international destination.

Lyft Riders Now Earn FREE Delta SkyMiles

Published on May 20, 2017May 19, 2017 by Danielle YB Vason1 Comment

Earning SkyMiles has gotten easier if you are a Lyft rider. This week, Delta and Lyft announced their partnership that will reward their customers who are loyal to both companies. Now, every time you request a ride through Lyft, you earn SkyMiles, to travel to over 1,000 global destinations or even pay for upgraded access to the Sky Club when you are traveling. Trust me, this is a great upgrade option if you don’t already have this access, to keep in your back pocket when your flight has been delayed and you want to wait in style.

How to Earn SkyMiles Through Lyft

According to Delta, “it’s as simple as linking SkyMiles and Lyft accounts, and requesting a ride. All SkyMiles members are eligible. Customers who are not already enrolled in the SkyMiles program can sign up for free through at delta.com/enroll to become eligible”. Even though I am not a current Lyft customer, I love the idea of the collaboration. By requesting a ride, something I already do on a weekly basis, I can start earning miles that will help get me to one of the trips that every girl should take every year. You earn one mile per dollar spent with unlimited earning potential and that never expire. To make your experience sweeter, for a limited time, you can earn triple SkyMiles for rides to and from participating airports.

{Every Woman Should Know} How to Pack Light

Published on December 13, 2012January 11, 2017 by Danielle YB Vason4 Comments

how-to-pack-light

PACKED AND BETTER THAN EVER!

For starters, this is what I call a “duh post”. I do recognize I’m probably writing a post about stuff we all should already know… things that should be common “cents”, but sometimes we, or maybe just I, need a reminder or two. As I was preparing for my week and a half long trip to Germany and the Czech Republic to celebrate the Mr.’s 30^th birthday, my father warned the Mr. of my normal packing habits. Yes, I’m that girl who tends to over pack, although I like to think of it as being prepared. With airlines now charging extra fees, I knew I had to get break this habit…and fast. So, I tapped into my old Container Store Days (my first job) and combined my organization skills to get a week and a half worth of stuff into ONE checked bag + a carry on.

MAKING IT ALL FIT

Pack Basics, Pack In a Color Theme, and Bring Accessories: For this trip, I over packed significantly. At the end of the day, I used jeans as my main basic and stayed in the color theme of burgundy. That way, my accessories complimented the outfits that I created.

Travel Fashion.jpg Photo Credit: Tiger Mist

Roll Don’t Fold: I don’t know why I ever folded clothes to begin with. Not only does rolling clothes create more space, but it also reduces wrinkles in your clothing; thus, you spend your time exploring a new city/country rather than ironing.

If You Can’t Get More than One Wear Out of It, Leave it At Home: I used to think that I had to wear something different every day. Let me be the first to admit I was stupid. I mean seriously, it’s vacation. No one will say, “hey, did you see {insert your name here} in the same pair of jeans”?

Wear your Heaviest Shoes: I got this tip from my Dad. It makes your bag lighter and creates more space.

Pack the Heaviest Stuff in Your Carry On

Pack-It Systems and Travel Space Bags: I didn’t use a Pack-It system on this trip, but I did use the travel space bags for our dirty clothes and travel blanket. I found it to be very helpful in unpacking, because the clean clothes never mixed with the dirty clothes AND…. the dirty clothes went directly from the space bag to the hamperJ.
Pack At Least 3 days in Advanced. Pack at least 3 days in advanced and reexamine your choices the day before you leave. At this point, you should be removing unnecessary items instead of adding last minute oversights. Looking back, I could have removed an extra ten pounds worth of stuff that I never used or wore. Plus, you want to leave additional room for cool stuff you pick up during your travels.

On the day of our departure, my bag weighed 43lbs, right under the 50lb limit so no extra fees for me!!! In fact, my Mr.’s bag weighed more than mine did. Coming back was a different story, but doing good things for others allows good things to come your way. Right as my bag was being placed on the luggage scale at the airport, I noticed a woman having trouble lifting her bags. The Mr. did not notice her difficulty lifting, but he helped her because he is a gentleman. We stopped what we were doing to help her. Come to find out, it wasn’t that the bag was heavy, but the woman did not have full use of her arm. No one else in the airport helped her until the Mr. and I saw her. The woman at the check in counter thought what we did was so nice and told us about how people don’t help others too often. Needless to say, she did not charge me for my slightly heavier bag. Being nice to others is free and sometimes it can get you free things!!

{When Is The Best Time to…?} Buy International Plane Tickets

Published on June 26, 2012May 12, 2014 by Danielle YB Vason1 Comment

In a post last year, I researched the best day of the week to get the best deals on plane tickets. Based on my research, I concluded that Tuesday at 3pm is the best time to buy. A few weeks ago, I tested out this theory with the Mr. as we were stalking international flights to Europe. While I know the savings rules can be a tad bit different for international flights, we still went with the tried and true paradigm that Tuesday was the best day to buy and fly. We waited and waited and researched stalked travel sites and airlines for weeks and then picked the “perfect” Tuesday to make our move with airline of choice- Delta. Perfect Tuesday came and (insert cricket sounds here) nothing. In fact, the price of the ticket went up almost $200 since the last time we checked and then consistently stayed there. So we waited a week for the next Tuesday…same price.

Did we make a mistake and miss our savings fate?

No. Like most companies, several factors influence the price of goods. The state of the economy, international relations, and my favorite…good ole competition. My Mr. called on a Wednesday to tell me that another airline was offering deals to Europe and to check it out. My first thought was oh well and my second was bye-bye frequent flyer miles. Instead of giving up, I gave myself to the end of the day to find a great deal; but being the impatient person that I can be, I hit the refresh button on the computer about ten minutes after the call. I mean, if one airline lowered their prices, others are sure to follow, right? ABSOLUTELY!
The moral of the story is that good things come to those who wait and research. If you have the luxury of time, it is worth the extra effort to comparison shop. This method helped us save money and it can help you save too. I still believe Tuesdays and Wednesday s are the cheapest days to buy international tickets, but if something is out of your budget, stop….breath…and press refresh.

If You Could Travel Anywhere in the World…

Where Would You Go?

FACEBOOK, TWITTER, PINTEREST, RSS Feed,

Email SMC: shemakescents@gmail.com

{Update} Confession of my New Year Resolutions

Published on April 4, 2012January 3, 2013 by Danielle YB Vason1 Comment

New Year’s Resolutions??? That’s so January… Save more money. Eat right. Exercise more. I remember having to try at my goals again after an epic fail the first time around. I think the problem with New Year’s Resolutions is that people set either too many goals or a couple of unrealistic goals. This is why after a couple of days, resolutions seem impossible. Throughout the year, I promised to share my game plan to accomplish some of my goals and resolutions for the year- so here you go!

Check out some of my favs!

Start Putting Money Away for Emergencies

January 24, 2012: Since I’m being honest, I might as well go all in. Currently, my emergency fund looks like the sad little piggy pictured above. That’s right, even She Makes Cents, has to get her own finances together sometimes. I almost depleted my fund when… an emergency came up. I am so glad that I got myself into the habit of saving for the unexpected because life would have been so much harder without one.

April 4, 2012: I have started my emergency fund again and I must say it feels good. I really hope it will be a long time before I have to tap into it since there isn’t much in there and two, no one likes emergencies.

Cook More, Eat Out Less

January 24, 2012:The Mr. and I love trying new restaurant spots; consequently, we have gotten in the habit of going to restaurants multiple times a week. Sometimes, I even eat out multiple times a day. While examining our finances, we both concluded that we can’t save if we are constantly spending on dinners out every night, plus tips for the servers, plus parking. Do you see how quickly it can add up? Not only are we spending too much, but it is counteracting to my bangin’ body goal.

April 4, 2012: Well….we still eat out, but we are now more conscious of it. Using the envelope system has really helped with this one. I set aside a certain amount of money per check for non-grocery food expenses. For example, I stopped at Smoothie King this morning for a Pineapple Surf and used my “restaurant fund” to essentially…fund it. The envelope system, regarding eating out, has also forced me to really think about my motivation. Am I really hungry? Am I going to be social? Now, I need to work on the “cook more” portion of this resolution.

Bangin’ Body 2012

January 24, 2012:I think this one is a little self-explanatory. I will just let these swimsuits be my inspiration. I say show it while you got it…so I have to get mine tight. Get it right, get it tight 2012!!!

April 4 2012: I am pleased to announce that I am actually starting to see a difference in my tummy. I started jogging, stretching, and taking the dog out for longer walks. I am also trying to eat a little better, so once swimsuit season officially begins, I hope to have accomplished my goal of losing 2 to 3 inches. As of yesterday, I’m already down an inch.

Reduce Impulse Shopping

See the World

April 4 2012: So my Dad and I are getting our passports updated this week. This is very necessary since I will be celebrating the Mr.’s 30th birthday in Germany among other places.

Overall, I’d say that I’m not too far off of my goals for 2012. While I could be doing better in some areas, I could also be doing A LOT worse. In fact, as I accomplish my goals, I will start replacing them with new goals.

Let’s Connect!

FOLLOW: FACEBOOK, TWITTER, RSS Feed,

Email SMC: shemakescents@gmail.com

inform and inspire ways to use your “cents” to live a fab life

Confession of my New Year Resolutions

Published on January 24, 2012November 28, 2012 by Danielle YB Vason2 Comments

Question… have you already started to deviate from your New Year’s Resolutions? Save more money. Eat right. Exercise more. I have. Two days ago, while taking the time to make my vision board for the new year, I decided to try at these goals again. I think the problem with New Year’s Resolutions is that people set either too many goals or a couple of unrealistic goals. This is why after a couple of days, resolutions seem impossible. Throughout the year, I will share my game plan to accomplish some of my goals and resolutions for the year.

Check out some of my favs!

Start Putting Money Away for Emergencies

Since I’m being honest, I might as well go all in. Currently, my emergency fund looks like the sad little piggy pictured above. That’s right, even She Makes Cents, has to get her own finances together sometimes. I almost depleted my fund when… an emergency came up. I am so glad that I got myself into the habit of saving for the unexpected because life would have been so much harder without one.

Cook More, Eat Out Less

The Mr. and I love trying new restaurant spots; consequently, we have gotten in the habit of going to restaurants multiple times a week. Sometimes, I even eat out multiple times a day. While examining our finances, we both concluded that we can’t save if we are constantly spending on dinners out every night, plus tips for the servers, plus parking. Do you see how quickly it can add up? Not only are we spending too much, but it is counteractive to my bangin’ body goal.

Bangin’ Body 2012

I think this one is a little self-explanatory. I will just let these swimsuits be my inspiration. I say show it while you got it…so I have to get mine tight. Get it right, get it tight 2012!!!

Reduce Impulse Shopping

See the World

Stay tuned to see how these resolutions play out. First up in my 2012 Resolution Series will be “Stop Impulse Shopping” in which I will share my game plan to reduce and eventually quit impulse shopping all together. Until then, I’d love to hear what is on your list.

What’s on your list?

FOLLOW: FACEBOOK, TWITTER, RSS Feed,

Email SMC: shemakescents@gmail.com

inform and inspire ways to use your “cents” to live a fab life