Las Vegas Adventures

You guys all know how much I loooove to travel. I live for booking flights and hotels and planning fun experiences for my family. Planning vacations on the budget of a medical student wife is NOT easy though. Medical school is expensive, so it takes some creativity to have the life we want, within our budget. I have become an expert budgeter, so today I am going to share some out of the box ideas to save money. I use these money saving techniques all the time, just so I can get in an extra vacation every time Kris has time off.

This week we hopped on a plane and flew to Las Vegas. We stayed in St. George with my family. Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa, Kris and I got to spend a night exploring Las Vegas kid free! Thanks to me and my money saving techniques, we had the money to splurge a little😜💁🏼. We had so much fun exploring the Bellagio, eating at one of Gordon Ramsey’s restaurants, watching the lights show at night and lots more.

10 Unique Ways to Save Money this Holiday Season | Rachael Burgess

The ten tips below are some simple ways to save, but for me it always comes down to one question. When I am shopping I ask myself, would I rather this, or a vacation? For me vacation = family time and good memories, so it is an easy choice. Now read through these money saving tips, and let these pictures of our Las Vegas adventures inspire you to start saving a few dollars here and there with me.

10 Habits of Saving Savvy Women

These are ten totally random things I do that help me save a little money, and hopefully will help you too! From changing your own oil, to changing your email settings, these are some ideas guaranteed to save you a few dollars.

10 Unique Ways to Save Money this Holiday Season | Rachael Burgess

1. Sell things you don’t use anymore.

Last month I made $1000 on eBay selling random stuff in my closet that I don’t use anymore! If you haven’t used it in over 6 months, it’s time to go! This is a great way to make some extra money.

2. Take advantage of free family activities.

Skip the bowling alley and go out on a hike, jump on the trampoline, or pull out the boardgames. When you have family time it is tempting to do something fancy, but the most important thing about family time is family. With a good attitude, you can make amazing memories doing all types of free things.

10 Unique Ways to Save Money this Holiday Season | Rachael Burgess

3. Buy kids clothing off season.

As soon as a season is going on sale I head to the store and stock up on all the off season sales. I usually buy two sizes up from my kids current size, then store it away for next year. I got Zander the most darling leather winter jacket last spring for $7. Now they are selling the same one for $20! He needs a winter jacket and that was a $13 save.

4. Change your own oil.

Save time by buying your oil online at walmart.com. Save money by changing the oil yourself. I buy Pennzoil Platinum Full Synthetic High Mileage because it helps to clean out sludge lesser oils leave behind, and it lets you drive an extra 550 miles a year vs. a dirty engine!

10 Unique Ways to Save Money this Holiday Season | Rachael Burgess

5. Use all that canned food and freezer food.

Who else has a pantry packed with food they rarely use?? I have rice, beans, flower, canned pineapple and coconut and so many other random things. There is so much potential! I also have a freezer full of random meals that are waiting to be enjoyed. Next time you are tempted to go to a restaurant check your freezer and pantry first and get creative.

6. Yard sales and thrift stores.

I think this is especially useful for saving on furniture (not couches and beds… ewww), but shelves, tables, desks, etc. are great things to look for at yard sales and thrift stores. Other great things to look for at yard sales are dishes, books, dvd’s if you still use those… etc.

7. Use an app to find the cheapest gas.

I can’t remember what it is called… but I have an app on my phone that we use to locate the gas station with the cheapest price near to us. It is great because it saves us a few dollars every time we need to fill up the tank.

10 Unique Ways to Save Money this Holiday Season | Rachael Burgess

8. Unsubscribe from email newsletters!

Who else gets 100 emails from different stores with ‘once in a lifetime’ sales every single day?? I have been into stores that I had no plans to visit, just because I got an email advertising their big sale. Turn off those emails and save a few bucks by skipping those sales.

9. Shop under a time limit.

Go out shopping right before you have an appointment or have to pick up your kid from school. Shopping under a time limit limits meandering and impulse buys.

10. Buy store brand foods.

Before you grab that brand name cereal off the shelf, look to the left and right. Most stores offer store brand copy-cat foods for a much cheaper price. Walmart is great for this and you can save a ton just by switching to the store brand. In my experience there really isn’t a quality difference most of the time.

10 Unique Ways to Save Money this Holiday Season | Rachael Burgess

Small decisions that save can add up to lots of extra money. I have mentioned this many times on my blog, but this is how we paid for a month long Hawaii vacation as poor students on a budget! We skipped small things, so we could splurge on the things that are much more exciting.

Is this a high spending time of year for you? What do you do to save?

Keep scrolling for more pictures or…

SkipButton


Top: Lucky Brand | Jeans: ASOS | Sandals: Blowfish


10 Unique Ways to Save Money this Holiday Season | Rachael Burgess10 Unique Ways to Save Money this Holiday Season | Rachael Burgess10 Unique Ways to Save Money this Holiday Season | Rachael Burgess10 Unique Ways to Save Money this Holiday Season | Rachael Burgess10 Unique Ways to Save Money this Holiday Season | Rachael Burgess10 Unique Ways to Save Money this Holiday Season | Rachael Burgess10 Unique Ways to Save Money this Holiday Season | Rachael Burgess 10 Unique Ways to Save Money this Holiday Season | Rachael Burgess 10 Unique Ways to Save Money this Holiday Season | Rachael Burgess10 Unique Ways to Save Money this Holiday Season | Rachael Burgess 10 Unique Ways to Save Money this Holiday Season | Rachael Burgess10 Unique Ways to Save Money this Holiday Season | Rachael Burgess

2 Responses

  1. These are really great tips! I love the way you ask yourself “this or a vacation?” every time you go to purchase something…that helps put it all in perspective! And thanks so much for sharing the heads up on ordering Pennzoil from Walmart.com! #client

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More posts you might like

Hello!

Login to access exclusive, unfiltered content. New posts daily – straight from my camera roll.

Subscribe below for a free gift from me.