FireStation46 Posted July 17, 2016 #76 Share Posted July 17, 2016 (edited) I put the Deposit on AmEx. Then, when the first payment is due, I pay off the entire balance. I book way in advance at the minumum deposit required so we get the cabin/suite we want. Since that cruise is way in the future it gives me a bit of leeway before I pay it off.We don't like to have CC interest on top of stuff. It us nice to arrive at port knowing the cruise, beverage package, land tours are all paid for. In a funny way, it makes us spend less as we have all the major things done and behind us. So, our last day cruisung, the balance is very small for the little do-dads we may have purchased on the ship. Then there are the AmEx Membership Points. I let them pile up and then can have AmEx send me a bunch of $100 AmEx prepaid cards to use for stuff at home. Edited July 17, 2016 by FireStation46 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffyangel2000 Posted July 17, 2016 #77 Share Posted July 17, 2016 We book early (18 months before), then save about $200 every month, it's enough. Plus I don't spend a lot on the ship or in ports either, then there is also Christmas and birthday money. Oh and I save all my change too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sapete Posted July 18, 2016 #78 Share Posted July 18, 2016 My DW recently inherited and we have earmarked it for travel. Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surfguyxxx Posted August 25, 2016 #79 Share Posted August 25, 2016 Mom passed a little while ago and my inheritance went into paying off any dept that I had. That extra $$$ that I used to pay bills off with now goes into a 401K and a beefed up "slush fund". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjmayes51 Posted September 5, 2016 #80 Share Posted September 5, 2016 I May have missed it, but eating out everyday at lunch has stopped. I work in a large office and for many years 4 or 5 of use went out each day ay lunch. $ 7- 9.00 a day + tip is about $200 a month. For the last 10 years I make leftovers from the dinner the night before. We now take a 10 day every 2 years in a balcony all paid for by staying in at lunch , eating leftovers & surfing cruise critic for the latest info. 😀 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WupperAV Posted September 8, 2016 #81 Share Posted September 8, 2016 We use a mileage plus Explore Visa and put every dollar we spend on it. Even bought a pickup on it, then flew to India business class for free. Have flown around the world 1 1/2 times and to a lot of other places like China fora 16 day cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kathy884 Posted September 9, 2016 #82 Share Posted September 9, 2016 Like almost everything else, travel is part of my regular budget. Every paycheck I get, I put $300 into a travel fund. That gives me a budget of $7200 a year. I also use a SW credit card, so get points toward freebie airfares which helps this budget go farther. Also if all the other priorities in my budget are fully funded as I intended I'll sometimes stash extra monies when my spending is lower than expected into the travel budget -- usually only if there are a few splurges I'd like to include with a trip that I haven't budgeted for. I have a spreadsheet with date and place I want to go, expected expenses, dollars set aside for this and plans for twice a month savings (how many and which paycheck travel dollars I will be putting aside to fully fund the trip or cruise). If I don't have the money or a realistic plan for the money, I don't do it. My expenses are air, cruise, taxes, tips, excursions, and incidentals that I predict for the trip. There is even a line item for boarding the dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parrothead34984 Posted October 3, 2016 #83 Share Posted October 3, 2016 This may sound odd, but it works for us. Some time ago while we were on a cruise we decided to book another one while we were on board. We figured the cost and determined that if we each contributed $2 a day we could pay for the bulk of our cruise that we had chosen. We chose a 6 night freedom balcony at $1500. We live in Florida so there is no air fair. So we have an ice cream bucket (yes, literally an ice cream bucket) on the dining room table. Every morning we each toss in $2. Every month we throw it in the savings that is designated for the cruise. The same can be done with any trip. Just adjust the daily "fee". We even greet each other in the morning holding up 2 fingers saying "two dollars". We have fun with it. Always trying to be the first to remind the other. Then throughout the year, all we need to come up with is our parking, tips and gratuities. Oh and our soda package. Hope this helps someone looking for a creative way to save for a much needed cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChicagoCrafter Posted October 4, 2016 Author #84 Share Posted October 4, 2016 i LOVE the daily $2 idea! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WupperAV Posted October 4, 2016 #85 Share Posted October 4, 2016 We just added a travel account to our bank and put $ in it every payday. Works pretty well but we travel more than we save so it goes on the Credit Card. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skewsus Posted October 10, 2016 #86 Share Posted October 10, 2016 Just purchased gift cards from AARP this week, saving 10%. You can only buy $500. Per day so I purchased them 4 days in a row. Each day I feared that they would've sold out but they never were. You don't have to be a certain age or even a member of AARP. You will have to take short quizzes and accumulate points as each purchase also requires points. Quiz topics range from romance to diabetes. All are short and even if you answer incorrectly you receive the points!! Quickest way I've ever saved $200.00 off a cruise!!!! http://www.plane2port.com/10-off-carnival-gift-cards-on-aarp-org/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longstockingpippi1 Posted October 10, 2016 #87 Share Posted October 10, 2016 Just purchased gift cards from AARP this week, saving 10%. You can only buy $500. Per day so I purchased them 4 days in a row. Each day I feared that they would've sold out but they never were. You don't have to be a certain age or even a member of AARP. You will have to take short quizzes and accumulate points as each purchase also requires points. Quiz topics range from romance to diabetes. All are short and even if you answer incorrectly you receive the points!!Quickest way I've ever saved $200.00 off a cruise!!!! http://www.plane2port.com/10-off-carnival-gift-cards-on-aarp-org/ What a great deal! I will have to give this a go, do you know if they do other cruise lines besides Carnival? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skewsus Posted October 10, 2016 #88 Share Posted October 10, 2016 No, Pippi, I don't. I can tell you that right now they aren't offering any other lines but this is the first time I've used this site. Maybe someone who has purchased from this site before can tell us what their experience has been. Sure would be nice if they offered gift cards for other lines!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skewsus Posted October 13, 2016 #89 Share Posted October 13, 2016 What a great deal! I will have to give this a go, do you know if they do other cruise lines besides Carnival? They currently are selling Royal Carribean gift cards. $100. and $500. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longstockingpippi1 Posted October 13, 2016 #90 Share Posted October 13, 2016 They currently are selling Royal Carribean gift cards. $100. and $500. I can't find them, can you share the link, or give me more details? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EGG Posted October 17, 2016 #91 Share Posted October 17, 2016 Rarely eat out. Sent from my Nexus 7 using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skewsus Posted October 18, 2016 #92 Share Posted October 18, 2016 I can't find them, can you share the link, or give me more details? Thanks AARP.org. Rewards for Good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TitanSMES Posted October 24, 2016 #93 Share Posted October 24, 2016 An easy way to save is the following: Each week throughout the year you put something aside. Week One-$1.00, Week Two-$2.00, Week Three-$3.00 on so on for 52 weeks. The most you will ever have to save in a week is $52.00 (the cost of about one and a half Starbucks). At the end of the year you will have saved $1378.00. In contrast, if you put $10.00 a week in the bank for a year you would only realize $520.00. My wife and I do this to save to help pay for first class airfare to the port and back. This is also a great way for young families with children to save for their kids college. If you start when the child is just born and each year you start again you will have $1378 X 18 years (age when child typically graduates from High School) = $24,804 without the interest accrued on it. Disney Cruise Line and maybe some other line has a payment plan where you can make payments in advance for upcoming cruises. We also use this to put money aside. As previously, mentioned save all the dimes and nickels, etc. it all adds up. We also prepay for excursions, drinks, etc. throughout the year leading up to the trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruisin Broad Posted November 2, 2016 #94 Share Posted November 2, 2016 (edited) Great ideas on saving money for cruises. Does anyone know of any way to buy Princess discount gift cards? For example, Verizon customers can get 10% off Carnival and Royal Caribbean gift cards by redeeming points and paying some money. I'm wondering if anyone knows of anything similar for Princess. I know about the stock benefit. Thanks. Edited November 2, 2016 by Cruisin' Broad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HaileyJordan Posted November 7, 2016 #95 Share Posted November 7, 2016 We just booked the Oasis for May 2017. I decided to put $30 a week in an envelope and by the time of the cruise we will have a bunch of spending money to use in Florida the day before and for the cruise itself.:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Roz Posted November 17, 2016 #96 Share Posted November 17, 2016 I'm not aware of any Princess gift cards. Roz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruisin Broad Posted November 18, 2016 #97 Share Posted November 18, 2016 Thanks for the response. I was thinking that would be the case (sigh). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Roz Posted November 19, 2016 #98 Share Posted November 19, 2016 (edited) Don’t know if these ideas have been mentioned already but I’ll put them out there. A lot of them are just how to save money in general. In my case I direct most of my savings toward cruises. I do my big grocery shopping at Kroger on Wednesdays so I can get the senior citizen discount. I clip coupons and use their e-coupons, and pay attention to sale items. The trifecta is when something’s on sale, I get my sr. discount, and I have a coupon. Another customer perk is accumulating Kroger fuel points. That gives me a discount when I fill my SUV’s tank up once a month. So far this month I have 720 points, which translates into 70 cents off for each gallon of gas I purchase at their pumps. Kroger also runs specials where they give 2, 3, or 4 times fuel points on gift cards. I buy them for myself. I’m on a couple of maintenance drugs and get them filled at the Kroger pharmacy – 50 fuel points for each prescription and/or refill. My employer offers us a free transit pass, so I take the bus at least 4 days out of 5, which is why I only fill the SUV once a month. I bought my 2008 Kia Sportage used at CarMax with cash, and it only has 71,000 miles on it, so hopefully I won’t need to replace it for a long time. My cell phone is a reconditioned Samsung Galaxy Prime Core I bought online - $32.75 including shipping and it works like a charm. My service provider is Tracfone, and I buy the refill cards at Kroger where I get 2X fuel points on phone cards. The credit card I use is an AMEX Hilton Honors. I virtually never pay for a pre- or post-cruise hotel room (use points instead), and always choose a Hilton property (Hampton Inn, Doubletree, Homewood Suites, etc.) for business and personal travel unless I don’t have a choice. Southwest is Nashville’s main carrier and I fly them whenever possible. Their Rapid Rewards program is easy to use and understand, and if I need to change or cancel a flight, the money is there in my account to use for a future flight. Plus no baggage fees. Recently I signed up for E-Rewards and answer questionnaires online. I use the points I earn to buy SW points – 600 points in Oct. and Nov. so far. Instead of saving change, I save $1 bills. Every month I deposit the accumulated amt. into my travel savings account. Any “found” money – refund checks, lottery winnings, etc. goes in there too. Roz Edited November 19, 2016 by Roz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsvarp Posted November 20, 2016 #99 Share Posted November 20, 2016 So proud of myself, I gathered items around the house we no longer use and sold them on Facebook garage sale sites. In 2 days I've already earned half of the cheers package $$ for my husband and myself [emoji5] Sent from my SM-G928V using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FireStation46 Posted November 20, 2016 #100 Share Posted November 20, 2016 (edited) AMEX I use that for everyday shopping, air, hotel, cruises. Very secure card and the free membership points add up fast with my membership miles i just got a free Bose QC35 headphones so when traveling and not in a discussion with anyone I can listen to my Audible books or my music :D Edited November 20, 2016 by FireStation46 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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