Best ways to fund your 2019 travels!

Happy New Year everyone! I like the new year because it feels like you can have a fresh start. For some of you who are wondering…I would love to travel this year but how can I afford it? I’m giving you my travel saving tips to help you get there!

1.STASH–I’ve read a lot of savings website last year because I just find it interesting what people do to save money. The idea I like most is to invest using Stash. Usually, you need thousands to even start investing. With Stash, you can invest as much as $5 to start with. Depending on your investment, you can buy a fraction of the shares. You can even set it up where you automatically put a few dollars each wk/month, etc. There are also a lot of stocks/portfolios to chose from and the fee is $1 per month for investments under $5K. You can download the app or visit the website. If you sign up here, you’ll get $5 for your first investment!

2. EBATES–I feel like this is a game changer! If you do a lot of your purchases online (some in store), you get cash back which are paid quarterly via paypal or check for items you would purchase anyway. The price is the same so it’s not like they are increasing the price for you to get cash back.

There are so many businesses like Macy’s, Walmart, Nordstrom Rack, Wine.com, Expedia, Hurley, Stubhub, Target, etc. My favorite here is whenever I order Lyft, I use this app to activate the $0.50 per ride cash back and then it opens up my Lyft app automatically. I’ve only used Ebates for a month and I already have close to $60! Also, the cash back changes (usually higher!), I noticed that it increased near the holidays. If you sign up here, you’ll get $10 after your total purchase of $25 within 90 days of signing up!

3. DOSH–This is similar to Ebates. You will receive cash back for items you purchased via credit card you signed up with. However, these are mostly in-store purchases including gas stations and a few online stores. The app gives you a list of places you can receive cash back nearby and you can cash out after you earn $25 directly to your bank account. If you sign up here,you’ll get $5 after you download the app and link a credit card.

4. POSHMARK–I’ve used this app for a few years now. This is like getting unexpected money when a random person buys your belongings, similar to ebay where buyers can bid or offer a price for your goods. This app allows you to sell your unwanted stuff for whatever price you want. The buyer will pay for shipping unless you want to and Poshmark gets a 20% cut of the payout. Once the buyer purchases your item, Poshmark will send you the postage to print. I put it in a USPS box which you can order online for free. I’ve sold my bridesmaid dresses, shoes, bag, you name it! Sign up here.

Additionally, you can save money for your purchases especially on name brand products like Burberry, BCBG, Guess, Kate Spade, Steve Madden and products you would typically see in department stores like Macy’s, Nordstrom, and Bergdorf Goodman. The prices are such a bargain!

5. MR. REBATES — this is the same as Ebates above where you earn cash back on purchase. I’m recommending it since this could give you a greater % of cash back for certain stores at any given time than the Dosh or Ebates. Sign up here.

Overall, any little savings count. If you just have to click an app to get to the website and get cash back, I say DO IT and save it for your travel fund!

There are other ways you can save money on travel. Check out my blog post about Using Points for Cheap Flights to Asia, click here.

What are your clever ways to fund your travel? Comment below…

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