Tips For Saving Money for Summer Getaways

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and Walmart Family Mobile. All opinions are mine alone. #Save4Summer #CollectiveBias

Based on the fact that I can't walk outside without getting eaten alive by mosquitoes, or breaking out into a sweat in 18 seconds.... SUMMER IS ALMOST HERE! Hooray! Whether it is going to Virginia Beach to see my Mom, a girl's trip, or a long holiday weekend getaway with CB, the number of trips I have planned spikes in the Summer months. 

In order to pay for all of these trips and fun plans the Summer months bring, I need to start saving and cutting back on certain expenses now. The other day, I sat down at my desk to have a planning session for my finances! 

1. Cut Cable I've slowly cut the cable cord over the past several months. I went from the super mega package, to the mega package and now I guess I'm just on a package. I know I'll want cable back in the Fall (hello, football!), but for right now, there isn't anything I can't watch on Netflix or stream live on my iPad. Bye bye cable! 
2. Bring Lunch to Work I go out to lunch every single day. I don't live anywhere near work, so I have to go out and eat somewhere. Plus, I really like that break in the workday and don't want to give that up by eating at my desk. Solution? I'll pack a lunch and listen to an audiobook or local sports radio for an hour in my car. Eating in your car may sound depressing to you, but both of those things can suck me in for hours! 
3. Pause anything that I pay monthly for I pay monthly for a bunch of different subscriptions services, like Spotify for example. I love having my music in the car with me at all times, but I can listen to the radio for a few months instead. Nine dollars here and $15 there can really add up, before you know it, I've got enough gas money for a weekend road trip with CB! 
4. Cancel the dog park membership Before you think I'm crazy, hear me out. Mutts Cantina in Dallas is my favorite place to be on weekend afternoons. You can eat, drink and sit around watching your pups make new friends. The downside? There is a hefty monthly membership fee to attend. For the next few months, I'll go to one of the public parks and bring some drinks in my purse! 
5. Cell Phone When I sat down to look at my expenses, my cell phone bill was totally absurd, more expensive than anything else I pay other than rent. For a phone and 6gb of data, I was paying $120/month with my current provider. By switching to a Walmart Family Mobile plan you get unlimited talk, text and a data service plan which includes up to 1G of 4G LTE data for only the $29.88/month for the first line. I picked the ZTE ZMAX smart phone, which has a huge, bright, colorful screen and 8 megapixel camera. It'll be perfect for the next few months, and will save me a fortune. 

If you've got a bunch of plans in the works for Summer, and want to cut back on your cell phone and save for the Summer months, Walmart Family Mobile might be a good option for you too! You can find the ZTE ZMAX and several other smart phone options in the electronics section at Walmart!