Top 10 Eat cheap and healthy tips

This is one of the best ways to travel the world cheap, and sometimes for free. If you’re using a credit card for monthly purchases, you need to get one that gives you air miles for rewards. There are various cards depending on how much you will spend each month that can help you build up a lot. Most cards come with a sign-up bonus of enough miles to at least get you a free domestic flight and you can combine miles from multiple cards. Collect miles and look for promotions that offer the most bonus ones and you can to really cut down on air travel costs.

If you’re spending long stretches of time in places like Paris, London, Sydney, New York, etc the costs of these places will add up quickly. Countries like Canada and the U.K can also be expensive throughout them so to travel the world for cheap you want to include countries where your money will go further. Not only are these countries less expensive, but they are also ones you definitely want to explore. Some of the best, and cheapest will include:

• Mexico
• Indonesia
• India
• Columbia
• Cuba
• Bulgaria
• Turkey

This will be your best value and a great way to see as much as possible. An Around The World ticket will take you from one city through multiple others of your choice and bring you back around to the start. You will get a discounted fare compared to booking all these flights separately. There are a few things to keep in mind when considering this type of ticket; the prices are determined by the miles so the more countries you see the more miles you travel and the higher the cost of the ticket. Don’t think you need to see as much as you can all at once so limit your destinations to not only save money but to get as much quality time in the countries you go to.

The morning cup of coffee is something many people cannot give up. I understand. Office coffee can be nasty so stopping at Starbucks along the way has become a routine. At 5 bucks a cup (price depends on geographic location) that adds up over a year. You can have coffee equal in quality or better with the right coffee machine and coffee beans. Many years ago I wrote a series of short articles on getting a really good cup (or pot) of coffee for a fraction of the price at a coffee house. Fill your coffee mug before you head out the door and you keep $1,825 in your pocket each year, assuming you only imbibe with one cup per day. Here is the list of articles I published on coffee: Gourmet Coffee for Less Kona Coffee: The Drink of Heaven The Best Coffee Machines Choosing the Best Brew Coffee Machine

I never saw the movie, but the title is catchy. This tip is a biggie. So big that it can single handedly make you rich! I know, I know. There are bloggers that say you should never drive. Bike and walk everywhere. Awesome idea, but not for everyone. Your car can drain your finances more than any other purchase! It is a depreciating asset. The speed at which it travels to zero is determined by make, model and condition. But make no mistake; it will end up in the scrapyard like every other vehicle ever made. People all too often focus on the depreciation of an automobile. There is another vehicle cost that digs nearly as deep: transaction costs. I have only owned 3 cars in my life and I’m on the wrong side of 50. I tend to buy used vehicles and keep them for 20 years. (Most vehicles come to their natural life expectancy around 20 years.) Depreciation still hurts. Fortunately, I don’t have that accelerated depreciation newer vehicles suffer. The best news is that I have few transaction costs because I don’t do a lot of transacting. Every time you buy a car the state wants a piece of the action. With the exception of 5 states (Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon) you will also pay a sales tax. Used car prices are out of line as I write this. I probably would buy a new car if I was in the market at this time. Regardless, I buy a vehicle when my current vehicle is close to the grave and then keep it for a really long time. This one tip can save you enough to fund your retirement account if you funneled all those payments you didn’t have to make. And you would trade title, transfer and sales taxes for a tax deduction! Easy choice, I think.

You’ll need flights to get to certain destinations but once you get there to make use of overland travel as this is a great way to save money and also see more of the country. Europe has a great rail network and you can buy a Eurorail train pass to again see as much as possible but keep travel costs down. Don’t forget about the buses as they will be available everywhere. Greyhound will always be an option but in places like Australia you’ll have the “hop-on-hop-off” buses like “Oz Experience“. These allow you to stay on the same ticket but spend more time in places that catch your fancy. New Zealand also has its great “Kiwi Experience” buses.

I’m lucky in that I live in the backwoods of NE Wisconsin. Gardening is easy for me. If you have the ability (space) to grow a garden I would encourage you to do so. It doesn’t have to be big. A few tomato plants, carrots, beans and anything else that pleases your palate can make a difference. Living in an apartment limits your ability to do this. You can still grow a few plants by windows that get sun. There is nothing like enjoying your own fresh tomatoes. It isn’t the food you grow that saves a lot of money. There are savings, but the real advantage is spending a few more meals at home with your family enjoying a home grown and cooked meal. And that is priceless compared to the $500 or so in savings over the course of a year from avoided dining out. Might I also suggest planting a fruit tree if you have the room. There is nothing like picking your own fresh apples/peaches/pears/plums . . .  The flavor from tree ripened fruit is nothing like you find in a grocery store.