Thurs, 31 May 2018: Exactly one year ago— to the hour— I was newly arrived in London, fighting jet lag and lack of sleep with large doses of fresh air and larger doses of coffee.
This morning I sit here in Pasadena, Maryland (hey, I don’t ONLY take you to Europe; sometimes I take you around the States) reflecting on last summer’s epic journey AND on the epic journey coming up, 24 June – 25 July.
“How do you do it?” some people ask when they hear about the latest Matt adventure. I’m pretty sure they’re not inquiring about how my hair stays so immaculately sculpted no matter the amounts of wind blown through it or sleep I haven’t had. They’re asking how I come up with the money to go to Europe every year.
We’re a couple of public high school teachers. We have a mortgage, a car payment, college loans, and the same utilities payments and day-to-day expenses as every other average middle class American.
Every other average middle class American hasn’t been to Europe this many times. So how DO we do it?
First off, you have to WANT to do it. Almost anything can be accomplished when you harness your passion.
As for the nuts and bolts of it, it’s all about saving money when you can and stretching your money when you do have to spend it.
My father chuckled several different times, several hours apart, over one of my small cost-saving measures. As we sat shoulder to shoulder on yesterday’s flight from Orlando to Baltimore, he was quizzical at the cover of the composition book in my lap. “Sophia V? Who’s Sophia V?”
“Sophia was one of my seventh period students this year, but she was absent almost every day we did journal writing, so her comp book is mostly empty,” I answered. “Plenty of blank pages I can fill with Venice notes during this flight. Why buy scratchpads when so many kids leave theirs behind?”
Dad was bemused enough at my possession of this former pupil’s notebook that you’d think she was seated a row behind us on the plane, ready to snatch it out of my hands.
With three grocery stores only three minutes apart in my little hometown, it’s not hard to save money as a conscientious shopper. If Winn Dixie doesn’t have several of my needed items on “buy one, get one,” Publix does. Walmart seems to always have the lowest prices, and apps such as iBotta and Shopkick can save me even more money, when I can be bothered to cross-reference them as I shop and then scan my receipts afterward.
Some purchasing decisions are absolute no-brainers. I love to grill, so meats don’t have to be offered at a mega-discount to get me to buy ’em when the “seared flesh” mood strikes me. I walk into one of my local stores, daydreaming about steaks and chicken breasts and pork chops as I approach the meat sections. My eyes dart among the possibilities, the various four-footed critters who have sacrificed themselves so that I can stretch my belt another half-notch.
I see the T-bones (discounted a dollar each from yesterday, so that’s something) and the peeled raw shrimp (lookin’ a little small) and the chicken drumsticks (fat and juicy, definitely in the running).
Then I see this.
Look at the label and you know instantly I’m going to find this item irresistible. And no, not just because it says “butt.” (Notice I say not JUST because.)
I didn’t specifically desire country style ribs that day, but when they’re unexpectedly hacked to less than a third of the price? Hell, Jack the Ripper didn’t slash that much.
Following in my financial footsteps is eventually going to cost you. That’s the whole point, right? You’ve saved a bunch of money so that you can take the trip, and for an American to experience Europe isn’t cheap.
However, if you’re a Matt-in-training, you know some money-saving basics.
For major travel expenses— airfare and lodging— always use a credit card with the lowest possible interest rate and no foreign transaction fees. I’d tell you the exact card company I recommend, but their sponsorship of MATT, TAKE ME TO EUROPE has not officially come through yet. Daddy needs HIS back scratched, too.
Don’t wait till the last minute to book a flight and hotels, or the prices may be ugly… but don’t book TOO soon, because that can cost more, too.
More tips are available by private consultation. Yes, that means you have to buy me a drink.
So, to save money day-to-day, you don’t have to alter everything about your shopping behavior and you certainly don’t have to live like a miser. Just, as Steve Winwood sang, “While you see a chance, take it.”