TRAVELLING
100. Book
online way ahead of the time you will travel, instead of going to book on
that day at the airport. It is cheaper to book your flight days before your due
date, especially if you are not using a travel agent and you already know the
day you are going. Booking one day earlier might save you N10, 000 or more.
101. Be
vigilant when giving your passport to the immigration personnel at the airport:
I read somewhere that unsuspecting travelers leaving a country could have a vital page torn from their passports by the immigration
official while they are not looking,
only to have issues that will cost time, stress and money when they return to the country later or when they arrive at the new country. This is similar to what petrol station attendants do to customers who sit in their car and ask that the attendant fill the tank, paying without confirming how much fuel the attendant sold. Be vigilant generally as you can also have your passport stolen at the airport.
only to have issues that will cost time, stress and money when they return to the country later or when they arrive at the new country. This is similar to what petrol station attendants do to customers who sit in their car and ask that the attendant fill the tank, paying without confirming how much fuel the attendant sold. Be vigilant generally as you can also have your passport stolen at the airport.
102. Anticipate
ahead: I once paid dearly for extra luggage I could have classified as hand
luggage at the airport. And this was because I forgot when I was packing that they
weigh whatever is going into the luggage compartment, so instead of putting my
laptop and some other items in my ‘hand luggage’, I packed it into my
travelling bag and painfully had to pay extra.
103. Consider
a return ticket instead of a one-way ticket if it is cheaper, and if you
are going to return anyway.
104. Check for
flight discounts; utilize/convert flight hours into discount. Some airliners
reward frequent travelers with flight discount, or using a unique method of
calculating how many hours you have flown with them, they give discounts. These
include Virgin Atlantic flying club,
British Airways, American Express Points into Travel
Rewards, and many more.
105. Use a
cheaper airline: Compare prices and fly with the cheaper alternative. Moreover, you can ask around from friends and family members who travel frequently, on which airline is cheaper and preferable. For example when I was going to
Kano from Lagos, I had the option of Aerocontractors
or Arik, but I went for Aero simply
because it was cheaper and I wasn’t going to get any extra benefit from Arik.
And you should also fly Economy unless you are being
sponsored on first class (-a 1st class ticket).
106. Use the
official airline of the country you are travelling to, such as KLM if you
are going to Germany, British Airways to UK, Ethiopia Airlines if you are going
to Ethiopia, or SA airlines if you are going to South Africa. But only if there
is no cheaper alternative.
107. Buy airline
tickets in bulk if you are travelling in group. Purchase your tickets
together if you are travelling in a tour, or with a church group. But it is
better to buy your tickets in bulk through a good travel agency, and that’s why you
should...
108.Use a
trusted, experienced travel agent/agency, especially for booking ahead and
getting a good hotel, such as wakanow.com. Check wakanow.wordpress.com for
discounts, promos, etc. Vconnect and
Nigeria Galleria have directories you can use.
109. Compare airline fares online if you are booking on your
own, with websites such as ITA Matrix. But you can book international flights and hotels using websites such as Farecompare.com, kayak.com,
Hotwire.com, Fly.com, Orbitz.com, after comparing international air fare prices.
OTHERS (and those I only just discovered recently)
110. Sell or
give out your waste: Your company or personal waste might be raw material
for some industry or company, so instead of spending to dispose of your waste,
give it out. Saw dust, dead leaves, dead poultry products, cow dung are some
waste products useful in other industries. So find a way to dispose of them
without spending money by contacting those who have need of them to come over
to collect it. And you can even make money from your waste.
111. If you
are in love, try to control the emotion, or you might find yourself
spending more. As the popular saying goes, “You can give without loving but you
can’t love without giving”, so it follows that you will find yourself spending
more when you are in love, especially if the relationship is new. Try to find gifts
that cost less, or do activities together that do not require you spending
cash. I will write articles on these very soon.
112. Change
your lifestyle: your lifestyle might
be costing you more naira. If you party too much, or constantly feel the need
to impress people, then reconsider your lifestyle. The fact that you work in
the bank does not mean you should live expensive. If you will exit the rat
race, you need to spend less than you earn.
113. Mind your
own business: This is a very important tip. Have you noticed it is more
expensive to mind other people’s business? When you leave your own matters, and
meddle into that of others especially when you weren’t invited/asked, you are
more likely to get into (financial) trouble or, even debt. This includes
collecting money from people in order to help them buy something, or to invest their
money on their behalf, manning their shops for them, keeping money for people, etc.
If you are not a PROFESSIONAL at
doing any of these things, avoid them e.g. if you are not a professional
investor don’t collect people’s money, if you are not a bank, don’t save other
people’s money for them, etc.lol.
If you are not a professional
guarantor/surety, don’t guarantee other people’s debt- is a very wise saying (Prov
6:1-5, 11:15, 27:13)
114. Change
friends, If your friends always make you spend, especially beyond your
budget. Notice I didn’t say drop friends -it is a substitution. Find and hang
around people/friends who will move you towards your financial goals.
115. Don’t
attend every party you are invited for: this is especially applicable if
you are from the southern part of Nigeria. And don’t buy every single Aso-ebi,
well that’s if you don’t want to always go broke anyway.
116. I recently discovered this company/site for
buying items from eBay, Amazon, etc and getting it shipped to your house in
Nigeria- Mallforafrica.com. They are in Lagos, Kano and many cities in Nigeria.
My friend used them recently and I believe they are doing a great job. They also
offer great deals check them here.
So we come to the end of my money saving tips for you. I hope you found them both interesting and helpful.
I said 101 but I have given you more,
and there are still many more.
Anyway, I love to exceed expectations.
Please if you know of any ones I missed out,
or something unique you do that regularly helps you to spend less and you don’t
mind sharing it, feel free to share it with me either by email or in the comments
section. Thank you.
[I will compile it all into an e-book and make it available very soon, so you can have it all in one place]
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