A testimony from Krystal of Simple Finance Mom:
When my husband and I first got married, we decided to put our money into a savings account instead of splurging on a big honeymoon. Instead, we promised ourselves we would do a big trip on our one-year anniversary. You know, when we had more money…
Then year one came and went with no trip. As did year two. And then year five. And then year eight.
Last year, our ninth year of wedded bliss, we laughed at how naive we were in thinking we would have more money later in our marriage. Kids. Pets. A home. Good ol’ Murphy who always pays a visit from time to time.
But then we realized it was time we stop putting ourselves last on the totem pole. It was time to plan a “honeymoon.” We know our marriage is one of our greatest investments. So we committed to going on a week-long trip to celebrate our ten-year anniversary, no matter what.
While we knew we didn’t want to spend an outrageous amount of money, we wanted to go on an international trip. After doing our due diligence and having a few discussions, we compromised with a budget that felt right for both of us.
In order to pay for our trip, here a few ways we saved.
We tapped into our Vacation Savings Account.
Each month, we have a small amount that is saved automatically for our summer trips. Last year, our trip was smaller knowing we would have this big trip coming up. It really helped our stockpile of savings grow little by little over time.
We set aside our tax refund.
This was a great jump start to our budget, and covered all of our round-trip airfare.
We skipped using a travel agent.
My hubby gets all the credit here. He spent hours and hours researching locations, things to do, travel expenses, etc.
We were fortunate to be gifted a timeshare for our resort stay. A family member was gracious enough to give us a week at a resort. This limited the resorts we could visit, but it literally saved us thousands!
We only paid the fees and taxes for our visit.
We planned flights well in advance. Again, hubby gets the points for this one! Once we decided a location, he price checked flights and airports. When prices dropped, we jumped and bought our tickets for a great discount.
We shopped around for excursions.
We only did the things we really wanted to do, not everything that was offered to us. Experiencing the culture was amazing! We loved every minute of it!
At the end of the day, we learned that while we can’t afford frequent trips that cost thousands and thousands of dollars every year, we also can’t afford to NOT invest in time alone as a couple. Strategically saving over time bonded us as a team, and afforded us an unforgettable trip.
The memories are worth far more than the meager budget we started out with.
Krystal is a teacher turned homeschooling mama of two. She recently paid off over $80,000 of debt with her husband, and now writes about making family finances simple. You can read her debt free story, as well as tips for budgeting, saving, and investing for beginners at Simple Finance Mom.
Have you saved up and paid cash for something — large or small?Submit your story for possible publication here.
Aarti says
Kudos to you for putting you and your husband first after making so many sacrifices in the first years of marriage. We struggle with the same thing—how to make ourselves a priority while still caring for our family, friends and work lives.
Boman says
I just got married this May.
We also delayed our honeymoon and we could end up doing the same as you… keep pushing it into the endless possibilities of the future.. But we should not do that!!!
I will sit down and discuss it with my wife tonight.
Thanks for reminding me:-)
Cheryl Jacobo says
I’m totally inspired now to start planning a big trip for our 40th anniversary! Thanks Krystal!
Gemma says
That’s great to hear Krystal! I’m sure it felt AMAZING getting on that plane!
Liv says
Krystal, thanks for sharing your story! One of my favorite parts of traveling is the planning process, so I always skip the travel agent 🙂 I never considered that it was saving us money too!
Also, I’m just dying to know, where did you go on your trip??
Liz says
So inspiring. I am getting ready to start saving and planning for a birthday trip to Scotland. I didn’t even know using a travel agent cost you money (you can tell how much traveling I’ve done), so I’ll definitely be doing the research on my own so I can spend that money on more adventures!
Krystal @ Simple Finance Mom says
OMG! I’ve always wanted to go to Scotland. I have heard it is so beautiful there!!! Have a wonderful time, and best of luck as you plan everything out.
Sheryl Miller says
What an inspiration! Hats off to you for managing your money & not letting it manage you!
Krystal @ Simple Finance Mom says
Thank you, Sheryl! I love the way you put that. “Managing your money and not letting it manage you.” That can only be possible with a budget! 🙂
Tiffany Nichols says
Krystal you are such an inspiration & amazing woman/momma! Everything you post, inspires me, makes me realize I CAN do better. Thank you my friend!!!
Krystal @ Simple Finance Mom says
Wow! This is such a compliment, especially coming from you. You are a rockstar, friend. Thank YOU!!
Heather says
I love this story! Glad you finally got your amazing honeymoon!!
Krystal @ Simple Finance Mom says
Thank you so much, Heather! I think we appreciated more after a ten-year wait anyways! 🙂
Tiffany says
Love this! Such an inspiration! Determined to take that honeymoon ourselves…eventually! 😉 Such good tips!
Krystal @ Simple Finance Mom says
Thank you, friend! It is definitely something we don’t regret doing. And it didn’t cost as much as we expected after doing so much research about our options. You should totally do it!!!!
Jackie Moorin says
Love reading this! So smart to invest in your marriage!
Krystal @ Simple Finance Mom says
Thank you, Jackie! Thanks for reading!
Carrie says
I love how you said “At the end of the day, we learned that while we can’t afford frequent trips that cost thousands and thousands of dollars every year, we also can’t afford to NOT invest in time alone as a couple. ” Such a good reminder!! We are going to start saving NOW for our 10 year anniversary trip 🙂
Krystal @ Simple Finance Mom says
Awwww I love that! Marriage comes first. It took us a long time to realize how important it is to honor our relationship and to invest in some time away. And since it’s not something we do all the time, we appreciated it so much more! Good for you for picking out that one little nugget of truth. 🙂
Kathryn says
We simply didn’t have the cash for a big honeymoon either. I’m so glad, like you, that we didn’t just go into debt for it and start our marriage out way behind. We’ve been able to go on a couple amazing trips together since (completely paid for in cash). Doing your research and planning the trip yourself really does save a lot of money and makes it more possible! Love your story Krystal!
Krystal @ Simple Finance Mom says
Thank you, Kathryn. I think when you have the sweat equity in it with all the time spent researching and planning, it also makes it so much more memorable! We left our trip with no regrets. We knew exactly what we wanted to see, what things we wanted to avoid, and we truly enjoyed it so much more! And you are so right. Going into debt for a honeymoon wasn’t the way we wanted to start our marriage either. Kudos to you guys!
Jess C says
Great encouragement! ❤️
Krystal Sadler says
Thank you so much, Jess!
Evelyn Edgett says
My other was the queen of paying cash and saving. We often ate steak for dinner because we all liked it. However, if she bought a new television (this was in the 70s), there would be a lot of beans and cornbread, macaroni and cheese, or chicken meals for a few weeks before the purchase. We didn’t mind, because we knew the money was going towards something we all liked an wanted–it was a family effort.
Krystal @ Simple Finance Mom says
I love that! A family effort! When we were paying off our debt, our girls were in on the effort as well. We had a family dance party when our final debt was paid. After a good cry session from mom, of course. 😉
Alicia says
Thank you for the encouragements to not only make wise financial decisions, but to also put our marriage first.
Krystal @ Simple Finance Mom says
Absolutely! First things first. What good are great finances if your marriage is falling apart? Thank you for the comment, Alicia!
Kayleigh A says
Glad you dedicated the time and diligence to paying cash for the trip!
Krystal @ Simple Finance Mom says
Thank you, Kayleigh. It was really nice coming home to no lurking credit card payments!
Christina says
These are great ideas! I love all of the financial help for busy moms. Simple and realistic. Definitely something that can be accomplished.
Krystal @ Simple Finance Mom says
Hi, Christina! When it comes to finances, sometimes the simpler, the better. Thanks for stopping by!
Robin Adams says
Thank you Krystal for sharing this. We just bought our first home as a married couple and we are not using credit cards and are on a three year to being debt free plan. This is so encouraging!! Please continue what you are doing to help people like us and others??
Krystal @ Simple Finance Mom says
OMG!!! That is such exciting news. I am so happy for you guys! The freedom that comes with debt-free living is so worth the sacrifice. I promise! The Lord will honor your diligence. Praying for you, friend.
Drew says
Love it!! Well done my friend!
Krystal @ Simple Finance Mom says
Thank you, friend!
Kiana Clifford says
Love Krystal and her testimonies! They give such an encouragement to the reader that they can accomplish great financial moves with only changing small parts of their monthly routine. She really does a great job of making finances simple!
Krystal @ Simple Finance Mom says
Thank you, Kiana! That is my biggest mission, inspiring families in simplifying finances and changing their mindset about money. This comment was so encouraging!
Keri McCue says
Skipping the travel agent is HUGE! Take a little more work to do it yourself but save a ton of moola! Love this, and you!
Krystal @ Simple Finance Mom says
It was a lot of research, but it was well worth the savings for sure! Thank ya thank ya!!!!
Josh says
This is so awesome!…Great read!…Thanks for sharing!
Krystal @ Simple Finance Mom says
You’re so welcome! Thank you!!
Jessica says
Loved hearing your story Krystal! Such an inspiration!
Krystal @ Simple Finance Mom says
Thanks, Jessica! I appreciate you reading it!
Donna Marsalisi says
Wow! That’s awesome! Great tips!
Krystal @ Simple Finance Mom says
Thank you!!
Kira says
What an encouragement Krystal! My husband and I also find ourselves saying, “when we have more money…” but that never happens without being intentional and planning well.
Krystal @ Simple Finance Mom says
That’s the key, Kira. “Being intentional and planning well!” It doesn’t usually take a lot of effort, just a little bit of diligence and patience.
Krystal @ Simple Finance Mom says
Yes, Kira! That is the key! “Being intentional and planning well.” All it takes is a little bit of diligence and patience.
Stephanie says
That is such an inspiring story! Thank you, Crystal, for this guest post from Krystal! I’ve been reading your blog for many years and I love hearing from the bloggers that you invite to guest post. A lot of blogs I read have been from guest posts on your blog!
Krystal @ Simple Finance Mom says
Hi Stephanie! I love how the blogging world has brought so many valuable friendships to my life. I’m grateful to have crossed paths with you!
Magen Meyers says
A total inspiration!
Krystal @ Simple Finance Mom says
Thank you, Magen!
Krystal @ Simple Finance Mom says
I love the encouragement that can always be found in this community. Thanks for sharing our story, Crystal. I hope it can inspire other families. 🙂