Now, I will start by saying I could go on and on about the overall value of a cruise vacation when compared to other forms of travel. All of your accommodations, onboard activities from cooking classes to ice skating and tango lessons to water slides, food, Broadway-style entertainment and more is included in the cost of a cruise.

And the up-front cost isn’t too shabby either, with 7-night Caribbean Cruises starting at just $349 per person.

All that aside, vacations are ‘expendable’ purchases – something you don’t really need, but kind of really need (you know, to keep your sanity).

So, my job today is to help get you there with some fresh, creative ways to save and quickly turn your new cruise vacation fund into a real life getaway sailing full steam ahead to your next dream destination.

1. Put a dollar in a jar, or old detergent container, every time you do the laundry.

2. Save the metals. With the convenience of credit cards, coins seem to be a forgotten currency just left under sofa cushions, in wallets or car floors. Well, let everyone else forget them, while you remember to put them into a jar for a coin collecting spree. Then take it to your nearest bank that may or may not charge a fee for sorting and exchanging the coins. Coinstar® kiosks are a convenient option, but they do charge a small fee.

3. Forget fives. Put $5 bills you have left at the end of the day, or any you receive at all, in a shoe box or envelope. At the end of the month deposit the stash into a savings account. Trick your brain into making it part of your daily routine and you will be putting money you’d spend other places into vacation savings!

4. Put $10 towards your vacation fund every time you have an overly stressful day at work!

5. Sell, sell, sell. Take your unwanted items out of the attic and get them off your hands with a good ol’ garage sale or try the modern-day approach, a site like Craigslist.com. Children’s clothes, home décor and large furniture always sell very well; adult clothing or shoes, not as much.

6. Compare gas prices. You would be shocked at the inconsistency of daily pump prices within a small radius. Sites such as GasPriceWatch.com or GasBuddy.com do the work for you and point you in the direction of the cheapest fill-up!

7. Carpool. This is a classic. If there is anyone at work that lives nearby, ride together! Cut your gas costs in half and lessen the wear and tear on your vehicle. Even if you can’t particularly stand the thought of spending more time with this person outside of work, play your favorite vacation tunes in the car and remind yourself why you are making this sacrifice!

8. Take a time out. If in a store and you pick up an item that was not on your list, stop for ten seconds and ask yourself: “Do I really need this? Why? Is this wasteful?” If you have a legitimate answer, add it to your cart. If not, put it back.

9. Take a longer time out. If considering a larger purchase, something that is more of a comfort (e.g. new couch even though your current one could just use a good wash, or that new flat screen tv), wait a full thirty days. After that time of reflection, ask yourself if you still want that item. Many times you’ll find that the impulse to spend is gone!

10. Swap children. Hold on, stay with me! This weekend watch your friend’s children so he/she can go out and run errands or have a date night. Then next weekend that friend will babysit your children so you can go out and run errands or have a date night.

11. Or skip the children swapping and create a fun date night at home!

12. Spend more. Sometimes splurging on something in the short-term can save you a lot in the long-term.

• Like getting manicures? Instead of spending $15-$20 every three weeks, splurge on a really great nail polish, top coat and hand scrub.
• Find a great espresso machine and make your coffee at home, the average American spends $1,100 on coffee every year!
• Take the time and small cost of regularly scheduled maintenance on your vehicle to avoid huge repair costs later.

13. Turn out the lights. Energy bills are generally unavoidable from air conditioning in the summer to heating costs in the winter. To try and save a little, instead of always having lights on spark up candles every now and then. Read by candlelight, play hide and seek with your kids or just enjoy the romantic ambiance.

14. Every time you download iTune’s free song of the day instead of downloading one for $1.99 put $2 in your cruise fund!

15. Swap Media. Borrow books from the library instead of buying books. Or if you already have a collection, use PaperBackSwap to trade books, music and DVDs and have it shipped to you for free!

16. Get Busy. Encourage a healthy waistline and wallet by:

• Putting away $2 every time you skip dessert.
• Having a money motivator: save the number of miles you walk or run each day – put into cruise fund.
• Trying a free exercise app instead of an expensive personal trainer.

17. Attempt to ‘Crazy Coupon’. I don’t want you to get too crazy stay-up-all-night-travel-to-nine-different-stores with it, but a few small changes can help in a big way.

• If you use a coupon for an item you regularly purchase, put the difference in your cruise fund.
• There are many sites online that offer printable local coupons you can take with you in addition to the print ads such as Coupons.com or RedPlum.com.
• Spending an extra hour planning my meals for the week, grocery list and clipping coupons saves me on average 20-40% off of my grocery bill. Look at the total amounts saved on your next bill and put half in your getaway savings fund!
• Always double, or triple, your coupons. Using a grocery store that will double (or even triple on special occasions) your coupons can be a huge super saver as well. Check your store’s weekly ad, using coupons for products already on sale is an added bonus!

18. Buy non-perishable items in bulk (rice, cereal, pastas, etc). These will last a longer and save you money in the long run. Try though to buy your produce and dairy once a week so that it does not sour or rot before you can use them.

19. Have a ‘Pantry Week’ or institute ‘Meatless Mondays’. During Pantry Week, don’t go to the grocery store. Instead try to use items from your pantry to make dinners all week. You will be amazed at what you find and how much you can save by doing this once a month! On Meatless Mondays make a vegetarian dish to prolong your meat products, which are more expensive.

20. Always double, or triple, casseroles and crock pot recipes to put in the freezer. Then you will have no excuses for getting take-out or ordering pizza on busy nights.

21. Brown Bags. Take your lunch (save $5-$10/day), pack your children’s lunch ($2/day), and always always pack food before you go on a road trip – avoid spending money and the added calories of fast food.

22. Every time you walk by Starbucks and don’t go in, put away $3! Not paying $3 (okay, really more like $5-7) for that latte saved you money, but also 190+ calories! Bonus: you’ll look great waving Bon Voyage!

23. Avoid bottled water. Bottled water costs 1,000 times more than tap water. 1,500 is the number of plastic water bottles consumed in 1 second in the US! Buy a great reusable bottle to fill up and take with you to save money, reduce and reuse. Try the Brita® pitcher filter that can effectively replace as many as 300 standard 16.9-ounce bottles.

24. EAT IN, NOT OUT! Eating out one night less a week for just one month can save a family of four on average $150 a month! That could potentially be one person’s cruise fare for a Bahamas cruise! If you must dine out, go out to lunch rather than dinner as there are usually specials during the day which could potentially cut your total bill in half.

25. Never give up. Cutting back and saving money takes time and effort, but it is so worth it when you remember why you are working so hard! For extra motivation along your cruise fund journey:

• Put a picture of your last cruise right smack in the middle of the fridge or somewhere you look frequently throughout the day, like your car dashboard. Print a picture of glaciers for a hopeful Alaska cruise, old world architecture for a dream cruise to Europe or of course a pristine beach for an idyllic Caribbean cruise!
• Have your family create a Cruise Vacation Fund poster board or chart covered in stickers, glitter or anything fun that will catch the eye! Have everyone write their favorite thing about going on vacation, or the thing they’d like to do most on the cruise. With your entire family in on it, and trying to come up with ways to save, you will all be poolside before you know it.

26. Last, but not least, when you have successfully saved enough to deposit and book that cruise (hooray!) – continue your smart savings by calling or getting a quote from iCruise.com.

• Track your favorite cruises and be alerted when the price changes with our Cruise Finder App.
• Our agency also has strong relationships with all major cruise lines so we are able to negotiate exclusive promotions and receive updates on all of the latest cruise news and current sales.
• Cruise specialists are able to suggest the best time to travel to your desired location, the best ship for your individual needs and cabin that will fit into your budget. This is their career, their passion and they rock; let them guide you through a seamless cruise experience from Bon Voyage to Welcome Home!

Do you have any other fun ways to save money?

About Alara Shannon, Cruise & Travel Writer

Alara has traveled extensively since an early age. After the birth of her daughter, when an opportunity for a career in cruise travel presented itself, Alara decided to re-enter the workforce. She hopped on board with one of the largest cruise agencies and excelled in both cruise sales and customer service. This led to the chance to dive headfirst into the Internet Marketing world; taking on the roles of resident Bloggess, custom content creator and social media expert. Beyond a love of anything travel related, her life revolves around her family of four (husband + 2 little ones), writing, playing piano, coffee, recycling, and crafting (well, attempting to craft). Her dream destination? New Zealand!