3 Ways to Budget Yourself During Study Abroad

By: Avery Buckman

Studying abroad is an amazing opportunity because it allows you to travel all around and see so many new places, but with traveling comes a price. Plane tickets, train tickets, hostels, hotels, food, clothes, excursions. These purchases add up quickly, but I have learned to budget myself and travel affordably. Here I will provide you with 3 ways to budget yourself, but also be able to do everything you want to do while abroad.

1. SAVE, SAVE, SAVE!!! This might be the most important tip. The summer before I came abroad, I loaded my schedule with work and would spend as little as possible. I filled my days with babysitting, dog sitting, swim coaching and working at a store, sometimes going from one job right to the next. When I felt exhausted or burnt out I would remind myself that I have a goal. The best motivation to save is to set a goal for yourself. My goal was to make $10,000 before I left for abroad. This goal hung over my head everyday. When I wanted to buy unnecessary purchases, I would remind myself of my goal and this helped me save that money for abroad. Set your goal, save the money and when you reach that goal it is the best feeling ever. I reached my goal before going abroad and not only did it prepare me for the expenses abroad, but it also gave me a sense of accomplishment. SAVE SAVE SAVE!!! In the moment it's hard to say no to purchases you want but may not need, but I promise you it is so worth it.
2. Eat in as much as possible. In Spain, food here is much cheaper than in America, but those little food purchases add up real quick. To save money, I try to eat all my meals at home. I am living in a homestay abroad, so I get lunch and dinner made for me which is so nice. Eating in with my family allows me to save so much money but also try authentic Spanish cuisine that is home made from my host mother. For those not in homestays, cook as much as possible. Groceries are very affordable here. Going out for a tapa here and there to socialize with friends is not the end of the world, but eating in has definitely saved me lots of money that I was able to put elsewhere. With that being said, when you do go out for food with friends, I recommend getting many little tapas and sharing. This way you get to try all different foods, and you get to split the cost between you and your friends in the end!
3. Book in advance. Planning trips can be very stressful. You need to book plane tickets, train tickets, accommodations, excursions, uber to and from the airport, etc. There are many purchases that go into a trip, so book them early in advance. For plane tickets, I typically used Ryan Air, Sky Scanner, Kiwi and Edreams to purchase my tickets. As for accommodations, I frequently booked hostels because they tended to be much cheaper than hotels. I occasionally used Air bnb which was not too expensive because a group would be splitting the cost. For train tickets, Omio was a great site that offered affordable tickets, BUT book them early. I made the mistake of waiting to book train tickets and the cost goes up a lot over time. The minute you are definite with a plan, book! It is a lot on the credit card, but the longer you wait the more expensive it will get. 

There are many little things you can easily do to save some money. Walk instead of uber, window ship rather than actually shop, pack heavier so you don’t have to buy as much abroad. Going abroad on a budget is 100% possible. If the expenses are what is holding you back from studying abroad, do not let it. All you need to do is save and be aware. Money always comes back, but the experiences you get abroad are once in a lifetime and everyone should have the opportunity to make them.