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A long-exposure shot of a moving subway train and advertisement posters at the station
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Confessions of a Shop-a-holic: How I’m Paying for my Vacation

Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Alexa Volland
Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Cara Chiaramonte
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UFL chapter.

 

My checking account recently took a hard blow when I started to plan my summer vacation — a really, really hard blow. I have roughly 11 weeks until my vacation begins, and I’m doing my best to try watching my wallet. So, on the road to Lollapalooza, a three-day music festival in Chicago, I’m scrounging up every penny I can, and here’s how I’m doing it:

Bye-Bye Starbucks
For the next four months, I have vowed to stay away from Starbucks. As hard as that is, it will practically pay for my plane ticket. My usual is a grande iced coffee, and let’s say I get it at least three times a week…. That’s about $10, and over the course of four months, that adds up to about $120! Although grabbing a coffee on the way to class is convenient, I’m forgoing that green straw and plastic cup with my name spelt wrong on it for a cup of coffee brewed at home.

Couch surfing USA
On off-weekends, booking a hotel doesn’t have to break the bank. But come the weekend of Lollapalooza, those prices will definitely skyrocket. I would love a bed close to the festival, but when a week in a mediocre hotel costs more than $700, free is always better. If you are planning a vacation yourself, consider staying in a hostel. Hostels on off-weekends can be as cheap at $15 a night. If you don’t mind spending the night with all your friends in one room with bunk beds, a hostel is the way to go. Sadly, even hostels are out of my price range for this trip, so I’ll be crashing at my friend’s apartment (Thanks Lily!).

 

No additions to the closet
Although I know I’m going to be tempted to purchase some new items to wear to Lollapalooza, I’m going to force myself to resist. Even if I only purchased one shirt from Forever 21 a month, I would still be setting myself back almost $100. I’m pretty sure I can manage to find something to wear to Chicago with what’s already in my closet.

Needless to say, I’m excited to start my summer vacation. Hopefully I can stick to my plan and get to Chicago with some extra spending money. If you are planning a vacation of your own, try considering these tips to book a trip that won’t break the bank.

Sources: 
www.withoutdebt.com 
www.thetrendtribe.com 
favim.com

Her Campus Placeholder Avatar
Her Campus Placeholder Avatar
Cara oversees Her Campus Media's community department and serves as strategic lead for the expansion, development and management of all HCM communities, including the Her Campus Chapter Network, InfluenceHer Collective, College Fashionista, Spoon University, Campus Trendsetters, alumni and high school. She works closely with company leadership to develop new community-related sales offerings and the Integrated Marketing team to support all community-focused client marketing programs from end to end. Cara has experience working with high-profile talent, such as Jessica Alba, Andrew Yang, Amber Tamblyn, Aja Naomi King, Troian Bellisario, Jessica Marie Garcia, Nico Tortorella, Nastia Liukin, Rebecca Minkoff, Cecile Richards and Samantha Power, as well as brands like Coca-Cola, L'Oréal Paris, The New York Times, HBO, Uber, H&M and more. Having been a part of the HC family since 2011, Cara served as Campus Correspondent of the HC chapter at the University of Florida where she studied journalism, women’s studies and leadership. A New Yorker turned Floridian, Cara has a Friends quote for any situation. You can usually find her with her friends and family at the beach, a concert or live sports event or binge-watching Grey's Anatomy or Sons of Anarchy. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter @thecararose.