Top 10 Ways to Save Money When Youre Traveling
With
all of the costs
of getting
to wherever
you are going, wouldnt it be nice
to actually learn how
to save money
when youre there? Besides
hunting for the best tickets
and times to
travel, you also need to learn
about how to make
the most of every dollar/rupee/yen/euro/etc. when
youre actually there.
1. Learn the
exchange rate
This seems like
common sense,
but knowing the exchange rate will allow
you to tell when youre paying too much or
at least
more than you want to be spending.
2. Make
a budget By just setting yourself
a limit
on what
you can spend each day, youll
start to subconsciously limit yourself.
3. Make it
a game
If youre traveling with someone, try to make it
a game to see who
can spend the least amount of money.
Youll be surprised at what
you can do.
4. Walk Instead of paying
for transportation
and taxis, why
not get a little
exercise and save money at the same time? Or,
you can always walk part of the way and pay
for the rest at
a much lesser
fee than
you would have with the
whole route.
5.
Eat where the locals eat Think about
it. When youre at home, you have
certain places
that you eat
because theyre good and theyre cheap. So
do people
in other countries.
6. Take some risks Head into the
smaller stores that you
find but arent all that crowded.
You will find beautiful things at lower prices because theyre
not catering to the tourists that are going to be there.
7. Talk to locals When youre interested in something, talk to the locals about where you
might be able to find
it. You will learn things that you wouldnt
get out of your
guidebook as
well as where these activities are cheaper.
8. Dont
drink your money away Try to limit your alcohol wherever you can or save it for a few special days.
Its easy to spend too much.
9. Choose
one thing And then spend a lot of money on that. If youre heading to Italy, for example, you might want to save your money up for a day of shopping, but be thrifty the rest of the time.
10. You only live once When all else fails, just spend a little more than you thought that you
would. You arent going to be there
everyday, so why not make the
most of it when you are?
Matt Reider is the manager of
http://www.CanuckAbroad.com, a site for
finding cheap flights, talking with other budget travelers and finding out
everything you need to know before going abroad.
How To Identify Money-Making Properties!
There are
a lot of the properties listed for sale
each and every day.
So many,
that it can be
overwhelming to decide
on which properties might be good
to buy for an
investment. Maybe
you are
one of those individuals thinking
about getting
into real estate investing. Or maybe
you are one
of those individuals who already are investing, but
have not been all
that successful
in finding those "diamonds
in the rough". In either case,
please read
on and discover
how to correctly
identify money-making properties
that will help
you to realize huge
profits time and time again.
Finding
a realtor
that you can
trust is essential if you want to be successful
in real estate investing. Without this "external" team member you are left using
your gut and
more than likely
a lot of
your time
researching the market to help make
your decision. Realtors can access information on properties in minutes that may take you
hours or days to access,
so use them!
When you do
find a realtor that you can trust have them
assist you
with the following:
The property's asking price. Could you get
it for less than what is being asked? A realtor can tell you.
The property's
selling price and what
repairs are going to be needed to get it sold for the
same amount as other like homes in the area are selling for.
You want to make sure your property is
just a "notch above" the others in your market
at your price range.
Find out how long like properties in the area have been on the market (on average).
This will tell you the
amount of time that you can expect until you flip it (if that's the route you're taking).
Find out the average sale price for like properties in your area also. This will help you decide how much to rehab (dollar amount and quality), and how much you can expect your house to sell for.
Next are some suggestions on how to identify a property. These tips will put you ahead of the competition in your area and help you to buy smart for huge profits:
Look for properties with large
bedrooms. People like space. They don't want to walk into their bedroom and
fall face down into the bed.
Look for openess in a floor plan. A very open floor plan can
give the illusion of more space.
Try to locate properties with bigger kitchens. Why is this important, you may ask? The
next time you have a party, take a look at where everyone gathers (understand?).
Make sure that the property you are considering
has a dry basement and that the foundation is straight with no
bowing. Wet basements
mean leaks and leaks mean repairs, and repairs mean EXPENSES! In
addition, wet basements can mean the dreaded four letter word, M-O-L-D. Steer
clear of wet basements!
Find a property that has a maintenance-free exterior, such as a brick or maintenance-free
vinyl siding. They're out there, you just got to look.
Consider the neighbors and the neighborhood. Come
by at different times of the day to see how the neighborhood is.
Is it loud?
Are there a lot of kids who
should be in school or people milling about who should be at work?
Are there any abandoned cars? Are the neighbors' homes next to the property, across the street
from the property, and behind the property in disrepair? If you
answered "yes" to any of
these questions--FIND ANOTHER PROPERTY!
Run a registered
sex offender search for your area. You don't want to rent to a family and then find out that there is a sex offender living right next door.
Look for a property with a newer roof and mechanicals.
Find a property with some curb appeal.
These tips offered in this
article should have you on your way to identifying money-making properties in no time. Once you get it down to a system, there will be no stopping you from making huge
profits each and every time!
Matt Bodeman and Scott
A. Rozanski are the "Millionaire Real Estate Pros." They have been helping others discover how to make huge profits in the acquisition of undervalued properties for years. In just the last year and a half alone, Matt and Scott have
purchased over 50 properties using no
money of their
own and made millions of dollars.