***Making Money by Staying Home On Your Vacation

It’s the summer here in the Northern Hemisphere and most of us are looking for some time off. With the economic crunch and the goal of living debt-free some will be paying off previous debts with very little or no funds available to go on a cruise, road trip or even to the local spa.

Can a paid vacation away from work net me some much needed cash? The answer is yes.

How? Let’s look at the following example. Sue works a 40 hour week and is a salary employee. She takes transit to work, buys her lunch and needs to wear business attire each day. For her commute she spends $10/day, her lunch costs $10/day and doing laundry on her business attire is approx. $5/day depending on whether she needs to dry clean her clothing or not. These 3 items add up to $25/day. Multiply this by 5 days in the week, we have a cost savings of $125.

Depending on what you do and where you live a survey company estimates individuals can save on average somewhere between $65 to $250 per week by taking a vacation at home.

The key is not to loose those vacation days. They are important to you and to your employer. Why? The answer is simple. We all need to unplug, get away, relax and rejuvenate. If you ran your car 24/7 without maintenance or a break, how long do you think it would last? Our bodies and minds are the same. They are sophisticated machines that need to be taken care. When abused they can’t be used! Vacations also help us set boundaries with our employers and coworkers.

So what does a vacation at home look like? It’s an opportunity to catch up on those odd jobs that have been waiting to get done while you’ve been putting in those unpaid overtime hours. There are those books you have wanted to read or those friends and relative you have wanted to visit and spend sometime with. It’s the perfect time to try new recipes or go riding your bike in the neighborhood.

You have worked hard for your vacation days so put them to good use even if you are staying home.