It’s that time of year again where our social media feeds have been overrun the past three months with stunning shots of crystal clear waters and sunset after sunset by those escaping winter to venture to Europe, for a Mediterranean summer. If you’ve vowed that this year will be your last as an onlooker, living vicariously, there’s really no time like the present to get the ball rolling to ensure you keep that promise to yourself.

Even with the tightest of budgets, it can be possible to cut costs – it just takes a little bit of effort early on, and before you know you’ll be sipping a frappe on Psarou beach.

Set a budget and be transparent about your expenses
While you may know the bills you have to pay and that you have to buy food for the week and fill your car with petrol, it can help to jot down your expenses and calculate a weekly budget to see what you can realistically afford to save for your trip. You’d be surprised by the difference it can make to see exactly what you spend your money on, and it can highlight areas where you can try and cut costs down, so that you have some extra dollars to put towards your travel fund.

When coming up with your travel budget it’s always important to consider your destination and the time of year you plan to travel. If you’re hoping to be in Mykonos at the height of the European summer you can expect to pay at least double, so that’s something to remember. Look at accommodation, daily food costs, drinks, and any sight seeing and shopping you plan to do.

Phone apps, such as Delphi Bank’s recently launched Mobile Banking App are a convenient way to ensure you are staying on track with budget, giving you a break down of all your incoming and outgoing payments with the click of a button.

Change up your routine
Once you’ve set yourself a budget with an end goal, this is the best time to be honest about where you think you can forego a part of your day-to-day routine and save – after all every dollar counts. For example maybe you don’t need that second coffee. With the average regular flat white setting you back $4.20, that can quickly add up to over $40 a week, and over $2,000 a year. That’s your flight to Europe taken care of right there!

But if you can’t bear to think about giving up your 3.00 pm caffeine hit, then have a look at your commute. Can you leave home a little earlier and walk or cycle part, or all, of the way to work? Not only will you save on your daily public transport fare or petrol, you’ll also get your day’s exercise in, keeping you in fit condition for that holiday. Two birds with one stone!

Any loose change you have can be thrown into a jar, and be deposited directly into your account or changed into foreign currency at any Delphi Bank branch.

Set up different accounts
While having just the one account can be appealing for its simplicity, it’s a risky move if you’re hoping to save money for a special occasion. Instead it can be a good idea to set up different linked accounts, each with a different purpose. Get creative with how you label them; one can be your ‘emergency fund’, the other ‘travel money’, and you can even have a ‘treat yourself stash’.

Delphi Bank’s Mobile Banking App makes this super easy. This way you can use your ‘Accounts’ screen to view all your accounts, giving you a clear snapshot and breakdown of your remaining budget.

Automated payments are your best friend
To make sure that you are adhering to your budget and making your weekly, fortnightly or monthly contributions to your travel fund, setting up automated payments can go a long way.

Through their App, Delphi Bank gives customers the option to set up payments for bills, so that you don’t miss a due date, along with automated payments to your various savings accounts, including your travel fund. This way once the money is out of your main account, the temptation to overspend throughout the month is diminished – as the popular adage goes “out of sight, out of mind”. Plus you can’t help but get a little kick out of seeing your money build up throughout the month, you’ll be surprised at how much you can save over a short period.

To download Delphi Bank’s Mobile Banking App, simply search ‘Delphi Bank Mobile Banking’ in the App Store (for Apple users) and Play Store (for Android users). Once download is complete, login to the App using your customer ID number and password. You have the ability to set-up a 4-digit PIN once you’re logged in. If you’re not an existing Delphi Bank customer, visit delphibank.com.au/forms/customer-enquiry-form