“Money is only a tool. It will take you wherever you wish, but it will not replace you as the driver.” –Ayn Rand
One of the biggest obstacles that long distance couples face is the expense. Let’s be honest. No one ever talks about the expense. Each couple’s situation is different, but we can all benefit from a few money saving tips. After all, who doesn’t want to get a better deal if they can?
Funds are an important topic for an LDR couple to discuss because it can affect a your end date. The sooner you talk about it, the sooner you can come up with a game plan and starting attainable LDR goals. And you’ll continue to have these discussions anyway once you close the distance. So you’re kind of getting a head start on being a that has a financial plan.
There are a lot of tips and tricks that all long distance couples should know about. So, Let’s take a look at some money saving tips from real long distance bloggers.
Use phone applications. Or, as we usually call them, apps. I haven’t had the chance to actually purchase anything with an app because the first time I didn’t know about them and the second time was a pretty tricky situation, as Jade and I wanted to fly back on the same plane. After I came home from California in August, however, I found this great app called Hopper. It tells you when it’s the best time to purchase the tickets and it also shows the lowest fare. It is missing a couple major airlines, e.g. US Airways, but nothing too dramatic. It also tells you how much the ticket prices are expected to rise in the coming weeks. It is a great app!
Check out Anna’s blog for more great tips on how to get a good deal on plane tickets!
Be organized and budget. Plan your time and your money well. Each month I know how much I am paid roughly from each job, before commission and overtime is paid, and I budget purely on that. That includes my rent, my travel, my coffees [I have one a week and still feel bad for buying take out haha] etc. I find it helps, because whatever is left over can be put away with the visits in mind. That’s not to say that if I do earn a little extra one month I don’t treat myself to a top, or a magazine, but I do try my hardest to resist even with the wiggle room.
Carley explains how budgeting and other practical steps have helped her to close the distance sooner.
As someone who has been living in different places my whole life, I have tried so hard to live a minimalist life. Not only does it help me prevent my things from piling up and having difficulties moving them from one place to another, but it also saves me time, money and space. For people in LDR, minimalism is also a great way to save up money.
Diana’s post on minimalism gives us 10 reasons why LDR couples should try it.
Plan your visits months ahead to give the both of you time to earn and save for the trips. You also have to be realistic with your visits and prepare for hiccups that can happen. Sort out how you are going to pay for flights, accommodations and money to get around. There’s always special promotions, discounts and such going on with flights, you just have to keep a lookout for it. Check out Airbnb for awesome, cheap accommodations. You have to be resourceful!
Read the rest of Khaira’s post for 4 more tips on how to save for LDR visits.
One of the things I always try to keep in mind, and one of the things that I constantly try to remind Richard, is that even though we’re saving up to see each other, that doesn’t mean it’s the only thing going on. Don’t get me wrong: It’s a top priority! It’s just not the only top financial priority. Aside from rent and other living expenses, I constantly tell Richard that he shouldn’t feel guilty for going out with friends or buying PS4 games because while I appreciate that he’s trying to save to come visit and one day close the distance, I know that life is happening in between now and then. He can’t just coop himself up in his flat and not live his life, am I right?
Cat’s post talks about honesty and balance when it comes to discussing LDR funds with our S/O.
These bloggers gave us a lot of great tips. Sometimes reading about how others manage their LDR funds can give ideas and methods that we never thought of before. Did any of the posts, tips and experiences of these bloggers help you out? Hopefully they did! 
If you’d like to read more tips and experiences on how other real long distance couples were able to save money, you can find even more valuable tips and experiences from even more long distance bloggers by clicking the image on the right.
And if you’d like to share your own experience of how you manage the expenses of being in an LDR, you can do so by leaving a comment & sharing your own valuable tips with us!
