Are you ready for the end of the COVID-19 pandemic and all of the rules, regulations, and restrictions that go with it?
For just about anyone that survived this past year, the answer to that question is a resounding, “YES!”
But as we approach the end of the pandemic and see those restrictions begin to loosen, it is easy to get caught up in the excitement when what we should be doing is planning out how we are going to afford all of the exciting things we are going to be able to do again soon.
So, before you pack your bags and jump on the first airplane out of your local airport, take some time to consider each of these six things you’ll probably want to save a few bucks for in the coming year.
Family Vacations
If your family is like most families, you had to either postpone or significantly alter your vacation plans throughout almost all of 2020. With those vacations hopefully back on the table sometime this year, you are definitely going to want to set some extra cash aside to make them enjoyable.
Whether your idea of a dream vacation is kicking back on the beach in Hawaii or hiking through the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, make sure that you are saving to make that vacation as enjoyable as possible this year…because you deserve it after missing last year!
Weekend Getaways
Weekend getaways could be considered a close cousin of family vacations, but we are putting them in their own category for the purposes of this article because they tend to happen more frequently and require less planning.
What that means is that you are likely not going to have time to save when the idea of shooting out to Vegas for the weekend pops up, so you had better have some money set aside to make it possible…because, once again, you deserve it!
Birthday Meals
Another thing that most people struggled with throughout the past year is having to change around their birthday plans to adapt to “the new normal.”
Hopefully that is all going to be behind us this year, which means that you are going to need to be able to afford to participate in some lavish birthday celebrations for friends and family this year.
Concerts & Sporting Events
Another expense that is going to be popping back up on everyone’s radar later this year is purchasing tickets to concerts and sporting events. After not attending any large events for over a year, just about everyone is going to be excited to see their favorite band or sports team live in person.
You are definitely going to want to have plenty of flexibility in your budget so that you can handle these expenses as they come out, because you don’t want to miss out on any of the fun simply because your budget won’t allow it.
Date Nights Outside Your Home
Remember when we used to go out to bars, restaurants, nightclubs, and movie theaters with our significant others? Well those days are coming back, and when they do it is going to be with massive force.
Everyone is going to be eager to get out and have fun as soon as it becomes safe enough to do so, which means that you are going to need to have room in your budget to accommodate the cost of those exciting evenings out with your boo!
Conferences
As much as we have all gotten accustomed to zoom meetings over the past year, there is going to come a time when conferences start to shift back towards in-person events. When that happens, there are going to be travel costs that come with attending them.
Whether your conference travel is a personal expense or something your company covers, those expenses are going to need to be in a budget somewhere, so make sure that you are going to be covered when the next exciting opportunity pops up.
No matter what type of events you are most excited to enjoy again, every single one of them is going to have a higher-than-usual cost associated with it in the years to come. Make sure that you put in the time up front to prioritize and budget for those expenses so that you can enjoy every minute of them when the time comes!
