All my working life I have put coins in jars and fivers in a drawer. Every five dollar note that I touch is saved and I have jars of coins sitting in the corner waiting to be cashed in. And they are all cashed in when I begin to take my annual leave. And leave I do.
All my working life I have had a plan to travel ahead of me. I am a restless soul. And I fret unless there is a ticket to Somewhere in my travel bag. Or when the children were smaller: a car ready to be packed full of kids and food and the dog and a plan and off we would go. It does not have to be exotic but it is not a question of IF I travel it is a question of WHEN. This is something I know about myself.
It is like always having another book to read. If I am getting close to the end of a book and have not got the next one aleady lined up and in sight, my reading self gets very nervous.
It is the same with travel. I cannot settle to the now, unless I know where I am going next, even if it is planned months and sometimes years ahead. I need to see an open door in front of me. To fight this need in me would be to invite madness and a life of simmering misery. Not only would I be unhappy but I would make everyone else unhappy too. I know this about myself, and those who know me know this about me too so I go without many things so I can travel. This year my children are shouting me a night of accomodation each on my travel, somewhere amazing and as yet unrevealed. They know this about me too.
My trips are not expensive. After all, I earn very little cash in my present job as a farmer and using chickens to pay for plane tickets is frowned upon! So I have to be clever in my planning. There are always cheap flights to somewhere. Always cheap places to stay. And LOTS to see!
Each trip is planned in detail – this is Part One of the therapy of travel. The planning keeps me company during the long quiet hours. I found a stupidly cheap ticket to London early in the summer this year so step one for me was to borrow the money from the credit card to buy that and then pay it off. ($560 return – Chicago to London to Chicago- crazy cheap!)
Then saving some more for food and a place to stay (always with a kitchen). Food and accomodation are always saved into different envelopes (all those fivers and coins). I take my time but I am always saving. (And yes, I am still sitting in that old chair!)
The farm is also planned and organised so everyone will be in a winter holding pattern so it can be managed easily by Jake and John (John does not work in the winters and has absolutely no desire at all to travel anywhere).
Here is my travel list for this winter. Christmas Day in Canada (using points), London (and an exciting, yet to be revealed destination, from there) will be in February and early in the spring- California. Each trip is quite short – I cannot leave the farm for long.
I am happily in the planning stages now!
Travel is my secret life I suppose! This is how I deal with my itchy feet and months and months never leaving the farm. I am still saving my fivers for food on my Europe trip.
I hope you have a lovely day.
Love celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
65 responses to “Save your fivers”
Funny. I keep an Australian “Fiver” note in my wallet. Mostly to show people that amazing plastic money.
yes! and so colourful!
We have new fivers now, with even more plastic in them!
I’m looking for ward to seeing you with a piglet hidden in your luggage 😉
Now that’s a picture with those chubby bums from yesterday!
Yes, Mad – i am very close to a plan now – (since my childrens revelation last night) I will be in touch today!
I am also married to a non-traveler. I wonder how he lives without all the new and exciting places; he wonders what the allure is about seeing this and that. It can be awkward.
Cheaper though!! We can travel fast and light alone! c
My husband is not much of a traveler either! It’s really a lot cheaper to go with a friend, so all the accommodations are shared. And I agree, I move much faster and lighter than he does :*)
how exciting, you’re visiting my city (London) … have you got your accommodation here sorted?
Not really – i am an airbnb girl! – and am focusing on london this week. I lived in London for a time and have old friends and very good friends who are readers there.. c
we have new plastic fivers as of this Autumn in England, they are a bit odd
ps here is info https://www.thenewfiver.co.uk old ones will not be legal tender after May 2017 xx jo
Yike – best i spend all of those this winter! The thing with saving cash is that then i hate to SPEND it! Thank you Jo. c
Way to go my dear friend. My mom says she is feeling the travel bug as well and is planning something for late next year. Why so far away – like you we have to save money. Of course, I’m all for mom saving for a trip as long as it doesn’t cut into my Cheerios. Snorts with piggy laughter. Can’t wait to hear about your adventures. XOXO – Bacon
I love this strategy of setting aside 5s. I’m going to start doing that too. It will grow fast. So happy your restless soul has a plan. Oink.
OINK! Is that a piggy wink! c
It most certainly is!
My favorite type of savings. Canada is huge I hope your destination is in the lower half this time of year😀
I fly into Calgary then drive up to canmore – My son works on the mountain so i try to get up there once a year.. c
A great part of the country. I’m at the other end😀
What a lovely way to travel. I wonder which fiver will get you the most or furthest?
Ooo! Exciting stuff C. I believe you are also going to meet daring Tanya in the UK. How very exciting! Meet and I also collect coins. 😀 Our currency however in comparison to you is pathetic! to buy one USD I currently need ZAR14.10 and even worse for one GBP I currently need ZAR 17.52! Scary!
Have a wonderful day.
🙂 Mandy xo
Where in CA? If Northern, would love to meet up.
You never fail to amaze and impress me. You are just SOMETHING ELSE. I’m like you – I NEED to travel. I have about $5,000 right now in Canada from my husband’s small social security… which is about $90.00 a month. And, just like you, I let it accumulate. After my house is sold, I’m hoping to spend that saved money (now worth about 30% less the our dollar !!) in Canada. Maybe I can do that cross-Canada rail trip my husband had wanted to do… but, sadly, he didn’t live long enough to do it. Have a fabulous Turkey Day my friend!
How exciting! You will need to plan a trip to South Africa soon. That way you can have great weather as well. Unfortunately most of the Dordogne shuts down for winter so not much to see and do here but you can come and rest up and eat and drink with us whenever you want.
We are so lucky these days that we can get in an airplane and go all over the world, I imagine our forefathers having to travel by horse and wagon and never return to their native home. As I am getting older I am becoming restless when I can’t visit my German family and friends.