p>Summer is right around the corner, and so is your big trip. If you’ve sorted out everything but the financing, now is the time when you start to panic about the big holiday bill you’ll be stuck with afterward. But you can pay for your trip in advance by saving up and spending wisely. Here’s how to make it happen.

Get rid of old things around the house. If you’ve been meaning to make some space in your home, you could potentially use this task as a chance to make money. Gathering up all your old electronics, like computers, DVD players, mp3 players and cellphones, will give you an “inventory” of things to sell either at a rummage sale or through an online service that gives cash for technology.

Make money from a hobby. Wouldn’t it be perfect if you could save up some money by getting a second job in an area that really interests you? You can make this happen on your own if you know how to turn a hobby into a profitable venture. For example, if you love baking sweets, you could start packaging them and selling them to coworkers and friends. And if you’re passionate about painting or drawing, why not put some of your work up for sale? This kind of side business won’t even make you feel like you’re working, making it a fun way to save for vacation.

Take couponing to the extreme. In addition to making more money, you should also come up with a plan for how much of it you want to save, and couponing can help you get there. By finding coupons for deep discounts, or two-for-one sales, you could potentially end up getting money from the store instead of having to pay. While not everyone is this successful, just giving coupons a chance will reduce your food budget, and you can put the savings toward your holiday fund.

Start a direct sales business. It sounds more official than it really is, but direct sales is an easy way to make extra money, even beyond your vacation. If you can find a company that recruits salespeople to distribute their product–this kind of setup is very common for gourmet food producers and companies who make cosmetics and personal care items–you could make money just by selling to people that you know. Not to mention, you’ll get a deep discount on these items for yourself, which could create some room in your monthly budget to put aside more money for your holiday.

Find travel deals online. You can make your trip cheaper by planning far in advance. For example, you can find travel deals by signing up for alerts on airfare, hotels and restaurant savings. You may even be able to find package deals that make the total cost of your trip cheaper, all while taking away some of the stress for having to make separate bookings for each item on your travel list. The sooner you start looking for deals, the more you stand to save.

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