Vacations are one of the moments most expected of the yearbut they are often planned with a short -term vision, without taking into account The financial impact which will have in finance during the rest of the year.
Financial Trainer José Luis Díaz He warned in Men’s Health About a common problem: many people enjoy their vacation on credit, assuming loans that then take months and even years to pay. This generates a financial burden that destabilizes the annual budget And you can turn today’s rest into a source of Anxiety from September.
To avoid this situation, Díaz emphasizes the importance of integrating holidays into annual financial planning. “Planning a specific vacation budget is fundamental in good personal financial management,” said the expert.
Vacations as a fixed expense
He rest and disconnection They are necessary to maintain physical and mental well -being throughout the year, and vacations are The best opportunity To carry it out. Therefore, Díaz proposes to banish the idea of holidays like a luxury or a whim and start considering them as an annual fixed expense necessary For our well -beingat the level of the mortgage, the Light receipts or the food.
The finance expert maintains that the big mistake is to consider the holidays as an occasional expense or an award that is paid after the trip. By turning it into a fixed expense, the cost can be distributed throughout the year, thus avoiding having to borrow and allow “enjoying without guilt because you already have the money away and destined for that end.”
This change of mentality facilitates the anticipation of spending and It gives financial tranquility. According to Díaz, “my recommendation is that you dedicate between 5-10% of your annual income to vacation, depending on your priorities and financial situation.” In concrete terms, “if you win 30,000 euros a year, allocate 1,500-3,000 euros per year to vacation is reasonable.”
The Financial experts of singular bank They also advocate this 10%savings percentage, and add an alternative proposal to calculate savings for vacations.
After subtracting all fixed or variable expenses to the monthly salary, the amount available for savings is obtained. It is not recommended to allocate more than that 60% monthly savings capacity to vacations.
In other words, if after discounting all the expenses of that month (mortgage, consumption invoices, food, etc.), you have 300 euros, you should allocate 180 euros that month for your vacation. The remaining 120 euros should be kept as savings or for unforeseen events.
Dedicate a percentage of the annual salary
The problem is clear: the lack of forecast when planning holidays makes Every year more people borrow To “enjoy” your rest. According to Data from the Bank of Spainin the first quarter of 2025 They have increased In 14% the application for consumer loans, which reveals the need of the Spaniards to resort to loans to finance vacations.
In addition, this need for extra financing can make errors incurred such as financing vacation with credit cards, which can lead to incurring additional cost overruns since the interest rates used by these credit systems can reach up to 18%. So this type of indebtedness to finance a few weeks of rest is too expensive and harms future financial health.
Consider holidays as a fixed expense allows Plan savings reserving a certain amount of money per month for that purpose, in the same way that you reserve it to pay the mortgage fee. In that sense, and so that savings do not imply one more element of financial stress, what the expert recommends is not to set a fixed amount per month, but a percentage of your income.
Thus, if your monthly income is variable, Savings will also be to the same extent. With adequate planning, it will be your economy who will decide the realistic budget for vacations that you can affordpreventing the “I deserve it” to submit to your I From the future to unnecessary financial stress.
The investor and financial advisor Javier Linares also coincides in that strategyalthough he does not venture to give a specific percentage since each personal situation is different. What it does recommend is to make a previous budget with all monthly income and expenses. In this way you can determine the percentage of savings that you can allocate every month to the holidays. “It is necessary to know your expenses and income, to be able to save money,” says Linares.
Create automatic savings habits: “Pay yourself first”
James Clear, author of the Best Seller ‘Atomic habits‘And one of the people who knows the most about creating habits, says that Trust in willpower It is the most direct path to failure.
That is why Díaz proposes to eliminate internal negotiation with a proven method: automate savings. “As soon as you charge, which is automatically transferred 5-10% to a separate account of difficult access,” says the expert.
In this way, the savings becomes a routine Automatic in the “page yourself first” so that this saving percentage ceases to be available in your “available” cash to spend.
ALFRED GIRALTfinancial advisor, assures That this strategy puts savings as a priority and helps allocate part of the income to a project. “Although adopting ‘page yourself first’ can be challenging, the benefits in financial safety and stress reduction are clear and durable,” says Giralt.
Opting for that strategy, it is reduced Financial stress. “Save must be like breathing financially, not something you do ‘when money is left over’, but Something you do to live quietly and have freedom of decision, “says Díaz. The key is to create savings systems that work without remembering or negotiating.
Planning and saving are only two parts of the process: controlling expenses during vacations is also essential. Again, Díaz recommends not falling into the justification of “I deserve it” when you are already enjoying your vacation and stick to the initial budget to not compromise financial stability after the trip.
Díaz recommends relying on technological tools that simplify budget control without turning it into a stress source. This care in monitoring expenses during the holiday live without financial anxiety.
Maintaining discipline before, during and after the trip is the key for holidays to be a real mental and economical respite.
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