A lot of people often ask and wonder how it is possible to afford to go on a multi-year bike trip. Well, these are my 21 crazy and not so crazy ways I saved money for my tour.
The truth of the matter is that I’m cheap; really cheap. In fact, I have had some of the most stubborn Dutchmen I know call me the cheapest Dutchman they have ever met.
A lot of these ways are likely not going to be applicable for you. That being said, if saving money for a bike tour is important to you, then you need to adopt the discipline of cheap living. What worked for me may not work for you, but if you apply the same ideas or principles to your life, then the dollars in the bank will add up. The idea with this post is to help you begin thinking and always looking for ways that you can save money in your own life.
21 crazy and not so crazy ways I saved money for my bike ride.
1) I gave up driving a car in 2010. I either pedal or take public transit. When I need a car, I rent a car. After I got used to not having a car, I virtually never missed the convenience it provided. But I sure enjoy adding up all the money it saved me over the years. And the times I really missed a car, such as the pouring rain or a deep freeze in the winter, were the moments I realized my dreams were going to happen. Because I was willing to go through pure misery to see my dream become a reality.
2) I always lived in the smallest and cheapest apartments possible, preferably a bachelor’s apartment. Because of my past job as a truck driver and always being on the road, I even lived in a hostel for almost 6 months between apartments to give me time to find a cheap apartment. Not so convenient, but not the end of the world either, and I saved a ton of money.
As a truck driver, when ELD (electronic logbook devices) came into effect, I moved out of my apartment and lived in my truck for the better part of two years. Right up until my bike ride started. Fortunately, work paid for hotel rooms for the weekend if we drivers were on the road for the weekend. And fortunately for me, that accounted for almost 85% of my weekends in those two years leading up to my ride. That also allowed me to collect tons of hotel points.
3) Unfortunately, as a truck driver, all my meals were from restaurants. But what I did do was do my best to stock up when I went to Wal-Mart and buy the Gatorades for $.80 instead of $2 at the truck stops. I never bought from a convenience store or truck stop unless I was really stuck. I never ordered a drink at a restaurant unless it was part of a combo. I always ordered water because I bought my soft drinks by the case at the grocery store. I also rarely bought meals by the combo. Just the burger to go, please; most fries nowadays taste like crap, and then I also have my own drink in my truck.
Always grocery shop at the lower-end grocery chains such as Wal-Mart or No Frills. Never Fortinos, Whole Foods, or the more expensive grocery stores.
On the very rare occasion if I wanted to celebrate with an ice cream, I always got the soft serve at McDonald’s for $.99. Instead of the $3 shake. Same satisfaction for a fraction of the price.
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4) Virtually all my clothing came from thrift shops such as Value Village or Salvation Army. And I repair my clothing (if I can). And I don’t wear accessories such as sunglasses or jewelry.
5) I stopped buying Christmas presents.
6) I shave my head a few times a year with my own clippers since as far back as 1998. I haven’t paid for a haircut for over 28 years now.
7) When I had an apartment, I built all my own furniture, though I am not sure if that saved me any money. LOL. And I only ever bought futons; I have never bought a regular bed.
8) Not so much as a money saver, but I had a job where I could work 14 hours a day or longer, six days a week. If you can find a job that allows you to work those hours and get paid for virtually all those hours, that adds up to a really big paycheck at the end of the week. That being said, I burned out regularly. So I don’t recommend working those kinds of hours at a stressful job for too long.
9) I never go shopping if I can absolutely help it.
10) Driving a truck and living in a truck, I was not allowed to carry alcohol in the truck, so my beer consumption went down to almost nothing. I saved a lot of money there. When I lived in Vancouver for a bit, I made my own beer. That saved me money over paying full retail.
There are still many more ways
11) I was sacrificing for my dreams, so I never treated myself, and I never went out.
12) I worked for a company that covered all my expenses, such as gloves, tools, and work boots.
13) Because I was so sick of restaurant food, I usually only ate once a day.
14) I do my best to take care of my stuff so it doesn’t need to be replaced as often, and I try to keep the worn-out stuff as long as I can. Holes in my socks are pretty common.
15) I try to shop at the dollar stores for everything. It is amazing how much stuff you can get for spending less than $20 at these stores, and it satisfies the need to buy stuff at the same time.
16) No-fee bank accounts. Pay credit card balance in full once a week.
17) Do my best to stay away from bookstores or camping equipment stores. My weaknesses.
18) Eliminate all possible possessions. Become the most extreme minimalist possible. It puts you in a mission-focused mindset. Possessions create clutter, and clutter keeps you off mission, and your life becomes about “someday.” I never forgot why I was making the sacrifices that I was as a minimalist. (I suggest you reread this last part a couple of times.)
19) Gave generously. Things have a way of coming back around.
20) I went from making and living off like $25,000 a year (below the poverty line) to $100,000 a year (driving a truck), and my lifestyle never changed by a dime the whole time I drove a truck. Not a dime. In fact, the more money I made, the cheaper I got. I realized how hard I worked for that money, and I didn’t want to spend a dime of it on myself. I am not saying that what money was spent was spent wisely; in fact, I made a few really expensive mistakes along the way. But that’s another story.
21) I accepted the fact that everyone thinks I am crazy for how I live my life a long time ago.
Concluding Thought
Remember, adopt the principle and adapt it to your own life. Happy riding!
And from one cheap Dutchman to another, you don’t pay taxes on the money you save. A penny saved is two pennies earned. I can’t believe you wasted money on soft drinks.
I drink Gatorade all day. I try to keep soft drinks down to a can a day. What can I say I have a bit of a sweet tooth and I still have to live.
My weakness is beer but that doesn’t help me in the truck.
You going to live on Gatorade on your bike ride?
😂 Heck no. I just currently live off of it in truck. Though it’s reasonably cheap for some electrolytes 🤔
I see several similarities there to things I do in my life. That was a good read.
thanks man!
HI, love your ideas, I actually live in the cheap side of life, my only hobby is ride my bike, go bikepacking and enjoying that…the rest of the year…work and save money, I change my diet and like you eat just 1 a day, help me keep my cycling weight, I don’t waste money in junk food! I always buy what I need from trifttstores, secondhand shop…even my beloved bike is 3rd hand bought like 12 years ago, I save money and so pay every year a good service and take care of my bike and myself. Is great to see you can really live with so much less that you think.I work as a hospital cleaner, also low payment, but even so I have more than many of the nurses I know there…I go out to see the world from the saddle of my bike and not from the beach chairs in some resort somewhere that I don’t have any interes to go and see, I love Europe and I want to see everything and everywhere I can. This lifestyle is not for many people, but there are some “crazies” who enjoy living like this!