Frugal Souvenirs

Take photos. The king of frugal souvenirs is photos. Thanks to digital cameras, it costs nothing to take photos, and it's cheap to print out the few you want to frame. And in most cases, your family and friends will be happy to just see photos from your trip rather than having to figure out where to place that dancing, plastic hula girl you bought for them.

Budget for it. Decide in advance how much of your trip budget you can afford to spend on mementos. You'll be less likely to blow the whole amount at your first stop or to get home and be shocked by how much you spent if you already have an amount set aside.

Choose strategically. Any tourist area you encounter will have a sea of souvenir-ish items. Before you dive in and just start buying every cute thing you see, ask yourself if you'll really use/wear/eat what you're buying, and if it's really any different than what you can get at home. How many reminders of your trip do you need? Pick something unique that you really want, and leave the rest for the other suckers tourists.

Avoid the hotel gift shop. The gift shop at your hotel may be convenient, but it will be more expensive than getting the exact same item somewhere else. Even nearby stores will likely be cheaper, though for the best deals, shop at stores not in the immediate tourist area.

Remember taxes. Different states, municipalities and countries have different sales tax laws and rates. If you're buying something inexpensive, even a high sales tax might not amount to enough to change your mind about the item. But if you're thinking of buying something expensive, ask the seller what the taxes will be so you know the real total before you make your decision.

Know the exchange rate. If you're traveling abroad, be sure you know the exchange rate for your money so you can really calculate the price of items. Your frugal souvenirs might not be frugal at all once you translate the currency. For instance, if the exchange rate for a Euro is two dollars, then you must double the Euro price of everything you see to know how many dollars you're spending. Don't get lost in the local currency!

Haggle. In many places, vendors expect shoppers to haggle about price. If you don't offer the seller less, you're very likely spending more than you need to.

Frugal Travel

Frugal Shopping

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