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You went to Europe with a budget.

Then came the beach clubs. The “we’re already here” dinners. The €7 coffees that somehow stopped feeling expensive after day three. And that one extra destination that was basically on the way.

But now that you’re back home, the post-travel blues are hitting like never before.

And to make matters infinitely worse…There’s also the post-holiday financial hangover.

Don’t worry, you’re not the only one avoiding your bank balance more than your overflowing inbox after three weeks of leave.

But getting your budget and your spending back on track is actually easier than you think.

We’ve put together three, simple tips to get you started. So take yourself out for a coffee at your favourite cafe and one oat milk latte later, you’ll be all over your finances!

1. Let’s assess the damage

The first step is to assess your financial position. And yes, it can be confronting to see how many drinks you shouted this month, but don’t sweat it, there are exxy periods in everyone's lives.

Remember your banking app? Start by re-acquainting yourself with it. Yep, it may be rough, but you can do this.

Go through your bank transactions and have a look at how much was spent on your ‘needs’ and ‘wants’.

This will give you an idea of where you’ve overspent, and where you can try and cut back.

And before you ask, your Disney+ subscription to rewatch The Hunger Games on holiday is not a need, it’s a want. Soz. 🙁

2. Try the 50/30/20 rule

You might have heard this one before, but have you actually tried it? It’s perfect when you need a hard financial reset.

The 50/30/20 rule is where you allocate 50% of your take-home income to your needs, 30% to your wants and 20% to savings.

And the secret to success is putting this on auto-pilot.

Once you've worked out your 50/30/20 split, one common way people put it into practice is by setting up an auto-transfer that splits their take-home income across separate accounts for needs, wants and savings.

The idea is that saving happens consistently over the year without even needing to think about it.

And come next time you travel, you can spend from your ‘wants’ account for all your holiday fun without feeling like you’re burning through your paycheck!

3. Dilute those debts

You might have some smaller debts slowly piling up that you occasionally lay awake thinking about.

Take account of all your minor debts like credit cards and buy now pay later accounts then set up a plan to slowly pay them off.

For example, some people allocate a small amount (say 5%) of their take-home income each week to repaying smaller debts. The amount that works for you will depend on your own budget and debts.

Working at these debts little by little helps ensure you don’t get ‘bit’ by things like credit card interest payments.

And just like that, you’re back on track

That’s it. No spending ban. No cancelling every social plan until Christmas. And definitely no surviving exclusively on 2 minute noodles.

Just three things: work out where your money went, give your income some structure with the 50/30/20 rule, and start chipping away at those debts.

Your euro summer spending won’t disappear overnight, but getting back on track doesn’t have to happen overnight either.

And who knows, by the time your savings are looking healthy again, you might be ready to make another questionable financial decision…

Euro summer 2027? ✈️

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