• News
    • Industry Trends
    • Hot Markets
    • Weekly Top 10
    • Hospital Strikes
  • Career
    • Traveler Tips
    • First-Time Traveler
    • Ask The Expert
  • Reviews
    • Agency Reviews
      • Share Your Experience
    • Hospital Reviews
      • Share Your Experience
  • Network
    • Your Photos
    • Traveler Stories
    • Traveler Lifestyle
  • Resources
    • Find A Hospital
    • Compact Licensure Map
    • Licensing
    • Certifications
      • ANCC
      • AHA
    • Continuing Education
      • CEU Directory
      • Nurse.com
      • Relias Academy
      • Wild Iris Medical Education
      • WorldWideLearn
  • Find High-Paying Jobs
    • Search All Jobs
    • Connect With A Recruiter
    • Top Markets
    • Travel CST Salary By State
    • Travel Nursing Salary By State
  • About Us
HCT Today
SHARE YOUR STORY GET THE SCOOP

HCT Today Dedicated News Site For Healthcare Travelers

January 27, 2023
  • StaffDNA Career Profile Benefits
  • Career Profile Login
HCT Today
SHARE YOUR STORY

  • News
    • Industry Trends
    • Hot Markets
    • Weekly Top 10
    • Hospital Strikes
  • Career
    • Traveler Tips
    • First-Time Traveler
    • Ask The Expert
  • Reviews
    • Agency Reviews
      • Share Your Experience
    • Hospital Reviews
      • Share Your Experience
  • Network
    • Your Photos
    • Traveler Stories
    • Traveler Lifestyle
  • Resources
    • Find A Hospital
    • Compact Licensure Map
    • Licensing
    • Certifications
      • ANCC
      • AHA
    • Continuing Education
      • CEU Directory
      • Nurse.com
      • Relias Academy
      • Wild Iris Medical Education
      • WorldWideLearn
  • Find High-Paying Jobs
    • Search All Jobs
    • Connect With A Recruiter
    • Top Markets
    • Travel CST Salary By State
    • Travel Nursing Salary By State
  • About Us
First-Time Traveler Traveler Tips

Stocking Up: How To Save Money On Essentials For Your Travel Nurse Rental Home

Ryan WagonerApril 11, 20190 Views0

Fit Travel Life-Travel Nurse Blogger

By Alex McCoy, Contributing Writer, Owner of Fit Travel Life

Editor’s note: Stocking Up is a three-part miniseries that covers the essential travel items and furnishing methods Alex McCoy uses to make it feel more like home at each new travel assignment without breaking the bank. You can read part one by clicking here, or jump to part three by clicking here.

Finding housing can be one of the most stressful parts of working as a travel nurse. At the beginning of my career, I always looked for a place that had all the bells and whistles: furniture, linens, and dishes seemed like “must-haves” for a short term lease.

I started to realize that this was actually costing me money as I have moved back and forth across the country. I could pay for the convenience of having everything I needed ready and waiting or I could spend a little extra time and cash up front and save myself hundreds of dollars a month at each assignment.

Aside from corporate rentals or Airbnb, I have found that most apartment complexes that offer furnished options do not usually offer a “fully stocked” option. This means your apartment will have all of the big pieces of furniture, but smaller items such as dishes and linens will not be provided. I have found these rentals to be much cheaper than move-in ready versions, and for our last three assignments, we have gone this route instead. In the process, I have learned several shortcuts to get all the necessities we need without breaking the bank or overflowing the car.

1. Get familiar with Dollar Tree and other discount stores.

travel nurse save money-dollar tree

A Pepsi truck is parked in front of the Dollar Tree discount store, in the Naperwest Plaza in Naperville, Illinois on October 5, 2017. (Source: Bigstock)

My first stop is Dollar Tree whenever we have to purchase small household items including kitchen utensils, dish towels and bathroom accessories . I usually make a list of things we need and go their first and see if I can get lucky and find most of the items I need.

After that, I go to Big Lots. I can usually find some of the larger items here like shower curtains or small kitchen appliances for $10 or less. By purchasing cheaper versions of some necessities, I can usually keep my first-day expenses under $150 and donate anything that won’t fit in my car at the end of the assignment.

2. Remember that you likely won’t be entertaining large groups of guests.

I think one of the reasons we stress about having certain items in our home is because friends and family might be coming to visit and “need” something like a matching hand towel or an extra blanket if they get cold.

When you start to think about what you personally use on a regular basis, the need for extra “stuff” will start to dwindle. Even when we do have friends come out to visit, we simply make a joke about the travel life and hand them our plastic silverware and a paper plate.

3. Pare down linens to the bare minimum.

more blankets and less blankets

When it comes to bulkier items like blankets and towels, space gets taken up wdqquickly. As a traveler, you have to analyze what you actually use on a regular basis, and weed out items that you might have at home for “show” rather than usability.

For example, traveling with a good quality fleece blanket or heavy afghan will take up less space than a comforter. Try to bring no more than two towels per person—one for everyday use and an extra in case you go to the pool, gym, etc. Use dish towels that can double as hot pads when cooking.

4. Opt for disposable options.

Madeleine Olivia Get Rid Of It GIF from Madeleineolivia GIFs

While producing extra waste is not my favorite way to live, often as a traveler, we have to take a few shortcuts here or there. One way I have learned to save space when packing is to utilize disposable silverware, plates, and bakeware when I can.

One way I do this and cut back on overall waste is to reuse these items as I can. By buying the heavy duty plasticware, you can actually get quite a bit of use of them by re-washing. I have also rewashed plastic cups and aluminum pans that are meant to be disposable and then I try to recycle as much as I can when they are worn out.

5. Be willing to do dishes and laundry more frequently.

If you only have one towel or just a couple sets of silverware it is inevitable that you will have to wash these items quite frequently. I often hand wash my dishes as I use them because I know I will be using them again soon. I also do a lot more laundry as a traveler than I did when I had a permanent home.

This may seem like a little bit of a pain, but the other option would be to create more space in your vehicle for extra items or splurge on a few things you want to donate at the end of your stay. I personally am fine with washing my towel every couple of days to save a little money and space.

6. Don’t stress—you’ll get more efficient as you go along.

Model Of Efficiency GIF from Model GIFs

Any long term traveler will tell you that as your career progresses you will find yourself getting better at streamlining what you need and cutting back on what you don’t. I used to spend way too much money stocking up on “needs” at the beginning of each assignment and quickly realized how fast three months goes by and what we really use in that time frame. Now, if I end up needing it, I can always go back for it.

Whether you decide to aim for the convenience of a move-in ready rental or to save a little cash by bargain shopping your first few days, you will find the routine that works best for your lifestyle and take a little stress off of finding your own perfect housing as a travel nurse.

<< Part One: My 5 Traveler Kitchen Must-Haves

>> Part Three: How To Cheaply Furnish A New Rental

First-Time Travel NurseHealth And WellnesshousingSaving MoneyTravel AlliedTravel NursingTraveler Tips
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • Comment
  • SHAREStocking Up: How To Save Money On Essentials For Your Travel Nurse Rental Home
    • Pin
    • Share
    • Share
Previous ArticleTop 10 Highest-Paying Travel Healthcare Jobs April 10-14
Next ArticleTravel Healthcare Jobs: Market Healthy In April As Seasonal Shift Continues
Ryan Wagoner
Ryan Wagoner is a reporter for Healthcare Traveler Today.

You may also like

Traveler Tips: How To Work With Multiple Travel Healthcare Recruiters

National Nurses United Members At 15 Hospitals Vote To Allow Strike

An Update On Medicaid Expansion Efforts and How They Affect Travelers

Leave a Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Browse Topics

  • Agency Advice
  • Agency Reviews
  • Ask The Expert
  • Career
  • Compliance
  • Continuing Education
  • EMR Conversions
  • eNLC
  • Featured
  • First-Time Traveler
  • For A Laugh
  • Healthcare Roundup
  • Hot Markets
  • Housing
  • Industry Trends
  • Inspiration
  • Licensing
  • Market Data
  • News
  • Nurse Contributor
  • Recruiter Advice
  • Strikes
  • Take A Break
  • Taxes
  • Top 10
  • Traveler Tips
  • Uncategorized
  • VMS/MSP
  • Weekly Polls
  • Your Photos
  • Your Stories

More Stories

×

The Benefits Of Traveling With A Nursing Compact License

By Alex McCoy, Contributing Writer, Owner of Fit Travel Life I was unknowingly blessed as a new travel nurse because I...

Travelers

ventura-california-emergency-hospital-travel nurses night shift

5 Reasons Why Travel Nurses Would Actually Want To Work Night Shift

February 20, 2019

Modern Healthcare releases Best Places to Work 2018 list

May 15, 2018
travel healthcare recruiter

4 Traits New Travel Healthcare Professionals Need In A Recruiter

April 5, 2018

Industry News

Pike's Peak-Colorado Springs-travel healthcare jobs nov 26

Top 10 Highest-Paying Travel Healthcare Jobs Nov. 28 – Dec. 2

November 29, 2022
Hospital

Should you take a 36-hour contract or a 48-hour contract?

November 1, 2022

My most memorable travel nurse destination

December 1, 2022

Traveler Photos

RN, Amanda M., traveling with a group in Antelope Canyon near Page, Ariz.
RN, Amanda M., taking in the sights at the Grand Canyon.
RN, Tammie T. in Florida
RN, Amanda M., taking snapshots on horseback in Monument Valley near Page, Ariz.
RN, Naomi B., shares photos of her adventures from Arizona and other parts of the U.S.
RN, Naomi B., shares photos of her adventures from Arizona and other parts of the U.S.
RN, May D., exploring nature near Chinle, Ariz.
RN, Amanda M., taking in the sights at the Grand Canyon.
RN, Amanda M., flying free on a zip line in Durango, Co.
Copyright © 2021 StaffDNA. All Rights Reserved.

Helpful news, travel tips, expert advice and online resources—delivered straight to your inbox once a week.

“Get The Scoop” on the travel healthcare industry with HCT Today.

Learn More

Agency Review

    HCT Today wants to know what healthcare professionals think about their travel agencies. Below are 15 questions covering Recruiting and Accounting & Customer Service. This survey will take two minutes. You will either be asked a yes/no question or a scale with 0 being poor and 5 being excellent. All submissions will remain anonymous.







    Recruiting

    0 = Poor & 5 = Excellent



    YesNo


    YesNo


    YesNoN/A



    Accounting & Customer Service

    0 = Poor & 5 = Excellent




    Overall Agency Score





    Photo of The Month Contest



      By clicking submit you are agreeing to the Photo Contest Terms and Conditions.

      We Want To Hear From You

        We want to hear your stories, feedback, suggestions or tips! Have an insider tip on upcoming strikes or EMR conversions at your hospital? Let us know! Interested in contributing a story or sharing your experience to help other traveling professionals? We want to hear it!




        You may optionally provide contact information below. Including this information helps our team reach out should we need more information regarding your submission. This information will not be shared with third parties.


        NoYes






        Unless you have chosen to remain anonymous, by submitting this form you give Healthcare Traveler Today permission to contact you for details regarding your submission. You also give permission for HCT Today to share your information on HCTToday.com. We will never publish your contact information. For questions, email hcttoday@staffdna.com or call 469-429-6608

        Hospital Review


          Healthcare Traveler Today is collecting hospital reviews from nurses nationwide to get a better idea of what it's like working in specific facilities. We want to hear from you! Share your experience by completing the form below. All reviews remain anonymous.










          YesNo


          YesNo


          YesNo


          YesNo



          YesNo



          RNNOLPNCNAOther




          By submitting this form you give Healthcare Traveler Today permission to contact you for details regarding your submission. You also give Healthcare Traveler Today permission to share this information on the HCTToday.com site. For questions, email hcttoday@staffdna.com or call 469-429-6608.