How do you keep track of what you are spending?

[Dallas_Lady]

We plan to use our room key for spending as well. I have been to several hotels that have it where you can just view your account balance on your room TV throughout your stay. This would help us keep track of our spending easier. Does Disney do this?

[Took]

Not that I know of. However, we have sometimes asked for an updated bill after a few days just to get this same info. The CM's have always been happy to comply, especially when we ask during a "non-busy" time at the desk.

Took

[Shannon G]

I usually add up all the receipts at the end of the each day, to keep a running total. Midweek I may get a printout from the front desk to make sure everything matches up. I get another printout the night before we checkout, so I can have any errors corrected without having to deal with it the next day when we're checking out. Make sure you check your statements from the front desk - like any other resort - Disney can make mistakes. On our trip in 1998, we had dinner at the Concourse Steakhouse and charged it to our room. When I checked our statement, two meals had been charged to our room, 5 minutes apart - yes, we had a big dinner, but even we couldn't eat that much! The front desk is excellent about helping staighten out any errors.

[Magic2000]

Whether we charge to the room, or pay cash, I try to keep track of what I spend each day. At the end of the day, while the kids are bathing and getting ready for bed, I write down where we ate and approx what we spent. Then, if we did any shopping, I write that down too. I usually get it pretty close too! I try not to charge to the room - I find we spend too much!!!

[AF Brenda]

On our last trip, we took cash with us. Every evening, I walked down to El Centro, had them tally up my expenditures for the day, and then paid them in cash. It made me much more aware of what I was spending.

[soccerchick]

We did a day by day budget before we left. We included all three meals per day, snacks, drinks, souvenirs, and incidentals. We knew where many of our meals would be (w/ a PS) and checked out wdwig.com and figured out approximate costs. Each night we recorded what we actually spent. We found we were always way under our budget, mostly because I over-budgeted for incidentals and souvenirs. We also really didn't spend much on snacks and drinks (thanks to our Brita H2O bottle and bringing some snacks in with us). At the end of our trip we splurged a little more on souvies and went home and put the left over travelers checks right back in the bank!

[MelissathePooh]

Y'all do better than me - I just close my eyes - pick up the bill at the end and swear next year we won't drink so much! But then again what fun would drinking around the world be without the drinking part!

Our biggest expenditure is always food & alcohol - we try to estimate meals ahead of time, that usually gives us a pretty good idea. I don't do a daily check - too much to keep up with.

[Liam]

By counting:D :D

[Cinderella]

Okay - maybe I am sad but, I take a little booklet with me and before I leave home I set it out with a couple of little pages for each day. One page has my ps ressies on and my plans for the day. The page next to it has sections to fill in what I am spending. I usually take cash for food and write down in one section how much cash I have spent each day. I charge everything else to the room and keep receipts so that I can add up at the end of the day what I have spent and charged to the room also. It doesn't take long if you draw a little basic chart for each day before you leave and it is great for checking against your bill when you check out.

[CaliforniaDreaming]

Spend, spend, spend, the bill will be waiting check-out morning with the total! LOL, it's best not to worry how much we are spending!

[eeyore0062]

We usually charge to the room, and the beginning of each day, before we go to the parks, we go to the front desk and request a printout of all of our charges. That way we know, if we need to adjust our spending for that day, or if we are right on target.

[LuvTigger]

My method is similar to Cinderella's...

A couple of times I carried a little notebook with pages reserved for each day. Our general schedule including PS confirmations was on one side, and a list of what we spent on the other side. I try to write down the cost of things right away, but if not, I just try to get a receipt for everything, except for things like water and ice cream from carts.

Once (and this worked well too), I printed out sheets from my computer, one sheet for every day. On the front, I had the schedule for the day. On the back, I broke it down into 3 sections: expenditures, food reviews, and miscellaneous comments.

I guess it all depends how obsessive you want to be about it!!:cool:

[Laurabearz]

We draw up a basic plan and I divide our money into different envelopes, one for each day. What ever is left over from the day's activies gets placed in the next days packet.... and so on and so on....

I also prestuff Mousekeeping envelopes before I go and pull them out as needed.

Since becoming DVC members, we try hard not to charge anything to our room so our bill is ZERO when we leave :D

[DixieDreamer]

LauraBearz... I like your idea! We budget a sizeable amount per day. Generally I only charge certain types of expenditures to the room - souvenirs generally. I bring travelers cheques and cash for meals and incidentals. I start out with more than what I need per my budget.. and then spend as we see fit. As I approach the end of the stay - I usually have MORE cash left over than I expected... mainly because I budget so much in the first place. I don't want to worry or short myself while on vacation. However, by using cash... I try to avoid the BIG BILL at the end blues. Unfortunately, our most recent Disney adventure was a Magic Cruise... where you MUST use your Keys to the World card to charge everything too.. So naturally we had the BIG BILL blues at the end of our stay. :( I was expecting it... but it does kind of put an even more depressing tone to the end of a great stay.

[kimmar067]

that is a GREAT idea. I think that I will use my little "notbook" that I received in the mail from the DC. Then,everything will be right at my fingertips - ressies, expenditures, itinerary, etc. I really have to do some major plsnning this time out, because there will be 13 of us (possibly 15!!) and I am considered the "expert" of the group, so all eyes will be lokking to me....:( !

[DawnCt]

I use my palm pilot. The calculator keeps a running total and does not clear when it is turned off. For back up, I enter the day's total in the calendar or memo section.

[Laurabearz]

Gosh... I am in awe of those of you who keep recipts and log expenditures as you go. I wish I was of "that mind"

There is NO way I could do that! :rolleyes:

Our two girls keep us running..... I like our envelope system. No thinking! Well... no thinking once on site.... a lot of preplanning ahead of time! Plus at the end We often have enough for a "big" souviener.... I am hoping to score a watch this time!:D

[caitycaity]

dawn that is a GREAT idea! i never thought of that!

i'll have to try it when we go. thanks! :D

[bigsis1970]

I also do the envelope thing..
looked at the menus figure the budget put it in the envelope and put the reciepts back in the envelope and tally at night on the outside ..

I also pre-fill my "MouseKeeping" envelopes..

Michelle

[kimmar067]

..."do" the envelopes, is there any "leftover"money at the end of the day? (and if so, do you transfer it to the next day's envelope?)

[bigsis1970]

I saved the "left-overs" for 2 days before coming home and then spent some ... but also brought home more then i spent in those 2 day ( i got a watch i saw and a new bag and some t-shirts for friends and came home w/ about $750. ) hope my budget works the same way this year.. LOL Michelle

[jennymouse]

I used the envelope method too and it worked well from me. I also divided DGD's spending money and added it to the envelopes. I didn't keep reciepts or tally anything though. What little I had left over I spent the next day. Every morning b/4 we left the room I'd get that day's envelope out of the safe and was good to go. The envelopes mostly contained traveler's checks, but had some disney dollars and a little ($20) cash too. That was only a four day trip, but I'm thinking of doing the same thing for our nine night trip in October. That or charge to the room, but I'm worried I'll over spend if I do that! :rolleyes:

[TerryN]

Keep track of what we spend????:confused: Are we the only people who don't??? We just look at the bill when we get home:D :D

42 Days 1 Hrs 15 Mins 43 Secs

[themeparkcomando]

I also use the envelope method. I put traveler's checks in them, and label them before we leave. I transfer any money left to the next day's envelope. I've done it this way for years. It really helps with keeping a budget.

I joke with the kids that when the envelope's empty, it's time to go back to the hotel.

[Laurabearz]

Originally posted by themeparkcomando

I joke with the kids that when the envelope's empty, it's time to go back to the hotel.

I am going to use that in the future! Thanks for the great line! :D

We also carry over left over money to the next day. I have been known to sway the vote for cheaper meals (IE sharing dinners, foot courts) just to bring money home :D

I like budgetting high and bringing money home. Make me feel like I saved even more! :Pinkbounc

[Richyams]

Keep track of what we spend???? Are we the only people who don't??? We just look at the bill when we get home

No, you are not alone. I bring 1/3 in cash, 2/3 in travelers checks and credit cards. When I see the travelers checks running low, I start using some cash and some credit cards. I usually have 3k in cash and travelers checks. I have gotten home without using the credit card and also with plenty of money left, I have also gotten home broke with nothing and a couple more k on the credit card.

Budget??? What a riot.

I am also very impressed with some of the techniques. I only dream of being that organized.

[DawnCt]

I bring some cash and travelers check. I use the travelers checks when it is more convenient to use cash; ie snacks, counter service, smaller purchases, etc. I primarily put everything on my American Express Delta Sky miles card, redeposit the travelers checks that I come home with and use that money to pay the bill, (0r part of it). This most recennt trip to S. Cal. I came home with $800 in Travelers checks and the knowledge that I netted a lot of sky miles.

[JAP]

I had estimated what we would spend each day on food, drinks, souvenirs. We brought a certain amount of cash and I tallied the receipts at the end of the day. We ended up spending much less everyday which allowed for us to buy more souveirs and eat a little more expensive dinners.

I had also taken lots of water and snacks into the parks with us. At the time DD perferred what I had over what we could get at the parks.:)

[mrsltg]

You guys are amazing! Someone TEACH me!!! I just swipe that credit card at check in and then it's "free money" from there on out... that is, until the bill that's thicker than War and Peace arrives on my door!!!

This is partly why I enjoy Discovery Magic so much. I feel that once I've paid for that part of my package, I'm all set! No food charges really reduces the bill at the end (of course it's only a shell game because I've already paid for it, but hey, it makes me FEEL better!!!).

Everyone have a great and safe vacation!

Erin:earsgirl:

[Piglet203]

For our upcoming trip, Mickey76 and I are going to bring a little cash and the majority of our money in Travellers Checks. I just feel better doing that. As far as keeping track of what we are spending, we are going to set aside a certain amount for food and keep spending money separate. Everytime we spend travellers checks we will probably write what we've spend so far adn so on. We have more than enough money for our trip, but it's easy to spend it quickly and we want it to last. I can't wait to get our travellers checks!!! It'll be another exciting thing to get us even more excited about going :)

21 days and counting!!!

[jesdmill1]

I have a special bank account that is our "disney" money. I have looked at the menus of the restaurants we'll be eating at and know approx how much 10 days of meals will cost for the 2 of us... We don't usually go too crazy on souveneirs, but I already know what things I want to get ( I need more figment merchendise, I hope they have it out!) Our hotels on the way down and back are already prepayed. When we arrive we will set up the card for charging, but we will use it as little as possible - yes, to avoid "big bill" syndrome at the end :) We will spend cash for all meals and most souveneirs.

Last year we used mostly disney dollars but this year I think it will be traveler's checks - we're going to Universal and I don't think they will take the Disney dollars :)

[DancingBear]

I don't keep track, and put everything I can on the room key or directly on credit cards, because I hate to carry a lot of cash, and can't stand messing with traveler's checks either. When we're on vacation I can't be bothered.....however......I've never had any nasty surprises, because with the obsessive advance planning I do, I have a pretty good idea of what we should be spending, and if we spend more than that I'm pretty much aware of that decision as it happens.

One good thing with my "system" is I've got a good record afterwards of where the money went---between my hotel receipt and looking at my credit card charges through on-line banking, I can recreate just about everything.

[DeeP]

I bring a small amount of cash for offsite purchases and everything else is charged this way I do not have to carry much with me. Also one year we were robbed and even though American Express replaces the travelers checks for free it still wasted vacation time to go to the Amex office in Epcot and get this taken care of. Every couple of days I get a print out of my account from the front desk to check on what we are spending and I am usually right on the money. Once we get home I pay off the whole credit card bill and then book the next trip! :D