who has funded DIS entirely from loose change/yard sales?

[wannagodis]

Hi everyone!!! New member, first time "post-er"!! However I've been a voyeur of the DIS Boards for some time. My husband and I went to DIS before kids...now that they are 4 and 5, I'd love to go again..BUT since we are now a one income family with lots of bills, I'm sadly convinced that the only we'll get there is by saving change and having the odd yard sale every now and then..QUESTION: I know there are many people who save for Disney this way..what I wanna know is how long has it taken for you to do it, and what exactly did you do??? THANKS!!!! I need some encouragement!

[tater bug]

A good bit of the time we put up change and $1. It adds up quickly without seeming to "break the bank". Good luck with your saving and welcome to the DIS! :wave:

[NancyIL]

Welcome to the DIS, wannagodis! I haven't saved for WDW by saving change, but I do try to economize both before I go and while at WDW. The time it will take for you to save "enough" money depends on a number of things - such as how long you'll spend at WDW, where you'll stay, and how you'll get there. I would start by determining a rock bottom budget so you'll have a savings goal.

[JC Butterfly]

Wannagodis-

Welcome to the boards! (Watch out, they're addictive!)

I don't have any experience with funding my trip solely from loose change but I have a LOT of experience with "creative budgeting"

1) Is it possible for you to travel in off season?

Since you have a 4 & 5 year old I wasn't sure if they were in school yet or not but would you be willing to take them out of school for a few days in order to take advantage of great deals? I have seen rates for the Downtown Disney area go for $29 a night!

2) Do you use credit cards?

I have earned three free trips so far with my Northwest frequent flyer card. I put EVERYTHING on the card: phone bill, car payment, groceries, etc. I budget for it and pay off the card each month and its a great way to get free trips!

Also, I have MCI long distance and earn miles that way. So if you make any long distance calls, it might be worth checking with various carriers to see what they offer.

3) Have you considered selling on ebay?

Instead of the traditional "yard sale" many people have posted great success with selling on ebay. Its something you can do anytime/all year from the comfort of your home.

4) What are your current eating habits?

It is so easy for me to stop for fast food every day and I like to enjoy a meal out once a week or so. When I enter "trip plan" mode I make sure that I am packing my lunch every day (its a lot cheaper) and that one night a week is "Ramen noodle" night or "maccaroni night" and I take the money that I would have used for a "nicer" meal and put that in my trip fund.

Some people buy Disney dollars as a way to not touch the money. Others make a seperate savings account that they won't touch. Find something that works for you!


Let's look at a sample budget.

If you purchase tickets on ticketmania.com it will cost you approximately $700 for 2 adult & 2 child 4 day park hoppers.

Let's pretend that you could get that awesome deal of $29 a night for 5 nights with tax would be about $160.

If you wanted to eat at least a few meals in the parks but were willing to go light on breakfast in your room you might spend about $75 a day for the four of you so $375 is a sample budget.

I have no idea how much plane tickets would be from where you are, but lets say they are $250 each and let's say you earn at least one free ticket. So $750 for the four of you.

You also have to include transportation from the airport to the parks. Rental cars will be about $150 if you stick to the smaller side. Taxi costs might be a little less.

So right now your "bare bones" budget is $2135 not including any souveniers. So if you wanted to go in about a year, you would have to be saving about $178 a month. If you had a two year plan, you would have to save $88 a month.

Well, hope this gets you started. Keep checking out all these boards for more great info!

Brenda

[wannagodis]

Thanks everyone for responding. Brenda...thanks for all the detail! I estimated that I would need about $2500 to:
a) stay at WDW 4 nights.
B) get 5 day hopper passes for 2 adults, 2 kids.
C) Stay on site - (all star resort), off season-preferably first week in December, as long as there is a code available
D) eat, of course. one meal a day in the parks. afternoon meal.
E) souvenirs kept to BARE minimum!
F) fly--out of Wash. DC--I live in Shenandoah Valley of VA--mountains are great! Prices tend to be anywhere from 100-200 a ticket that I've seen...every now and then you can get a bit cheaper. I've seen it as low as $70 (once!) Airfare for the family could be as low as $400, and as high as $800! I currently don't have any frequent flyer miles, but I do have my long distance service (MCI, just got it) that gets FF miles from United.

I'm currently scouring my house to see what I can sell on e-Bay. Never done it before. I'll look into it. I noticed several postings have great tips on "e-Baying". If anyone has other suggestions on raising money, keep 'em coming! THANKS for all your input!!!

[bethie]

Hello fellow Virginian and welcome to the boards. Have you ever thought about driving to DW. We do and it really is not that bad. We split into two nights to give our daughter a break,usually somewhere around Florence SC. I figure $50-60 a night(coming and going) for a hotel and $100 or so roundtrip for gas. Just a thought. Good luck!
Beth:)

[wannagodis]

hi bethie: drive, hmm...guess i never considered it because it takes SO long (we are 5-6 hours northwest of you). How long do you drive each day to DW? Let me know...thanks!

[bethie]

We have a four year old who was two on our last trip. It takes probably 12-13 hours to get to Orlando from Yorktown. We stop alot too. We usually drive to Florence, SC and stay both coming and going. That is kinda a half way point for us, so I guess we drive 6 hours or so. Once we drove to Savannah and stayed, that was tough. It is 9 hours driving time, but you stop for lunch, etc.. so its actually takes more time. Still, I would always drive. I like having my car at DW for quick trips outside the park. Check out www.mapquest.com for an idea of long it would take you to get to Orlando from where you live. Whereabouts do you live? I am being nosie now.:)

Beth

[Tiggerlover91]

I sent you a PM, I hope to hear from you soon. ;)

Denise

[wannagodis]

Bethie---I sent you a PM to let you know more info. THANKS!

[Tiggerlover91]

Another PM for ya! :p

[bethie]

Wannagodis, got you PM and responded:D

Tiggerlover91, if you PM'ed me, I didn't get it. Please try again. Thanks:D

Beth

[Tiggerlover91]

I apologize Bethie....the PM I sent was for Wannagodis! My apologies! :jester:

[bethie]

Tiggerlover91,

LOL-not a problem! Just checking.:D

Beth

[Maleficent2]

wannagodis

Let me invite you over to the Rewards Board you will find that alot of us have totally paid for our WDW vacations with rewards programs and since you are a SAHM and have a computer.Well.....

and Welcome to the DIS.

You could start with a few simple ones and go from there.

here is the link

http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?forumid=35


Mal