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Things you do to afford a Disney trip...
- Thread starter Madame
- Start date
Try Virgin Mobile. Unlimited texting and data for $33 per month.
We still have a landline because our cell service is horrible at our house. We don't spend a fortune on our phones though, Less than $72 a month for me, dh and dd. $10 each every 4 months for my dses.
bababear_50
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2007
I just made myself a "Disney Starbucks envelope".
No Disney cards avaliable here in Canada, but on my last trip I used up a bunch of Starbucks gift cards.
I am going to try and buy a 10.00 G.C. each week and slowly build up a small stash.
I was surprised at the nice variety Starbucks offers.
(smoothies,fresh fruit,scones,banana bread,breakfast sandwiches,protein boxes etc).
Lots of locations to use it at.(2 in DTD).
No Disney cards avaliable here in Canada, but on my last trip I used up a bunch of Starbucks gift cards.
I am going to try and buy a 10.00 G.C. each week and slowly build up a small stash.
I was surprised at the nice variety Starbucks offers.
(smoothies,fresh fruit,scones,banana bread,breakfast sandwiches,protein boxes etc).
Lots of locations to use it at.(2 in DTD).
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I buy Disney gift cards every month at Target for the red card discount. I also do a few of the survey sites, ebates, Perk TV, etc for gift cards.
I also have 2 part time jobs - one I figure into our household budget, one is for Disney money. My husband is a scrapper for fun, and what he makes in metal goes towards Disney as well.
I also have 2 part time jobs - one I figure into our household budget, one is for Disney money. My husband is a scrapper for fun, and what he makes in metal goes towards Disney as well.
BLAZEY
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 29, 2006
I have a vacation account which I pay into each paycheque, plus bonus's and gift money. Our last DL trip and this upcoming WDW trip our park passes for the 3 of us have been competely paid for by Dream Air Miles. We had 5 day PH for DL and have 7 day base tickets this year. I still have 6 months to go so I am now saving Air Miles Cash to redeem for Starbucks cards for WDW and the plane trip as many airports have them.
NY Pirate Princess
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 26, 2014
Let's see....
A year before our last trip we had a budget explosion, and I figured out I would need to save $ or we couldn't go. I figured out how much we needed to save, divided it by the time we had left, and set up direct deposit at a local bank with almost literally no ATMs. I also set up my regular on line checking account so I could easily transfer money INTO my vacation account but not out. Worked like a charm and I've never looked back.
I maximize my deductions as much as I can with different incentives (401k, dependent care savings, 529 plan) so our tax return is quite large. Our return for 2014 went straight into the vacation account, and it will pay for our trip except for flights. I know, there are ways to not give Uncle Sam such a big loan all year, but this works for me. Next year it will fund an IRA for us, so I don't just blow this money always!
I have a Disney Visa that I pay every month used for gas, groceries, and day care. Just got the AmEx from JetBlue for the sign up bonus for at least one free flight for us if not more. I will ditch this card before next spring and the annual fee starts unless things change dramatically on the annual fee front or rewards points system. This will be our first trip without the Disney Dining Plan so the rewards will go toward Hoop Dee Doo and snacks on the go. No dining plan should help too, since we won't be eating at Table Service every day and I won't have to pay the ginormous "maximize the meal plan" tips.
While it is more expensive on the front end, we always stay on property and take Disney transportation. No rental car, no getting lost, no paying for parking, gas, insurance, tolls. I am excited for the new screens at the bus stops that seem to show when the next bus will arrive!
Congratulations to all of you who have quit smoking. Not only are you saving money, but you are saving years for more trips! I quit in 2000. It was one of the hardest and most rewarding things I have done in life. Cheers to us!
A year before our last trip we had a budget explosion, and I figured out I would need to save $ or we couldn't go. I figured out how much we needed to save, divided it by the time we had left, and set up direct deposit at a local bank with almost literally no ATMs. I also set up my regular on line checking account so I could easily transfer money INTO my vacation account but not out. Worked like a charm and I've never looked back.
I maximize my deductions as much as I can with different incentives (401k, dependent care savings, 529 plan) so our tax return is quite large. Our return for 2014 went straight into the vacation account, and it will pay for our trip except for flights. I know, there are ways to not give Uncle Sam such a big loan all year, but this works for me. Next year it will fund an IRA for us, so I don't just blow this money always!
I have a Disney Visa that I pay every month used for gas, groceries, and day care. Just got the AmEx from JetBlue for the sign up bonus for at least one free flight for us if not more. I will ditch this card before next spring and the annual fee starts unless things change dramatically on the annual fee front or rewards points system. This will be our first trip without the Disney Dining Plan so the rewards will go toward Hoop Dee Doo and snacks on the go. No dining plan should help too, since we won't be eating at Table Service every day and I won't have to pay the ginormous "maximize the meal plan" tips.
While it is more expensive on the front end, we always stay on property and take Disney transportation. No rental car, no getting lost, no paying for parking, gas, insurance, tolls. I am excited for the new screens at the bus stops that seem to show when the next bus will arrive!
Congratulations to all of you who have quit smoking. Not only are you saving money, but you are saving years for more trips! I quit in 2000. It was one of the hardest and most rewarding things I have done in life. Cheers to us!
amylevan
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2005
We have a landline because it's bundled with our internet & cable, so it works out to like $10/month. I prefer to talk on a landline so we keep it.
Now on the other hand, I have an old flip phone that I use the pre pay cell service from Page Plus. That ends up costing me like $25 every 3 months or so. Some day I'd like to upgrade to an actual smart phone.
verleniahall
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 5, 2013
Have you considered going through starbucks and purchasing a mobile gift card? you can register it and get rewards points and you can just load it online.
Gumbo4x4
Note to the ladies who forgot to
- Joined
- Jan 19, 2012
The garage sale idea is a good one if you can do it successfully. All of ours have ended up bringing in a pittance though. We'd be ahead in money and time to pick up some OT or even take a part-time job for a few weeks then throw all the clutter in the garbage.
Nowadays, we take what we can to the consignment shop & what they won't take goes straight to Goodwill or the end of the driveway. It's a lot less time consuming & we get a lot more $ out of it.
Nowadays, we take what we can to the consignment shop & what they won't take goes straight to Goodwill or the end of the driveway. It's a lot less time consuming & we get a lot more $ out of it.
Praying Colonel
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2004
DS was in the CP last year (Spring Advantage, then extended so he was there almost a full year). We took him down in January, visited him in March, May & August, then I went back & picked him up in January. We never could've gone that many times if we hadn't stayed offsite in a condo (Armed Forces Vacation Club--7 days for $349), eaten about 2 of every 3 meals at our condo and got APs. Many people will tell you that staying/eating offsite detracts from the experience, and I'm not going to knock their approach. But for us, the money was better spent going more often.
pigletto
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 27, 2007
There is a promo with Virgin Mobile that you can get a $15 Starbucks credit for $10. We collected quite a few of these for our last trip and the bonus cash took the sting out of the exchange rate. So if you don't have a Virgin Mobile plan ask around and see if your friends aren't going to use their codes. My dd collected one every few weeks for me before the tripI just made myself a "Disney Starbucks envelope".
No Disney cards avaliable here in Canada, but on my last trip I used up a bunch of Starbucks gift cards.
I am going to try and buy a 10.00 G.C. each week and slowly build up a small stash.
I was surprised at the nice variety Starbucks offers.
(smoothies,fresh fruit,scones,banana bread,breakfast sandwiches,protein boxes etc).
Lots of locations to use it at.(2 in DTD).
Goofy'slady
When Life Gives You Lemons - SHOP!
- Joined
- Jul 31, 2006
I'm a single mum so I try and make each and every dollar stretch regardless to what it's for. With that being said I do fairly well with our one income. I usually use my tax refund to either entirely pay for the trip or it pays for the majority of it and for the rest I simply budget until it needs to be paid off. For instance we're going in August and our airfare is paid for and over half of our trip is as well. I have budgeted out that by the our 45day deadline our trip will be paid in full and we're right on schedule. Then it's just a matter of budgeting for tips, and souvenirs and believe it or not that's a breeze. This year is a little different in regards to our budget due to a family wedding that we're attending later on this month. It's one of my older sister's daughter (so my niece) who's getting married and it's a HUGE wedding in regards to how fancy. My girls and I had to get all new gowns, shoes and various other things just to attend and it's costing me about 1,200.00 just to attend. That money could have gone with what I've already paid on our trip and it would be just about paid for but that's life right.
Along the way I stick to a written shopping list when it comes to groceries. While we still do go out to the occasional movie or meal out we've scaled back on the frequency of them. I watch for sales on clothes & shoes and plan way ahead of time so that the cost of new seasonal things gets spread out. I've also started cleaning homes of a few of my neighbors who are either to busy or elderly to do it themselves and that affords me a few hundred dollars each month that I can squirrel away. All in all considering things I think we're still doing rather well and the fact alone that my kids will have 10 days with Mickey on property makes this woman very happy.
Along the way I stick to a written shopping list when it comes to groceries. While we still do go out to the occasional movie or meal out we've scaled back on the frequency of them. I watch for sales on clothes & shoes and plan way ahead of time so that the cost of new seasonal things gets spread out. I've also started cleaning homes of a few of my neighbors who are either to busy or elderly to do it themselves and that affords me a few hundred dollars each month that I can squirrel away. All in all considering things I think we're still doing rather well and the fact alone that my kids will have 10 days with Mickey on property makes this woman very happy.
bjscheel
(Avatar art by my daughter)
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2005
Every time I deposit a paycheck, I move 10% of the deposit to a Capital One 360 account for vacation. (And every time I draw money from DH's business account to personal, I put 10% in a Capital One account for savings.) Twice a year I get a bonus, so part is put in vacation account too.
DH owning a semi means lots of fuel to charge on a cc, so we earn enough SW points to fly free. Sometimes he puts parts or repairs on a Capital One 1.5% cash back, so about 6 weeks before vacation, I cash that out ($237 this year).
That pretty much covers vacation costs. If it's Disney, I put it on the Disney Visa and make small payments out of the regular budget until the 6 months no interest is up, then I pay it off with the vacation savings.
Otherwise, we don't pay for TV, just get it on the antenna. DH needs unlimited talk and very good coverage for his business, so he has a Verizon $60 plan but the rest of us are on Tracfone for $100/year each. Tracfone is supposed to take iPhones now, so we're going to try moving DH's old one to Tracfone this week for DD16 and if it works out, get used iPhones for DD13 and me. They run on Verizon towers, so we can get great coverage and iPhones for about $8/month.
Our house payments are small compared to most and our property taxes are super low (under $600/year). We got a fantastic deal on a fixer-upper and DH can do most of the work himself. So all that helps with the disposable income too!
DH owning a semi means lots of fuel to charge on a cc, so we earn enough SW points to fly free. Sometimes he puts parts or repairs on a Capital One 1.5% cash back, so about 6 weeks before vacation, I cash that out ($237 this year).
That pretty much covers vacation costs. If it's Disney, I put it on the Disney Visa and make small payments out of the regular budget until the 6 months no interest is up, then I pay it off with the vacation savings.
Otherwise, we don't pay for TV, just get it on the antenna. DH needs unlimited talk and very good coverage for his business, so he has a Verizon $60 plan but the rest of us are on Tracfone for $100/year each. Tracfone is supposed to take iPhones now, so we're going to try moving DH's old one to Tracfone this week for DD16 and if it works out, get used iPhones for DD13 and me. They run on Verizon towers, so we can get great coverage and iPhones for about $8/month.
Our house payments are small compared to most and our property taxes are super low (under $600/year). We got a fantastic deal on a fixer-upper and DH can do most of the work himself. So all that helps with the disposable income too!
disney-inspired
Disney on the brain 24/7/365!
- Joined
- Jan 24, 2008
For our upcoming trip I started a Disney Vacation Savings account. I wanted to reach my goal by early this year so I could spend the rest of the time saving up fun money. I set an automatic payment of $25 for every two weeks (to coincide with payday) and then when I was getting really close (within $100-$200) I bought Disney GCs at Target (saved 5% with my Redcard) and added them to my account. I paid off my room, dining and ticket in February. I also found a killer deal for airfare and was able to buy it in cash that same day.
Now I have a coke bottle coin bank that I throw all my loose change in but I'm trying to save an additional $500 - $600 by September for all the extras I'll need (new clothes, spending money, tip money, etc). I don't want to feel tied down on my vacation so I over budget.
Now I have a coke bottle coin bank that I throw all my loose change in but I'm trying to save an additional $500 - $600 by September for all the extras I'll need (new clothes, spending money, tip money, etc). I don't want to feel tied down on my vacation so I over budget.
mi*vida*loca
Collect memories, not things
- Joined
- Mar 29, 2008
This is us. I've cut back on certain things but I refuse to go without things I enjoy just to go to Disney.
We all have iphones but I get 22% off of my bill through my job.
I do get a manicure and a pedicure but instead of going every 2 weeks like I used to I go every 3 weeks.
We eat out once a week instead of two or three. When the kids have games on a weeknight I plan ahead and make leftovers.
A big thing is...i don't say yes to everything I'm invited to. If I go to your birthday party or wedding or sweet 15/16 I am your true friend. Not just someone I know in passing. Same with my kids. They don't go to every event they are invited to especially whole class birthday parties. I save so much money on gifts this way.
kymom99
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 24, 2008
I am the same way about invitations. Not just birthday parties, etc. but if people from work invite me out, I am selective about when I will accept. Used to be I would almost never say no! Now I am much more choosy. Even with my close friends I sometimes decline if money is an issue.
mi*vida*loca
Collect memories, not things
- Joined
- Mar 29, 2008
I rarely, if ever, go out with my coworkers. I see them 40 hours a week. That's enough for me lol
I also decline a lot of "night out" things. SO and I have a big circle of friends/cousins we are close with. They are mostly his friends that I inherited but we are truly close with each other. I decline things because it can cost a lot when it's every.single.weekend just about. When they do a house "party/dinner party" I will go. That's cheap. But a night out here or there....it just becomes too much. His group is pretty split in the middle. Half plan expensive things and the other half are more conscious and do more budget night outs. But it still takes a toll.
My SO gets weirded out because when he was single he never said no. Single guy, had a roommate, minimal bills, no responsibilities, no kids. He went to everything. Now he has more expenses (new car, higher rent, etc) and has to say no.
Gumbo4x4
Note to the ladies who forgot to
- Joined
- Jan 19, 2012
In my younger days, I never said "no" to a night out, but there were always ways to do it on the cheap. If dinner & drinks, I'd skip dinner, join up for drinks, and drink ice water all night.
I quit "drinking" for financial reasons so many times I kind of lost interest LOL
I quit "drinking" for financial reasons so many times I kind of lost interest LOL
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