Disney savers: How do you save up for Disney?

[Dismom55]

Originally Posted by budcollector

i put the money i Used to spend on a pack of smokes every day into a savings acct and at the end of the year when i'm ready to book my trip i have the money to pay for it

Congrats on quiting and putting the money to a much better use. What a wonderful idea.

[jkshel]

3 words: COFFEE AT HOME.

[Blackbeltdisneygirl]

Originally Posted by dawnmichele

My Target (in Lawrence, KS) doesn't sell Disney gift cards. When I asked they looked at me like I was crazy. When I told them about people buying them with the Target card to save 5% they told me I couldn't put gift cards on a credit card. What's with all that, I wonder. Anyone else have a Target that doesn't sell cards? I know I can get them online, but since my credit card has been used two different times by strangers illegally, I'm worried about buying stuff online. Anyone know anywhere else I might buy them?

Do you have Giant Eagle grocery stores near you? I get mine there and earn free gas.

Originally Posted by jkshel

3 words: COFFEE AT HOME.

Good one!

[dawnmichele]

Originally Posted by Blackbeltdisneygirl

Do you have Giant Eagle grocery stores near you? I get mine there and earn free gas.

No I sure don't.
Thanks for the suggestion though!

[Blackbeltdisneygirl]

Originally Posted by dawnmichele

No I sure don't.
Thanks for the suggestion though!

Darn it! The only thing I can suggest then is ordering them online from Disney. There are no rewards by doing it that way other than it being an effective way of saving up for Disney.

[cyros]

Loving these tips!

[Blackbeltdisneygirl]

Just bumpin' before this thread moves to page 2! I will be back with a new post shortly!!

[trixidixie]

We have mostly cut out the "going out" thing. Instead what we do is use our Visa Debit Card (or American Express Pre-Paid card) and have $ put on them weekly, bi-weekly and monthly. That way we plan what we need and save up for it. Then we put the pre-paid cards away and use our normal bank debit cards. No Credit Card until we actually arrive in DW and then, only then will it be used for stuff OUTSIDE Disney.

Another thing we do is we get Disney dollars. You cannot spend them anywhere else but Disney and we also use 1 Disney Gift card, fill it up to its maximum allowance and then give it to our DS for him to spend when he is down there. Makes quite a difference.

In addition, we buy the DDP in advance with park hopper tickets. Everything is PRE-bought so we have less to spend when we get down there.

Planning is everything. We also figure on spending money outside of Disney so we will plan to put that on a different Pre-Paid card and allocate only the funds for that experience too.

[trixidixie]

Originally Posted by Blackbeltdisneygirl

Please see edit to post #1. I will edit it right after I finish this post.

I decided to expand this thread a bit to include not only ways to save up for Disney, but also to include alternative ways of saving on everything, bills, utilities, clothes, food, etc... My reasons for doing this will be explained in my edited post. I look forward to learning how everyone else lives their lives in a tough economy. What ways have you come up with to make ends meet????

This first post in the alternative methods posts will cover clothing. How do you save on clothing in your family? I may repeat some things I have said in previous posts, but I want to provide links in post #1 that come directly to the main posts about each area of alternative saving methods. If we get a lot of great ideas, I will then add those ideas to my list so as to give everyone awesome new ideas.

1. My first method is one I have mentioned before. I often shop resale. Many people frown on this, and I used to be one of them. When I was in jr. high, people got made fun of for shopping at K-mart or at yard sales, so I grew up very against these things. I was one of the ones getting picked on. I decided at that time to make my own money and buy my own things so I wouldn't be picked on anymore. I missed out on a lot of opportunities by completely ignoring resale shopping. My wardrobe could've been a lot bigger. It is all in how you shop at a resale store or a yard sale that matters. Here are my tips on how to shop smart at these kind of places:

a. I have two methods for shopping that seem to work for me in picking cool clothes. The first being: I let my eye roam the racks for items that stick out to me. Usually if a fabric sticks out at me, there is a good chance I will like it. The second being: If I have time, I will look at each item on the rack, moving through them at a fast pace. Again, what sticks out, I look at more closely.

b. Inspect items closely: I check for tears, stains (especially in the pit area), etc... If I love the item and it has a tiny tear or stain, I decide if I can fix it. If I can't, I don't buy it. Some stores won't go down on prices for a stain, so if the price is higher and there is a flaw, I won't buy it. At a yard sale I like to haggle with the person for a lower price, pointing out the issue with the item.

c. Look for brand names/designer labels. Let someone else spend the big money. Then when they get rid of it, it is your job to swoop in and pay a quarter for something they paid $35 for. I don't know if I mentioned this, but I once hit a garage sale that had clothing in my daughters' sizes (teen clothes), and they were all American Eagle, Limited, Justice, Gap, Charlotte Russe, etc... The woman was charging $1.00 per item. Thank you very much ma'am. I bought 35 items I think for $35.00. I walked out with two beautiful wool trench coats for church, and 32 sweaters, camis, and shirts. Each item looked like it had never been worn.

2. For younger kids clothing, find an outlet store. Not only did I shop at resale shops and yard sales for my kids' clothes, but also outlet malls. When my oldest kids were small I spent TONS of money on Gap, Osh Kosh, Nike, Carters, Gymboree, etc... At least I got my money's worth as all the girl clothing was worn by my 4 girls, my niece, and my cousin. I wish I could've made better choices then though. I discovered our local outlet mall had Carters, Osh Kosh, and Children's Place in it. My hubby and I once went there and bought 139 items for $79.00. Yeah buddy!!!

3. Create more modest clothes. My daughters are very modest. Not that they cover up head to toe, but they do like their shorts longer and their shirts to not show anything. I think we can all see that a lot of clothes in the stores do not follow those guidelines. My 8 year old almost had a heart attack when we walked into Justice once and there were underwear that were very nearly thongs for little girls. Sick. We won't shop there. I was faced last year with having to buy my two older girls walking shorts (just above the knee is their preference) for $12.99 each for Disney. I had a couple pairs in a shopping cart online and then realized that for what I was paying, I could get only a couple pairs since they both wear roughly the same size, and I would have to get each of them a couple pairs. That is when I started looking through their old jeans and decided to take the ones that still fit in the waist but not the length and cut them into shorts. I rolled them up, put a couple stitches in them, and they looked like brand new walking shorts!!! For someone who is a little challenged in the sewing area, the same thing can be accomplished with hem tape. You can go to a local sewing/craft store and pick some up, and it just irons on to seal the hem. If anyone would like a tutorial on that, let me know and i will pick up some hem tape and take pictures of the process. Now we go to resale shops, buy brand name jeans, and hem them up! So cheap, so cute.

4. Make your own Disney shirts. I buy plain t-shirts all through the year as I come across them. Today I stumbled on some when I walked down an aisle at Walmart when I was buying a paper cutter, We were looking for plain purple tees, and there they were! Right in the craft aisle for a couple bucks! I had picked some up months before for the kids at $1.28 a shirt on the discount rack at Target. When the adults decided purple was a good color for our family shirts, I thought it would be rough finding them. Yay!! Look in places you may not be used to. I found cheap shirts at Walgreens one day. They were 4 for $10.00. Not bad. Save them up until you are ready for your shirt projects, and you will be glad you saved so much on them by buying throughout the year. I also went a step further and bought an embroidery machine, but that was an expense, not a money saver. It will save us money in the long run though since I spent close to $200 on transfers last year.

5. Use coupons. I am pooh sized, so I shop at Lane Bryant. They have fantastic coupons that can be used in combination with sales. I save so much money since it is necessary for me to buy there. i know some of you may think this is TMI, but it qualifies as a money saver, so I am going to say it anyway! Since my "girls" are on the very large side, I have to buy my bras at Lane Bryant. Some of you may have to as well, or you may be able to buy elsewhere. In either case, look for sales and stock up. LB offers buy one get one half off sales and sometimes they offer a buy two get two free sale. That one is my favorite. My point is, I can use those sales in combination with a coupon to save a lot of money. By purchasing 6-8 bras this way, I can wear them all year, and they don't wear out as easily as if I buy 2 at a time.
*EDIT: I got a private message from someone suggesting that Kohls.com also sells them in larger sizes and that they often run sales. I will leave that person's name off unless they give me permission to use their name. Thanx for the tip!!!

6. If you have the time, hang your clothes on a line. I will address this later on when we talk about utilities, but it also helps clothes last longer. I have always done some version of this, even when I was in high school. I find my clothes line time to be the most peaceful time of my day. There's something wonderfully calming about doing something that people have done for centuries. Keeping clothing out of the dryer not only saves money on utilities, but also on replacing worn out clothes. Darks hold their color longer, whites become whiter from being in the sun, material holds up longer, etc... It is just so good for your clothes. I hang all my kids' flame retardent clothing even in winter b/c some fabric softeners and dryer sheets can take the flame retardency out of the clothes. i have my hubby put a hanging rod in every laundry room I have had, including when I only had a closet for my washer and dryer. I hang clothes I don't want to iron, pjs with flame retardency on the label, etc...


Well, I think that is a good start. I am sure I have other things that have just become so natural that I can't remember them right now. I will edit if I remember. Please, add your ideas, and we can all help each other to save for more Disney trips!!!!

Originally Posted by dontthrowsand

I take 10% of each cheque and out it into savings before it hits the bank. then I take $50 every 2 weeks and put it into a high interest tfsa. I also budget my paycheque and any extra/leftover goes into the tfsa.

I sell all my old textbooks for a low cost to other students as I have a bursary that pays for my books. The money I make from that goes in my account and I usually sell them all because they are so much cheaper that anywhere else.

I make the things my friends love on pinterest but don't have time to make. They pay me by making a donation to my trip.

I take about 70% of my tax return and put it in my trip fund. I also put any get rebate cheques I get into my savings.

I roll all my mom's change for her. She will usually split it with me then.

I have started hand washing my car at my parents house so the money from car washes in the spring/summer will go into my change bin.

Lastly I sometimes put myself on a restricted budget and anything extra I consider buying, I refuse and out 50% of the cost into a special fund that I then split between my trip and car repair fund

I love the ideas you have but have one more for you.

We go to thrift stores (that was how I was raised) and buy newer-like clothing at a fraction of the cost. It does make a huge difference at the register. We do this for DS and DH and I buy online on Ebay (Dealzone) for tops at a fraction of the cost elsewhere. For example, Dealzone has tops on sale for around $18 but when I get them, the tags read somewhere in the $69 to $90 range. A huge savings. My girlfriend keeps asking me where I get the great tops and I tell her! I also tell her the prices too.... Sure beats anywhere else (non-online).

[hsmamato2]

well, I don't specifically 'save for disney', but I do set aside a percent of our takehome pay weekly....I do it on payday,just as surely as I set aside for other things....... it's for 'vacations' specifically....so, in addition to living frugally in general I add that amount when planning for a trip..... (I have to, we're a single income fam,and DH needs to see things on a spreadhsheet)

[Blackbeltdisneygirl]

Originally Posted by trixidixie

We have mostly cut out the "going out" thing. Instead what we do is use our Visa Debit Card (or American Express Pre-Paid card) and have $ put on them weekly, bi-weekly and monthly. That way we plan what we need and save up for it. Then we put the pre-paid cards away and use our normal bank debit cards. No Credit Card until we actually arrive in DW and then, only then will it be used for stuff OUTSIDE Disney.

Another thing we do is we get Disney dollars. You cannot spend them anywhere else but Disney and we also use 1 Disney Gift card, fill it up to its maximum allowance and then give it to our DS for him to spend when he is down there. Makes quite a difference.

In addition, we buy the DDP in advance with park hopper tickets. Everything is PRE-bought so we have less to spend when we get down there.

Planning is everything. We also figure on spending money outside of Disney so we will plan to put that on a different Pre-Paid card and allocate only the funds for that experience too.

We do pretty much the same thing as far as prepaying for everything goes. We do a Disney package with room, dining, and tickets, then we price out our tips ahead of time. The tips may not be exact, but at least we have an idea of what we would be spending so we can be sure to bring enough gift cards. We never do hoppers though, never found a need for them. It works for our family to do one park a day. This is our first year going to MNSSHP so we will buy our tickets in advance for that. We also use only our KTTW cards to buy everything and for tips, that way we just pay down our balance at the front desk with gift cards. I agree, planning is important. Thanx for chiming in!

Originally Posted by trixidixie

I love the ideas you have but have one more for you.

We go to thrift stores (that was how I was raised) and buy newer-like clothing at a fraction of the cost. It does make a huge difference at the register. We do this for DS and DH and I buy online on Ebay (Dealzone) for tops at a fraction of the cost elsewhere. For example, Dealzone has tops on sale for around $18 but when I get them, the tags read somewhere in the $69 to $90 range. A huge savings. My girlfriend keeps asking me where I get the great tops and I tell her! I also tell her the prices too.... Sure beats anywhere else (non-online).

Good idea! Thanx for the pointer!

Originally Posted by hsmamato2

well, I don't specifically 'save for disney', but I do set aside a percent of our takehome pay weekly....I do it on payday,just as surely as I set aside for other things....... it's for 'vacations' specifically....so, in addition to living frugally in general I add that amount when planning for a trip..... (I have to, we're a single income fam,and DH needs to see things on a spreadhsheet)

I understand the single income thing. I was strictly a stay at home mom for 9 years. Now our only "guaranteed" money is from hubbies paycheck. My business all depends on how much stock I have, the weather, etc...I do the same thing as you, just in a different way. I run out on payday and buy my giftcards. That way it doesn't get used for something else, as so often happens! Good job!

[readyfordis]

this is an awesome topic! I am a single mom taking my 2 kids to Disney in October. We have been doing the change jar and my daughter is asking for disney gift cards for her bday which will be 3 weeks before we go.

[craftymama71]

I love this thread. Thanks for sharing all of your great money saving tips.
I do most of what I have read here, but I know I can cut back, especially eating out.
I live in Australia and we don't have coupons here. Food is pretty expensive so I have just bought a heap of seeds to start a veggie garden.
We are hoping to get back to WDW next year sometime. My dream is to go to the Epcot flower and garden festival. If we can't make it next year, it will definitely be the following year. Our biggest expense is air fare to get to America. But I have got my change jar going, I've got my new budget going. This thread has really got me excited and motivated

[hsmamato2]

as far as general budgeting....OP I have been following a blogger-Mom lately...she takes into account fluctuating paycheck weeks,and has a method for keeping up with bills anyway...it's called thepeacefulmom.com and it's full of great ideas for this kind of thing (they live on 28k per year with 4 kids)

[Blackbeltdisneygirl]

Originally Posted by readyfordis

this is an awesome topic! I am a single mom taking my 2 kids to Disney in October. We have been doing the change jar and my daughter is asking for disney gift cards for her bday which will be 3 weeks before we go.

Every holiday and birthday my kids get Disney gift cards. I find it helps them to save better, and it is easier on me when it comes to shopping for gifts!

Originally Posted by craftymama71

I love this thread. Thanks for sharing all of your great money saving tips.
I do most of what I have read here, but I know I can cut back, especially eating out.
I live in Australia and we don't have coupons here. Food is pretty expensive so I have just bought a heap of seeds to start a veggie garden.
We are hoping to get back to WDW next year sometime. My dream is to go to the Epcot flower and garden festival. If we can't make it next year, it will definitely be the following year. Our biggest expense is air fare to get to America. But I have got my change jar going, I've got my new budget going. This thread has really got me excited and motivated

Glad we could be of service! Our garden has been planted. I didn't think we would get such a large garden planted. I hope you succeed with yours!

Here are some pics of my hubby tilling our garden rows! We decided on raised beds b/c they yield more fruits and veggies. The roots have more space to grow, and you have space to walk between rows. I really am very happy with it!




Sorry! Had to show off all our hard work! Your garden should help you save a lot of money to be used for your vacation!

Originally Posted by hsmamato2

as far as general budgeting....OP I have been following a blogger-Mom lately...she takes into account fluctuating paycheck weeks,and has a method for keeping up with bills anyway...it's called thepeacefulmom.com and it's full of great ideas for this kind of thing (they live on 28k per year with 4 kids)

I will have to look into that site. Thanx for the info! We usually do just fine, but every now and then when hubby's job has a problem with contracts and such he loses time on the job. It is frustrating, but we are usually fine with it. It is much harder when we are saving for Disney though!!! Puts a kink in my plans for sure!