1 income families - how do you budget for WDW?

[mello]

I just went and looked around the website, but I couldn't really tell what you get for your points.

I work part-time, but can relate to stretching to save for vacations on that salary level.

The biggest money saver is staying offsite. We planned a trip with extended family and decided to try a pool house and we ended up loving it! Our last trip we used Skyauction and only paid $208 for a 2-bedroom condo for a week. I love having privacy at night and space to spread out! I don't cook on vacation, but it's so easy to eat cereal or toast for breakfast and save a fortune. We also get takeout/sandwiches for dinner alot of nights and that's a huge money-saver. You could cut it back even more and make frozen pizza or lasagnas for dinner.

As for tickets, it's a big investment up-front but if you plan to go back your best bet is to get 10-day non-expiring tickets. It breaks down the cheapest per day (not counting AP's). Some people like to get AP's and use them for 2 trips, but I don't like being locked into that one-year time frame. If something bad happens, vacations are the first thing to go and I'd hate to not be able to use my AP's. Plus, APs just tempt you to make smaller trips you hadn't planned on . We skip getting the hopper option. We have to plan a little more carefully to see the fireworks shows, but we've done it and it's been fine.

For souvenirs, we hit the Disney outlets and even, gulp because I hate them, Walmart! Walmart's good for kids t-shirts, I refuse to pay the $18-$22 that Disney wants. We go often enough that we're pretty restrained on souvenirs, we only buy things that we really want and can afford.

And last but not least, do all the extra money makers you can--online surveys, market research groups, test drive incentives, mypoints, credit card rewards, etc. can all make a big difference. For example, between mypoints and one of my reward credit cards I already have $120 in gas gift cards to use on our cruise for the drive down, so unless gas keeps going up I won't have to budget for it. Every little bit helps!

 

[hsmamato2]

While we a technally we are a 2 Income family I make less than $ 25.000 cdn and my MIL receves disibilty . My DW is a stay at home mom . I travel a lot for work ( Im a Bus Driver ) When I can i Take my DW with me . Last year i won airfare and took my DW to DL we traded in 12 years worth of airmiles for $ 400 bestwestern $ that coverd most of our hotel costs . we traveled on the metro to and from LAX $ 3.00 each way . and spent less than $25.00 a day on meals ( we left the parks to eat ) We are now planing a trip to WDW in feb . MIL is geting 3,500.00 $ we have allready started getting stuff we nead for our trip and are buying $50.00usd a month . ( We are in Canada ) we will probualy borrow my fathers car and drive the 1800 miles (my car is 14 years old)we will only stay 3 nights on site prob at pop and then the remander off site . while we would like to eat at disney we will eat most of our meals off site . ( you learn to do what you have to )

talk about Disney on a Dime! good for you guys! You'll have a blast just being there!

 

[bartleby1]

I just started trying to get my kids to help save for our trip and I can't believe how much they are into it! My kids are 6, 3, and 1 so it is basically just my older two. I sat down with them and discussed ways that we can all save money to put toward our trip and whenever I see them doing something to save money they get to put some change in the jar. For example, my 3 year old still wears pull-ups at night. If he stays dry at night, he can re-use that pull-up the next night so he gets to put a quarter in the jar since that is about what they cost and he "saved" us that quarter. When the kids remember to turn the TV off, light off, computer off, etc, when they are not using them, they put a penny in the jar since they are saving on the electric bill. We usually drive to my parent's house once a week and I treat myself to a dunkin donuts coffee on the way. This week I skipped the coffee and put the $1.89 in the jar. On pizza night, we made a homemade pizza instead of ordering out and put the difference in price in the jar. Last night, my 3 year old decided that when he finished his whole dinner, he could put a penny in the jar since he didn't waste any food, lol! It is really funny watching them come up with ways that they can save.

I even caught my DH putting a penny in the jar this morning because he turned off the hall light before leaving for work!

It probably won't amount to that much, but it is teaching them the value of money and saving me from walking around all day turning lights off! Every little bit helps!

Also, the kids always end up with soooo much candy from easter so this year the easter bunny stuffed some of the plastic eggs with $1 disney dollars The kids were so excited to find the disney dollars!

 

[newman7501]

I always claimed zero deductions so that I would make sure I got a money back on my income tax. Yes, I've know the argument about letting the government use my money. This worked for us. If I'd tried putting it in savings, something would have come up and the money would have been spent.

My DH does the same exact thing with his paycheck and that is how we are going to Disney this year. Another year we were able to remodel our kitchen(counter tops, floors, cabinets and ripped a wall out) with this money.

For the past two year we have basically a one income family(unless you count the 4 hours a week I work). Some of the ways we save money, is we only have 1 car payment, my husband is very handy so he does the majority of the work around the house with his dad who is a contractor, he also does all the work on the cars or has his friend( a former mechanic) do the harder jobs and pay for parts only in exchange for my husband doing work in his house. I can't believe how much money we save by not having to pay for labor. My husband has also recently started finishing someone's basement so he can start saving for a new car.

My kids are receiving Disney dollars for all special occassions including from the tooth fairy. They each receive a minimal allowance and are saving that as well for their souveniers. Our trip is 8 months away and they both have over $130.00 a piece already between the two. We also signed up for the DDP to save money on our meals. I also appreciate the great tips I received on this thread. Thanks

 

[liswel33]

We are also a one income family. Before I found this board we were just saving and socking money as we could. But now I do a few more things that have worked very well for us.

- Started the change jar.
- Joined sunshine rewards
-joined my points
-joined several survey sites including pinecone(cash)
-joined partnership plus
-joined treasure trooper(cash)
-started selling clothes that the kids don't wear anymore on ebay.

If you have a few hours a day to devote to the websites you can get a lot of gift cards, gift certificates and even cash for your vacation. It all adds up.
I love these boards!!!!

 

[jjsmom]

I love this thread because I get asked this question on a regular basis. Yes, it's all about budgeting. We live comfortably most of the time, and I am able to support my Disney habit.

1. We try to pay for as much we can ahead of time as possible.
2. We have not purchased a brand new vehicle in years. We do have 2 carpayments (couldn't help that-DH's old car died and we had to bite the bullet), but they're not as much as new vehicles.
3. DH is self employed (real estate agent) and he puts some of his expenses on his Disney Visa. Right now we have about 130 reward bucks
4. Since we go so much, souveniers are not a big deal. Our daughter (age 14) knows she has to make her own spending money. Once it's gone that's it.
5. DH is able to find most of his professional clothes on ebay and thrift shops. I don't do as well because I'm hard to fit. He looks great! Except for sportcoats, we try not to purchase clothing that has to be drycleaned. For me, I happen to like the catalog co., Blair. The clothes are not trendy, but comfortable, functional, and reasonably priced.
6. Count every little expense. Examples for us: eliminating fast food, cutting my dog's toenails (vet charges $10!!), I do my own eyebrows and haircolor and get my hair trimmed every 6-7 weeks instead of 4-5 weeks, etc. These are little expenses that add up over a year.
7. Food & groceries. We shop sales and coupons at the expensive grocery stores and do a once a month big shopping at Super Wal Mart, buying mostly generic items. At least once a week, we'll eat a casserole or crockpot of stew. We waste no food/leftovers, instead freezing it for use in the crockpot. Unless I'm really jammed for time, I do my own baking (sweets, not bread)
8. We have found that we are not particularly thrilled with most of the sit down restaurants at WDW. We have our favorites (like Cobb Salad at Brown Derby) that we will do for lunch, but the variety of foods available at different counter service is sufficient for us.
9. We do the coin jar. Last year we saved $120!
10. Westjones, we too make a game about eating whatever's in the cupboard/frig. We've eaten some crazy stuff the night before a WDW trip. We've named it "The Disney mystery meal". My goodness, I never realized the things you could do with a can of cream of mushroom soup.
11. If you live near an airport that is serviced by SWA, sign up for "Ding". We flew in Jan. (from Balt. to Orlando) for $49 per person each way. That's half the cost of gas if we were to drive.

Happy planning!! It CAN be done.

 

[mshrm]

What a great question you asked. Ive benefited alot from the answers youve been given.

Were in very simular situations. My dh is also a truck driver and leads varied hours making it difficult for me to work outside the home. Truth be told though even if he didnt I dont want to go back to work. I dont mind living on a tight budget and I just love being a stay at home mom.

To budget our Disney trips I have made a few changes... I have stopped buying most processed foods. In other words I dont by anything frozen(except ice cream) and boxed. I also dont go out to eat or buy pre made foods. This was hard for my boys at first since they loved their frozen breakfast stuff and cookies but they have survived. If its not a meat, produce, dairy, pasta or grain, I basically skip it. Believe it or not this cut my grocery bill down by 50%. Its alot of work though, you must cook everything and you dont have those quick fixes but it sure is worth it.

Another thing we did was buy dh a coffee maker for the truck. He already took most of his food from home but coffee alone was costing about $35 a week on the road. Now that he makes his own we put $25 away for savings and he spends the other $10 on an extra meal out. We both benefited from that little purchase. Does your dh have a fridge? Ofcourse you know where IM going with that question, it sure is a BIG money saver.

When it comes to disney trips in particular I usually book them ASAP and then just pay on the weekly. I love that you can pay as little as $25 a payment after your first deposit(around $200). I book atleast a year in advance and then just starting hitting it each week with a payment.

Best wishes to you for success! From one truckers wife to another

 

[HaleyB]

One income, one in college, two in elementary school. We make a fair bit more than you and live in a low cost of living area. Of course it is simple, spend less or earn more. Here is how we do it.

We save for long term (college and retirement) with payroll deductions. That is a huge help because if the money is not in my checking account I can not spend it. Sounds simplistic, but it works. On the same theory I take out our vacation money when we get paid. I do not wait till the end of the month to see what is left, I pay it first just like our other savings.

Additionally I sell on ebay and make close to $100 a week. I picked up a 5 hour a week job years ago and net $50 a week from it. Last year I took in a child after school for $3 an hour. I made about $20-30 a week and he was always gone by 5pm. His Mom was a teacher. Right now I am working out a pay rate for selling other peoples things on Ebay. We are going to test it at paying me $10 an hour. I figure I can easily put 5 hours a week in.

In our budget is one take out dinner a week. Sometimes I make dinner instead and pay myself the money I would have spent. Just last night I made pizza for dinner, and put $15 in my vacation jar. For some reason this kind of 'pay myself for saving money' thing works as a motivator for me.

I cut grocery spending by a huge amount awhile back. No soda. No chips (or not often). I really watch what I buy and I try to cook from scratch. I feed a family of four on about $75 a week. We eat fresh veggies and fruit in season. I have kids that love fruit and we eat a ton of it. So I buy it on sale. I have 3 grocery chains very near me (within a mile or so) and I shop the ads.

I do not buy new clothing for my kids anymore. My middle is about to outgrow the easy to find consignment store sizes I save a bundle this way and no one knows the clothes are not new. People are so wasteful, I find really nice name brand clothing all the time for a fraction of the cost.

We drive instead of fly almost always and our car gets great mileage. My husband gets a ton of vacation time. That really helps. When he had less we stayed closer to home. Even if gas hits $4 a gallon we will save about $400- $500 driving to WDW next fall. Flights are over $270 a person.

We do a lot of free things on weekends. We gave up drinking for the most part (and I lost a good 5 pounds!). It all adds up. I have only ever bought one new car in my life, my husband has never had a new car. That saves us a bundle. We also drive them a long time and try to pay cash when we do buy.

 

[ldb1030]

I also do surveys for Pinecone Research.

Do you find that this is worth it? Just checking it out so would love to hear!
Thanks!

 

[ldb1030]

Never mind! Just got an email that they are not taking new people!

 

[Brooknwdw]

One income, one in college, two in elementary school. We make a fair bit more than you and live in a low cost of living area. Of course it is simple, spend less or earn more. Here is how we do it.

We save for long term (college and retirement) with payroll deductions. That is a huge help because if the money is not in my checking account I can not spend it. Sounds simplistic, but it works. On the same theory I take out our vacation money when we get paid. I do not wait till the end of the month to see what is left, I pay it first just like our other savings.

Additionally I sell on ebay and make close to $100 a week. I picked up a 5 hour a week job years ago and net $50 a week from it. Last year I took in a child after school for $3 an hour. I made about $20-30 a week and he was always gone by 5pm. His Mom was a teacher. Right now I am working out a pay rate for selling other peoples things on Ebay. We are going to test it at paying me $10 an hour. I figure I can easily put 5 hours a week in.

In our budget is one take out dinner a week. Sometimes I make dinner instead and pay myself the money I would have spent. Just last night I made pizza for dinner, and put $15 in my vacation jar. For some reason this kind of 'pay myself for saving money' thing works as a motivator for me.

I cut grocery spending by a huge amount awhile back. No soda. No chips (or not often). I really watch what I buy and I try to cook from scratch. I feed a family of four on about $75 a week. We eat fresh veggies and fruit in season. I have kids that love fruit and we eat a ton of it. So I buy it on sale. I have 3 grocery chains very near me (within a mile or so) and I shop the ads.

I do not buy new clothing for my kids anymore. My middle is about to outgrow the easy to find consignment store sizes I save a bundle this way and no one knows the clothes are not new. People are so wasteful, I find really nice name brand clothing all the time for a fraction of the cost.

We drive instead of fly almost always and our car gets great mileage. My husband gets a ton of vacation time. That really helps. When he had less we stayed closer to home. Even if gas hits $4 a gallon we will save about $400- $500 driving to WDW next fall. Flights are over $270 a person.

We do a lot of free things on weekends. We gave up drinking for the most part (and I lost a good 5 pounds!). It all adds up. I have only ever bought one new car in my life, my husband has never had a new car. That saves us a bundle. We also drive them a long time and try to pay cash when we do buy.

Wow! I have enjoyed reading this thread, as we are a "one income" family too, technically. Basically, my husbands checks pay the bills & the extra I make gets saved.

But this post was SO informative...I really got alot of new ideas, & you are my new Hero!

 

[luvsmickeymouse]

Do you find that this is worth it? Just checking it out so would love to hear!
Thanks!

I think for the short amount of time that it takes to complete a survey, it is worth it. I get at least 2 or 3 per month. Sometimes I take the check and get quarters for it for laundry and tolls for vacation. You only get 5 dollars each survery but each survery takes about 10 minutes the most. Its fun and they send you things to try.

 

[1stWDWtrip]

Just curious if there are any other 1 income families out there, that manage to budget for WDW every few years or so.. My DH doesn't make what I would call a whole lot of money (55k/yr - gross), so take home is less than that..I've cut out what I feel I can & done things like reduced my homeowners insurance/car insurance premiums thanks to some great tips on this board, I'm working at cutting my grocery bill - even if it's only 50.00/mo, and putting that into the "vacation" fund..I just feel vacations are needed and important, I love my parents, but they were to cheap to take us anywhere when we were kids & they could afford it, not trying to complain, but it's the truth.

Anyway, just looking for some general money saving tips, as I'm trying my best to save to go back to the see the Mouse in about 1 1/2 years!!

And yes, the obvious would be for me to go out & work, but right now not feasible, with 1 still at home, looking perhaps in fall when she goes 1/2 days, but then I would have to find & pay a babysitter for days off/school vacations, etc.. And my DH does not work "set" hours so I can work when he's off, he is a truck driver and his shifts change day to day, no family close enough willing to help us out with babysitting either (not that I expect them to, they are my kids/my responsibility.) DH & I will take "odd jobs" whenever possible (I've typed term papers for college aged people before & earned some money, I babysit whenever possible, any extra always goes to vacation fund)


Thanks
Chip

I don't buy anything that we don't absolutely NEED!!! I am a single mother with 2 children, any my bf is disabled and can't work. I go to school FT, only work PT, and earn under $10,000 per year! I do get support from ex... when he pays... that comes to under $7,000 per year. So the 4 of us live off of less than $17,000 per year!

The only way that I can actually afford this trip to Disney this year is because I am in school. For once, being "poor" has benefited me. I get school paid for 100% by grants, including some extra for living expenses. I used that money to pay bills, saved as I could, and then used my Earned Income Credit tax refund to pay the rest.

The ONLY luxury item that we have to pay for each month is our DirecTV (no movie channels). We do not go to movies (we rent later), we do not buy a ton of video games (we rent... the kids get bored too fast with them anyway), I use tons of coupons at the grocery store & buy BOGOs and such (last trip bill was $220 - 93 in savings = $127 total -- this is enough food for us for at least 3 weeks), I buy clothes only when needed -- not because they are "cool" or what ever. I also buy off season, so I can buy brand new clothing cheaper than I can buy used at a yard sale! The list goes on and on. I have learned how to do just about anything on a TIGHT budget!! I am the queen of bargains!!

 

[TinkerbellMama]

Just curious if there are any other 1 income families out there, that manage to budget for WDW every few years or so..

One-income family here, and we go to WDW every year (sometimes twice), plus take another trip somewhere else (usually to visit family for a week in another state). My dh makes SIGNIFICANTLY less than yours, too, and we live in an expensive area of the country to boot. We manage it by shopping at thrift stores, driving cars that are paid for, waiting for sales/discount offers, buying things from Craigslist or eBay or getting them through Freecycle, not eating out a lot, and starting to save well in advance through the purchase of Disney Dollars, our giant coin jar, and payments towards our reservations. When we arrive at WDW, it's all paid for! We don't have any credit cards, so that is not a temptation. We do save on food whenever possible, but we eat a somewhat expensive diet (what most people would consider "health foods") so that isn't an area in which we "bottom out". We don't have cable TV, but that is mostly because we don't want it to suck our brains dry and take up all our time when we are home...but it's still a savings! Our cars are nice and our son's clothing (and ours!) are all name-brand, but almost never bought retail/new. It can be done if it's a priority! Trust me! Good luck!

 

[DawnM]

We have a one income family here.

We are taking our 4th Disney trip this year. We are leaving next week. Our APs expire May 2nd and we won't be renewing them next year (long story).

We use SkyAuction.com for a condo off-site. We paid $210 for 7 nights one time, $245 for 7 nights the next time and are paying $299 for 7 nights this next week (but we get a full 2 bedroom this coming time.)

We eat b-fast in the room, carry snacks and drinks into the park. We have lunch at the counter service places where 2 meals can feed all of us (like we get a double burger with an extra bun for .70 cents) so we usually budget $20 for lunch for 4 of us.

We eat dinners in the condo OR budget to eat off-site for dinner. We really don't feel like food is an area we want to blow $100 a meal on.

At home, we buy closeout clothing, hit the thrift stores a LOT for clothes and toys and household goods. We let people know that we will accept any hand me downs they would like to give us (our friends moved and gave us couches and a queen size bed!)

I also found a closeout grocery store in town and spend about $200-$250 for food per month (my friend uses The Grocery Game and gets very similar results).

We don't eat out much anymore at all.

Dawn

 

[chip91]

WOW! Some great tips on here, some of you are my hero's, esp. the one income - single parents, kudo's to you for all your doing! Seriously, didn't mean to have anyone question my definition of a one income family, I guess I assumed all 2 income families would probably be making more than us, because all the ones I know do make more than us.. We "TAKE-HOME" about 39k/yr after taxes/health insurance/401k is taken out, and then we are "REFUNDED" about 5k from Uncle Sam every year..That is how we paid our way to Disney the 1st time, Uncle Sam's refund..

Have a Disney Day ALL!
Chip

 

[PURTYPAT1]

My DD11 & I went away last Feb 2006 on a tight buget.

We plan, plan, & plan early. We get great airfares, hotels, rent a car.

We always stay off property, within minutes of all the parks. I really enjoy cooking, I love when we get a room with a kitchen & washer. Because we have a washer, we can pack lite on our clothing. We try to bring our own lunches, snacks & drinks to the parks, we not only save money, but we save time as well (the resturants always have at least 20 to 30 min. line)

We do something, alot of people don't do, we enjoy the resort that we stay in. Alot of these places we stayed in, Vistana Resorts, Grand Hilton Vacation Club, Cypress Point, have the best activites for the kids, & adults. DD & myself have had, some of our best memories at these resorts.

Patricia

Here is my Buget report from Feb, I have lot's of tips.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1067576

 

[disneyworldfan5]

Just curious if there are any other 1 income families out there, that manage to budget for WDW every few years or so..

Chip91, I'm in a 1 income family.

My DH doesn't make what I would call a whole lot of money (55k/yr - gross), so take home is less than that..I've cut out what I feel I can & done things like reduced my homeowners insurance/car insurance premiums thanks to some great tips on this board, I'm working at cutting my grocery bill - even if it's only 50.00/mo, and putting that into the "vacation" fund..I just feel vacations are needed and important....

My hubby makes about 45K/yr; we have tried to cut expenses too, but nothing ever seems to work! We shop at thrift stores, have cut our grocery bill by $100, and have opted out of being members of certain timeshare groups, but we still feel a little overwhelmed.

Anyway, just looking for some general money saving tips, as I'm trying my best to save to go back to the see the Mouse in about 1 1/2 years!!

I wish we could go once a year, but are--for now--resigned to go once every 2-3 years...I too am looking for money saving tips! I am sure I will find something here; this looks to be a very informative board--with lots of friendly people I am going to go back and read over all the tips in this thread to see if I can find something helpful!

And yes, the obvious would be for me to go out & work, but right now not feasible, with 1 still at home, looking perhaps in fall when she goes 1/2 days, but then I would have to find & pay a babysitter for days off/school vacations, etc..

Many people have told me I should work, but with the cost of daycare nowadays, what would be the point? And finding a cheap/reliable sitter to take 3 kids is NOT easy!

If you ever discover any tidbits--or just want to talk (yes, I am a newbie, but don't let that discourage ya!), please email me

Gina

 

[WINTER]

how does treasure trooper work?