1 Year to SAVE!!!

[Chelley00]

Good news, hubby has ample opportunity for sunday work (double time)

Whenever my husband gets OT, I take half of that pay and stick it into savings automatically. The other half goes towards "extras" like presents, clothes etc.

 

[gator75]

Just wanted to say very cool thread I'm doing the same thing only i'm not really saving for anythin in paticular so its kind of fun to see what others do.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

OP I will be back later with some idea's, just had to stop and post to tell you I love your "screen name"!

 

[Donnainnj]

We have a GREAT opportunity to stay offsite. My mom and dad own a timeshare and have said they could get us an Orlando getaway week for about $400-500 for the whole week at a 5 star resort...alas DH says he doesn't want to stay offsite and he wants the dining plan. SERIOUSLY???

I am looking into doing a 5 night/six day instead of our usual 6 night/7 day. I have also checked into renting DVC. The problem with that is that the rooms are either "sleeps up to 4" or "sleeps up to 8". There is a significant price increase in "sleeps up to 8" and we are a family of 5. We really like the family suites at the values, they work great for us.

We are not big "souvenier" people. We usually try for just one each. The children saved last time to be able to get whatever they wanted. That worked great, but how do you accomplish that when the plan is to surprise them?

On renting DVC, both the Bay Lake Towers and Animal Kingdom Villas have 1br's that have 2 baths and sleep 5. We stayed with an annual pass discount at AKV (Kidani) in August, and had a wonderful time, and plenty of space for the 5 of us, 3 adults (including 18yr old DD) and 2 kids, 14 and 3.
Donna

 

[hereyago]

Every time you go to the grocery store, just before you get on the checkout line, take one thing out of your cart - a bag of chips, a bottle of water, whatever. Just buy a little less than you think you need.

(And definitely don't grocery shop with your kids! They are the worst for staying on budget!)

I second this, and also, don't go grocery shopping when you are hungry. My DD13 is becoming better at going to the store with me and not wanting to buy every little thing, cause my butt isn't an ATM, but she likes coupons for candy or whatever, so that keeps her from 'straying".

 

[Carina]

What are toonies and loonies??? Don't know what they are, but just the words themselves made me smile, LOL!

In Canada the smallest bill we have is $5. Our Dollars and Two Dollars are coins.

The Loonie came out first ( our dollar coin) and it was nicknamed the loonie because it had a loon ( duck/bird) on the back.

A few years later they took the $2 bills out of circulation and gave us a $2 coin.... promptly nicknamed the Toonie ( two-nie) for no reason other than it rhymed with loonie and as two dollars.



http://thelongestlistofthelongeststuffatthelongestdomainnameatlonglast.com/first287.html scroll down slightly here to see.

 

[oopsiDAISY]

OP I will be back later with some idea's, just had to stop and post to tell you I love your "screen name"!

Thanks! I am not the most creative person, so I was kind of proud of myself for coming up with that!

 

[oopsiDAISY]

In Canada the smallest bill we have is $5. Our Dollars and Two Dollars are coins.

The Loonie came out first ( our dollar coin) and it was nicknamed the loonie because it had a loon ( duck/bird) on the back.

A few years later they took the $2 bills out of circulation and gave us a $2 coin.... promptly nicknamed the Toonie ( two-nie) for no reason other than it rhymed with loonie and as two dollars.



http://thelongestlistofthelongeststuffatthelongestdomainnameatlonglast.com/first287.html scroll down slightly here to see.

Cool, thanks! I just immediately thought of the Bugs Bunnny cartoons "Looney Tunes".

 

[oopsiDAISY]

Thrift shopping saves me a ton of money. All my sweaters and tops are second hand. I came home with a stack of cashmere last week, the most I paid was $4/each and I'm very picky about color, style and condition. Its great for kids clothing too, from play clothes to formal, its amazing how much good quality stuff is out there for a buck or so a piece. I'm always getting compliments on how well my kid is dressed. Little do they know it is thanks to the Salvation Army and the clearance racks and Bloomingdales (seriously, stuff gets CHEAP there!) Additionally, I don't find it nearly as hard to shop as TJ Maxx or Marshalls. In many cases in my area, the 2nd hand stores are better organized

We are a "hand-me downs" family! I have friends who are big into clothes and trends and they pass us last season's stuff for FREE!!! The only time we actually BUY stuff is back to school and using Christmas and B-day money given to us from family. We are CHEAP when it comes to clothes.

 

[Cierese]

Great thread! I wish I had longer to save, but my trip is now only 178 days away My MIL gave us the use of her condo (bonnet creek) so we dont have to pay for that, and we already prepaid for Hoop Dee do, and cinderellas lunch.....so here is what I still have to come up with:

Tix to parks: 1200
Gas there/back: 400
Food: 700
hotel down/back: 120

Grand Total: 2420 In six months

Good news, hubby has ample opportunity for sunday work (double time) which he has been doing for the past year, so that makes things easier. Also, due to the high taxation of his overtime, and double time, we will get a chunk of change back for taxes....honestly probably more then what I need to save, but I dont want to count on it!!!!! Our other plus is thankfully the week we leave hits what will be the third paycheck for March, also a bonus month too, so I anticipate having my food/gas come from there. I do have $100 rewards card currently through my bank rewards, which Im hoping may be closer to $150 when I submit it Hubby may also have speedway gift cards for us to use as well, so Im keeping my finger crossed. On paper it looks it should be NO problem....but life happens so I hope to have it saved sooner then later.

Not sure how many kids you have going or if any of them are school age, but if so you can get your tickets cheaper and add a little extra fun in there to boot! We did the YES program this summer, my kids LOVED it! AND it SAVED us close to $600 in tickets!! They don't have the dates up for spring yet, but you can go on the site and get a feel for what they offer, prices, etc. Disneyyouth .com. look for Individual enrollment! GOOD LUCK!

 

[Cierese]

Well, I totally want to get in on this! I honestly don't know when my next visit will be. But, I'm thinking if I start "finding money" now, and start banking it away, I should be able to go HIGH LUXURY all the way! Since I'm unemployed, finding money will be more difficult, but I can definitely find at least $50 a month. Not much, but when I know my next trip won't be for another year or two at least, I can get it to add up quick!

Thanks for the motivation!

I was unemployed for the past year other than subbing at a preschool a few days here and there, or watching my sisters kids, etc... We managed a nice trip this summer. I would like to say though, I had a ton of unexpected help. First off a friend donated a full week through RCI that she wasn't going to use before it expired. We stayed 7 nights at OKW for around $280. It was $160 for the transfer and then they charge outsiders $99 to use their transportion. This is really stupid if you ask me, but it is what it is. We went through YES for our tickets. Got 5 day hoppers (4 of us) for $680 and my kids got to attend the An American Story program!! Because we went though RCI, we were able to get the QSDP added to our room as well.

Our next trip, I doubt we will be so lucky for the RCI week as she's getting married and actually taking vacations now. I have looked into renting DVC points because we really like the YES program and love that discount PLUS class experience! Unfortunately, you can not get YES and DDP together unless you also purchase at least a 2day MYW ticket. That would defeat the purpose of saving $$!!

Who knows what we'll do. The kids are still indecisive about when to go, but it will really determine on how much $ we can save and how quickly. I'm thinking quicker than expected since my business is really getting off the ground right now!!

Good luck to you and Everyone else on here!!!

I'm so excited to have a thread like this, it really helps make what seems impossible possible!!

 

[Celidh]

What are toonies and loonies??? Don't know what they are, but just the words themselves made me smile, LOL!

LOL, I should have explained. In Canada we have $1 and $2 coins. The $1 coin is a loonie because it has a picture of a loon ( a duck not a crazy person ) and the $2 coin is called a toonie.

Saving change with these sure adds up much faster than with just quarters, nickels, dimes and pennies.

 

[craftymama71]

I love this thread, very motivating. I'm in Australia, so we have to have money for the airfare before anything. I'm desperately hoping to go Aulani next year. Then Christmas 2013 I am hoping to either spend Christmas at WL or go to Yellowstone, Montana and then then Christmas at Disneyland.. Either way I need to save save save... We don't have coupons here, but I'm going to be more budget conscience with our groceries. I'm usually very carefre and just buy whatever. I know I can save loads. Also, we go out lots on the weekends, lunching or visiting the city etc. Think we should limit it to maybe one outing a month with a strict budget in place. No more willy Nilly spending.
I'm also going to make a Mickey savings box ...thats a great idea

Yayyyy I'm so motivated and excited..

 

[nunzia]

In Canada the smallest bill we have is $5. Our Dollars and Two Dollars are coins.

The Loonie came out first ( our dollar coin) and it was nicknamed the loonie because it had a loon ( duck/bird) on the back.

A few years later they took the $2 bills out of circulation and gave us a $2 coin.... promptly nicknamed the Toonie ( two-nie) for no reason other than it rhymed with loonie and as two dollars.



http://thelongestlistofthelongeststuffatthelongestdomainnameatlonglast.com/first287.html scroll down slightly here to see.

ahh..interesting! Our dollar coin used to be popular but then I think they figured we didn't like that big honking thing in our pockets so don't see many around. We also have a 2 dollar bill, but again, not many in circulation...loonies and toonies..cute.

 

[ceemys]

The first time I went with my daughter, I had a part time job. Every penny in that job went into a savings account and I paid for our trip with that job only and nothing came out of my regular budget. I only worked about 15 hours a week. We had so much money and even after staying 11 days and buying whatever we wanted, we still came back with about $400. lol

In January I am opening up a savings account for my trip I am planning in the summer of 2014. We are going for 10 days, dining plan the whole shebang! Flying not driving this time (from IN). Right now for next year that would cost $3000. So saving $4000 for price changes, air fair.. $135 a month. If it comes out of my check before I even get it, then I will get used to not having it.

Good Luck on your year of savings! You can do it!

 

[kwhite1022]

Not sure how many kids you have going or if any of them are school age, but if so you can get your tickets cheaper and add a little extra fun in there to boot! We did the YES program this summer, my kids LOVED it! AND it SAVED us close to $600 in tickets!! They don't have the dates up for spring yet, but you can go on the site and get a feel for what they offer, prices, etc. Disneyyouth .com. look for Individual enrollment! GOOD LUCK!

Thanks so much for suggesting that!! My kids are going to be 12, 9 and 6, what ages are allowed to participate? TIA

 

[Cierese]

Thanks so much for suggesting that!! My kids are going to be 12, 9 and 6, what ages are allowed to participate? TIA

They are separated by age groups, but range from 5yrs-18yrs (school-age)! Under 13 needs to have a chaperone over 18. This is part of why I'm pushing my kids to wait another 6 months. If they do, my kids will be 5, 11 and 13. I was hopoing I could send my the two older to class together and maybe take my 5yr old to a different class, but I'm not sure they would allow that. I have to call and see.

My kids were really interested in the Kingdom Keepers Quest, but it says you have to have groups of 10 or more. Bleh. (that's for kids in grades 5-9th)

 

[Darcy03231]

One thing that I really found has helped me with the grocery bill is to not go to the store without a list.

I wait until I have all the flyers (there are four different grocery stores within 5 miles of my house). I go through each flyer to see what's on sale and where for the week. I then check the freezer and pantry to see what I have on hand. Then I get the recipe books out and plan my meals for the week and make my list. When I get to the store, I stick to the list.

The other thing that helped when things got a bit tight was to do breakfast for dinner one night and a soup and sandwich night another. I make a lot of my own soup out of leftovers. I keep baggies in the freezer for leftover vegetables and meat. All the leftover vegetables go into one (even salad), and meat into others (I keep the different meats separate). When the vegetable bag is full I make chicken & vegetable soup, beef vegetable soup, etc. I puree the salad to use as soup base.

 

[neatokimmo]

Go to the farmers market an hour before close and negotiate prices on boxes of leftover stuff. Pop it in the freezer to save on veggies this winter and take the extra $ for your jar.

Has anyone mentioned the disney visa yet? I am applying about $700 of points to our trip next jan.

 

[Cierese]

One thing that I really found has helped me with the grocery bill is to not go to the store without a list.

I wait until I have all the flyers (there are four different grocery stores within 5 miles of my house). I go through each flyer to see what's on sale and where for the week. I then check the freezer and pantry to see what I have on hand. Then I get the recipe books out and plan my meals for the week and make my list. When I get to the store, I stick to the list.

The other thing that helped when things got a bit tight was to do breakfast for dinner one night and a soup and sandwich night another. I make a lot of my own soup out of leftovers. I keep baggies in the freezer for leftover vegetables and meat. All the leftover vegetables go into one (even salad), and meat into others (I keep the different meats separate). When the vegetable bag is full I make chicken & vegetable soup, beef vegetable soup, etc. I puree the salad to use as soup base.

I do something very similar, except we make crock-pot creations out of left overs! LOL That or one skillet meals. I try to cook things during the week, based on the sales at the stores and that would fit well together. I also plan my left overs. If I make, say baked chicken one day, I will go ahead and cook enough for more than one meal. The next day I will cut it up and put half in a skillet and add left over/frozen veggies. Half will go to make a chicken salad for lunches or even other dinners that you would only need a small amount of chicken for like pot pie or soup, etc.

I like your idea for the salad left overs, but we rarely have those! I have salad addicts in my house.