17 Days, Family O' 6, $3160.00 Budget**TRIP REPORT on pg 26**@Now with Pics!@

[TNKBELL]

I am still trying to figure out how 2 pizzas equal 2 meals for a family of 6. We are a family of 4 and some nights 2 pizzas don't leave many leftovers...only if I add salad to the meal for DH and me. My girls(7 and 9) eat! They usually eat more then me! Most of my friends kids do as well!

I have done budget trips as well- b'fast in the room, pack lunch and snacks and one hot meal a day- even sharing meals when the kids were younger ran close to $20 for 2 CS meals. Add in one snack and you are over your budget for daily food and you have 2 more to feed! I hope you can do it but I can't imagine it for that many days...will be hard! Good luck and I would suggest a bigger budget for food!

Ironically we had pizza tonight, actually it was free with a coupon I printed out online. It was family size from Pizza Hut and there are still 2 pieces leftover in the fridge for lunch for Dh tomorrow. We are not big eaters and our Dks are still pretty young the oldest is 8. We tend to eat smaller meals and then have snacks in between meals. The way I figure to eat at Mk for instance is for Dh and I to split a double cheeseburger and get an extra bun, drink water and that should be @8.00 and the kids can easily share 2 kids meals at 5.00 each for a total of 18.00.Hey enough left over to buy a few Yummm! On most park days, the plan is to eat breakfast in the room, go to the park, eat lunch there and come back in the afternoon to swim and eat dinner in our condo. We are definately not all day park people, that would not be a vacation to us. I really believe we can do it or I would not be posting this thread. As for Priceline that's a good suggestion to get 2 rooms, I guess I'm not a Priceline pro though, because I have never been able to get a room for less than 45.00.I base the ticket prices on Ticketmania through a link from Mousesavers email newsletter.Thanks for the suggestions! Honestly some of my best memories have been on free things like going fishing with the Dks or a picinic at the park or just renting a fun family flick from the library! You can live a rich and fulfilling life without lots of $$$.

 

[pixiepower1971]

Wow! My kids have NEVER been able to share a kids meal! I really hope it works out for you. We do some trips that are tighter budget then others and I know that you can really cut costs if you want to. We do very few sit down meals and always share adult CS meals.(they are huge portions) With drinks that is usually in the area of $20 or so. We always start the day with water bottles from the room and have tried the Brita water bottle but we have found that we still end up buying COLD water on really hot days. No one wants warm water and Disney ice is as bad as the water! YUCK! So that ups the daily budget.
One round of ice cream is $10 for 4 -I am guessing you guys will share.

So 2 CS meals, 1 ice cream snack and if we get popcorn or cotton candy plus a few bottles of water we are somewhere in the 60-70 range per day.

I am rooting for you! I know a challenge is fun.

 

[Lucky4me]

You sound like me when I'm trying to convince DH to go and I undercut the food budget by several hundred dollars to make it look good on paper.

Won't you get tired of mac n cheese and pancakes for that many days? Heck I'd be whipping out the credit card at California Grill for a good steak by day 4. woops there goes the budget. :lol

You gave an example of only one meal in one park on one day and that cost $18. Then you said a couple of mickey bars-that takes you up to $24. So your grocery money for the other two meals and snacks that day is going to be $2? Now multiply that by the 17 days you'll be there. Or is it 20? You're only going to spend $34 or $40 at the grocery store for the entire 10 days?

By your math you're going to need $240 for bought meals in the parks. That leaves you $218 for every other meal for 17 days? That's for breakfast, dinner and snacks for 2 adults, 3 kids and a toddler. If you can feed a family of 6 breakfast, dinner and snacks on $12.82 a day, please tell us what exactly you'll be eating each day. I think you're going to need a menu before you leave. If you can do this, you will win the super deluxe grand prize Disney budgeteer award and I will bow in your presence.

 

[hsmamato2]

I like the budgeting! In many years past, we(a family of 4) always do breakfast in the room, pack a sandwich and chips/carrots for lunch(I don't really enjoy cs meals anyway) usually one snack a day,too full for more...I bring small treats for the kids, like fruit snacks, or lollipops ,something sweet that helps them feel special(they don't eat a lot of junkfood at home)- and we eat dinner out about 1/2 of our visit,b/c Mom is getting tired by this time of day! Frequently, what happens is the kids are so wiped out after a full park day, usually from 9 a.m.-7 or so- they don't want to eat out, they really prefer a micro type meal in the room.Tinkbell, I like what you said about some of the best moments being free... like renting a video,putting up our feet, and just laughing and relaxing, ..many hotels have vcrs in them...our kids favorite thing to do is "take a day off" -visit other resorts just to enjoy the atmosphere,we swim, visit fort wilderness petting zoo- they adore riding the bus(go figure, must be a homeschool kids thing) and the best souvenir? a 51 cent pressed penny!
They usually save and bring their own money for any toys they want, so we don't even buy them souvies anymore,(they're 11 and 5)
You inspire me to keep on budgeting! All my friends think we must be wealthy, to afford disney every year, but I keep telling them, with a little creative budgeting, it's really doable...

 

[kathy carleton]

Wow!! I love these boards! learn something new every day... I plan to call and see if I am Eligible in a little bit... I am a School Teacher...

So tell me, What is this "mistake" rate at DTD??? I am curious. Also, so very impressed with your budget! can't wait to here how it works out..

 

[d4est]

Oh, please post what you find out kathy carleton. I am a teacher also and the rates sound great. TIA

 

[TNKBELL]

Wow!! I love these boards! learn something new every day... I plan to call and see if I am Eligible in a little bit... I am a School Teacher...

So tell me, What is this "mistake" rate at DTD??? I am curious. Also, so very impressed with your budget! can't wait to here how it works out..

The mistake rate at Hi was actually posted here on the budget board. For seventeen hours a few weeks back Hi posted the regular room rates at .98-1.13 for thier standard rooms, 1700 of us took advantage of this, not knowing whether or not they would honor it or not. Well it turned into a media circus, giving them all sorts of publicity and they decided to honor it, making Hi look like modern day knights! So that will be part of my report as well. TO LUCkY4ME.... We will have 10 day expiring tix nonhoppers(DH said NO!) so some days we will be at the park from open until around 2or3pm. But other days something like open til noon and then back from 7 to close or not at all or maybe just 7 to close or noon till 5p.m. So we will not even be there during meal time. As another poster suggested I do plan on using my home food budget to do our big shop at Publix so we will not be living on Mac&Cheese and Pancakes. I think some of you will be surprised at how this can be done, and with each post I am more determined! Who knows maybe I'll be eating crow, but I don't think so... We shall see!!!

 

[DisneyMomx7]

Just wanted to say good luck! I hope you have a wonderful trip - what a lucky deal with he HI. I wish I had seen it.

 

[shelly3girls]

I think the key point to your food budget is that it only is for one meal really since your normal grocery budget will be paying for the meals in your room. My kids are very big eaters so we must buy each one their own meal. That said, I look at some of DD's friends who eat very little. I think 3 of them could share one meal!
It is funny but I love the challenge of a budget also. Last June we took a girls trip that I swore to my husband would be a cheap trip that would not spend any of our normal vacation budget on. I ended up putting cash each week into envelopes specifically budgeting for things. I found I spent a great deal less money this way and we were just as happy. Although DH does think I got a little obsessive, but what did he expect from his obsessive planning DW!

 

[disneyjunkie]

I have a small family, just my son and I, there's no way I could plan a trip on such a tight meal budget. I'd have to make the trip shorter and add the extra money to the food and gift budget.

 

[Alicnwondrln]

wow sounds like you have invested alot of time in your budget and thats great but your food budget seems alittle low for that many people

 

[TNKBELL]

My tag should say Debi3boys&1girl That's a great tip of dividing the money each day, I think I'll borrow that one if you don't mind? My Dh just rolls his eyes when I say " I have yet another way to save $!" But I think he really is happy that we are able to do what we do on such a small living!

 

[stahshee]

i just want to say i belive it can be done! good for you we are a family of 6 and we can do it . bring food from home eat meals that have rice and pasta. it makes food go along way. also my kids always split meals. my example would be bring canned fruit to the park or anothor snack and our own brought inn juice. have the children split the meal and add the fruit that i brought inn with the meal. good luck i know you can do it

 

[MrsPete]

$400 for gas -- Who knows if that'll be accurate by September! That's one of your big question marks, and you can't control it. Where are you driving from? Why are you renting a van instead of driving your own vehicle?

Still on the subject of transportation, don't forget that you'll have to pay $8/day to park in the Disney parks.

Hotel on the road -- I think you could do a little better than $80/night -- especially since you've found such great prices on your in-town places. I've stayed in Days Inns for about $50/night, and often that includes breakfast. KOA campgrounds sometimes have cabins with bunk beds that would be in the $50/night range too. Of course, I'm assuming that you share my opinion about "just passing through" hotels: give me clean and safe, and beyond that I don't care.

Your Florida room rates appear to be rock-bottom! Wow! I'm sure you've double-checked for taxes, amenities fees, cleaning fees, etc. Sometimes they like to spring those things on you. Do the condos include sheets and towels?

$458 for food -- Okay, I'm the queen of cheap food. It CERTAINLY CAN be done, but it won't feel like vacation food. With that budget, you're not going to have a lot of "fun foods" like canned sodas and ice cream sandwiches. I find that it's easier to say NO to park-purchased snacks if you have some treats waiting back in the fridge. I also know what would happen if my family were trying to stick to this budget: we'd do a great job for the first week, then we'd be so sick of Mac-and-cheese that we'd say, "Forget it", and we'd go hog-wild for the rest of the trip. A little moderation for the whole trip may be better than trying to go bare-bones for 17+ days.

I assume you have plenty of space in the van, so buy canned sodas and other non-perishibles when they're on sale at home and bring them along; beverages really add to the cost of groceries. Bring along refillable water bottles with over-the-neck straps. Two suggestions to raise the budget painlessly: 1) Have a yard sale and mark the profits "Disney food", 2) Cut your home food budget by $10/week between now and your vacation -- $10 won't hurt each week, but it'll net you about $150 for your Florida food budget. You could easily DOUBLE your food budget with these two tips.

Don't worry about souveniers. My kids understand that they get to go on LOTS of vacations, but we don't buy junk that'll be thrown away anyway. We take lots of pictures, and we bring home MEMORIES.

This is a piddly thing, but you'll probably need to wash clothes during this long trip. Do either of your one-weekers include a washer/dryer? Bring your own laundry detergent -- things like that tend to be way over-priced in resort towns.

Have you budgeted for all the incidentals you'll need during the trip? Plenty of film, sunscreen, batteries for the Gameboys, asprin, hats and sunglasses . . . it's much, much cheaper to buy these things at home rather than in Florida. And since you're going in September, you'll be able to buy them on summer clearances.

I think you're on the right track for a budget trip.

 

[luv2nascar]

LUCKY4ME you don't think she can feed a family of six for $12.82 per day.
I'm not saying it will always be what they want to eat or what I would want to eat but it can be done. Her children are between 8 & 1.

Store brand mac n cheese is 3 or 4 for $1 here. $.99 Ball park franks this week. Walmart gets $.82 for hotdog rolls. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Box of store brand spaghetti $.40 or $.50 cents & jar of spaghetti sauce $1.00. Ronzoni$ dry tortellini $2.00 & jar or alfredo sauce for quick meal. Box of pancake mix less than $2, bottle syrup $1.50 both would probably last them all week. Ramen noodle soup 12 packs for $1.00 would give them 4-5 meals. Grilled cheese sandwiches $1.00 for loaf of bread & $2-3 bucks for cheese. Bologna is also cheap. Other ideas are french toast. I bought 12 pack of frozen hamburger today at Walmart under $6 and would be two meals for them at least. I could go on and on with cheap meals

 

[disneyjunkie]

LUCKY4ME you don't think she can feed a family of six for $12.82 per day.
I'm not saying it will always be what they want to eat or what I would want to eat but it can be done. Her children are between 8 & 1.

Store brand mac n cheese is 3 or 4 for $1 here. $.99 Ball park franks this week. Walmart gets $.82 for hotdog rolls. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Box of store brand spaghetti $.40 or $.50 cents & jar of spaghetti sauce $1.00. Ronzoni$ dry tortellini $2.00 & jar or alfredo sauce for quick meal. Box of pancake mix less than $2, bottle syrup $1.50 both would probably last them all week. Ramen noodle soup 12 packs for $1.00 would give them 4-5 meals. Grilled cheese sandwiches $1.00 for loaf of bread & $2-3 bucks for cheese. Bologna is also cheap. Other ideas are french toast. I bought 12 pack of frozen hamburger today at Walmart under $6 and would be two meals for them at least. I could go on and on with cheap meals

I'm sure it can be done, but why? That just zaps all the fun out of a vacation. I'd just postpone a trip before I went to that level of budgeting.

 

[wvjules]

I'm sure it can be done, but why? That just zaps all the fun out of a vacation. I'd just postpone a trip before I went to that level of budgeting.

Me too. it wouldnt' feel like a vacation to me. for me, eating out is part of the vacation.

 

[jacksmom]

I have to agree! For us eating out at Disney is as much fun as anything else! My family of 3 usually goes with a budget of $125/day! After all, its vacation! Also, my ds loves pins/pintrading which averages $15-20/day! Why not save up another year and really plan a nice trip your kids will always remember instead of days on end of mac n cheese and pancakes!Sorry, but YUCK!

 

[Lucky4me]

LUCKY4ME you don't think she can feed a family of six for $12.82 per day.
I'm not saying it will always be what they want to eat or what I would want to eat but it can be done. Her children are between 8 & 1.

Store brand mac n cheese is 3 or 4 for $1 here. $.99 Ball park franks this week. Walmart gets $.82 for hotdog rolls. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Box of store brand spaghetti $.40 or $.50 cents & jar of spaghetti sauce $1.00. Ronzoni$ dry tortellini $2.00 & jar or alfredo sauce for quick meal. Box of pancake mix less than $2, bottle syrup $1.50 both would probably last them all week. Ramen noodle soup 12 packs for $1.00 would give them 4-5 meals. Grilled cheese sandwiches $1.00 for loaf of bread & $2-3 bucks for cheese. Bologna is also cheap. Other ideas are french toast. I bought 12 pack of frozen hamburger today at Walmart under $6 and would be two meals for them at least. I could go on and on with cheap meals

I'm not trying to be antagonistic, honestly. I am a total cheapskate and am all for budget trips to Disney. I guess I've been there done that and no matter what our intentions at the onset, we go over. Maybe we psych ourselves out that pb&j & bologna every day for a week is not really that much fun, who knows?

In Orlando a gallon of milk is (was) 3.50. If even only 5 of them drink it with a meal and on cereal in the morning, a gallon would be gone in a day. My husband can drink half a gallon himself in a day. 17 x 3.50= $60
$60 on milk alone.
Hopefully they are renting a big van and tnkbell can load in a couple hundred dollars worth of groceries along with everyone and everything else. It's the only way I can see it working. I'm pretty sure groceries in Orlando are not as cheap as you listed even at SuperWalmart.
Now tell me you live in Orlando.

With that menu, I'd blow the budget on fresh fruit and vegetables, dh on steak.

You really get bread for a buck a loaf? Wow. More like 2 here and that's the cheap stuff.

Tnkbell, I do have some condo advice. We've been staying at them for years. Make sure to bring things like foil, plastic wrap, spices, condiments, extra paper products, (they usually supply you with a starter roll of tp and paper towel, but they go fast because they're cheap) Laundry detergent and your favorite fry pan. I've yet to stay in a condo with a decent fry pan. These are the things that could trip up that budget. They usually leave you enough dishwasher detergent for the week and a little thing of dish soap. Sometimes a sample size of Tide good for one load.

 

[kayeandjim00]

I agree with some of the others that for ME personally it wouldn't be a fun vacation if I had to worry a lot about the budget. Especially food wise as vacation = LOTS of food for DH & I but the OP seems to enjoy the challenge of making this trip possible for her family even on a tight budget. I wish you lots of luck and I'm looking forward to reading how it all turned out!