Advice on booking a super cheap Disney trip?

[LovesTimone]

That's not the case in every state. Many states calculate extracurriculars and occasional spending (such as back to school costs and field trips) into the child support amount paid by the non-custodial parent. Going after the dad for more child support (as a PP suggested) or demanding that he pay up "his part$$$" could poison the well. I've seen it happen with my own brother, who has a contentious relationship with his ex. Prior to her taking him back to court for additional child support two years ago, he often gave money to her for the kids' additional expenses whenever she expressed a need. Once she pulled the "I'm taking you to court for more support", all of that stopped. He will still take his daughter shopping for clothing and school supplies throughout the year. And he even gave the child a Disney GC for spending money when her mother took her to Disney last month. But he won't give an extra dime directly to the ex anymore and he is nowhere near as generous with the kids as he once was, preferring to put money aside for the kids' college expenses instead.

OP, I know nothing about what brought you to single parent status. For all any of us know, you may be a widow and not an ex-wife. Just keep in mind that if you are in the latter situation, you will be fare much better to ask him for help with the costs for DD#1 (it's her school trip, after all) but do not demand help. And as far as the cost of your mini-vacation, that's a choice that you're making. He may offer to help with DD#2's expenses but he doesn't have to pay for it.

I guess my statement upset you and they were just suggestions not demands.. not knowing the OP situation of her being a new single mom, I guess I should have worded it different. I never suggested that she go after more child support or demand that he pay up. I was just putting in out there not to forget to ask him to see if he is willing to help, being a new single mom just trying to remind her of her options.
I understand that you feel the need to protect your brother but there are always 3 sides to divorce.. his, hers, and what really happened. When I needed extra from my ex for my DD, I would just give him the information, and show him the break down and we would discuss it between us. Not all ex's are mortal enemy's, When my DD got married 2 years ago, her Dad ( my Ex) split the cost of her wedding, and talked the wedding arrangement and such. From the beginning we decided to put her 1st and act like grown ups, and we did not let family and friends interfere with what they thought we should do.
OP, Please know that these were just suggestions. Wishing you a magical time

 

[mrudman]

OP here..

First of all, thanks for the suggestion to try to get DH to pay for some of it. Without getting into too much private detail, I'll just say that I'm not a widow, but I cannot get any money out of DH right now either. So unfortunately, this trip will be 100% on my bill.

Now, after I wrote my original message, I've had a couple discussions with younger dd and she's changed her tune a little about wanting to go to Disney. I know that I definitely want to see older dd march, so I will definitely need to be at MK on that Saturday to see that happen. But now I have the option to possibly make this trip a lot cheaper.

Some of the ideas that younger dd has brought up is possibly driving over to the gulf area... she has always wanted to see "florida" oceans, or possibly doing Sea World (I know how some of you feel about this place, lol, but ours closed down up here the year before she was born and she always wanted to go to one). So now I'm trying to think how I could possibly make either (or both) of these happen for her. I've researched hotels in the Orlando area, and it seems as if I can get away fairly cheap for a decent hotel. Then we could possibly swing driving to the gulf coast for 1-2 days?

I guess right now, one of the problems I'm encountering is that older dd will be there from the 18th-21st, I'd have to be in MK on the 19th, so how do I fit these 2 activities in on either side of that day. Sorry if I'm confusing you all, lol.. thanks for being patient with me. And thanks for all the suggestions on ways to possibly earn extra money. I've done Swagbucks in the past, but have never had that much luck with them.. but maybe I'll try that again.

And as far as the $850 for older dd, they do hold fundraisers through the year, and put aside money into their own private accounts. This account can be used any time during the years that they are in the band.. so far we have do have a small amount in here account I could use, and I will definitely be taking advantage of some more of the fundraisers as they come along. So hopefully I'll be able to get at least $100 or so in her account that we'd be able to use by the time her last payment would be due.

 

[Marionnette]

OP here..

First of all, thanks for the suggestion to try to get DH to pay for some of it. Without getting into too much private detail, I'll just say that I'm not a widow, but I cannot get any money out of DH right now either. So unfortunately, this trip will be 100% on my bill.

Now, after I wrote my original message, I've had a couple discussions with younger dd and she's changed her tune a little about wanting to go to Disney. I know that I definitely want to see older dd march, so I will definitely need to be at MK on that Saturday to see that happen. But now I have the option to possibly make this trip a lot cheaper.

Some of the ideas that younger dd has brought up is possibly driving over to the gulf area... she has always wanted to see "florida" oceans, or possibly doing Sea World (I know how some of you feel about this place, lol, but ours closed down up here the year before she was born and she always wanted to go to one). So now I'm trying to think how I could possibly make either (or both) of these happen for her. I've researched hotels in the Orlando area, and it seems as if I can get away fairly cheap for a decent hotel. Then we could possibly swing driving to the gulf coast for 1-2 days?

I guess right now, one of the problems I'm encountering is that older dd will be there from the 18th-21st, I'd have to be in MK on the 19th, so how do I fit these 2 activities in on either side of that day. Sorry if I'm confusing you all, lol.. thanks for being patient with me. And thanks for all the suggestions on ways to possibly earn extra money. I've done Swagbucks in the past, but have never had that much luck with them.. but maybe I'll try that again.

And as far as the $850 for older dd, they do hold fundraisers through the year, and put aside money into their own private accounts. This account can be used any time during the years that they are in the band.. so far we have do have a small amount in here account I could use, and I will definitely be taking advantage of some more of the fundraisers as they come along. So hopefully I'll be able to get at least $100 or so in her account that we'd be able to use by the time her last payment would be due.

This might not be an option that you would consider, but I'm going to throw it out there as an outside-of-the-box suggestion.

• Leave your younger DD at home with a friend or family member. You can do her Florida vacation in the future when money isn't as tight.
  
• Fly down the morning of the 19th and return that evening. Take a cab from the airport directly to MK and back again. Start saving for an affordable Florida trip at a later date that won't stretch your budget too thin.
• If you can, apply for the Southwest CC with a 50K bonus. This should take care of your airfare plus provide you with miles that can be used on your future trip.
• Start doing SB again. Follow the thread that was linked in a PP for hints on how to maximize your earnings. Redeem for Target GCs and then use those to purchase Disney GCs. Use those GCs to purchase a 1-day MK ticket for yourself. If there are extra GCs, use them for your future trip.
• Start entering all of your Kellogg's codes into the KelloggsFamilyRewards website. For 7,000 pts., you can redeem for a $5 Starbucks GC. Follow blogs like Hip2Save for bonus codes. Link your store loyalty cards so that you don't miss any points. Sign up for Bing and get rewarded for searching. Use the points to obtain another Starbucks GC. Combine your Starbucks GCs on their app to make it easier to pay with them. Use those GCs to pay for your lunch at the Starbucks located inside the MK's Main Street Bakery.

This plan would cost you very little OOP (9/11 fee for the flights and cab cost). And it would allow you to get started on saving for the kind of Florida vacation that your younger DD wants to take.