Budgeting at WDW...how do you do it?

[ehsween]

Hi all,

I was wondering if any of you have some suggestions on how to cut some costs at WDW. We last went to WDW in Jan. 2002 with our 3 children. I want to go again this coming winter, but there's just a few hurdles. For example, my husband doesn't want to go until winter of 2006 because he wants to get a few other bills paid off first.

There's just one problem with going at that time. I have been taking college courses in pursuit of working in a school system. By the Fall of 2005, I will be trying to get a job in that field and if I succeed, I won't be able to go to WDW in the Winter of 2006. Except for during Christmas/Spring/Easter break which is not desirable for either of us. We both want to go in the off-season with our children one more time before I do get a job.

So, we are already cutting costs considerably by doing the following things:

1. We're driving and not flying
2. We're probably going to stay in a very inexpensive hotel like we did last time (LBV Comfort Inn- very plain, but clean and suitable to our needs)
3. We get in free to WDW (Big cost cutter--our SIL works for Disney as a manager who overssees 10 leaders and 120 cast members)
4. Last time we were there, BIL and SIL took us to the Crystal Palace, but insisted on buying our dinner (big cost cutter again) which I'm not planning on happening this time, so maybe no character meals this time

After all of this, we're still having a hard time deciding if we really can afford it because we do live on a limited budget (or at least we should be-- lol!)

So, do any of you have any ideas on ways to cut more costs? Come on, there has to be some really thrifty people out there. For example, one idea might be to bring our own drinks and snacks. The only problem is then you end up carrying around SO much stuff. What are some other ideas?

 

[linnettevl]

I am no expert but...

I will recommend getting the brita bottle for water, it saves a lot of money, I got one for each of my kids and did not have to spend money for water at the parks(do not forget to ask for ice at the counter services)

I also made little goodie bags for each day for my kids, I went to toysrus, party city and 99c stores and bought toys, key chains, and added 5.00 in each bag (my kids were 4 and 5.5 at that time)along with candy and a snack, I will tell you that my kids loved getting a small surprise every day and I did not have to spend money at the parks.

I had breakfast at the hotel every morning and packed a light lunch for the parks : pbj sandwishes and a juice box , ect, again this saved me a lot of money

I printed tshirts with my kids favorite disney characters. I did not "show" the tshirts to them and every morning they ran to the luggage to see which character they had for that day( I used Avery transfer paper, it work great!)

I bought the bottle fans and took them with me and did not have to buy any at the parks, same with hats and fanny packs and anything that had the disney "logo". I was there to have fun I did not mind not buying any souvenirs and at the end of our trip we even had a little extra money.

We also went to the supermarket and got all the snack and food that we needed for the week just beware and do not buy too much otherwise the extras will end up in the garbage...

I also got the entertainment book and used a lot of the coupons in area restaurant( ex: buy one get one free)

I hope this will help,

Linnette

 

[crisi]

I wouldn't do this....but for a really cheap trip....

Switch your hotel to an offsite condo - something close but cheap. More expensive than a hotel, but.... Some really good deals can be had. Then you'll have a kitchen and you won't need to buy a speck of expensive WDW food.

Eat breakfast at home. Pack a small cooler with sandwiches, fruit, chips, etc. At the parks, throw it in a locker (or leave it in your car). Also haul in water bottles and some snacks (energy bars work really great - filling and light - and boxes of them can be gotten reasonably from discount stores). Drink tap, not bottled, water. Leave in the evenings (or for a bit in the afternoon if you are going to catch Fantasmic or something) and have a crockpot dinner back at your condo.

Since you are getting free tickets, it may be possible not to spend a dime outside gas, condo and your normal grocery budget.

 

[mad4themouse]

You've probably cut your costs for transportation and accommodations as much as you possibly can already. And there's nothing better than free when it comes to park admission.

That only leaves meals and souvenirs to save on. If you limit your children to one souvenir for the trip and set the dollar amount ahead of time, you can keep that amount to the bare minimum.

Bringing your own food will help tremendously. Like linnettevl suggested, eat breakfast in the room and buy a Brita Fill & Go bottle for water in the parks. Yes, you have to carry it everywhere but if each person carries their own and they don't fill them completely, they are not so heavy.

I also suggest eating a big, late lunch in the parks and then having a dinner of sandwiches and instant soup back in the room in the evening. Look into the Quick & Casual Vouchers in the
Everything You Wanted to Know About Connections Meal Vouchers Thread at the top of this board. It can help you to decide if using vouchers and sharing meals between you is a good way to save on meals in the parks.

Check AllEarsNet.com - Orlando Grocery Stores for a list of Orlando grocery stores. Sign up for their frequent buyer card if they have that program. Use it when you get there to shave some of the cost off your grocery bill. Take coupons with you. If you plan to shop at a SuperTarget or SuperWalMart, begin purchasing a few giftcards every month to use for the groceries. Just $10 a month between now and Feb. '05 will net you $80 towards groceries. That's a lot of bread and milk!

I also recommend checking out the ING Direct FAQs Thread on the Rewards Board. By opening an account using a referral from these boards, you get a $25 bonus. You can then refer your DH and children and they would also get $25 each for opening an account thru your referral link and you (the referrer) will get $10 for each one. For your family, that's $165 for opening 5 accounts! Just send a PM to anyone who has an account.

Normally, I would recommend getting a rewards credit card like the Chase-i MasterCard or the Disney VISA, but if you have bills that your DH wants to eliminate before going on a trip, getting new credit cards now may not be a good idea. However, they are worth considering if you have the discipline to pay them off in full every month. The rewards could be used for your meals in the parks.

Save all your change in a sealed jar and don't touch it until a week before the trip. Have the kids count and roll it if they are old enough. You'd be surprised at how it can add up!

Look at your current household budget for ways to cut costs and save money. Maybe you have caller id, call waiting and call forwarding that you don't really need. Or perhaps you could drop your long-distance carrier in favor of using your cellphone for all long-distance calls. Setting the air conditioner to a higher temperature can put some extra money in your pocket. Put the saved money into special savings account so that you don't use it for other things.

Those are just a few of my random, morning thoughts (pre-coffee). You're sure to get a lot more helpful suggestions from everyone. Good luck saving and congratulations on furthering your education!

 

[tmli]

One thing we are trying this trip is more free ice water with our meals. We are bringing some crystal light singles and small kool aid packets to add. I hate just plain tap water but I like saving money.

Also there's the double burger and extra bun trick.

 

[crisi]

That only leaves meals and souvenirs to save on. If you limit your children to one souvenir for the trip and set the dollar amount ahead of time, you can keep that amount to the bare minimum.

Or no souveniers at all! At least, nothing that your kids don't pay for themselves. Really, do you need more pins, tshirts, twirly light thingys and princess dresses in your life?

 

[grammagail]

1. Throw all your spare change in a box/jar. You can do this daily or weekly - whichever is easier. If you can - throw in $1.00 bills once in a while too. It adds up quickly. In just a few months - I saved almost $100.00. Rolled them the other day and was surprised.

2. Bottle returns. Since you're from Michigan (where-by the way?) these add up too. I simply hold onto my bottle return and ask for the money back - instead of applying to my grocery bill. THAT goes into my change jar too.

Good luck

 

[karemore]

You can save a lot of money by bringing some of your own food into the parks.

Just think ahead how to do it best for your needs.

I saved a bunch of plastic containers for months before the trip. I packed food in the containers that I could then leave for someone to recycle.

I bought apple juice on sale, and filled small water bottle with the juice to be shared in the parks.

DH had a bit sports bottle which we filled with iced tea and ice cubes at the motel each morning. That kept him going through the afternoon when he switched to water.

Peanut butter and jelly was pretty much our lunch each day, because we didn't have to keep it cool.

We were having so much fun, it was days before I got tired of PB&J. I'm telling you , when you are sitting staring at that beautiful castle...a sandwich tastes just as good as anything.

We packed peanuts.

Raisins.

Crackers.

All light, and filling things that don't care if they get banged around in a backpack.

I think the powdered drink mix idea is a good one. It would be easy to carry, and then you just fill your reusable bottles with fountain water and you have a cool flavored beverage.

A small fanny pack on each kid would hold their lunch and some snacks. And if you wanted to bring in dinner too...you could wear a back pack. DH and I found a backpack great for our ponchos, camera gear etc...

You can do it, as long as you explain to the kids that it's either this way...or you can't go. No complaints about the food.....lol

Good luck.

Karen

 

[jessiangel]

What really has worked for me in the past was having a Disney Fund garage sale. It really helps out with the expenses. And people will buy the craziest things at garage sales. One man's junk is another man's treasure!