Bummed

[mommytoxzande]

So I am new to the boards and already bummed about my Disney budget. My DH and I have been trying to save any extra money we can in order to be able to do Disney on all cash. This is hard for us because we don't make lots extra. So we have saved almost 800 dollars for are trip this year and I am going to have to use a little more than half of it because we are short this month for bills. I know we will be able to get the fund back up to where it currently is, plus add some more money to it, but it still is so hard for me to see that money being used for something other than Mickey! Thanks for letting me complain!

 

[csharpwv]

You could always start consideration of your bills and if you could eliminate any of them - reduce any of them - or switch to a different company offering a lower rate for the service (Cable & Telephone especially!)

I saved us over $100 a month on our cable bill by checking out a different provider - finding a lower rate - and then bargaining with out current company - they lower our rate AND gave us more channels for LESS than what we would have been paying before!

Also consider your car insurance if you own vehicles, your homeowners insurance - and if they aren't already together put them together for a multi-line discount.

Look at your cell phone and/or land line phone prices and see what you could eliminate.

Use coupons on grocery and health & beauty items!

Shop 2nd hand stores for clothes and other household items.

Do you have clutter around your house that could be of value to someone else? HAVE A YARD SALE!

If you have any special skills or talents pick up some part-time work. Even if you just make $20 more dollars a week that's amounts to a much larger Disney fund in short order!

Just look for areas to trip your budget and eliminate things that you don't need or could spend less on.

Welcome to the DisBoards - I hope you have as much fun pinching pennies as the rest of us!

 

[bumbershoot]

Ditto to everything csharpwv said.


Along with that, after using the half of the money to pay bills, instead of starting to save for Disney right away, think about saving up the money as a small emergency fund. Get to what makes you comfortable (we have 1K right now). Make sure that everything can be paid while saving up, of course (following csharp's ideas can help with that!). And only once that is set and in place, only then start saving up for the Disney vacation.

That way, if you're short, or if you have an emergency, you just use the small emergency fund (after using it, start filling it back up again of course) instead of going into the Disney account.

Good luck!

 

[JCMHutch]

We actually dropped our cable for a $12 a month package so that we get our local channels (they call it antenna service) since we are in a no reception zone. We use Netflix - that is a huge savings ($9 v $75-$100). We also have cell phones but no smart phones. Data plans add up!

I ask for Disney gift cards for bday and xmas as part of my saving strategy. We also use our Disney Visa for everything (paid of monthly) and get the Disney Dream Dollars. Last year the dollars added $150 to our Disney fund. Next trip, we will have enough to upgrade to a moderate with no extra OOP expense.

 

[tweedlemom]

We reduced our newspaper subscription from Sunday-Friday, down to Thurs, Fri, Sun. (Cut our bill in half.) Every little bit helps!

 

[Kay1]

With such young children it's a challenge to earn extra income. If you're up to it, maybe you could do some babysitting? Or just keep saving as Disney will still be there when you're ready.

Good luck to you.

 

[Ava]

Try doing rewards sites to earn a little extra money. It won't be much but every little bit helps! It's also an easy thing to do in the evenings after the kids are in bed.

 

[Elvis1515]

I would be bummed too. It is difficult to save and then have to use the money for bills. You could put an IOU to your Disney fund for $400, just like a bill. That way you are paying your Disney fund back.

When we need to boost our Disney fund, we will eliminate all eating out and extra purchases. If we are tempted to go to Subway, we say Subway or put $20 in the Disney fund. So we pull out $20 right out of the wallet and put it in the envelope and then look in the pantry.

Hope this helps,

 

[dallastxcpa]

I am so sorry for you. It is really hard when you have such little ones. And I understand the desire. I was very lucky that I got to take my kids when they were young like yours twice. Only because a family member paid for the trip. We had barely any money for souveniers; it was tough to look at those pricey princess dresses and know I had to tell my girls no we can't get that. Well, the good news is I returned 4 years later found DVC and bought in. Sadly we are in a tough spot this year as I have been out of work for six months. And even though we own DVC we won't be using it this year as it is just not in the budget. The good news unlikey many others we have been able to keep up with our house payments and we have food on the table. The hard part is knowing that once I gain employment I will have to start building up that safety net again. They always tell you to put six months back, I don't think the people who suggested that ever saw this recession coming.

 

[mommytoxzande]

Thanks for all the ideas and well wishes. I do, do many of them already and really like the IOU idea. I think we will be able to put about 200 back this week after payday because I won't have to pay a full week's of babysitting next week because of the holiday. Unfortunately I can't pick up any extra work because I already work full time as a teacher and my DH doesn't get home until almost 7 from his job. We have asked for Disney gift cards for Christmas as well as I have requested them for the boys. I know it will all work out, however it was just a hard one to have to over come!

Thanks Again!