Craziest thing you have done to save money to get to DISNEY!

[motofamily]

In these hard economic times what is the craziest thing you have done to save a buck or two so that you can afford a trip to the Fort and Disney?

We were watching 17-Kids and counting and saw how they made clothes detergent. Guess what it works it really works!

 

[hopeisb4u]

i saw that episode! Hey...they make it work! but, i guess you'd have to with that many kids! Bless her heart!!!

I've been cutting way way back on our entertainment $$. Instead of going to the movies every week or every other I enrolled in the blockbuster online thing. saves me a lot each month. Not going out to dinner as much. Basically just spending a lot of time at home, or doing things that don't cost money. Local park, hiking on some state trails, etc.

+ i'm not renting carts this year. That'll save me a lot by itself! I'm just happy that it is flat, and not so hilly!!! if there were, ya'lld see me out walking my bike up the hills!

OH!!! and we eat a lot of sandwiches and cereal!!! No joke! Although....i'm not sure if that is to save money, or because it is soooo fast & easy! LOVE SOME CHEERIOS!!

 

[Tiggntaz]

OH!!! and we eat a lot of sandwiches and cereal!!! No joke! Although....i'm not sure if that is to save money, or because it is soooo fast & easy! LOVE SOME CHEERIOS!!

How does a cheerio sandwich taste? Don't they fall off the bread when you pick it up?

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

Wait- I didn't see that... how'd they make clothes detergent that works it really works? Spill it.

Um, we just don't eat out as often- and when we do it's on special nights when kids are free (although they are lowing the age and my kids are getting older so that's about a thing of the past for us- soon. wahhhh) or with cpns and what have you. If we go to the movies- it's not often- then it's matinee which is only $2.25 for adults, $2 for children. Yes that is the benefit of living in a small town with the only movie theatre with a 30mile+ radius and not always getting all the new movies here since only 6 per week. Oh... just buying groceries when on sale and stocking up the freezers when they are on sale- stuff like that. Nothing "crazy". LOL
Oh wait- I dug out a bunch of gold recently- broken chains, old school ring that had been collecting dust for OMG almost 25yrs and had no use for, etc and I thought I'd probably get hardly anything- considering some of the stuff I figured wasn't even real gold but threw it in there anyway.. i only sent stuff I never wear and never would again... and got over $300! happy dance
That's not really crazy though is it? LOL

 

[Stitch76]

I charge everything I possibly can on my Disney Visa card, and get Disney Reward dollars. That's what me and my kids are going to use for souvineer shopping, so when we go, we can get ears, and tees, and it will be like they are free.
I have been charging, gas, groceries, fast food (when we get it), and anything else I need. We don't go on crazy shoppping sprees, we just buy what we need and pay of the card when the bills come in, so we don't have to pay any interest. My DH thinks I'm crazy. Something can cost 1.99, and he will start to get out cash to pay, and I whip out my card, and tell him we're charging it.
It's Disney money, it adds up. We have almost $100 saved up and we still have another year to go before the trip.

 

[Tigger0624]

I have cut back on Junk food and eating out- unless it cant be avoided... if we do eat out, it has to be when kids eat free or for like a buck or something-when you have 4- it adds up. I try to limit myself to "drive through" type foods only once a week and eating out once every 2 weeks if that... but some days it just cant be avoided....

What I have just recently started to do is whenever I'm feeling lazy or tired and would really rather just it Mc Donalds for a quick fix for food- I put that money into a jar and make some PB&J or have a bowl of cereal... also instead of ordering pizza out (my boys are obsessed with the cheese stuffed crust) I get the DiGiorno ones with the stuffed crust, so they still get pizza night, it still takes a 1/2 hour or less, but it saves me about 25 bucks each time! Just to give y'all an idea... for all 6 of us to get a "value" meal at McD's (happy meals for the younger 3) it usually ends up running about 30 bucks.... takeout pizza is 30-40 depending... about 2 months ago I added up what I spent on junk food and take out/dining out- I almost had a heart attack!!! So not only are we saving money, but eating better too, so its a win win I guess... more Disney trips for me!!!!

 

[TOGA]

I charge everything I possibly can on my Disney Visa card, and get Disney Reward dollars. That's what me and my kids are going to use for souvineer shopping, so when we go, we can get ears, and tees, and it will be like they are free.
I have been charging, gas, groceries, fast food (when we get it), and anything else I need. We don't go on crazy shoppping sprees, we just buy what we need and pay of the card when the bills come in, so we don't have to pay any interest. My DH thinks I'm crazy. Something can cost 1.99, and he will start to get out cash to pay, and I whip out my card, and tell him we're charging it.
It's Disney money, it adds up. We have almost $100 saved up and we still have another year to go before the trip.

This.

I ended up with enough points to purchase 1 adult 5-day base ticket and 1 childrens 5-day base ticket, plus had a little left over for souvenirs.


.

 

[kaguilbeau]

I charge everything I possibly can on my Disney Visa card, and get Disney Reward dollars. That's what me and my kids are going to use for souvineer shopping, so when we go, we can get ears, and tees, and it will be like they are free.
I have been charging, gas, groceries, fast food (when we get it), and anything else I need. We don't go on crazy shoppping sprees, we just buy what we need and pay of the card when the bills come in, so we don't have to pay any interest. My DH thinks I'm crazy. Something can cost 1.99, and he will start to get out cash to pay, and I whip out my card, and tell him we're charging it.

I do this too. Been doing it since our last trip over 4 years ago. Have over 700.00 in rewards saved up. Some other things you can usually charge is the cell phone bill and insurance. When I do charge, I immediately subtract it from my check register. Instead of putting a check number, I put *WDW or *visa or something. When I'm ready to write the check for the credit card bill, I add up all those amounts and that is what I write the check for. We only go about every 5 years - and this is THAT year

 

[kaguilbeau]

DH started getting me to cut his hair. When I agree to do it he'll put 20.00 in my disney jar!

When we go to Fort Wilderness, we usually cook all our meals. However, I like to eat out a couple of times. This year, instead of buying DH a fathers day gift or birthday gift, I made a sheet of paper with a description and pictures of a restaurant I'd like us to eat at. (For Valentine's Day gift, I pickd Boma.) I used Word and inserted some color photos of the inside of the restaurant. One meal at Boma was his gift for Valentine's Day. I then put aside the 30.00 I would've spent on a gift and will use that for his meal. (I'll just have to fork up the $ for my meal - because I WILL GO TOO!)

I'm having a hard time saving for this trip, but I so-want-to-go. I will make it work somehow!

 

[dfchelbay]

I have found that buying snacks, paper towels, napkins, batteries, etc. can be done much cheaper at the Dollar Tree. I buy the same name brand items I can find at the grocery store, but save so much more money because nothing is more than a dollar. Now, we pretty much only have to get fresh fruits and vegetables at the grocery store each week. FYI they have a huge selection of packaged dried fruits, nuts and granola, which we snack on while at WDW parks, and they don't melt like chocolate in the heat.

We have also started focusing on what is already in our pantry and freezer. We could live for the next six months on just what is sitting on those shelves in our own home. Its kind of fun to go in there and look at everything and create a meal from what we have.

We also charge everything on our visa too. We can pay everything, but the mortgage with our credit card. Our credit card is for airline miles. We never have to pay for our flights to WDW. We fly for free with our frequent flier miles, rent a car (use credit card too), pick up our motor coach, which is right down the street from WDW, pick up groceries from Walmart...and it's off to Ft. Wilderness, which is free with our DVC points.

Nothing like a practically free vacation 4 or 5 times a year to WDW...on points and frequent flier miles...Priceless!

 

[parrisk]

I don't do anything too crazy.

I label zip lock bags,like Golf Cart Rental $300.00, Gas Money $200.00, etc. Then each week we put what extra cash we can afford in the bag until we get the desired amount, then start on the next one.

I have started selling on EBAY. I am selling off my Trading Pin Collection. It was getting insane, like between 2,500 and 3,000 pins. I have also recently lost a LOT (60 lbs.) of weight, so I have been selling my clothes too.

I also do the Disney Visa Rewards. We use that $$$ for meals in the park.

I am also cleaning out for a couple of Yard Sales. We are Disney Vacation Club members and my daughter and I always fund a summer girls only Disney Resort trip by having a yard sale or two. This year's resort is the Wilderness Lodge.

I teach middle school math with a master's degree, I work the after-school program, I always teach summer school, and I do any other paid extra position like Curriculum Head, or Mentoring. I do all this just to help fund my enormous Disney Addiction.

 

[69RoadRunner]

I'm ashamed to admit this, but I worked as a high-end gigolo for Victoria's Secret and SI swimsuit models.

















Or was that just a dream?

 

[BigDaddyRog]

at roadrunner!!


My wife has been doing the dollar tree thing too, we switched from cable to direct tv, canceled my landline phone since the only people who ever called it were sales people, Ive lost 180 pounds...but always knew one day Id fit in my old clothes again, so I haven't had to buy much in the clothing department for myself...but I do have some sprouting kids so they pretty much wipe out any savings I made there....we have cut back on eating out IMMENSELY, I havent drank alcohol in 5 months, thats a pretty big savings.

Somehow, even with us cutting corners down to the bare minimum...my income has dropped as well...so the savings isnt what you would expect it to be. Ive been very lucky this year in as far as friends looking out for me..so we WILL be able to enjoy a short Disney trip in October. But without the help from my friends here on the Dis...that most likely wouldnt happen for us.

I hope that this recession finds an end soon..so my life will one day be back to where my family lives comfortably, right now the only comfort we have is knowing that we arent the only ones in a sinking ship!!

 

[dfchelbay]

I'm ashamed to admit this, but I worked as a high-end gigolo for Victoria's Secret and SI swimsuit models.

Or was that just a dream?

Well, the only fair thing to do is for you to post the photos and WE'LL be the judge of whether it was a dream or not...cough em up. It is for WDW research purposes only, so let's have em.

 

[BradyBz12]

Going to definitely be tougher this year - DH just lost all paid sick time, and there are talks of other cuts as well. I'm self-employed and so far work has been steady (knock wood) but you never know. I'm not turning ANY work away at this point.

We're cutting back on eating out and extras too, but the biggest thing we've done to help cover our annual trek to FW is to make it a "no gifts" rule. Since we go in Nov/Dec and our anniversary is Dec 24th, we just call our trip our combined Christmas/Anniversary gifts to each other. Works for both of us! We'd rather spend time at WDW then just accumulate more "stuff."

And as of last year, I started a new rule that says that DH's birthday gift is his GC rental. No complaints on that one either!

 

[Born 2 Fish]

Well,
1, I only eat fish that I catch (save $ not buy'n fish)
2. only drink my neighbors beer (save a bundle there)
3. wear my clothes for a week, then turn them inside out for a couple days (save on water and Detergent)
4. don't mow the yard anymore (save on gas)
5. run extention cords from my other neighbors for electricity (save BIG there)
6. take a empty gas can , late at night, go to the fuel stations and drain the excess gas in the hoses into the can, (onna good night you can get a couple FREE gallons)
7. Borrow your friends car every chance you get.
8. Weekly shower (saves on soap,shampoo, water)
9. Free TV cable if you tape into neighbor with multiplug.

Ya'll are welcome to use my "savings hints" ,
If you need more, I got a bunch.

 

[ftwildernessguy]

I got just one word to answer all your money problems :FRANKENSOAP!

 

[69RoadRunner]

Well, the only fair thing to do is for you to post the photos and WE'LL be the judge of whether it was a dream or not...cough em up. It is for WDW research purposes only, so let's have em.

Come on, you know they don't let you take pictures. Some are married.

I said that's OK, we're both married.










Then I woke up.

 

[dfchelbay]

Well,
1, I only eat fish that I catch (save $ not buy'n fish)
2. only drink my neighbors beer (save a bundle there)
3. wear my clothes for a week, then turn them inside out for a couple days (save on water and Detergent)
4. don't mow the yard anymore (save on gas)
5. run extention cords from my other neighbors for electricity (save BIG there)
6. take a empty gas can , late at night, go to the fuel stations and drain the excess gas in the hoses into the can, (onna good night you can get a couple FREE gallons)
7. Borrow your friends car every chance you get.
8. Weekly shower (saves on soap,shampoo, water)
9. Free TV cable if you tape into neighbor with multiplug.

Ya'll are welcome to use my "savings hints" ,
If you need more, I got a bunch.

Well, I think your bail will pretty much wipe out any of your savings from these escapades...unless you're already emailing from inside the big. house.

 

[tinkerbell76]

after canceling a birthday trip..grumble..and a spring break trip...double grumble...I tried to figure out how to do this trip after all. I lost my job before Thanksgiving and haven't found another one yet. Well to tell the truth after much soul searching I realized it would be cheaper to...well not go but that isn't an option...so instead I think we are going to do FL season passes and go every chance we get. Since we are getting ready to move to FL we will qualify. We will be about 5 hours away so a day trip is possible (although I don't want to be the one that drives home lol) We won't stay on site, we won't eat at any of WDW eateries but that said we will save over 2500 from out original one week trip!