Day 37 - Cost Cutting Strategies

[DVC_Dreamer]

Pre-Trip Report - 37 days to go before our split stay at BLT and BWV in a two bedroom suite. (37 sounds so much better that 40! )

Thanks to DisBoards.com, we've learned a few cost cutting strategies. Here are a few in play for this trip.

Annual Pass

The DVC Annual Pass discount is my favorite extra perk. We purchased 2 for our August 2011 trip. In hindsight, wish we purchased 4. We hedged our bet because we were not sure if we'd be able to use before annual expiration. Good news is we have 2 passes and that's a nice savings.

Southwest and Disney Credit Card

For many years, we carried a Sony card. Over the years, we gained tons of free electronics. I was impressed with the Sony card points and the amount of rewards we gained over the years. Playstation's, camera's, video camera's and stereo equipment have been nice. Now that our goal is to vacation in WDW every year, we've switched to Southwest Airlines and a Disney Card. We got the Disney Card first before we purchased DVC and put a large amount on it for our DVC purchase. We paid that off within the 6 months and we had like $900 credit for last year's trip. We cut down on it's use for this year but still have some credit there. Southwest ran a member campaign and we have enough points to cover our airfare this year. Nice.

Viggle

We're having fun with Viggle. We learned of Viggle from the Disboards Budget forum. Viggle is an iPhone/iPad application. You watch TV and "check-in" to television programs. You receive points for watching each show and can redeem your accumulating points for gift cards and products. The products can change and vary in value. We watch for gift cards from Target. You can redeem your Target gift cards for Disney gift cards.
Disney gift cards will be great to give our adult kids to run off and eat what they want.

How about it ? Any other cost cutting strategies for DVC owners?

 

[melk]

I do surveys for pinecone research, another find on the budget board. They pay $3 a survey. Those three dollar increments can really add up. I put them in a special account I have just for vacation money. I also put in there all our loose change and any money I may get from selling on craigslist or yard sales (I don't do that too often though). We usually end up with several hundred dollars for our trip from this account.

I signed up for Viggle but I always forget about it!

 

[DVC_Dreamer]

I do surveys for pinecone research, another find on the budget board. They pay $3 a survey. Those three dollar increments can really add up. I put them in a special account I have just for vacation money. I also put in there all our loose change and any money I may get from selling on craigslist or yard sales (I don't do that too often though). We usually end up with several hundred dollars for our trip from this account.

I signed up for Viggle but I always forget about it!

My parents always had a Christmas Club at the bank. My mom always had a nice Christmas for my sister and I. I really like the idea of regular savings towards Disney.
P.S. DW does pinecone too.

 

[mousefan1972]

I'm curious... are you going to start a new thread every day for the next 36 days? Isn't that kind of overkill? Sorry, just my opinion.

 

[melk]

Some people start several threads a day, upcoming trip or not. What's the difference?

 

[MODBL]

I'm curious... are you going to start a new thread every day for the next 36 days? Isn't that kind of overkill? Sorry, just my opinion.

I like these threads. I hope there are news ones regularly; it makes me excited about our trips which are further off in the distance. If you don't like these threads, maybe you could just skip over them, luckily they are easy to recognize!

 

[SDmouse]

I'm curious... are you going to start a new thread every day for the next 36 days? Isn't that kind of overkill? Sorry, just my opinion.

Wow! someone is excited about an upcoming trip and came to a fan forum to discuss daily only to have this as the reaction. I like many people here come to these boards daily, and am always curious to see new content. Without people like this who post on these topics these boards don't exist. OP Thank you for your post and continue to start a new thread daily. They are an interesting read.

 

[MinnieInMI]

I appreciate the individual day/individual topic format. Easy to zero in what is being discussed!

 

[DVC_Dreamer]

I appreciate the individual day/individual topic format. Easy to zero in what is being discussed!

Thanks for the feedback.

Last year, I started my post trip report the same way. I received negative feedback doing my trip report that way and that made sense to me. I then changed the report to be one post.

Thanks again and I hope my questions and insight are useful and fun.

 

[Melani]

u

The DVC Annual Pass discount is my favorite extra perk. We purchased 2 for our August 2011 trip. In hindsight, wish we purchased 4. We hedged our bet because we were not sure if we'd be able to use before annual expiration. Good news is we have 2 passes and that's a nice saving

Viggle

We're having fun with Viggle. We learned of Viggle from the Disboards Budget forum. Viggle is an iPhone/iPad application. You watch TV and "check-in" to television programs. You receive points for watching each show and can redeem your accumulating points for gift cards and products. The products can change and vary in value. We watch for gift cards from Target. You can redeem your Target gift cards for Disney gift cards.
Disney gift cards will be great to give our adult kids to run off and eat what they want.

How about it ? Any other cost cutting strategies for DVC owners?

If you purchase 6 day hoppers from Undercover Tourist through Mouse Savers, use them at least once, then upgrade them to DVC APs, you'll save about $26 each.

Also if you sign up for Target pharmacy rewards and have a target Debit card which get 5% , after 5 prescriptions you get a one day use extra 5% card = 10% off gift cards

 

[uccats97]

I use my bank check card for everyday purchase and my Disney card for bigger purchases. Every year before our vacation I redeem my points for gas gift cards from my bank and Disney $ from the Disney card. Nice little bonuses. I was also able to redeem my Disney movie club points for $30 in Disney gift cards recently.

In years past I have found deals at Sams Club on Disney gift cards. You could get a $100 gift card for $98 and it had a bonus gift card good at the Disney Store for $10 attached to it. I bought all 8 they had available and saved $16 off of face value plus got $80 free to the Disney Store. This year you can buy the same price gift card but instead of a bonus $10 card you get a vinylmation pin with the gift card. Not as good of a deal imho but it may appeal to someone.