Debt Dumpers - 2017

[ruadisneyfan2]

Checking in, but nothing earth shattering to report. I mailed our $1190 check to the IRS yesterday . That won't be happening again next year!!

That's awful. We had to pay one year. I vowed never again.

 

[lorac4disney]

Saturday will be the start of my cheapest trip to Orlando ever. We are DVC so I consider that a fixed cost whether we go or not. We will be staying Sunday through Sunday at SSR. Our only cost for accommodations will be for this Saturday night when we get a room at Pensacola Beach. We decided to get the cheapest beachfront room we could find. With tax, it's going to cost us a little less than $200. It isn't a necessary expense since we could technically drive straight through in one day, but DH and I love getting into vacation mode while on the beach.

We will be driving 10 hours on Saturday to get to Pensacola Beach. Then we will finish up with almost 7 more hours of driving on Sunday to get to SSR. We have budgeted $100 for gas down there, $100 for gas back, and $100 for gas while in Orlando. I'm looking at buying a Walmart GC and taking advantage of the 3 cents off per gallon whenever we can.

We will not be buying park tickets this year unless we decide to go to Typhoon Lagoon. Instead, we will be using our AP's to Universal Studios for the last time before they expire. So we have set aside $200 for TL tickets in the off chance that we decide to go there. It should cost less than that since we will get a DVC discount on the tickets, but I figure the cost of a locker rental while we are there will round it out. Our parking fee at US is covered because one of our AP's have been upgraded to cover that expense so we should be good there.

We have also budgeted $1000 for food, drinks, and eating out. We will be staying in a studio at SSR so we won't have a kitchen this time. We are making do by bringing our own little deep fat fryer though. DH works in food manufacturing so we have plenty of chicken nuggets, french fries, chicken fried steaks, chicken breasts, bacon, steak, and other food that he gets for free with his perfect attendance vouchers. Between the gas grills at SSR, the microwave in our room, and the deep fat fryer, we should be able to cook whatever we want while we are there. We have a huge Rtic ice chest that we are bringing loaded with our free food from home. I have spent $9 for canned sodas that I found on sale and another $40 for snacks and road trip food so that we won't be tempted to binge buy at the gas stations when we stop for gas. We plan on eating breakfast and some suppers in our room, but we have the option of eating out whenever we want to. With two of us being allergic to dairy, it really limits our ability to eat out which is both a good and bad thing. What we can eat out tends to cost more since it's usually table serve.

We've thrown in another $300 for souvenirs and miscellaneous expenses. Our DD has her own money for whatever she wants above and beyond what we have laid out in our budget. In all, I am hoping that this trip will cost us less than $2000. I hope to update when we get back with a trip report that puts us in well under that amount, but we will see how it goes.

 

[Eureka]

Checking in post-Japan... we had a blast! More or less did the damage I assumed - set ourselves back a month or so but it was well worth it. We'll see if I feel the same way when we turn around and tread water again in June due to the next vacation...

Japan is amazing! I went in 1990 to visit a friend who had been an exchange student at my school when we were in high school. She took me all over, including Tokyo Disneyland and Kyoto. I would love to go back. For most people, a one chance in a lifetime and well worth whatever you spent on it, imo.

 

[DisneyMandC]

Saturday will be the start of my cheapest trip to Orlando ever. We are DVC so I consider that a fixed cost whether we go or not. We will be staying Sunday through Sunday at SSR. Our only cost for accommodations will be for this Saturday night when we get a room at Pensacola Beach. We decided to get the cheapest beachfront room we could find. With tax, it's going to cost us a little less than $200. It isn't a necessary expense since we could technically drive straight through in one day, but DH and I love getting into vacation mode while on the beach.

We will be driving 10 hours on Saturday to get to Pensacola Beach. Then we will finish up with almost 7 more hours of driving on Sunday to get to SSR. We have budgeted $100 for gas down there, $100 for gas back, and $100 for gas while in Orlando. I'm looking at buying a Walmart GC and taking advantage of the 3 cents off per gallon whenever we can.

We will not be buying park tickets this year unless we decide to go to Typhoon Lagoon. Instead, we will be using our AP's to Universal Studios for the last time before they expire. So we have set aside $200 for TL tickets in the off chance that we decide to go there. It should cost less than that since we will get a DVC discount on the tickets, but I figure the cost of a locker rental while we are there will round it out. Our parking fee at US is covered because one of our AP's have been upgraded to cover that expense so we should be good there.

We have also budgeted $1000 for food, drinks, and eating out. We will be staying in a studio at SSR so we won't have a kitchen this time. We are making do by bringing our own little deep fat fryer though. DH works in food manufacturing so we have plenty of chicken nuggets, french fries, chicken fried steaks, chicken breasts, bacon, steak, and other food that he gets for free with his perfect attendance vouchers. Between the gas grills at SSR, the microwave in our room, and the deep fat fryer, we should be able to cook whatever we want while we are there. We have a huge Rtic ice chest that we are bringing loaded with our free food from home. I have spent $9 for canned sodas that I found on sale and another $40 for snacks and road trip food so that we won't be tempted to binge buy at the gas stations when we stop for gas. We plan on eating breakfast and some suppers in our room, but we have the option of eating out whenever we want to. With two of us being allergic to dairy, it really limits our ability to eat out which is both a good and bad thing. What we can eat out tends to cost more since it's usually table serve.

We've thrown in another $300 for souvenirs and miscellaneous expenses. Our DD has her own money for whatever she wants above and beyond what we have laid out in our budget. In all, I am hoping that this trip will cost us less than $2000. I hope to update when we get back with a trip report that puts us in well under that amount, but we will see how it goes.

Have a great trip! Sounds like you have planned well. I would really love to hear your thoughts on the studio room at SSR when you get back. It's one of the options I've considered next time we go on a big family vacation to Disney, but I know very little about SSR.

 

[Dentam]

Japan is amazing! I went in 1990 to visit a friend who had been an exchange student at my school when we were in high school. She took me all over, including Tokyo Disneyland and Kyoto. I would love to go back. For most people, a one chance in a lifetime and well worth whatever you spent on it, imo.

I have a friend who is going to Japan in a few months to teach English. She is hoping to get placed near Tokyo. We are both big Disney fans and I'm already talking about visiting her and seeing as much as possible while I'm there, including Tokyo Disneyland! She will be there at least a year, and probably longer.

 

[AquaDame]

Japan is amazing! I went in 1990 to visit a friend who had been an exchange student at my school when we were in high school. She took me all over, including Tokyo Disneyland and Kyoto. I would love to go back. For most people, a one chance in a lifetime and well worth whatever you spent on it, imo.

I agree! Its a wonderful country - safe, clean, easy to get around... we thank our lucky stars every time we are able to do something like this. Hopefully you make it back one day if you want to go!

I have a friend who is going to Japan in a few months to teach English. She is hoping to get placed near Tokyo. We are both big Disney fans and I'm already talking about visiting her and seeing as much as possible while I'm there, including Tokyo Disneyland! She will be there at least a year, and probably longer.

I would have loved to do this..! Its easy to stay - the people I know who went ended up staying several years before coming back - usually they find a different job while they are there too. FWIW, I actually found myself way more at ease in Osaka than Tokyo - I hadn't realized how stressed out I was until we switched cities for a few days. Everything is crowded and bustling in all the stations and everyone seems so much more serious in Tokyo. I think she will enjoy it no matter where she ends up! The trains make everything so accessible - just a couple hours to Osaka, then an hour to Kyoto from there, hour to Nara, etc. Their train system is unparalleled I swear - we just showed up and got a ticket, if we didn't like the seat options we took the next train 20 min later.

 

[dayvewc]

Have a great trip! Sounds like you have planned well. I would really love to hear your thoughts on the studio room at SSR when you get back. It's one of the options I've considered next time we go on a big family vacation to Disney, but I know very little about SSR.

I stayed in a studio at SSR a couple of years ago. I liked SSR as a resort, though I didn't spend much time there. I will say that the studios at Disney in general are TINY. I'm spoiled, I know, but the only complaint I have about DVC is that the rooms are all smaller than any other timeshare resort I've stayed at.

We will be staying in a studio at SSR so we won't have a kitchen this time. We are making do by bringing our own little deep fat fryer though. DH works in food manufacturing so we have plenty of chicken nuggets, french fries, chicken fried steaks, chicken breasts, bacon, steak, and other food that he gets for free with his perfect attendance vouchers. Between the gas grills at SSR, the microwave in our room, and the deep fat fryer, we should be able to cook whatever we want while we are there. We have a huge Rtic ice chest that we are bringing loaded with our free food from home. I have spent $9 for canned sodas that I found on sale and another $40 for snacks and road trip food so that we won't be tempted to binge buy at the gas stations when we stop for gas. We plan on eating breakfast and some suppers in our room, but we have the option of eating out whenever we want to. With two of us being allergic to dairy, it really limits our ability to eat out which is both a good and bad thing. What we can eat out tends to cost more since it's usually table serve.

I'm not familiar with an Rtic ice chest, but just wanted to point out that the absence of a kitchen also includes an absence of a fridge/freezer. They do have a small dorm-size fridge, but with as much food as you are bringing I'd wonder about it thawing out before the week was over just in an ice chest.

 

[DisneyMandC]

I stayed in a studio at SSR a couple of years ago. I liked SSR as a resort, though I didn't spend much time there. I will say that the studios at Disney in general are TINY. I'm spoiled, I know, but the only complaint I have about DVC is that the rooms are all smaller than any other timeshare resort I've stayed at.

Good to know. We will have a long time before this vacation, but I know we will definitely want to be onsite. Just need to figure out if a studio or two separate rooms would be the best option for our family.

 

[dayvewc]

Good to know. We will have a long time before this vacation, but I know we will definitely want to be onsite. Just need to figure out if a studio or two separate rooms would be the best option for our family.

For comparison purposes ... most of the studio rooms that I've stayed at off-site had 2 queen beds. Disney studios are 1 king bed. I travel with an ECV, and in the off-site rooms there is enough room to park it inside the room with no worries about space. Disney studios I always push the coffee table up next to the couch so there is room to park the ECV.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE staying on Disney. I just accepted that the tradeoff for staying onsite and inside the bubble is that the rooms are smaller with less space to "sprawl", so I have to be more efficient in how I pack/unpack/arrange my stuff around the room.

 

[lorac4disney]

Rtic is a spin off of the Yeti ice chests. It's suppose to hold ice for up to 7 days kind of thing. I don't know how well it is going to work with dry ice, but we are going to find out.

 

[MEM]

For comparison purposes ... most of the studio rooms that I've stayed at off-site had 2 queen beds. Disney studios are 1 king bed. I travel with an ECV, and in the off-site rooms there is enough room to park it inside the room with no worries about space. Disney studios I always push the coffee table up next to the couch so there is room to park the ECV.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE staying on Disney. I just accepted that the tradeoff for staying onsite and inside the bubble is that the rooms are smaller with less space to "sprawl", so I have to be more efficient in how I pack/unpack/arrange my stuff around the room.

Don't forget the sofa bed in the Disney DVC studios!

 

[Ngwira]

Has anyone been to Mickeys not so scary Halloween party? I just saw that they are having it on August 25th which works with our August trip. I think we'll splurge and go. Looking for advice. Is it worth the $300 price tag for our family?

 

[disneyduonj]

Halloween in August???

 

[Dentam]

We (3 adults) stayed in a studio at the BCV during our last trip and I would not recommend having any more people than that. It was cramped with 3 of us and I was stuck sleeping on the pullout which was fine since they were new and not too uncomfortable yet, but still...

 

[DLgal]

Has anyone been to Mickeys not so scary Halloween party? I just saw that they are having it on August 25th which works with our August trip. I think we'll splurge and go. Looking for advice. Is it worth the $300 price tag for our family?

I've gone. I would not pay $300. I went on a military discount ticket around $50 and kinda felt that was too high. I feel like August would be WAY too hot to enjoy that party, especially if you want to dress up.

 

[mmbrad02]

We have gone twice. For us, it was pricey and a treat, but the main reason we went was that we were there during school fall breaks and the parks were packed. We used it as a way to ride rides and see characters without the long waits. My daughter met all four princesses at Princess Hall in like five minutes flat.

 

[dayvewc]

Don't forget the sofa bed in the Disney DVC studios!

I usually travel either by myself or with 1 other person, so yeah, I had forgotten about the sofa bed. Although ... I wouldn't have enough room to pull it out with my ECV. I don't like parking it in the "entrance" hallway in front of the bathroom, cause it is in the way there. If I park it at the end of the bed, it completely blocks the path through there, so I park it between the small table and coffee table, but I have to push the coffee table next to the sofa so there is room to get around. As I said, I love my DVC, and almost always stay in a studio when I go, but the rooms are small compared to other timeshares. I would not recommend them for more than 2 adults, and not really sure I'd recommend one for families with more than 1 child. (I'm sure 2 kids could sleep on the pull out, but just thinking luggage for 4 people total, especially if one is an infant/toddler with extra care needs - diapers, stroller, etc. - would pack a studio pretty full).

Has anyone been to Mickeys not so scary Halloween party? I just saw that they are having it on August 25th which works with our August trip. I think we'll splurge and go. Looking for advice. Is it worth the $300 price tag for our family?

I went a couple of years ago. Personally, given a chance I'd go back again just to watch the Headless Horseman ride, the night parade, shows, and fireworks. If you like the meet & greets with the characters, it's a great time to do so and there are a lot of rare ones that are out then, especially villains. Also, the park is usually less crowded so you can get on more rides faster - but a good touring plan will let you do that also. I would say go, as we all know the price won't be any cheaper in the future, but really unless you are just super involved in meeting characters, it probably isn't worth paying that much.

 

[Ngwira]

Halloween in August???

Yes they are having it in August.

 

[Ngwira]

I usually travel either by myself or with 1 other person, so yeah, I had forgotten about the sofa bed. Although ... I wouldn't have enough room to pull it out with my ECV. I don't like parking it in the "entrance" hallway in front of the bathroom, cause it is in the way there. If I park it at the end of the bed, it completely blocks the path through there, so I park it between the small table and coffee table, but I have to push the coffee table next to the sofa so there is room to get around. As I said, I love my DVC, and almost always stay in a studio when I go, but the rooms are small compared to other timeshares. I would not recommend them for more than 2 adults, and not really sure I'd recommend one for families with more than 1 child. (I'm sure 2 kids could sleep on the pull out, but just thinking luggage for 4 people total, especially if one is an infant/toddler with extra care needs - diapers, stroller, etc. - would pack a studio pretty full).



I went a couple of years ago. Personally, given a chance I'd go back again just to watch the Headless Horseman ride, the night parade, shows, and fireworks. If you like the meet & greets with the characters, it's a great time to do so and there are a lot of rare ones that are out then, especially villains. Also, the park is usually less crowded so you can get on more rides faster - but a good touring plan will let you do that also. I would say go, as we all know the price won't be any cheaper in the future, but really unless you are just super involved in meeting characters, it probably isn't worth paying that much.

Thanks for the advice. DH said to book.

 

[DisneyMandC]

Well, the good budget news this month is I still don't have an electric bill thanks to our credit! Our electric "bill" was only $68 last month, so I still have a $26 credit leftover for next month. I'll start paying the remainder leftover after the credit then, which I expect to be even lower since May is historically our lowest month for electric bills. So we rode that credit out for about 5 and a half months! Our budget billing will pick back up after that at $92/month.

Bad news- the horse show DH and I run will have to be canceled this weekend due to rain in our area. While we won't really be "out" a lot of money, we usually count on our first show to make back all our expenses for us. So we'll make it back with our second show, but our profits will just be down overall. Frustrating, but we always know weather is a possibility to derail our plans.

So instead of making money at the horse show, I'm going to go clothes shopping To be fair, I am not a clothes shopping kind of girl. I usually get a twice yearly bug to go shopping, and this is one of them. I really do need some new clothes considering I wear the same three dresses and two skirts to work every week... I call it a "capsule wardrobe," but I don't think anyone is buying it