Do people not appreciate your budget strategies?

[DisneyElf]

I look for all the codes too -- and hopefully this year - even with the new MYW prices - they will have package discounts. Two years ago - we stayed at COR on the 7 for 4 plan and paid $ 1124 - for two adults -rooms & passes. This year they only had the 7 for 5 plan and paid $ 1400 - but stayed at POR - FQ - since it is a smaller resort and everything is in walking distance of 5 mins.

I do the same with cruising - and have never paid brochure rate for a cabin. Used cruisecompete and others to pay less. I even take any extra money I get during the year and put it into my vacation wallet. My sister & I joke that it's our t-shirt money

I was told when we bought our house that we wouldn't be able to go on vacation again. In the five years of ownership we have taken 3 DCL cruises (two of them - with 4 adults sharing a Cat 6 verandah), and have gone to WDW 5 times, and gave my nephew a honeymoon trip to WDW (thanks to the 7 for 4 plan).

On the other hand I have a boss who paid top dollar - stay at Boardwalk - conceirge level - and only took his kids to MK (they were 5, 8 & 10 at the time) -

 

[btass]

I feel the same way as all of you. However, when people start talking about going to Disney I just say that "there is so much to do at the parks and hotels that I get confused all the time! That is why I go to Mousesavers.com before I book the trip to see where I want to go and what I want to do."

Most people decide they want to write down the web address and then I tell them "by the way, there are discount codes for the hotels on there too." and leave it to them to use the discount or not.

 

[MOMTOMOOTOO]

I agree, it takes a certain kind to understand all we go through to get the most bang for our Disney buck. Most people I think do not vacation in Disney as much as the folks on these boards, so they have no clue whats out there. Our first trip, I too just went to a TA and booked it. Its not until you catch the "fever" that discounts and such become a priority.

An example, today I had a "mega" gc from restaurant.com in which I was able to treat 2 friends and their kids to a nice lunch for almost nothing. One friend was impressed with the $ saving skills, and one thought I spent too much time on the internet!

 

[ceecee]

I've told many people how to save $$. Many just think that by using a TA they are in good hands. Years ago when planning one of our first "on site" stays, I contacted AAA Travel and got a quote (this girl knew next to nothing about Disney). Then a friend told me about different areas to check and I booked my own vacation (same as TA had) for $500.00 less! Okay we didn't get the free luggage tags or whatever they offered at the time. We also didn't get the Ulimate hopper (she said that was best) since we arrived at 10:00 pm and left at 8:00 am for our departure date, we saved quite a bit there as well.

 

[HenDuck]

So I had lunch with her yesterday, ready to get shot down on my Disney budget ideas. She started off by saying that her mom was going to go through the AAA TA. So I left it at that. I told her that if her or her mom needed any help or had questions about the hotels I've stayed at, to let me know. But I told her I'd type up some tips that we found helpful, not related to budget (where to find the princesses, when to go to DL vs. DCA, the fact that they open Main Street 1/2 hour before the park officially opens, etc.)

I know her (and her mom) well enough to know that they LIKE to spend money. They stress out about their credit card balances, but they rely on credit for instant gratification and so that they can live in the fashion which they desire (Lexus, Coach, Ann Taylor, etc.). She will have a great time and she will spend hundreds if not thousands more than we did, but it's her choice. I just hope that the tips I give her help her kids see and do what they want.

As for the Princess breakfast at Plaza Inn (and we are talking about Disneyland, not Magic Kingdom), it's new. Cinderella and the Fairy Godmother are always there and the other princesses and characters rotate in and out. We did not go to this one but saw the princesses wandering around the restaurant while we were there. Seems perfect for little girls. It's a buffet. The food is pretty good, judging by what we ate in April (when it was Pooh). You can make PS 30 days in advance. I think it's around $19 for adults and $10 for kids.

As for me, I cannot pass up a good deal. Even if I can afford to spend more, I know a bargain when I see one and I just cannot overlook it. I guess that's why I frequent the budget board, so I can be with my "kindred".

You guys rock!

 

[leebee]

Gotta be careful "helping" friends save money. I helped an acquaintence with room discounts, offered advice about on vs. off site, car codes/coupons, etc. They decided to stay onsite and a value resort, with their own rental car. Complain, complain, complain...room sooooo small, felt like a third-world country, all that traffic, intermediate cars are sooo tiny, food prices sooo high (no time for Q&C vouchers), too embarrassed to share meals, etc. She tried to make me feel personally responsible for ruining their vacation and wasting their money. "Tread lightly!" has become my motto!

 

[debbiedoo]

I can understand very well as metioned in a bove post on this thread, my friend and I still have not spoken about this trip. We speak about other things but not disney.

Thanks to everyone here who really appreciate each other's knowledge. I feel more comfortable sharing my ideas with strangers than my friends!!!

 

[gwcollins71]

I'm from a family of cheapskates and I married into a family of cheapskates. We are always battling to see who can get the best prices. My FIL usually does well on everything else. However, when its Disney related, we've got everyone beat. Our last trip in August for 2 adults with meals, park tickets, car, hotel and airfare cost my husband and I around $1480. We did "the other park" the prior year for a little more than that once meals were added on.

We just bought a house and are expecting a baby this summer and I want to go again in October when baby is 4 mos.. Hubby says we can't afford it so I may have to wait.

 

[HenDuck]

I think leebee and others have a good point about what is acceptable to one person may not be to another. I know that I have been disappointed in the past when someone has recommended a hotel. I have never been upset with the recommender, but I see that we have different tastes and expectations.

If my friend with the caviar taste thinks the Residence Inn is too cheap, she will be unhappy and I'd hate to be responsible for that.

But for me, I've seen how people outside the U.S. live and have had to "rough it" in the pacific islands. I can be happy in any hotel with indoor plumbing and a door with a lock on it if I have to.

gwcollins71 - you made me laugh when you proudly pronounced being from a family of cheapskates! I need to hang out here more often.

 

[Free4Life11]

I just want to point out that NOT all people who live paycheck to paycheck waste money, live lives or luxury, etc. Our family took a vacation to Disney a few years ago in January and I was in charge of making all the plans. We saved a lot of money with tips from this site but even with all the tips it was thousands of dollars and we only spent 3 days at the parks and didn't buy any souvenirs really.

 

[leebee]

Yes, everyone's tastes are different. My sister and I used to revel in getting a good deal somewhere, but were not willing to stay in musty, dirty hotels just to save a few bucks. Then she and DBIL bought a Marriott timeshare, and now nowhere but the Grand Vista will do (even when it's NOT her timeshare week!). We had great times at places like Comfort Suites Maingate, but last time when I suggested we get a vacation pool home together she turned up her nose...only a resort, thank you! WHEN I give advice/suggestions to folks going to Disney, I make SURE to give them the rock bottom they can expect...like renting on National's Emerald Aisle only guarantees an intermediate car, nothing larger (although we have almost always been lucky enought to score something bigger...PT Cruisers, minivan this last trip, etc). I guess I also try to remember that, just because I'm saving a lot of money compared to what I could be spending, $1500 is still a bunch 'o bucks for a week's vacation. I was absolutely beaming last June when the three of us went to FL for two weeks and my total cost (including 1 week of space day camp at NASA for DD) was right around $2500...my girlfriend was horrified that I'd spend a month's take home for a 2 week vacation! To each his own...I'm horrified that another friend is "planning" a Disney vacation using the "gold" plan or whatever they are calling it now...GF or Poly concierge, full meals, unlimited park entry, etc. She figures it'll cost around $15,000 for the 5 of them and they'll need to save money for about 7 years to do it! Oh well, I digress...Pixie Dust to all for the New Year!

 

[disneysteve]

I just want to point out that NOT all people who live paycheck to paycheck waste money, live lives or luxury, etc. Our family took a vacation to Disney a few years ago in January and I was in charge of making all the plans. We saved a lot of money with tips from this site but even with all the tips it was thousands of dollars and we only spent 3 days at the parks and didn't buy any souvenirs really.

I hope I didn't imply in my comments that I thought this. I know many people who really do struggle to get by even with no luxuries or wasteful spending. They simply don't earn very much and there is little to nothing left after all the mandatory bills are paid.

As for your Disney trip, not sure how big your family is or how much "thousands of dollars" was, but Disney can be fairly reasonable when you learn all the tips and secrets we all talk about here. Last month, we spent a week at Disney. Did 5 days in the parks. Our entire trip for 3 of us cost about $2000. Not a particularly pricey vacation at all in my mind.

 

[Eyore4Ever149]

Well between this and another budget thread Im feeling down...
I have been out of work since April 1st. I am really keeping my figures crossed about a job I interviewed for wed before Christmas.
But....we got married and bought a house in the last year and I had debt before I got married and we have a family member who dumped their debt on us- long story- druggie BIL- now in prison- us 25K to pay for him.
Sooooo we have some bills to pay off.
The practical me says even when I do get a job there should be no trip until everything is paid off.
The addict to WDW side of me says I can manage a trip for the 2 of us for roughly $750 if we go the first week of May. And in the grand scheem of things that's not going to prevent us from paying off our bills.
But I am getting ahead of myself- I have to get the job first!!!

In the meantime I had a co-worker who happen to get in a conversation with me about WDW and he booked a trip at Wilderness Lodge- rack rate- for his 4 year old. I told him about Pal Mickey- who was on my desk. Thats when I heard the rack rate.
Im not one to beat around the bush- I just looked at him and said. "Now that's just plain stupid" Luckily he isn't the sensitive type.

But I realized I needed to present my WDW material in an organized fashion, rather than the high speed "youaren'tgonnabelievehowmuchyoucansave,oncodesanddiscountsandfoodandcoupons" that I started with.
I could tell he was getting overwhelmed, so I loaned him my Passporter and gave him an extra copy of MiniMickey- I had a second co-worker- single Mom with 4 kids who didn't think about August being so hot before she booked.
I need to prepare a laminated cheat sheet for the next time someone asks me.
In the meantime I am sitting down with my husband to plan a budget!!!

PLEASE let their be a way for us to go in MAY!!!

 

[bdcp]

My experience with money is that everyone spends it differently. It's all about choices. The same people who talk about our big house are the same ones driving BMW's and large SUV's while we drive a minivan and compacts with 100,000 miles on them. We get a new car when we have to, not when we want to. The same goes for how people do their vacations. I've done WDW on the "cheap" and with money to burn (years later) and both were great vacations.

I think the bigger issue with family and friends is a form of sibling rivalry. It doesn't have to be only between siblings. Everyone likes to think they know more about something, or their pride won't let them admit they need to do a vacation cheaply. Reality usually has nothing to do with it.

 

[Free4Life11]

I hope I didn't imply in my comments that I thought this. I know many people who really do struggle to get by even with no luxuries or wasteful spending. They simply don't earn very much and there is little to nothing left after all the mandatory bills are paid.

As for your Disney trip, not sure how big your family is or how much "thousands of dollars" was, but Disney can be fairly reasonable when you learn all the tips and secrets we all talk about here. Last month, we spent a week at Disney. Did 5 days in the parks. Our entire trip for 3 of us cost about $2000. Not a particularly pricey vacation at all in my mind.

Don't get me wrong, I loved our trip, but it was still pricey. There were five of us, all adults, and then we drove to Daytona to pick up my brother so six adults in total. We stayed in a really nice vacation home (4 bed/3 bath and pool) which was awesome; ended up being about $700 for 6 nights and no way in he** could we have survived in a hotel. We'd have had to get two rooms and it would still be way too close for comfort! Tickets were about $800 or so; we got those 3-day passes that you save a little on and had to get five of them. And then airfare for the five of us came out to be $700 or so. Oh and then the rental van was about $250. I don't even remember what we did for food; I think we ate one big meal each day in the parks and then had snacks and stuff for lunch and then had dinner at home. Food we spent a lot on I know.

It was an awesome trip; had a great time, but probably not something we'll do ever again simply for the fact that I'm not at home anymore and my parents don't even like Disney, but they went just cuz us kids wanted to go!! In fact we had to take a "day off" after going to two parks in two days.....we actually got "Disneyed" out . Hehe...I can't even imagine going two or three times a year...I'd probably get sick of it.

 

[ceecee]

we actually got "Disneyed" out QUOTE] Didn't know that could happen!!!

 

[CheapMom]

In fact we had to take a "day off" after going to two parks in two days.....we actually got "Disneyed" out

I can't do 6 straight days of parks either- If I go to WDW for seven days - then I usually plan for 4 days at the parks. I am the biggest Disney fan I know (not counting you people!) and even I can't handle too many trips to WDW. Once every 3 years or so scratches my itch just fine.

Sorry that was pretty off track- as far as the OPs comments about people turning their nose up at good advice. Yes- I have noticed that many times. I remember once I was extolling the virtues of staying on-site to my sister. She got a little snooty with me and said "Only a fool would pay those prices when we got our Kidsuite for $69 a night..." I was a little offended but then I realized that I was just as insensitive to her. She had 3 kids at the time and I only had 2 kids- so staying at a value resort was a good deal for me- but that wasn't an option for her. How people respond to our advice may have as much to do with the way we approach the subject as anything else.

 

[Wish I lived in Fl]

I'm horrified that another friend is "planning" a Disney vacation using the "gold" plan or whatever they are calling it now...GF or Poly concierge, full meals, unlimited park entry, etc. She figures it'll cost around $15,000 for the 5 of them and they'll need to save money for about 7 years to do it! !

It sounds like a wonderful vacation except that waiting 7 years is too long. I 'd rather more vacations, less fabulous. Figure even a fabulous vacation couldn't be 7 times better than a budget, yearly vacation.

 

[my3kids]

"youaren'tgonnabelievehowmuchyoucansave,oncodesandd iscountsandfoodandcoupons"

Oh my goodness...that IS me!! Just imagine that in a thick southern accent!! No wonder the family looked bewildered!!

 

[crisi]

I'm pretty much the opposite. I'd rather take a really great vacation every few years than go "on the cheap" frequently. But even there - lots of room on the continuum. I wouldn't stay in a $2000 a night suite and go every ten years. But I will go every other year or every three or four years and stay in a Deluxe.

And that is a matter of what you can afford. In addition to the choices you make with the money you have, there is a lot of difference in the money you have vs. what someone else may have. We have a pretty high income in our house, so for us choosing to stay at the Poly every two years is about the same as someone with a more moderate income staying at POR every two years as a percentage of income. As a percentage of income, we spend less on our "fly, eat sit down, stay deluxe" vacations than someone who is a stay at home mom and whose husband makes $30k does on a "value" vacation. When we made less money, the CBR was a great hotel!