Do people think your rich because you go to Disney every year?

[LeahA]

I was talking to a friend about money, fianances and I made a comment that my dh and I must give off some illusion that we are richer than we are. My friend said "Well you do go to Disney every year, some people only get to go one time every 5 or 10 years or not at all!"

First, we are not rich. Second, we have driven to Florida every year, we pack alot of food and drinks. We have a coin jar going all year to help with those little extras, the kids get money from their grandparents for souvenirs. Before buying the DVC we were off site many years with great Priceline deals. When we did stay onsite it was always with a code to get the lowest rate.

I feel that we all spend our money differently. Her 3 kids are in football, hockey, lacrosse, baseball, basketball. So I feel what she pays for in sports every year, I probably pay the same or less for my Disney trip.

Just venting!!!

 

[autumnpalm]

I consider anyone who is able to take a Disney vacation yearly to be "rich". Maybe not in the typical North American sense of the word where to be rich means having a large house, fancy cars, six figure salary but... in terms of the entire world? You bet.

I don't think some people realize how economically you can do a trip to WDW but IMO if you are lucky enough to be taking yearly vacations (and I include myself in that!) then yes, you are "rich".

 

[88golf88]

Our friends often think the same. As far as I'm concerned, its none of their darn business. We work hard for our money and we choose to save our vacation money for Disney.

Although we have been 15+ times over the course of our lives, it seems like a different trip every time!! That to me is why Disney is worth yearly trips, rich or not...

 

[PIRATEGIRL007]

Yep, am I?

But lets see our trip last week was $110 airfare, $200 room at ASMovies for 5 nights, and $177 for rental car. We went for 5 days, 2 adults. I don't consider a trip for our anniversary for $487 for the week as a rich person's vacation!!! It amazes me that people always thing Disney costs a fortune, even on our weeklong summer trips we spend less than we would at the beach or any other vacation destination.

The room package (standard king room, no suite, no honeymoon suite or hot tub, etc) for the place we spent the first night on our honeymoon with dinner ran almost $400 and it wasn't a super fancy place and it was in our neighboring city (which is by no means a resort town or anything to see, our view actually was the college DH and I both attended), so we went to Disney for 5 days for what 1 night would have cost us. After I booked our Disney trip DH told me his plans for our anniversary was to go back there and he was soooo glad he didn't book it and would rather go to disney anyday!

 

[exwdwcm]

I consider anyone who is able to take a Disney vacation yearly to be "rich". Maybe not in the typical North American sense of the word where to be rich means having a large house, fancy cars, six figure salary but... in terms of the entire world? You bet.

I don't think some people realize how economically you can do a trip to WDW but IMO if you are lucky enough to be taking yearly vacations (and I include myself in that!) then yes, you are "rich".

LOL- so true- we are 'rich' in another way, not necessarily financially.

We do okay, but i don't consider us rich, I just consider us smart with our money. Or let me rephrase that, DH is smart with our money (and a tightwad if i may say so myself). But saving like he does has afforded us the opportunity to buy into DVC this year.

If you plan it right, you can do disney on a budget and we've done it that way before. I think a lot of people just assume it is out of their reach and impossible to do. Our parents drove us the 2 day drive wiht our pop up camper hitched to the back and we stayed in fort wilderness, cooked our own meals etc. And you know, it was a blast! It can be done on whatever budget you want.

Rich financially? maybe, maybe not, but rich in my passion and love for disney- definitely!

we are taking DH's mom and stepdad in December- they've never been and would have a hard time affording to go on their own (and probably wouldn't be where they would choose to spend their money)- so we are treating them since we have DVC now. It is nice to be able to share the magic that way! rich, no. smart, yes!

 

[HunnyPots]

That's because people who've never gone can have the mistaken idea that Disney is an outrageously expensive vacation, when those of us who frequent these boards and search for the best deals, know Disney can be very afordable if planned correctly.

There are also many people that think ANY vacation is extravagant and only meant for the wealthy. My parents fell into that group and we NEVER took a vacation of any sort!

Enjoy your trips and don't worry what others think. Life's too short!

 

[LYNSUE]

Please, don't ever feel it is necessary to defend your spending habits to anyone. We all find a way to finance the things that are most important to us. I spend my fun money at WDW. Others have different priorieties. Ain't nobody's business but your own!!!

And I do agree that the average person does not have a clue how inexpensive a WDW vacation can be done. Just need to do some research.

 

[LilGMom]

I think a lot of people have this idea that going to WDW is super-uber expensive and that there are no ways to save money while there. I've priced out other vacations and have even priced out how much it would be for us to just go visit family 6 hrs. away if staying at a hotel. And for only a couple hundred more we can have a great time at WDW as opposed to an ok time with family so which do you think we tend to choose?

When we get back from a trip it never fails that I'll be talking to someone about it and about some of the great meals we had and they comment about how expensive those meals must have been. If I go with my family of four to some place like Fridays or Olive Garden and we get a typical meal for us (usually includes appetizers, two adult entrees, two child entrees, and four drinks) it will run us anywhere between $50-60. For $10-20 more I can have an amazing and very filling meal at Sci-Fi, Kona, or RFC.

Yes, WDW vacations can be pricey, but when compared to other vacations or even compared to the beach rentals near us we get more bang for our buck at WDW. I never try to explain what or how we spend on our trips but I am more than happy to help someone try to save some money on a WDW trip.

 

[iwrbnd]

I feel the same way! It's worse for me because my husband is a doctor and everyone thinks that automatically means money! Well, he's family practice which is much more middle income and we have 4 kids. I have to save, save, save for our Disney vacations and people don't know that. I use my Discovermiles card for flights, my Disney Visa for tickets and we have a family change jar we fill up for spending money. Oh, and I saved for almost 2 years from my job to buy DVC. Before that our family vacations were visiting family members in Iowa! I always joke "I'll buy my groceries at ALdi's, I'll buy my clothes at Target but I will not give up my Disney trip!"

 

[mom2aidanNpiper]

I get that constantly- I'm a singe mom of 2 and don't even work full time (but do make a decent amount for the time I'm working). However, we buy our clothes at thrift shops or consignment stores, we never eat out, I drive a 10 year old car, etc. It's all on how you spend your money- I'm able to take 1 or 2 trips a year by budgeting right and never touching our savings or use credit cards.

My friends think I'm in debt and have zero care for my kids' future (college savings). I give up on trying to explain.

 

[NemoMOm]

DH and I have this same discussion: VERBATIM!!!

Our friends often think the same. As far as I'm concerned, its none of their darn business. We work hard for our money and we choose to save our vacation money for Disney.

Although we have been 15+ times over the course of our lives, it seems like a different trip every time!! That to me is why Disney is worth yearly trips, rich or not...

 

[DisneyBelle27]

I totally agree! I really think it comes down to people not realizing that Disney can be affordable! I'm in a slightly different boat than a lot of you as there is only DH and myself (don't have kids yet) but we've still always worked at getting deals on Disney, whether it be pins, AAA, discount tickets through Undercovertourist, going off-season (though now that's out of the question since I work full-time in a school!). We're actually staying at a deluxe (AKL) for the first time ever this summer but that's only because Disney extended their promotion into the summer. We had originally been booked at Pop!

 

[bytheblood]

In general, no. I get the usual "again!" when I mention my trips. Honestly, I quite telling people I am going to WDW.

Oops - hit "submit" too fast. We in rich and blessed in many ways, not necessarily financially. We have everything we need and a lot of what we want, but there is a lot we have we don't want. Like I said, Rich in some sense, but not by money standards. People who know us know that we are blessed, not rich.

 

[aurorae]

From my perspective, people that spend a week in a Deluxe resort are "rich".

The Deluxes are too expensive for me. But, I go on vacations every year, driving or flying someplace nice, so as someone said near the start of this, to most of the people in the World, I am "rich".

And, I currently have a job, for which I am very thankful.

 

[ty_n_cy]

I've never been, nor would I ever BE confused for 'rich'. Our trips, whether to Disney World, Hershey Park, the beach or whatever are NOBODY'S business.

We bought into DVC last month and we'll enjoy our first trip there in less than a week. We intend to visit once every other year, MAYBE once a year if we can find the time... but, again - our vacation habits are OUR business, not that of our friends or family.

In fact, we haven't even told our friends or family about our DVC purchase and we don't intend to any time soon either.

Rich... haha. We wish.

CY

 

[Nancy F]

Funny how people think you're nuts to want to go to Disney World every year but think it's perfectly alright to go to Las Vegas or a cruise every year. I say to each their own. We have no kids. Both work full time and have paid off our mortgage. So maybe we have more time and money to spend on ourselves and we choose to spend it in Disney World.

Nancy

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

I know we would be a lot richer, if we didn't go to WDW so much.

Like others, we get the usual, "Going again?" But, no one has ever questioned our finances or DH's income. (I'm a SAHM.) If we decide to spend his hard-earned money and vacation time at WDW, it's our business.

Jennifer

 

[Captn Jack Sparrow]

I don't think people think I am rich, because I am not, rather they think I am foolish in how I spend my money going to Disney as often as possible.

Every time we consider where to go for a trip we start pricing it out and then me and DW look at each other and say "this would pay for a trip to Disney" and then we book a Disney trip instead.

So rich no foolish yes, but i would rather be foolish going to Disney then be "rich"

 

[Lorilais_mommie]

I told friends I was taking my DD to disney in Dec. They look at me like I was insane. " You just went there. How can you afford to go back???" one said. After showing them how to save and get good deals, they are now each planning trips! Not to mention those disney $$ from Visa help ALOT. Not one knew that you can make payments on the trip through disney and then get 6 months 0% intrest through visa. Planned just right you can use tax refunds with Disney $$, still have money to spend in the park, & without going into debt by the end of the trip.

 

[Lorilais_mommie]

I know we would be a lot richer, if we didn't go to WDW so much.

Jennifer

My DH Reminds everytime we book a trip.