DisDon
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2005
- Messages
- 367
I am really struggling with this. We have been planning our 1st WDW trip for the 1st week of this coming December. I have been researching like crazy, keeping the costs to a bare minimum. DW works for JetBlue, reservations, so we can fly from SLC to Orlando free. I had never really seen a WDW as a possibility for us before that, but now the airfare is no longer the big issue. DW and I already did a scouting trip, flew down there for an overnighter (long flight for an overnighter!).
We already exchanged our timeshare week for a week at the FABULOUS
Liki Tiki Village, so at this point if we cancel, we lose our $129 exchange fee, and would have to pay another one to use it within the next year or we lose it, plus if we don't use it by Jan 19 2006 we have to pay for another year of Interval International membership. I booked us a Premium car instead of a minivan which saved us $100, for $148.99 + tax and fees = $193.52 for a week. The way I see it we spend almost that much on gas for my weekly commute of 85 miles a day, plus her driving the suburban around for a week. We're not a fancy eating bunch, and since we're there in december (short park hours) I'm planning all breakfasts and most dinners at the condo. One counter service a day more or less is not outside our normal food budget, which we would be eating anyway. We're not big souvenier people, pretty much just the pictures we take ourselves.
So the only big ugly cost I see is the actual WDW tickets. 2 adults, 1 12 yr old, and 3 under 10 for 3 days thru ticketmania is $975. 7 days is only $1083, a difference of $108, which is $4.50 a day per person (heck, 10 days is only $1140, a difference of $57, which is $3.16 a day per person different that 7 days, and $3.93 a day per person difference from the 3 day). So, basically, more or less $1000-$1100 for our tickets. That does NOT include MVMCP, since i am trying to do this cheap (2 frustrations for wdw tickets, 1st, that the 1st 3 days are so expensive, and 2, that MVMCP can't be included in that).
In our original discussions, and with the kids, we had planned to ask Santa for WDW tickets and nothing else, and the kids were fine with that. We're always just scraping by, have quite a bit of credit card debt and student loans that we're maintaining. It certainly doesn't ever look like we have an extra $1000 laying around for a trip like this, but we've never cancelled christmas before, and I don't see us doing it this year either.
So, anyhow, this last week she basically said she doesn't feel good about it, thinks that "extravagant" trips like this are just one more reason she has to work at all, instead of being a full time mom. I would really like her to not have to work too, but I just don't see the big deal. I've basically resigned myself to just maintaining our debt for now, while our kids are small, rather than working every moment to try and pay it off. I was working 2 jobs before, didn't see the kids much at all during the week, but i quit my second when she got the jetblue job. She works from home, in the basement, 24 hours a week, plus extra shifts she picks up. Its tough right now because we have a 10 month old and a pre-schooler, so she can't really work when the other kids are in school. Daycare doesn't make sense, she doesn't make that much money, and she can't be disturbed while she's working, so the older kids or I have to be there.
WDW is MY big dream, I've been able to get the kids excited about it, but she's just never really warmed up to it. She is very oriented to her family (middle child of 7, all pretty close with mostly young families). Her closest friend is her older sister that lives in Denver. We even planned to do this trip together with them, getting them an adjoining room at LikiTiki for about $300 for the week. The sister was excited, but also struggling with her husband getting the time off. He's on a new job, no paid time off available until next april, but working many extra hours on salary but so far unwilling to make waves by asking for comp time for the trip. DW saw this as another reason we should cancel, but the sister wants to go. She's even sending us $300 to pay our II membership and exchange fee so that she could use the condo instead. We even sat the kids down Sunday night and told them we are cancelling it. Kids are aware of our ongoing money troubles, so they all acted fine with cancelling. So its back to just my dream really.
I don't know what to do at this point, other than conspire with her sister behind her back
. Its just a tough time in our lives, the money stress, and we're both quite Pooh sized 
, not happy about that, great kids but they stress us out too, fighting all the time. If anyone has read all this I'll be amazed, would appreciate any comments. I'm trying really hard not to turn this into a big fight with her, what good would that do?
We already exchanged our timeshare week for a week at the FABULOUS
Liki Tiki Village, so at this point if we cancel, we lose our $129 exchange fee, and would have to pay another one to use it within the next year or we lose it, plus if we don't use it by Jan 19 2006 we have to pay for another year of Interval International membership. I booked us a Premium car instead of a minivan which saved us $100, for $148.99 + tax and fees = $193.52 for a week. The way I see it we spend almost that much on gas for my weekly commute of 85 miles a day, plus her driving the suburban around for a week. We're not a fancy eating bunch, and since we're there in december (short park hours) I'm planning all breakfasts and most dinners at the condo. One counter service a day more or less is not outside our normal food budget, which we would be eating anyway. We're not big souvenier people, pretty much just the pictures we take ourselves.So the only big ugly cost I see is the actual WDW tickets. 2 adults, 1 12 yr old, and 3 under 10 for 3 days thru ticketmania is $975. 7 days is only $1083, a difference of $108, which is $4.50 a day per person (heck, 10 days is only $1140, a difference of $57, which is $3.16 a day per person different that 7 days, and $3.93 a day per person difference from the 3 day). So, basically, more or less $1000-$1100 for our tickets. That does NOT include MVMCP, since i am trying to do this cheap (2 frustrations for wdw tickets, 1st, that the 1st 3 days are so expensive, and 2, that MVMCP can't be included in that).
In our original discussions, and with the kids, we had planned to ask Santa for WDW tickets and nothing else, and the kids were fine with that. We're always just scraping by, have quite a bit of credit card debt and student loans that we're maintaining. It certainly doesn't ever look like we have an extra $1000 laying around for a trip like this, but we've never cancelled christmas before, and I don't see us doing it this year either.
So, anyhow, this last week she basically said she doesn't feel good about it, thinks that "extravagant" trips like this are just one more reason she has to work at all, instead of being a full time mom. I would really like her to not have to work too, but I just don't see the big deal. I've basically resigned myself to just maintaining our debt for now, while our kids are small, rather than working every moment to try and pay it off. I was working 2 jobs before, didn't see the kids much at all during the week, but i quit my second when she got the jetblue job. She works from home, in the basement, 24 hours a week, plus extra shifts she picks up. Its tough right now because we have a 10 month old and a pre-schooler, so she can't really work when the other kids are in school. Daycare doesn't make sense, she doesn't make that much money, and she can't be disturbed while she's working, so the older kids or I have to be there.
WDW is MY big dream, I've been able to get the kids excited about it, but she's just never really warmed up to it. She is very oriented to her family (middle child of 7, all pretty close with mostly young families). Her closest friend is her older sister that lives in Denver. We even planned to do this trip together with them, getting them an adjoining room at LikiTiki for about $300 for the week. The sister was excited, but also struggling with her husband getting the time off. He's on a new job, no paid time off available until next april, but working many extra hours on salary but so far unwilling to make waves by asking for comp time for the trip. DW saw this as another reason we should cancel, but the sister wants to go. She's even sending us $300 to pay our II membership and exchange fee so that she could use the condo instead. We even sat the kids down Sunday night and told them we are cancelling it. Kids are aware of our ongoing money troubles, so they all acted fine with cancelling. So its back to just my dream really.
I don't know what to do at this point, other than conspire with her sister behind her back
. Its just a tough time in our lives, the money stress, and we're both quite Pooh sized , not happy about that, great kids but they stress us out too, fighting all the time. If anyone has read all this I'll be amazed, would appreciate any comments. I'm trying really hard not to turn this into a big fight with her, what good would that do?
has a pool. Have a couple relaxing days at the pool instead of the parks. The break will do you good, especially with little ones. There's also Downtown Disney and lots of other free things to do around Disney. (I think mousesavers.com has a page about it) I'm sure there are lots of other things around Orlando.
). 
He agreed--well--lets just say my budget has tripled that amount. And he isnt upset as he knows how important this vacation is to us. And he loves seeing me plan this and talk about it. The planning has already made some nice and funny memories for us. 
We both are really sick of being overweight, its really been getting to us lately. We just really need to buckle down, get to work on it, start seeing some progress. I actually see a little hope financially from the child tax credit (5 kids!) and my work IRA is doing well with the company match. Many would say leave it alone, but I see it as better to pay the penalty and pay off debt that's at a higher interest rate.
Speaking as a mom of a 19 and 15 year old I can tell you first hand-- kids grow up too fast. It really sounds like you need a family vacation. You need that Disney magic! Use all the strategies listed above to save. We leave in 2 weeks for the WL. We have two woods view rooms booked at the AP rate. They are paid for and I have a $400 credit towards food, etc. I can honestly say that at least half of our resort cost has been paid with Ebay sales (just junk I didn't need anymore) and saving change. It really adds up! 
Hope you and DW can work it out--I believe that you will. 
) 
