Family on TIGHT budget, HELP!

[jcharnley]

Hey everyone! So i am new to the site and although i have been to disney many times, this is my first time attempting to book for me and my own family on my own for the first time!

I have been dying to take my kids since my daughter turned 1 and my son turned 5, but its just not been doable. Im getting worried it may never happen, but I am DETERMINED to get there before my son turns 9!

I am a single mom and only make 350 a week with tons of bills to pay for!

I need all the help and advice I can get from where to purchase the cheapest tix, to include the dining plan or not to include it. To fly or drive (some may automatically say drive to decrease costs, but driving 3 days with 2 young kids in a very small car can be really expensive in other ways )...to purchase as a package deak or everything seperate? I just don't know where to begin.

All i do know is that we are going to stay on disney property, one of the value resorts of course.

From there, all other opinions are a go!

Ready, set, HELP!

 

[aacvacation]

Hello! I would absolutely love to help, as I am sure many others here on the Dis would too

I am a strong advocate for the DDP normally. But since you are on a budget, the first bit of advice I am going to suggest is that you pay out of pocket for your meals. The Dining Plan is only makes financial sense if you are planning to go to more expensive places and order a ton of food. (Which, I think you will probably be refraining from.)
It might be wise to look in to your dining options. What you want to eat, what your kids will eat, how much that costs and where you can buy it!

 

[McKelly]

Well, the first thing I would decide is if you are okay with pulling your kids out of school. January, early February are the cheapest times to go, followed by August...and then of course you would not have to pull your kids out. I think both times offer some type of discount, I believe there were even some Free Dining pins for the January time frame. Can't count on that though...

Bring breakfast food or order it from a grocery service and maybe even stuff for a few meals in the room, lunch meat, etc. The values do have refrigerators.

Garage sale season is upon us.....do you have a lot of outgrown kid's clothes, toys they don't use anymore? You could have a garage sale and earmark that money specifically for Disney.

 

[DawnM]

My first thought is to say you probably cannot afford to go.

Flights for 3, stay on site, meals, no car/transportation while there, tickets for a week........it will most likely be in the $3,000+ range. That is double your take home amount for a month, possibly more. If you have bills you are struggling to pay, now is not the time to plan a huge trip.

 

[Kellydelly]

My first thought is to say you probably cannot afford to go.

Flights for 3, stay on site, meals, no car/transportation while there, tickets for a week........it will most likely be in the $3,000+ range. That is double your take home amount for a month, possibly more. If you have bills you are struggling to pay, now is not the time to plan a huge trip.

Your "quote" seems really high. Only two flights need to be purchased if the baby is under two. The baby also doesn't need a ticket to get into the parks . Heck for three grand my family of 6 could do Disney for a few days.

I am going to guess that at least a third of the people who do a Disney vacation can't really afford it.

 

[yesiamcrazy]

My son this year had to send a fictional family on vacation, he was given a family exactly like the OP. For this $2500 (he researched well), he set them up with plane tickets, hotel, park tickets, a couple of sit down meals, and a couple of other meals, and even put money in for Dole Whips. So, I think it can be done for this price and probably lower if you skip some of the sit down meals, etc.

I don't know what your monthly budget looks like, but I'd just start saving as much as possible. Write down where your money is going. See if you can cut a little here a little there. It might take you a while to get the money, but if you just keep scrimping and saving you will eventually have enough, it it's that important to you.

 

[abmitch01]

I would try to save on dining. If your kids are that little, they can probably share a meal and you can share an adult meal with your oldest. And don't forget water is free at the counters. And search out dollar stores ahead of time for things you can surprise them with as souvenirs during the trip, glow sticks, autograph books, anything with disney characters on it.

 

[danygirl]

Go to couponingtodisney dot com and read some of her how to use coupons to pay for Disney.

 

[Marionnette]

Hey everyone! So i am new to the site and although i have been to disney many times, this is my first time attempting to book for me and my own family on my own for the first time! I have been dying to take my kids since my daughter turned 1 and my son turned 5, but its just not been doable. Im getting worried it may never happen, but I am DETERMINED to get there before my son turns 9! I am a single mom and only make 350 a week with tons of bills to pay for! I need all the help and advice I can get from where to purchase the cheapest tix, to include the dining plan or not to include it. To fly or drive (some may automatically say drive to decrease costs, but driving 3 days with 2 young kids in a very small car can be really expensive in other ways )...to purchase as a package deak or everything seperate? I just don't know where to begin. All i do know is that we are going to stay on disney property, one of the value resorts of course. From there, all other opinions are a go! Ready, set, HELP!

How much can you save each week when you make $350 and have "tons of bills"?

$25 per week in savings translates to a little over $5K if you keep at it for 5 years. $10 per week adds up to $2600 over that same 5 year period. First, figure out if you can work that kind of savings into your budget, then plan a trip around what you can realistically save.

 

[Marionnette]

Your "quote" seems really high. Only two flights need to be purchased if the baby is under two. The baby also doesn't need a ticket to get into the parks . Heck for three grand my family of 6 could do Disney for a few days. I am going to guess that at least a third of the people who do a Disney vacation can't really afford it.

The OP said that she has been wanting to do this since her daughter was 1 and her son was 5. She went on to say that she would like to do it before the boy turns 9. That would make the girl somewhere around 5. So it looks like the PP's estimate is not too far off. In fact, I would guess that airfare, hotel, tickets and food for 3 would actually run higher than that. Yes, it can be done for less, but not if the OP wants to fly and stay onsite.

 

[kymom99]

We have done some nice trips for 2 adults and a child for $3000+. I am sure you could do a more budget trip with 2 little kids and an adult. I don't know where you are coming from, but you are probably right about not driving. I would be afraid to go that far alone with kids so small. However, the airport won't be easy to navigate either with young kids. It will be hard to get all your baggage and your kids from the security to the plane. If you use ME, at least the baggage will be taken to your room so that will help. Also, flying will mean you have to rent a stroller. Is there someone who could go along with you to help with either the driving or the airport? Perhaps they could also pay a part of the room.

Could you ask family to give you and the kids Disney gift cards for birthdays and holidays? This could really help a lot.

I would not suggest the dining plan for you, even if it is free. You can get a room discount instead of the free dining and with only 2 people actually getting the free dining, the discount would probably be worth more.

If you drive, load the car with food for the room. I would also bring a cooler since the fridges are small. We kept a chest cooler full of drinks and food on our first trip in All Star Sports. It was a lifesaver.

If you fly, order from a delivery service. This will save time and money.

We buy tickets from Undercover Tourist with the Mousesavers link.

The suggestion about buying souvenirs ahead is a good one. Also, I made an autograph book for my family before we went. Well, really it is just a spiral bound scrapbook type thing, about 5x7 or so. We had the characters sign a page and I added a photo of us with that character on each facing page. I jazzed it up with some stickers. It's a nice keepsake and it wasn't expensive. I got the book at Michaels.

The kids can get passports for Epcot and get stamps at each country. I don't know if they still do the kidcot stations, but if they do, that is free.

Another suggestion is to take some pics of the kids with things in the gift shops. Then at the end of the trip, they can look thru the pics and decide on one item they want to buy. The pics will make nice keepsakes too. I have the cutest pic of my son holding a colorful piñata in the Mexico pavilion.

Most of the resorts have games at the pool for the kids. I also hear you can go to the campground and they have a campfire for free. I have not done it though.

Only you can decide how much money you can spend on vacation. If you budget it out and you know what you will be spending, you can plan accordingly. If everyone waited until the perfect time to go on vacation, no one would ever go. Just make sure you are comfortable with your decision, or worrying about money will take the magic out of the trip.

 

[crisi]

Your "quote" seems really high. Only two flights need to be purchased if the baby is under two. The baby also doesn't need a ticket to get into the parks . Heck for three grand my family of 6 could do Disney for a few days.

I am going to guess that at least a third of the people who do a Disney vacation can't really afford it.

I don't think the baby is two. She said she started wanting to go when the baby was one and the oldest was five. She now wants to get there before he turns nine, which would make the baby four.

 

[arthur06]

To me it seems tough to get there on such a limited income, but it could be done?

How is your credit? Can you get a SW Visa and get the 50,000 miles for free flights?

Can you do a garage sale to raise money?

Sometimes the trip is the memory. Worry less about the meals and do what you can do cheaply. Being there is the important thing.

 

[Beezle2]

See if there is a decent Plasma donation site in your area and start donating! My husband and I did last summer when it was costing $450 a month for gas to get me to school and back. Here 1 person can make $60 a week donating and they put it on a card for you.

I decided to keep it up to pay for our Disney trip next year and if I donate twice a week (takes about 1 hour each time) I will have over $3000 on the card. We have 2 places here in town and I wouldn't go to the one, but the place I go to is clean and fast.

 

[Nayan]

My first thought is to say you probably cannot afford to go.

Flights for 3, stay on site, meals, no car/transportation while there, tickets for a week........it will most likely be in the $3,000+ range. That is double your take home amount for a month, possibly more. If you have bills you are struggling to pay, now is not the time to plan a huge trip.

I have to agree. While I get it that you want to take your kids, I doubt it's doable for you in your situation.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

I am also in the camp to get your bills in check and manageable before you push to get to Disney. Start a good reasonable budget and if there is enough at this time, pay yourself weekly along with the bills. It may only be $5.00 to start but as the bills get under control and you hopefully can bring in some extra money per week you can then start to add a vacation into the budget.

I understand wanting to have the children there while they are young but if you do not have the money to do so, why stress yourself out?

You can do budget budget budget trip. But if your income is that low, your priority is the bills and getting the necessities for your children.

Disney is not going anywhere. Save and Budget and go when it is better suited for your lifestyle.

You can live the Disney dreams through others like many of us do. Have Movie nights, popcorn, etc.

Now back to the dream that everyone should be able to go no matter if your bills are higher than your income.

 

[donkeyandshrek]

OP, me and my two children go quite often and always on a budget. You have to be flexible in your travel dates and be ready to book when the opportunity arises.

First, watch for sale fares from your airports. I have flown several times for $98/pp RT. These fares pop up occasionally and you have to be ready to snag them. My last flight in January was $92/ RT

I have been able to overlap free dining dates with low airfares.

You have to be creative and flexible to make it work, but you CAN do it!!!!

 

[EMode]

Hey everyone! So i am new to the site and although i have been to disney many times, this is my first time attempting to book for me and my own family on my own for the first time!

I have been dying to take my kids since my daughter turned 1 and my son turned 5, but its just not been doable. Im getting worried it may never happen, but I am DETERMINED to get there before my son turns 9!

I am a single mom and only make 350 a week with tons of bills to pay for!

I need all the help and advice I can get from where to purchase the cheapest tix, to include the dining plan or not to include it. To fly or drive (some may automatically say drive to decrease costs, but driving 3 days with 2 young kids in a very small car can be really expensive in other ways )...to purchase as a package deak or everything seperate? I just don't know where to begin.

All i do know is that we are going to stay on disney property, one of the value resorts of course.

From there, all other opinions are a go!

Ready, set, HELP!

I'm not going to comment on your income, that is your business and how you make it work for your trip is your business too.
The one thing I will suggest since you are on a very tight budget is to NOT stay onsite. You can find hotels much cheaper than even the values at WDW. I would look for a suite option that had a little kitchen so that you could have most of your meals there too. Between saving on the hotel and food you could take a very affordable WDW vacation during an off season.

 

[uccats97]

Find out if there are any market research companies in your area. I have made hundreds of dollars testing products (toothpaste, shampoo, laundry detergent, etc.) and participating in focus groups.
Advertise to be a babysitter on Friday and Saturday nights and bring your kids along.
Get a paper route.
Any of these can help you save up for your trip.
Check out mousesavers website. There are tons of money savings tips and a list of offsite hotels that could save you a lot of money.
Listen to some of these great podcasts on mousequestpodcast.com
Episode 56: Trip Planning Challenge II
Episode 50: Best of the Best Money Saving Tips
Episode 32: Walt Disney World Freebies

 

[Marionnette]

I'm not going to comment on your income, that is your business and how you make it work for your trip is your business too.
The one thing I will suggest since you are on a very tight budget is to NOT stay onsite. You can find hotels much cheaper than even the values at WDW. I would look for a suite option that had a little kitchen so that you could have most of your meals there too. Between saving on the hotel and food you could take a very affordable WDW vacation during an off season.

The OP didn't need to share her income. By doing so, she opened it up for discussion. Of course, no one knows her entire circumstance. For all we know, she is living with a relative, not paying rent or utilities, has no car payment or any other expenses other than to feed and clothe her kids on that income.

But if she wants to take them to Disney, then she needs to figure out how she is going to pay for it first, before she makes grand plans of flying, staying onsite and getting the dining plan.