having trouble saving$$, inspire me please :)

[Misty89]

does anyone else have trouble saving thier WDW money?
how do you get back on track?
seems like i have set in pace the best saving plan in the world...found money, change jar and extras, but it just not seem to be adding up! always seems and feels like there is something i have to get ( household, extra grocries, etc) and i seem to always 'need" to take 10$ here or 20$ there from our WDW savings acct
any tips? i am seriously thinking about taking 200$ this weekend and driving down to the disney store and trading in for disney cash so i know i cant spend it elsewhere!! - would that be a smart idea? - i seem to go back to....what ahppens if the trip does not happen?( we have not yet made out resies, waiting for the tax return to put down a large chunk of $$)


thanks for any replys


Tina

 

[dolphincrazy]

Originally posted by Misty89
does anyone else have trouble saving thier WDW money?
how do you get back on track?
seems like i have set in pace the best saving plan in the world...found money, change jar and extras, but it just not seem to be adding up! always seems and feels like there is something i have to get ( household, extra grocries, etc) and i seem to always 'need" to take 10$ here or 20$ there from our WDW savings acct
any tips? i am seriously thinking about taking 200$ this weekend and driving down to the disney store and trading in for disney cash so i know i cant spend it elsewhere!! - would that be a smart idea? - i seem to go back to....what ahppens if the trip does not happen?( we have not yet made out resies, waiting for the tax return to put down a large chunk of $$)


thanks for any replys


Tina

Hello

many of us have the same problem with saving alot of us have opened INGDIRECT savings accounts (to learn more go to the INGDIRECT FAQ'S on this board and will you tell you alot), you can get $25 for opening an account through a referral that any one of us can send you in your email(whoever you ask just be sure to send your first and last name in your email or PM to them)
after you open the account you can refer people yourself, they get $25, you get $10 I've earned $210 in just referrals this is my Disney fund many others on this board will tell you this is a great option and it's harder to get at than a regular savings so you will not spend it away

 

[CajunDixie]

Track your spending for 2 weeks and see what areas you may be overspending in. For example if you run out of milk and run to the grocery/gas station for a gallon of milk do you then impulse buy something else.....cup of coffee, bottle of pop, candy bar, donut? When you fill your vehicle up with gas do you then also buy a drink, cigs, candy, paper? Do you buy newspapers and magazines from stores when you could get a subscription and save quite a bit over a years time? Sometimes people spend a little here and a little there and then wonder where their money went. Writing down every single purchase shows you exactly where you spent the money then you can decide if it really was a neccessity.

As for dipping into your savings account you need to either move it or make it inaccessible. Do you use and ATM card for the savings? If so, put that baby in safe or a hidden place that is a pain to get to. If you're dipping into your change jars....change the change jar to someting that can not be opened easily. I do believe someone mention a day or so ago about buying a clear Piggy Bank at Toys R Us that can not be opened more than once. Buying Disney Dollars is a good thing IF you're positive you're really going there and you won't be tempted to spend them at a local Disney Store.

For a little mental inspiration print out some favorite pics from WDW or some clipart and tape it to the change jars, ATM card, savings booklet, and anywhere else that is highly visible to remind you why you're saving.

 

[Traveliz]

I hear you...if you are not sure of the Disney trip I don't know if I would buy the Disney Dollars but another place to put your money is in Traveler's Checks... I do not like to pull them out and use them locally (seems like they don't know what to do with them) but if your trip doesn't come off you can always put them back into your checking account. I like to get either DD or Traveler's Checks and then put them in envelopes for whatever (hotel, meals, tickets, etc).

Good luck
Liz

 

[mrsboz]

I was feeling exactly the same way before our trip. We just got back last week. Now I want to go back again so bad I can taste it. I am scrounging everywhere I can. i am returning cans, rolling coins and spending only what I absolutely have to spend. I opened an account at the credit union up the street. If I want to take money out, I have to get a check from them and go to another bank and cash it there. Seems like an absolute pain in the butt with three kids so this makes me not want to take money out. Maybe open a vacation account up and tell yourself that they won't let you take the money out until it is time for vacation. I don't know much about these types of accounts but don't you have to put down at least so much a week? Would that work out for you? It helps too if someone else feels the same way. My friend Sue and I encourage eachother to save money and we frequently tell eachother how much we are saving and how we are doing it. I would love to get into the Ebay madness but certainly not sure how to begin. Maybe you can do something here???? Good luck.

 

[Misty89]

i think i would like to check into that INGDIRECT thing..i am going to read the threads on it this afternoon
a vacation acct was what i had wanted to do, but to open it was $1,000 and it had to stay untouched for 12mths ( this was in january) so i opted for a special savings acct at my credit union that has ######VAC on it so i keep it seperate from my business and personal savings .
i think that tracking my spending is a good idea too, i think i will try that!
ebay is not as good for me as it is for others that have posted on here.....i dont have alot of stuff that worth anything ( my old cake decorating supplies go the best for me) since november i think i have made about $250 on ebay.....i am getting reved up about listing kids clothes and etc though , and have a garage sale in early spring.
thanks everyone for the replys.....keep them coming
it would be super nice to hit a jackpot somewhere and be able to put 500 $ in the bank at one time....the samller amounts dont seem to add up fast enough to make it seem like i am saving..i know i have 8mths yet.



thanks again


Tina

 

[westjones]

I made envelopes with the dollar amounts we need written on each. For example:


Tips
Dinner at 1900 Park Fare
Disney Quest
Counter Service Meals
Money for kids
Princess Breakfast at Epcot

This worked for me, I saw the bigger picture broken down into small bits.

DJ

 

[Doodlebug939]

I think westjones had a great idea. Rather then get overwhelmed with the whole trip break it down. For example, I am sending away $50 a payday (twice a month) to Disney to pay for my lodging. It is not a lot by many peoples standards but it helps to pay off the hotel in advance. And the truth be told our family only has to skip eating out 2 or 3 times a month in order to make the payments. So we have not limited ourselves to not eating out but just once a payday. I still get my break and we all appreciate eating out when we do it. My husband has even gotten into the whole thing where he makes dinner every Sunday night. You know something creative and not the usual fair and I dont have to cook.

So we eat a home more often then not. No big deal. You had mentioned that you have not made a reservation and I think that once you do then it will put a little light in your fire. I know it does for me.

After I pay off the hotel I make the next step and save for tickets. Then slowly and I mean slowly but surely I buy the passes as the Disney store or where ever one at a time. So it breaks it down and I get instant gratification.

When the kids start wanting toys everytime we go shoppin we watch the Disney Vacation Video (on their website) and it reafirms what we are saving for. It doenst work everytime but for the most part I dont walk out of stores with $20 worth of toys they dont need.

My son gets an allowance-$5 a week for cleaning his room/bathroom/making his bed/brushing his teeth twice a day and lastly feeding the dog each morning before school. Now he is only 5 and I am realistic about it but it sure cuts down the time that we have to argue about his room and brushing the teeth. That is worth the money right there. It is just done and nothing more to say about it. Out of his $5 we take 1/2 to the Disney store and get Disney Dollars and the other half goes in his bank account. Once we get to Disney then he know how hard it is to earn that money and he is more selective.

In our family we all get into saving for our trip. Yes I am the leader and sometimes have to build moral in the house when we cant go to six flags in the summer like the Jones because we need to save for a trip in November. But we are a team and we work as a team to save money.

We all have our downfalls just do your best to avoid them. Like avoid the mall if you cant walk in and walk out with what you need. If you need a few screaming kids to make you get in and out you can always borrow mine.

 

[mainewmn]

I always had a hard time saving money, until I set up alternative account and made it difficult to access. Right now I’m able to put $100 away a week directly out of my paycheck. It is so inconvenient for me to access it that even if I consider dipping it in I usually find it other ways to come up with the money I need instead of taking it out of the Disney account.

 

[crisi]

Track expenses
Write things down
Say "would I rather have Disney than this"

Also consider ways to increase your income rather than just not spending. A second job (or a first job on weekends or evenings if you are a SAHM). Watching other people's kids. Cleaning houses.

But also consider that Disney may be beyond your reach in the timeframe you are considering. Are you breaking into your savings for groceries because your budget is so tight you won't be eating well if you don't - or because you blew the grocery money on dinner out? If its the first, time for a reality check on Disney being something you should be doing right now. If its the second, the advice here will help. Your budget needs to be realistic - and if there is no where to cut without taking out the phone and turning off the heat, there is no place to cut.

 

[dolphincrazy]

Originally posted by Misty89
i think i would like to check into that INGDIRECT thing..i am going to read the threads on it this afternoon
a vacation acct was what i had wanted to do, but to open it was $1,000 and it had to stay untouched for 12mths ( this was in january) so i opted for a special savings acct at my credit union that has ######VAC on it so i keep it seperate from my business and personal savings .
i think that tracking my spending is a good idea too, i think i will try that!
ebay is not as good for me as it is for others that have posted on here.....i dont have alot of stuff that worth anything ( my old cake decorating supplies go the best for me) since november i think i have made about $250 on ebay.....i am getting reved up about listing kids clothes and etc though , and have a garage sale in early spring.
thanks everyone for the replys.....keep them coming
it would be super nice to hit a jackpot somewhere and be able to put 500 $ in the bank at one time....the samller amounts dont seem to add up fast enough to make it seem like i am saving..i know i have 8mths yet.



thanks again


Tina

Tina,
for the *** account you only need to deposit $1 , no minimum balance, good interest rates, I'm very impressed with this bank
in about 3 months I have saved over $1,000 and $235 of it was free for referring others so, it's a great deal, I'm sure many others will agree do you do reward programs and surveys for pay? I usually stash money from those in my account and try to earn Rainforest Cafe gift certs. from Mypoints

 

[Tiggerlover91]

I hope this comes out right, but for me it's a matter of discipline to NOT touch the money in my savings jar unless an emergency comes up. The jar is not just for my Disney trip in 2 years, it's for anything else that comes up. I've been saving since October and there's about $220 in my savings jar. I have "borrowed" from it 3 times and replaced it twice. When I was suspended from work for a week, I used $50 of it to get my bank balance back up to where it should have been and I didn't "replace" that, because that was an emergency in a manner of speaking. However, before I knew it, that balance went from $160 to $190 in just a matter of two weeks and now it sits at over $200!!
I guess being a server makes it easier for me not to "dip" into the money because I always have cash on me, or the checkbook. There is also an extra $250 in my checking account because I charge myself a fee everytime I write a check, use the debit card, or pay a bill online. Why? Because it's a GREAT way to save and if anything happens I know that money is there and can use it whenever I have to. I haven't lost any money because the bank shows the balance that I don't. If they show $750, I only show $500 in my checkbook. So long as they ALWAYS have the bigger balance, I'm fine with that. Now this doesn't work for everyone coz there are a lot that like to have their checkbook balanced to the "T". I don't care, so it works for me. I don't do change in my checkbook balance either so I really come out on top. If I go to Target and my total is $43.22, I round up to $44 and then charge the dollar fee on top of that....so I write $45 in my checkbook and the bank will have that extra $1.78 I don't. Make sense?? When I make deposits, same thing...a deposit for $145.68, I only write $145 in my checkbook register and once again, the bank has .68 cents more than I do. I've been doing this since August of last year and as mentioned before I'm up to $250 in savings. :happy1: :happy1: I'm eventually going to have to put this money in the bank because my savings jar is getting VERY heavy. When I do put it in the bank, I'm going to make it hard to get to. No checks, no debit card, no ATM card...if I want the money, I have to physically go in to the bank and get it! I hate going in to banks and most of the time I'm working during banking hours and just barely have time to make it before they close.
There are some wonderful ideas about increasing your income and not your spending. DH and I eat out a lot, but it's something we're working on. He takes his lunch and dinner with him a lot more than I do and I need to discipline myself to do that too. I love eating at Ruby's, but I don't like spending $20 a week or $100 a month to do that! $100 a month breaks down to $1200 a year...that's our Disney trip paid for in 2006!!! WOW!!! That was a reality check...I will be hitting Walmart really soon and stocking up on lunch meat, low carb bread, and peanuts to take my lunch with me! DH and I have also been very blessed financially these last several months, so we "allow" ourselves a special treat every now and again. Our bills are paid, there is food in the house and we aren't hurting for anything, so the luxury is there to spend if we want to. The closer I get to a Disney trip or any trip....I cut my spending down as I look at it this way...do I want the money for Disney or my trip home, or for that Blockbuster rental that I can only keep for 9 days. The trip to Disney and home....memories for a lifetime!! The Blockbuster rental...memories for the one day I watched the movie! I'll take the money for one of my two trips.
If you find yourself dipping into your money often...ask yourself why: 1)are you that short on cash that you need to take that money or 2)are you dipping into that money only because you can and you really don't need what you think you do? Did that make any sense?
If you're taking the money for the 1st reason, then maybe a Disney trip is not in your near future. DO NOT go to the Disney store and turn that money into Disney Dollars until your trip is booked and you know you are going for sure. Once you do it, that's it and that money is gone until you can get to Disney and spend it. I suppose you can go to the Disney store and spend it, but I don't think they will let you "trade it in" for US dollars like Disney does.
Take that money like others have mentioned and make it hard to get to. Go buy that piggy bank from Toys R Us...put it into a checking or savings account that is "hard" to get access to. Trust me when I tell you....if you want it bad enough....you will "allow" that money to grow! You're talking to the expert here. I was so money hungry before that $220 in my savings jar would have NEVER reached that high a couple of years ago. I've grown a lot and it just takes time. You'll get there, just hang in there and see.
Best to you and keep us posted!

Denise

 

[desiab]

Tina,
For our trip I do something my mother has done for years. Each pay check she has an automatic draft that puts $15 in her savings account. It doesn't sound like much, but it has a tendency to add up. (We've done this for both children since they were born. My DD is 8 and we were able to buy her a 5-yr CD and she is well on the way to another.)

The bonus is that if you don't seem to miss what you don't have. I am more likely to save it if I don't have it in cash in my hand.

I agree with others who say to do the surveys, Mypoints, and Rewardtv for gift certificates. One year we celebrated our Anniversary with just certificates I had earned this way.

If all of these things don't motivate you then I suggest you get out pictures of Disney World and keep one in your wallet and in your change jar. That way every time you are tempted this will serve as a reminder of what you are working towards: your road trip to Disney!

 

[marcyinPA]

Originally posted by westjones
I made envelopes with the dollar amounts we need written on each. For example:


Tips
Dinner at 1900 Park Fare
Disney Quest
Counter Service Meals
Money for kids
Princess Breakfast at Epcot

This worked for me, I saw the bigger picture broken down into small bits.

DJ

This is a great idea!! Thanks!! I've been saving cash in an envelope for the past 8 months, but I only have $200 in it because I keep taking a $10 here and a $20 there for different things that come up. By using separate envelopes and labeling them and sealing them, that might be the best way to not dip into the Disney money!

I also kept a big chunk in my Paypal account, but the temptation is always there to buy something off eBay! So I transferred the money over to my checking account but didn't figure it into my balance. Out of sight, out of mind. When May rolls around, I'll just withdraw it and get travelers checks. I guess I could keep some in my checking account and use my debit card too. That could be dangerous though! LOL

 

[BonSchwe]

We're coming down to the World end of April. Everything is paid in full (12-days). DH was working full time and I work full time as a waitress. I figured the last three months before our vacation I would start putting money away for our spending money and start buying our vacation clothes.

Shortly after that, DH was layed off, our resteraunt took a sharp drop in business because of the weather, and on top of it my ex hasn't been sending me the child support. I can totally understand trying to do the change in a jar thing, saving cans, never eating out, etc. Nothing is working. We now have 30-days before we leave and I feel like I'm FREAKING OUT!!

Thank you for posting because now I know I'm not alone out there and feeling some sense of encouragement reading the different posts.

Thanks everyone!!

 

[disneysnowflake]

We decided to buy Traveler's Cheques for every PS dinner or breakfast we plan.

We figure it will cost us around $100 for each PS meal, so we save up $100 then go to AAA and buy a $100 travelers cheque.
That way we won't "borrow" $20 here or $20 there from our Disney cash cookie jar. We bought some Disney dollars, too. Our closest Disney Store is over an hour away, so if my friend or relative is heading to that mall I'll give them XX amount of dollars, they'll buy Disney Dollars for me, and into the jar they go.

 

[mad4themouse]

BonSchwe
I just wanted to send you a little !

Why does it always seem that it doesn't rain, but it pours! I hope that things fall into place for you. Now that spring is finally here, maybe business will pick up at the restaurant again.

In the meantime, if you're not eBaying, consider trying it for a few weeks. It takes a little time to learn the ins & outs but once your items are listed, all you have to do is wait for the auctions to end and the $$$ to come in. It never ceases to amaze me what people will buy! Old toys, CDs, videos, outgrown clothing..it all sells!

A quick yard sale will also grab you some fast cash as well. I'm getting together the bigger items that I don't care to bother to ship. I'm going to have the kids sell hot chocolate and coffee on the side to raise a little more cash during the sale.

Sometimes the "save more/spend less" philosophy doesn't work when you're already spending as little as you possibly can. I hope you can find a way to bring in a little extra cash so that your trip can be a more fun. But regardless...you'll be in Disney! And even without the extra Mickey Bars and souvenir "ears", you'll have a great time. Good luck to you!

 

[Misty89]

i felt like i needed to comment on not making this trip because of not saving the money....
we have played with dates and we know ( have known) that we cant pull off paying the booking through TA by summer we cant go plain as that ( not in december) if things happen for some unknown reason that the savings have to dipped into for real emergancys we will jsut push back our trip....into 2005. we are going to go LOL just when depends on the $$ we save.
in no way am i making the family suffer or going without the things we need....mostly that change jar gets touched for stuff i really dont need, but want at the time...
we are not rich so we cant and dont save 500$ per month....i have a goal of 250 $ from everything( working, ebay, change and etc)....which i feel is good. not skimping....my work paychecks are( and always have been) for grocries and gas for the cars and kids stufff...my DH is the bread winner for the house and car and insurnace payments.
we have borken the trip plans into sections....the TA portion that is $2500 ( AF and hotel) and set a goal that it will be paid off by early summer.
then in october after the wedding cake season is over ( i run a wedding cake business also) all of the profits from that will be our PH tx, food and spending cash.- estimating $2500 right now.
so its really only the next 4 mths i have to save up for the first " part" of our payment budget, the any thing extra from june till october from work, etc will also be put into the fund...so we could end up with more$, but getting the package at the TA paid off is my our first plan of attack.

i only wanted clarify that we not hurting our family life or making our children sufer in any means trying to save heavily for 4 mths.

thanks for all the replys.i did sign up for the surveys, and the mystery shopper. i think i am going to put a disney sticker on my change jar and i am NOT going to trade $$ in for DD now - i will wait till summer - heres hoping our DS wont close by then, cause the closest one now is still 60 miles away


Tina

 

[westjones]

I agree that it isn't worth taking a vacation if your financial situation isn't in a good place. Vacations cost a lot!

There are ways to go on the 'cheap' at Disney, but even that isn't all that cheap. If you have to fly in, I don't think there is any way to go really cheap.

Our least expensive trip to Disney was when we tent camped at FW. We ate at our campsite twice a day and only did counter service at the parks (except for our one treat--the ice cream social at Epcot with the characters).

I wrote down and tracked every penny we spent. We had a great time, and stayed on a tight budget. We all still remember our adventure in our tent!

But we could drive (17 hours, but doable), and we took our electric cooler and food with us, we got there on one day and didn't do the park (went to the FW Campfire program that night), and then we used 3 of our 4 days on our hopper tickets over the next three days (saved the other day for another trip). We were there from Monday to Friday morning when we packed up and came home.

The value resorts aren't bad if you get a discount. We have Pop Century booked for a Saturday in September for $69 (includes tax). We stayed there last year and it was nice. We took our electric cooler and did breakfast in the room every morning.

I hope everything works out for you and your family!
DJ

 

[crisi]

Oh, Tina, I hope you didn't think I was acusing you of starving your children to go to Disney. I was just trying to say that sometimes money isn't there, no matter how much you WANT to save it. You can't save money if you don't have enough for the day to day to start with.

Sometimes this board gives people unrealistic expectations. Not everyone can afford annual trips to Disney - but this board sure makes it seem like everyone but you can!