Help. Fridge just broke.

[jessiangel]

Murphy's Law. My fridge just died and now so did part of my bank account. We are leaving in 2 weeks for Disney and since it is the last time we will be going for a very long time I wanted to make it really special for my family. I have PS at Crystal Palace, GF (so I can get the chocolate slippers) and LTT. I am going to cut out at least one of the character meals and not go to the e-night (which was what I was so excited about doing...bummer). Any other suggestions on cutting costs? We are driving down and eating breakfast in our room. I'm also debating about getting a fridge in our room so we can make sandwiches, but I am not sure that that would really be saving in the long run. I also printed out the coupons from the different websites for meals. I already paid for our hotel (POFQ) in full and our hopper tix so no cutting there. And I don't have time for my Disney Fund annual garage sale before we leave.

Also, any suggestions on which character meals to cut and which to keep?

 

[C.Ann]

Sorry about the fridge..

How many are going? What are the ages? How long are you staying?

 

[jessiangel]

Thanks! There's 3 of us me, DH and DD (12). We are staying 7 nights.

 

[C.Ann]

Oh - okay.. Only the 3 of you - for 7 days? Then that shouldn't be too hard..

Considering your DD is 12, she's old enough to understand that unexpected expenses come up so just explain to her that you need to make a few "adjustments" to your plans but it's going to be a blast anyhow.. Then ask for HER input as to what character meals to cut out.. Get the info on each, present it to her and let her make the choice.. That way she'll feel as though she has "some" control over what has to be eliminated..

Does she eat a lot? If not, perhaps she would be satisfied with the relatively inexpensive kids menu or if not, share an adult meal with you..

How expensive is the E-night that you were so looking forward to? Perhaps if you cut out - or cut back - on something else, you could still do that.. Again, ask for your DD's input - as well as your DH's.. Make this a family venture in deciding how to still have a wonderful trip..

If you're driving, why not bring a cooler for your room? If you don't own one, perhaps you could borrow one from a friend or relative.. I think most hotels offer free ice.. That way you could save money on breakfasts, have cold drinks in your room, have sandwich fixings if you so desire, etc.. Food can be very expensive but also the best place to "cut back" so you have more money for other fun things..

Go with a positive attitude - positive that you're all still going to have a great time, and you will!

Have fun!! Wish I was going too..

 

[gritzel4]

Just a thought - Can you find a new refridgerator at a store that is offering zero percent financing for 6 months? If so buy the fridge on credit - go to WDW as originally planned - have garage sale to pay for refridgerator when you get back. If not, have breakfast in your room (poptarts, donuts, fruit). Make sandwiches for lunch (p,b & j, lunch meat etc). Cooler in the room is a great idea - do not waste money on renting a refridgerator. Bring your own beverages into the parks. Buy a case of water/soda and snacks. Buy the disposable containers - make a salad in your room (bag salad and dressing). Limit souvenior shopping to the last day and certain $ amount.

 

[jlw29]

Sorry about your refrigerator's untimely passing. It's always something!

My tips would be: Keep e-ride night. We did the one Memorial Day and you can get SOOOO many more rides in that it's well worth the extra $36 that you would be spending. I'd bring down a cooler for some snacks / meals in the room. Renting a fridge for 7 days will cost you almost $80 with tax. That negate a bunch of your savings. If you don't have a cooler, get 1 or 2 styrofoam ones (2 small is better than 1 big for keeping stuff cold) and keep lunch meats, salads, milk in there. Also, with a cooler, you can eat more of what you want. If you're in the mood for a big restaurant meal, you can go out. If you've been lounging by the pool and don't want to get dressed to go out, get something from the cooler. One dinner when we were down there, DH and one DD only wanted cereal for supper because they were too hot for a real meal. It was vacation. Who was I to say no to that?

I agree to involve your daughter in some of the re-budgeting. Feeling like she has some control over the situation will make your daughter more amenable to cutting some things out.

NO matter what, have a great time!

 

[Mic]

I would not even consider the added expense of a small fridge for the room for just 3 people. I don't see that it would save you any money at all. Instead, take a cooler of any kind,which will also come in handy on the drive down(Imagine having to stop every time someone got thirsty).
I personally did not like using coolers for a long time because when the ice melts, the food gets "soggy", but I found ways to solve that problem. I pack our lunch meat, cheeses, etc. in a square plastic bowl(the ziploc brand throw-away kind works great), and/or I pack the ice in gallon-size ziploc baggies. You could put your 12-year-old in charge of pouring the water out of the baggies each night, and filling with fresh ice from the hotel's ice machine(my kids actually fight over who gets to do this!) A cooler large enough to hold some drinks, snacks, and milk/juice for a quick breakfast should not be hard to find...you probably have one at home. If not, Walmart sells a fairly big collapsable cooler for less than $20. We've used it at Blizzard Beach and by the pool at Disney twice, and it has more than paid for itself. Just having a few bottled waters in it at Blizzard Beach saved us $10, and you could also take one with you as you head out to the park each day, saving $2.50 a person right there. I think you could still do everything you planned if you cut out some small items you probably won't miss in addition to one character meal. Good luck!

 

[jessiangel]

Thanks for the help. The cooler is a good idea. I always bring one for the trip down but leave it in the car while we're there. Think I'll bring it in the room this time and keep the food cold there. I hate to pay $10 per day for a fridge at the resort. I'm budgeting daily now and I'm hoping to keep the e-night. Thanks for the suggestion about letting DD decide which meals to forego. She's in her room now on the phone with her friends trying to decide. lol. Keeps them interested.

 

[canwegosoon]

I would cut at least one character meal, keep the GF if you must, but I have read that the least expensive character meal is the Ice Cream one...I forget the name...perhaps you can do a little research on menus, and character meals to get a better idea on where to save on food.

I would also second what gritzel4 mentioned. Best Buy offers 12 months no intrest on major purchases, like a Fridge....much easier to fit in a budget that way. Good luck.

 

[dllmnmdth]

Bummer

I can relate to the fridge situation. Our fridge is not totally broke but it is leaking everywhere. We went and did a little searching but cost was OOHH Laa Laa.

Good Luck!

 

[232271]

another way to save money before you go. try to only by exactly what you need at the grocery store and do not do anything extra like eat out, movies, ect.. we saved a ton of money in two months just by cutting out all extra cirricular activities...

good luck and sorry to hear about the fridge, we just lost a whole load in our deep freeze a few weeks back , it is a bummer!!

 

[leebee]

YES...GET THE COOLER, cancel the fridge; I'd do this even if I weren't buying a new appliance at home! Cancel the LTT ressie...if you MUST see the "traditional" characters, do the Ice Cream Social at the Garder Grill in Epcot; I think it's about $8/person for a large ice cream sundae and good character interaction. You'll get Cinderella at the GF, Pooh and the gang at CP, and traditional characters at Garden Grill. You might want to keep E-night...I have heard it's the best way to get the rides you want without standing in long, hot lines. Go see the Electrical Water Pageant, it's free and then if you scoot up to the 4th floor observation deck of the contemporary quickly enough, you can see the fireworks around the castle- also free. Other "free" things to do are ride the boats from MK resorts to fort wilderness, or from POFQ/R to downtown disney. Make the trip and not the destination the focus! Walk the Boardwalk, enjoy the beach along that area, water shuttle transport in Boardwalk area and the World Showcase Lagoon are also free and fun, especially at night! Not sure if resort cups are a good deal, if you don't drink soda I don't think so. Bring coffee and filters from home, ask POFQ mousekeeping to bring you a free coffeemaker for your room. Do at least b'fast in the room...maybe do parks in morning/early afternoon, eat big, late lunch off-site (some great buffet deals at lunch in the Kiss area), then go back to the parks in the evening, maybe do a counter service supper around 8, or just dessert?

But honestly, if I could find a 3-6 month no interest deal on a new refrigerator and could afford the monthly payment, I'd just keep my Disney vacation and charge the fridge. If I didn't expect to get back to Disney within the next few years, I'd charge the fridge and keep the vacation the way it is. In the long run, which will you regret more...$100 in interest or skipping some great memories?

 

[Taja]

Everyone has terrific ideas!

1. Cooler in your room is a must.
2. Zip top bags (1 gallon and quart). Put ice in the bags and food in the bags. You'll still have to deal with condensation, but it's a lot easier to empty and refill the bags with ice and wipe off the exterior of the food bags than to have to completely clean the entire cooler every day! Partially fill 1-gallon bag(s) with ice to cover the bottom of your cooler (you want the bag to lie flat when filled), insert your food and drinks, then repeat the process on top with full bags of ice. If your cooler is particularly large, do the same for the sides. Repeat this process morning and evening and you'll keep the contents fresh and chilled!
3. Involve your family in the rebudgeting process. They're part of the team!
4. Since you have a vehicle, eat off property when possible.

Relax, enjoy the time with your family, and don't stress about not spending a lot of money!


__________________
Taja

 

[punkin]

My dryer just died and I had to fix the whashing machine last month so I know how you feel. My budget is so tight that I don't know when we'll go to WDW again.

 

[Taja]

I can empathize, punkin! I just had to replace the pool filter and my 25 year-old dryer is making ominous noises. It works well, just makes an awful sound (something about a bearing?). I just want it to hold on for another year!

Quite honestly, if I didn't already have my annual pass and free airfare courtesy of the Southwest frequent flyer program, I wouldn't be making my September trip. I don't need clothing or shoes and I only need a few incidentals (insect repellent, sunscreen & extra batteries) to take with me that I don't have on hand. WDW Value Resort in value season with AP discount should be just under $350 with tax, and my rental car is $150. I'm planning $50 per day for food and incidentals (one person), with $200 cash (or TC) reserve, and debit card for emergency back up.

No, shopping does not qualify as an emergency!


__________________
Taja