How do I make this happen?

[Bunch24]

I feel pretty safe posting this because my wife's been so busy lately that she hasn't been on The DIS in forever. Hopefully she stays gone until I can get this answered.

Here's the thing. I would love to surprise my wife and kids with a trip to Disney next summer. We went two summers ago and the boys have been dying to go back. My wife wants to go also, but she thinks we need to wait another year, save up some money, do some home repairs, etc.

I'd like to save up the money without her knowing, because I really want it to be a surprise. But there's a catch. Like many husbands, my wife is our accountant. (I'm horrible with the old check book) She keeps track of everything, from what I get paid to what I spend. How do I save money without her noticing the money disappearing every week? I've thought about getting cash at the beginning of the week and telling her it's for me to eat at work. But the problem is that I bring my own lunch, so she'll get suspicious. I even thought about setting up a vacation account at work that would direct deposit X amount of money each paycheck. Problem with that is I'm on salary and she knows how much I make, right down to the penny. (guess I could lie and tell her I got a paycut, which she'd believe because my company has been making a bunch of cuts)

One thing I am doing is throwing all my change into a jar, but that'll get us to Disney in 2021, not 2011. LOL

So, what have you DISers? How can I put aside, say, $50-100 each week without her noticing?

Thanks for any and all answers, even the ones telling me I'm stupid for even trying to go behind my wife's back.

 

[vicki_c]

I wouldn't lie about the money, just about the purpose. I wouldn't even lie about that exactly, but just say that there is something you would like to save some money for - and that she can't know what it is - and say you're going to take $XX out every week or 2 weeks or whatever. When one person handles all the money and you don't have separate accounts, there's not much choice. It's the same at my house - hard to do surprises for each other.

Of course, she'll probably think you're either (1) having an affair or (2) buying her a large piece of jewelry, but to me - WDW would be better than either of those options!

 

[adventure_woman]

Can you suggest to her that maybe each of you should start getting set $$ of spending money each week to spend on whatever you want? That way you could just keep yours for Disney? Or, tell her you'd love to do something as a surprise for the family for Christmas next year, but you need XX amount to be put away for it. You're not lying at all...just that Christmas would be in July not December!!! =)

 

[Marionnette]

I feel pretty safe posting this because my wife's been so busy lately that she hasn't been on The DIS in forever. Hopefully she stays gone until I can get this answered.

Here's the thing. I would love to surprise my wife and kids with a trip to Disney next summer. We went two summers ago and the boys have been dying to go back. My wife wants to go also, but she thinks we need to wait another year, save up some money, do some home repairs, etc.

I'd like to save up the money without her knowing, because I really want it to be a surprise. But there's a catch. Like many husbands, my wife is our accountant. (I'm horrible with the old check book) She keeps track of everything, from what I get paid to what I spend. How do I save money without her noticing the money disappearing every week? I've thought about getting cash at the beginning of the week and telling her it's for me to eat at work. But the problem is that I bring my own lunch, so she'll get suspicious. I even thought about setting up a vacation account at work that would direct deposit X amount of money each paycheck. Problem with that is I'm on salary and she knows how much I make, right down to the penny. (guess I could lie and tell her I got a paycut, which she'd believe because my company has been making a bunch of cuts)

One thing I am doing is throwing all my change into a jar, but that'll get us to Disney in 2021, not 2011. LOL

So, what have you DISers? How can I put aside, say, $50-100 each week without her noticing?

Thanks for any and all answers, even the ones telling me I'm stupid for even trying to go behind my wife's back.

Thats alot of money to set aside every week. I dont think that youll be able to pull it off without your wife missing it. And she will get worried where its going. Drugs? Gambling? Another woman? If you lie and tell her you got a pay cut then she could be resentful that she had to scrimp to make ends meet while you secretly saved. I think you should find additional income. Ebaying would work great. You could pick up stuff at garage sales and resell online for more money. Then link the paypal account to your disney saving account. She would never miss the money.

 

[DisneyFansInLINY]

Open up a Disney Visa credit card account with Chase and then you get 6 months without finance charges to pay for a Disney vacation package. You can even do paperless statements so that she won't find your bills. And can pay your bill online each month. So you can basically charge the vacation to your card without her knowing to keep it a surprise and then you get 6 months to pay it off. That is if you are going to book a room and ticket package with Disney.

 

[got2lovedisney]

Don't lie...it'll come back and bite you in the butt. Maybe just have an upfront conversation and work out a budget strategy TOGETHER to save the money.

 

[Bunch24]

I really appreciate the responses and believe me, I'm not one to keep things away from my wife. It's just that I would LOVE to be the one doing the surprising this time. She's always the one that surprises me and the kids because she's the one with the checkbook.

I'll keep thinking about it. The additional income idea actually might work. I'm in journalism, so maybe I can get some freelance gigs on the side and that would be money she'd never even see.

The thing I'm leaning towards right now is just coming out and telling her my intentions and working out a plan together to save up for a trip. It would still be a surprise to the kids and there would be no tension between us.

The other thing I may do is put off the 2011 trip for a 2012 cruise, which would give me/us more time to save. It would be our 10-year anniversary, so it would work out perfectly. My fear is that SHE has already thought of this. LOL My luck is that she's already been putting money aside for a surprise trip.

 

[teacherlisa1978]

I'm surprising my husband for his 40th birthday with a trip to Dallas to see the Cowboys play. He's wanted to do this his whole life and the extra money is never there. So I've been working extra on Fridays (I teach M-Th and sub sometimes on Fridays or tutor) and I put the $ in an ING account. He knows I'm saving for something for his birthday but has no idea how much. Maybe something like that would work with your freelance pay? My husband even said the other day "I wonder if my present is a trip to Dallas". I acted offended and said "how much do you think subbing pays? Now you'll be disappointed in what I AM doing for you." Oh he is going to be surprised!
Good luck with your saving!

 

[CathrynRose]

You sure she'd notice 50-100 a week?

I don't think I would notice that.

You could be kinda sorta honest - and say "I'd like to save for a Disney Trip for Summer 2012" - and then literally surprise them, when it's next summer?

 

[Katy Belle]

Wow! What a nice thing to do!

I think you should tell her...surprise her now, in some grand way... and then tell her your plan for funding it. You could even have it all planned...dates, resort, etc., so that you know what the budget will be and so she can see that YOU put the effort into it.

Buy her a Swavorski Crystal Mickey Mouse bracelet and include a cool pamphlet, that you made, with your full itinerary, etc... and then give her the plan of how you are going to fund it!

So fun! Good luck with it!

 

[carebee21]

I wouldn't do it. You said: "Here's the thing. I would love to surprise my wife and kids with a trip to Disney next summer. We went two summers ago and the boys have been dying to go back. My wife wants to go also, but she thinks we need to wait another year, save up some money, do some home repairs, etc. " So it sounds like you've already talked to your wife about it and she doesn't think it's a good idea. So to go behind her back, even if to make it a "Suprise" sounds deceitful to me. I think you need to sit down and talk to her about it, and then if you both decide, set aside $50-$100 or whatever per week for a vacation account or disney fund. Plus, if you're not the one doing the accounting, maybe you're not seeing what she sees when she does the budget....

 

[teacherlisa1978]

I'm surprising my husband for his 40th birthday with a trip to Dallas to see the Cowboys play. He's wanted to do this his whole life and the extra money is never there. So I've been working extra on Fridays (I teach M-Th and sub sometimes on Fridays or tutor) and I put the $ in an ING account. He knows I'm saving for something for his birthday but has no idea how much. Maybe something like that would work with your freelance pay? My husband even said the other day "I wonder if my present is a trip to Dallas". I acted offended and said "how much do you think subbing pays? Now you'll be disappointed in what I AM doing for you." Oh he is going to be surprised!
Good luck with your saving!

 

[dodukes]

Maybe you can plan out your stay and make adrs and even make a deposit on a package and present that to her. She would likely not question the initial deposit that way you did everything for a surprise and still dont have to lie for half a year about where the money is going.

 

[Luckymomoftwo]

Here's a sneaky trick that my DMiL & DSiL do: they go grocery shopping, pay for it with a check. If the grocery total is $130, they write the check for $150 and then pocket the extra $20. It's how they get some extra cash in their pocket without their hubby's knowing about it. So, if you're the grocery shopper in the household, you could try that. (I know, that's very sneaky)

OR...like others have suggested, you could plan the whole vacation out and then surprise her with the details and explain that you'd like to set aside $50-$100 per week to pay for it. Or you could do $25 - $50 per week and run the idea by her about the Disney Chase credit card and use it to pay for the difference and then you'll have an additional 6 months after the vacation to pay without any additional interest.

I think this is a very sweet thing of you to try to plan. You're in a trick bag, though, with DW being an accountant! You wouldn't even be able to change your deductions on your paycheck without her knowing, would you?! Because that would be my other suggestion....increase how many dependants your claiming on your paychecks so that your paychecks are higher and then you can use that money to set aside for Disney. But she would find out come tax time!

GOOD LUCK!!!

 

[indimom]

I did this for my hubby this year to celebrate our 15th anniversary (but he did find out a few months out). It worked for me because I am the accountant.
I think the side jobs and fibbing about the date of the trip might be your best bet. Good Luck!!!

 

[Pooh_Friend#1]

Here's a sneaky trick that my DMiL & DSiL do: they go grocery shopping, pay for it with a check. If the grocery total is $130, they write the check for $150 and then pocket the extra $20. It's how they get some extra cash in their pocket without their hubby's knowing about it. So, if you're the grocery shopper in the household, you could try that. (I know, that's very sneaky)

That was going to be my idea too!

 

[gillenkl]

Don't lie...it'll come back and bite you in the butt. Maybe just have an upfront conversation and work out a budget strategy TOGETHER to save the money.

totally agree - just don't tell the kids and you can still surprise them with your trip!

 

[SandrA9810]

Have you actually sat down with her to see the budget? Do you know where the money goes? And do you already have separate savings funds in place? If you know for sure there's already some extra cash at the end of the month, then you know how much you can save.
If you want to go with the double deposit, go over the budget and say you've heard talks at work about some more budget cuts. I'm assuming she doesn't see an electronic copy of your paycheck?? Find out how much extra is in play, and ask if there's a way to tighten the belt a little more.
Like there's already an extra 500$ not allocated to bills each month. Tell her you want to try and start saving about 600$ a month. You know to get a head start on the things she'd like to do, because afterwards it'll get a little harder. And after the new year, tell her that you got a pay cut that would equal to about the 400$ you do want to save. If she can tighten the belt and work with 600$ going into savings, she can deal with only $200 for savings. "Because even if there is a budget cut, you still want to make sure she can do everything she wants to".

After your plan has been enacted for a few months and you've kept everything under the radar, then surprise her with the information about the trip and how much you've managed to save. Between your "pay cut" and freelance work. Then you can both decide how to surprise the boys. I don't think she'll like the idea of you packing for a week's vacation. She can also determine to put her $200 savings into it or leave it aside for the home repairs. You gotta give her a little bit of what she wants to get what you want.

And another thought too, some one else created the topic. Do you have an reward points available?? Does your bank offer any rewards on checking account debit uses that you can sign up for??

 

[mom to minnie&mickey]

OP I could be your wife. You described exactly how DH and I handle our finances. YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO GET AWAY WITH IT. She will get suspicious if suddenly you need more money or if money is missing and it will cause friction to the point where you will end up telling her anyways.
If it was me, I would definitely love to know what my husband was doing so that I could share in the anticipation and the planning(you know that is half the fun). Of course, in my case I would probably take over all the planning. It will be great to share "your secret" with her and plan how to surprise the kids.
Good Luck.

 

[dfchelbay]

Figure out how much you need to save for the trip. Then, think about something that costs about that much to buy. Something that won't make her suspicious. Like exercise equipment, new high end computer, or an expensive plasma tv, ect. Then, tell her you want to set aside money for that each week, so you can buy it paid in full next summer. Then, she'll know about the money and see it sitting separately as you save up for your faux purchase next summer. Then, when the time comes, you spring it on her and the family that the REAL reason you've been setting aside this money is for a family trip to Disney World....yeah.