How do people do it?

[mclep]

It all comes down to "People can afford, what they want to afford". I have in-laws that would always be crying poverty, but every year they would make one or more trips to WDW.

 

[mamo-4-wdw]

1.I have an old truck,no car payment.
2. My house is also old and paid for. We do our own home repairs and landscaping.
3.Plus we don't buy lots of extra stuff. There is no way I could have a yard sale.We don't hang out at the mall. We think about a purchase before we go to the store and only buy what is on our list,if we think we want it we put it on our "wish" list and look at the list days later to decide if we really want it and most of the time we don't. Allso we don't buy a ton of clothes,When my son was little I counted his shirts 89 no joke. I thought this is silly so when I want to buy him extra clothes I go to the bank and buy him a savings bond.Much better than a bunch of stuff for a yards sale.
4.My son also likes to cook and we eat at home most of the time. He also likes to garden so we have fresh vegetables for almost free all summer long.
5.We joined the hollywood MVP and our movie rentals are only $9.99 a month.
6. We have rich relatives who got together and gave my son a disney cruise for his 16th birthday.
We live a simple life and can afford Disney deluxe because of it.(SO WORTH IT)

 

[vhoffman]

I think the important thing is what another poster said--she didn't regret a penny of what she spent on her Disney trips. That's the measure of if you spent your money wisely--how you feel about it afterwards. Always remember, life's short, we need to grab the brass ring while we can. Reminds me of an oft-told story from my grandfather (who lived to be 98). When he was a young man (back in 1912!) he was dating my grandmother and making the grand sum of .70 cents an hour (that was considered good wages then). He took her to a county fair and amusement park and spent $20! That was over a month's wages for him (no problem, Grandpa always saved). He often talked about his wonderful day at the fair. He said he never had so much fun in his life. He often said, if you enjoy yourself, its money well-spent. It provided good memories to look back on when he was old. In short, it wasn't just one good day, it was a lifetime of memories that he bought with his $20. Go for what makes you happy!

 

[MinnieM21]

I think the important thing is what another poster said--she didn't regret a penny of what she spent on her Disney trips. That's the measure of if you spent your money wisely--how you feel about it afterwards. Always remember, life's short, we need to grab the brass ring while we can. Reminds me of an oft-told story from my grandfather (who lived to be 98). When he was a young man (back in 1912!) he was dating my grandmother and making the grand sum of .70 cents an hour (that was considered good wages then). He took her to a county fair and amusement park and spent $20! That was over a month's wages for him (no problem, Grandpa always saved). He often talked about his wonderful day at the fair. He said he never had so much fun in his life. He often said, if you enjoy yourself, its money well-spent. It provided good memories to look back on when he was old. In short, it wasn't just one good day, it was a lifetime of memories that he bought with his $20. Go for what makes you happy!

What a great story. Very well said!

 

[widget]

As a lone parent of two wonderful boys my income as a childminder is well under three thousand pounds a year so saving for anything is hard. However I am planning our third and possibly final trip to WDW this December and will be scrimping and saving like mad to get there. We dont need fancy clothes or eating out each day - just as long as we can pay for the holiday, have a bit of spending money, crisps, fruit and water for the day - then we will be happy. When I read about how many times people have been or are going to Disney I often think cor, lucky things! But how you spend your money is up to you. For me and my boys weve had enough grief over the past 14 months to last beyond a lifetime and if I can give them and myself another great memory then im happy.
Best of luck to you all whether like me you manage to go only once every 2/3 years or 3/4 times a year (which I will be forever envious about!! ) its obviously worth it - otherwise we would all be doing something else with our time and money!!
Oh, and if anyone who DOES go 3/4 times a year is considering adoption - Im available and am clean, housetrained and make a lovely cuppa tea!!!

 

[ptrbryant]

Just wanted to wave hello to someone in Kent! Before DS9 was born, DH and I used to go to England each year (seems like some other couple now!) and our favorite area was Kent...once, we rented a sweet cottage in Wye and still talk about it!

Best wishes to you!
Karla B.

 

[Deb & Bill]

DVC - Disney Vacation Club. Disney's version of a timeshare.

 

[widget]

Hello ptrbryant! Yes, we live the other side of Wye area, about an hour from Canterbury and Ashford - from where we get the Eurostar to DLP!! How strange to meet someone way over there that knows your area!!!

 

[3DisneyNUTS]

Or they own DVC like us. We have went 3 times in the past year to WDW. Once right before we bought Dvc and twice since (cruising was involved in that too) And we are going in Sept again.
Granted before DVC we always stayed at moderate then tried the Pop because it looked fun
Here is our breakdown....
Sep 2003 Pop with Family cash

February 2004 POP Century with Family cash

We purchased DVC in March 04 150 points 13K (we got 0% thruogh a credit card offer & about $560 in yearly dues. We pay that broken down into monthly payments)
3 night cruise on points 5 nights at SSR for thanksgiving then one night cash at POP (total out of pocket expenses for accomodations $88 after tax) Purchased APs during this trip.

Then 5 nights SSR in February. total out of pocket for ENTIRE trip including AIRFARE & Car Rental not including spending money $507

Septembers 2005 upcoming trip 4 night Cruise 2 nights at SSR for 9 people. Staying in a 2 bedroom and a studio at Boardwalk. (total vacation 7 days) 3 days cruising (add first and second day together since they are not full days on the ship) and 3 days in WDW. Now we are paying cash for the cruise so our expenses are a little higher but we used our points for the rooms for the family (which would have costs at least $2000 for the studio and two bedrooms for the both nights) SO total out of pocket for my family is $1400 plus airfare and car rental Approximately +603 = $2003 For the cruise and being at WDW for 2 nights 3 days in the parks.

So if I figure out what the deluxe accomodations have cost just in the past year and when we go in Sept...the vacation club actually saved us money!

Here is what the vacations would have cost just for accomodations
November (all on points) 1611.20 +$1300 = $2911.20 (room + cruise)

February accomodations in a studio 5 nights $1295

Upcoming Sept trip 2 bedroom and a studio for 2 nights $1944

So far my total using vacactions with points through the vacation club have equaled $6150.20 (not including the room taxes) From Nov 2004 to Sept 2005 (10 months)

Now you math whizzes could figure out my break even point after my initial 13K and then the yearly dues but since I have already payed 75% of my DVC off and only owe 4K at 0% interest after that is gone I will only pay the annual dues for DVC. It takes the pain out of a big chunk of going to WDW. Pair it with APs and it is really affordable

 

[beattyfamily]

I did my first two trips in one year last year thanks to being a DVC member AND having an AP (darn those APs!!).

I used that AP for 3 trips total and certainly got my money's worth.

My extra trip last year was much cheaper than our regular family trips.

We left DH at home to work! All we really needed money for was food, rental car, and airfare.

That's how we did 2 trips (in Deluxe) in one year. Doubt I could ever do more than 2 though as airfare along is an arm and a leg up here.

I'll bet that many who do more than 2 trips can drive, are DVC members and have APs; then if you drive, you can even bring some groceries and really cut down on spending!!!

 

[mamapajama]

DH & I make decent money and it seems like a lot ...even to me and it's ours, LOL. But we live in an area with high taxes (Long Island) and high everything else so it doesn't go as far as you may think. Often times I marvel at where it all goes. Of course the mtge/prop.taxes take a healthy chunk but there was a time we couldn't even IMAGINE owning a house. And after we bought the house we didn't go anywhere for 4 years. And I was very happy. Then I bought the SAP and made up for lost time. I have never stayed in a deluxe (unless you count when I was 6 with my parents). I guess I could save up the money & we do really want to stay at WL but unless I get a good code, I just cannot reconcile that $ to myself. We have Seasonal AP's (I own a condo with my Dad in FL) and that's about $200 for a year with blackouts that we wouldn't use anyway. Last year we went twice, one 10 day trip in late August & a long weekend in October. We bought the passes in Nov '03 for a 6 day trip so we got 3 trips out of that pass in 12 months. That's the real savings. And the airfare has really come down and that has also played a big part. We've been flying Song at $67 each way. I like that I don't have to buy the round trip at one time to get the low fare. Sometimes I've bought the outgoing flights in one shot & then waited until the next paycheck to buy the homeward flights. We bring snacks for most breakfasts (we only eat a "real" BF if we're not going to a park) and we only have one "big" meal a day. A character meal or the like.

But for 3 deluxe trips to be manageable I would say you'd at least need an AP if not DVC and it helps to live within driving distance. If I lived within driving distance I'd be there all the time! I guess if learned how to resist all the little temptations of wasting money every day (can you say Starbucks? ) maybe we'd be able to afford a deluxe everytime. I doubt it though. I just feel like the money I spend on a bed could be used for other stuff. We're hoping for $109/night for WL this August. Otherwise it's Pop or maybe POFQ for us! Maybe when the kids are out of the house and DH go on our own. Not having 2 other people to feed & furnish with souvenirs will mean more money for the Dleuxes. Okay only 9 years to go!! LOL

Elise

 

[EsmeraldaX]

We make average salaries. However, we do not live above our means in our day to day life. In fact, we hardly ever spend money on anything our friends do.

We do not go out to eat. We take bagged lunches to work. We do not buy new clothes or shoes unless we really need to. We get our haircuts at cheap places. We go out of our way to conserve energy and keep our monthly bills down.

Also, a 5 night/6 day trip at AKL is costing us a total of $775 for May. (We got free airfare; but if we had not gotten free airfare, we'd have scoured the internet for the cheapest fare possible, Jet Blue often has fares as low as $59 from MA to FL). We have annual passes and we never book rack rate at resorts. Our room at AKL is $139 a night.

Most people who go often have APs and are NOT paying what you think they are for rooms. We'll be getting 3 5 night/6 day trips out of this AP (Dec 2004; Pop Century $49/night; May Animal Kingdom Lodge $139/night and October unsure of where we're staying yet).

 

[TDC Nala]

I'm single. I haven't got a family to provide for or to buy extra WDW tickets and food for. The airfare isn't terribly expensive from here unless it's a last-minute booking. I have DVC. I head on down to WDW pretty much whenever I want to, stay a few days, and go home.

 

[Jamesbyr]

A Quote:
We make average salaries. However, we do not live above our means in our day to day life. In fact, we hardly ever spend money on anything our friends do.

We do not go out to eat. We take bagged lunches to work. We do not buy new clothes or shoes unless we really need to. We get our haircuts at cheap places. We go out of our way to conserve energy and keep our monthly bills down.

Also, a 5 night/6 day trip at AKL is costing us a total of $775 for May. (We got free airfare; but if we had not gotten free airfare, we'd have scoured the internet for the cheapest fare possible, Jet Blue often has fares as low as $59 from MA to FL). We have annual passes and we never book rack rate at resorts. Our room at AKL is $139 a night.

Most people who go often have APs and are NOT paying what you think they are for rooms. We'll be getting 3 5 night/6 day trips out of this AP (Dec 2004; Pop Century $49/night; May Animal Kingdom Lodge $139/night and October unsure of where we're staying yet).
__________________
My response:
I responded to a post about budgeting a few days ago, and gave all my stats for our last year’s DVC vacation. Much more $$ than this latest post’s.
With all due respect (and I respect ESMERELDAX’s lifestyle spending choices and really try to emulate them in my own life) ( No, actually I have been living like that for longer than she has been around.) I think she has slightly underestimated the costs of her planned trip and are bringing people unnecessarily to tears when they see her numbers.

Her room itself ( 5 days) costs $695 plus tax (8%?) another $56 = $750.
Airfare: SOMEBODY is paying for that, but at its cheapest, she’d pay $118, plus tax (make it $130). If she are lucky. Plus transportation to and from the airport in Massachusetts ($30 x 2) but to park at the airport, let’s say $10 a day.
No rental car in FLA? Estimate $80 to and from the airport. Correct me if I am wrong.
Magical Express? Then subtract that. Give us a report.
Pet boarding. Last time she said it was double the room cost. 2x 49 – 100. Let’s make that $600. Sorry! Two dogs now! $1200. (Maybe they give a discount for siblings.)

Annual pass? If you are prorating it over three potential trips: $840/3 = 277.20.

Food? Food? I estimate at LEAST $100 a day per person, not counting snacks and all, at Disney restaurants. Let’s make that $150. $1500 for the week. (Well, I hope not…

Any reactions?

 

[Jamesbyr]

I really do not know how to manage the "quote" feature. I did try to reply in an infrmal context. I'll try again tomorrow.

 

[kathyseb]

$100 a day in food per person? Where are you eating?

In all the trips we have made down to WDW, we have never spent that much on food for a day for the two of us, much less per person.

 

[EsmeraldaX]

A Quote:
We make average salaries. However, we do not live above our means in our day to day life. In fact, we hardly ever spend money on anything our friends do.

We do not go out to eat. We take bagged lunches to work. We do not buy new clothes or shoes unless we really need to. We get our haircuts at cheap places. We go out of our way to conserve energy and keep our monthly bills down.

Also, a 5 night/6 day trip at AKL is costing us a total of $775 for May. (We got free airfare; but if we had not gotten free airfare, we'd have scoured the internet for the cheapest fare possible, Jet Blue often has fares as low as $59 from MA to FL). We have annual passes and we never book rack rate at resorts. Our room at AKL is $139 a night.

Most people who go often have APs and are NOT paying what you think they are for rooms. We'll be getting 3 5 night/6 day trips out of this AP (Dec 2004; Pop Century $49/night; May Animal Kingdom Lodge $139/night and October unsure of where we're staying yet).
__________________
My response:
I responded to a post about budgeting a few days ago, and gave all my stats for our last year’s DVC vacation. Much more $$ than this latest post’s.
With all due respect (and I respect ESMERELDAX’s lifestyle spending choices and really try to emulate them in my own life) ( No, actually I have been living like that for longer than she has been around.) I think she has slightly underestimated the costs of her planned trip and are bringing people unnecessarily to tears when they see her numbers.

Her room itself ( 5 days) costs $695 plus tax (8%?) another $56 = $750.
Airfare: SOMEBODY is paying for that, but at its cheapest, she’d pay $118, plus tax (make it $130). If she are lucky. Plus transportation to and from the airport in Massachusetts ($30 x 2) but to park at the airport, let’s say $10 a day.
No rental car in FLA? Estimate $80 to and from the airport. Correct me if I am wrong.
Magical Express? Then subtract that. Give us a report.
Pet boarding. Last time she said it was double the room cost. 2x 49 – 100. Let’s make that $600. Sorry! Two dogs now! $1200. (Maybe they give a discount for siblings.)

Annual pass? If you are prorating it over three potential trips: $840/3 = 277.20.

Food? Food? I estimate at LEAST $100 a day per person, not counting snacks and all, at Disney restaurants. Let’s make that $150. $1500 for the week. (Well, I hope not…

Any reactions?

Yup. Kenneling my dogs is an expense I have. Approx $400 for the two of them. A lot of people do not have such an expense therefore for most that is irrelavent and not worth mentioning. Last time, it was more than my room because my room was $49 a night and I was boarding the one dog at the time at a far higher level of kennel service (more personal attention, more outside time than this time). None of this is relevant to 90% of the people who were asking. This time, it's less than the room I'm staying in.

We eat cheap when we are away. There are 2 of us and we eat 1 big meal a day; the rest sides at counter service. $100 per day per person??? Who are these people??? On our last trip, I'd say we had days where we spent maybe $60 between the two of us. And we could have done less than that if we wanted to.

We aren't using a rental car or car service. We're using the shuttle this time. Last time, we used a towncar that was $80 round trip.

My airfare from Boston LAST TIME was $59 per person each way. This time, I am using vouchers from UNited because United screwed up royally on a flight my brother took and my brother transferred the voucher to me. So, United is paying for my airfare. Not me. Not my brother. United airlines is picking up the tab. If they were not, I'd be staying at a slightly cheaper resort.

I can't speak for everyone, but we have public transportation that takes us to and from the airport. Since we already have T passes, I guess I'll just deduct $1.25 since that is what T fare costs. Most people have people who can give them rides, also. I'm nice. I throw them $25 for gas if I get a ride.

I have yet to underestimate the cost of a trip I take. In fact, I usually wind up spending less than I thought I would.

I'm still trying to figure out how anyone spends $100 per day, per person for food. I can honestly say I have never done that. Never even come close. I guess if you are someone who eats a 5 course meal for every meal and have 3 full service meals a day... I would explode if I ate that much food.

Oh - we bring mostly our own snacks. $5 at the grocery store before we leave.

Inexpensive WDW trips can be done.

 

[MrsPete]

You pay that much for your dogs to stay in kennels? I always leave my dogs with friends or pay the kids across the street to come feed/play with them, so I had no idea.

I think I'm off to start a new career. How much do you think it would cost to build a kennel? I have lots of land . . .

Back to the subject, I do think the poster who says that living within one's means day-to-day is the best way to get ahead financially. My husband and I made the decision when we were married 15 years ago that we would keep debt to a minimum. For the first three years of our marriage, we only had one car --not easy when you live 30 miles from nowhere. Until a few years ago, we never had a credit card and then we only got it for the rewards; we would never carry a balance. We rarely eat out, we watch the grocery bill carefully, we do repairs on the house ourselves. After 13 years of marriage, we paid off our house -- something that many people consider impossible; neither of us was 40 years old yet. In summary, we have always lived well below our means, and we are now seeing the benefits. Our kids will need braces soon; we can write a check. One of our cars will be dying soon; we can write a check. Many of our friends have moved up to bigger houses, drive nicer cars, and go on frequent vacations -- we're satisfied with our lives. This lifestyle saves SO MUCH money -- I think most people don't realize just how much of their salary they're paying to interest. We had some difficult years "back then", but we are really reaping the rewards now.

Changing the subject, HOW could any one person spend $100/day on food at Disney? And if you did, how would you have time left to do anything but eat?

 

[3DisneyNUTS]

You pay that much for your dogs to stay in kennels? I always leave my dogs with friends or pay the kids across the street to come feed/play with them, so I had no idea.

I think I'm off to start a new career. How much do you think it would cost to build a kennel? I have lots of land . . .

Back to the subject, I do think the poster who says that living within one's means day-to-day is the best way to get ahead financially. My husband and I made the decision when we were married 15 years ago that we would keep debt to a minimum. For the first three years of our marriage, we only had one car --not easy when you live 30 miles from nowhere. Until a few years ago, we never had a credit card and then we only got it for the rewards; we would never carry a balance. We rarely eat out, we watch the grocery bill carefully, we do repairs on the house ourselves. After 13 years of marriage, we paid off our house -- something that many people consider impossible; neither of us was 40 years old yet. In summary, we have always lived well below our means, and we are now seeing the benefits. Our kids will need braces soon; we can write a check. One of our cars will be dying soon; we can write a check. Many of our friends have moved up to bigger houses, drive nicer cars, and go on frequent vacations -- we're satisfied with our lives. This lifestyle saves SO MUCH money -- I think most people don't realize just how much of their salary they're paying to interest. We had some difficult years "back then", but we are really reaping the rewards now.

Changing the subject, HOW could any one person spend $100/day on food at Disney? And if you did, how would you have time left to do anything but eat?

YEah we are a family of three and we spend maybe $100 a day for the three of us and that is when we go hog wild LOL.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

How do people do it?

Bottom line, it's really not about how much money people make; it's about how they choose to spend it.