How do y'all afford it?

[gratenana]

We're going again this August. We've already booked 10 days with DDP at ASMovies. I stay at home to take care of 75 yo DF-I-L and 3 grandchildren (we recently got custody of). My hubby makes about 37 K a year. We budget our money tightly and start making monthly payments on our trip 9 months in advance. Our trip for 4A+2C+1infant with DDP was about $4200 through AAA. Thought that was a really great price.

If you budget right and remember everyone needs a trip away from reality it can be done!!!!!!

 

[pepe of ohio]

To us the answer is easy, if you want something bad enough, you save. There are alot of things people can do without dyring the year, little things that can add up. Since our first stay, back in 1977, we sort of knew where we like to spend our vacation, throw in a coouple of trips to Myrtle Beach and viola, WDW. Myrtle is nice but for the same money plus alot more attractions and a few more miles down the road, there's WDW. We've been there over 38 times and always looking forward to the next. We stay 8-12 nights, share a room with daughter and SIL and everyone gets a price break. Doable, sure, but you really have to want it, and we do.

 

[stemikger]

I make the same yearly salary as you and we go every other year.

I don't have credit card debt and I also max out my 401K, so I actually bring home less.

I don't do car payments and I pay for my Disney vacation in full with my tax refund.

I am going to stay at Pop this August for 11 days and my tax refund covers the entire trip.

Do you have a high mortgage or car payment, you might want to try to cut back and it can be done.

I'm proof.

 

[cancer_survivor_06]

We use tax money. My DH works 14/14 offshore so he will work over a week on to hitches and that covers the trip itself. If we want alot of extra spending money he will work over one more week.

 

[we3disneygo]

we are a 1 income family of 3, dh is a retail mgr. we don't have a big salary like most. we save for 2-3 years for each trip, save cans, change, any extra money such as birthdays,etc. first we save for the park hoppers and then on to the food, we stay at downtown disney which we love !!! once it worked out we went 2 years in a row but the plan is...every 3rd year. this year we are going to Washington,DC for vacation.

 

[disqueen2]

We only go once per year. We save all year long for that one trip. We use any tax $ we get. Other than the daily necessities, our money goes into a vacation savings account. We don't eat out or go to movies. We stay home and watch reruns with microwave popcorn. You wouldn't believe how much money you can save just cutting out some entertainment expenses.

 

[eliza61]

Pretty much the same way as every one else. We try and save it. My sons want to go back this year, so I said if we do that means no birthday parties, no expensive Playstation games etc, etc. When we decided to purchase into DVC we realized that would mean a sacrifice (no new cars for quite a while, no big screen TV's I worked a part time retail job), but it's been worth it.

 

[boomhauer]

As others have said, we use our tax refunds. Other than that, we just budget. I plan 2 trips a year way in advance so I have plenty of time to pay them off.

 

[rodkenrich]

We use tax refunds, and any overtime we get and put it right towards our trip. I work a part time job and all my money goes straight to the trip as well. We live modestly, we both drive paid off cars (no car payment). We limit clothing allowance for the girls. You'd be surprised where extra money comes from if you want it bad enough. We don't drink famous coffee, we make it at home, we both take our lunches, both girls take lunch to school. We have no credit cards, and we are frugal with utilities at home. We just are very creative.

Amen!

 

[antmaril]

I've been married almost 33 years. My DH and I decided many years ago that we were most comfortable if we lived within our means. We have been in our home for 28 years and have no plans to move. We have no debt, other than the very small amount left on our mortgage.

We like nice vacations, eating in restaurants, shopping, etc. We can live this lifestyle, not because we make a lot of $$, but because we don't live beyond our means. It's a conscious choice. I do not have a big home, gourmet kitchen, huge master suite. I don't care. I can do what I want, when I want. I sleep like a baby.

That's how we do it. Just my two cents, of course.

 

[kribit]

Tax refund helps a little, but we have a vacation fund that we contribute to (150 per month). We also started a "vacation jar," where we put all our loose change. Last year we had over $300 it. Our kids actually love the "Disney jar," because they know some of that is their spending money.

 

[juttawdw]

I live in th netherlands, so everything is different here.
So we go once a year to Disneyland Paris for 4 days, and once evry 5 years to WDW.
We try to save seperate for DLP and WDW, my husband tuks away the money for DLP and i do that for WDW, for the WDW trip we use out taxrefunds and our vacationmoney we get from our jobs.
This year we go to WDW, for 14 nights, including airfare, Port Orleans Riverside, and 14 day hopper pass. we pay around $4800 incl. spending money.

 

[Allison]

Afford is a relative term. Of course, people make all sorts of different levels of income, spend money in different ways and save money in different ways. Therefore, they vacation in different ways. There is no one "fits all" answer as you can see here.

 

[bellarella]

Just out of total curiousity, and Im probably getting a little too personal, but...

How do you guys afford these vacations? I went online and checked for rates to WDW for 10 days at POP and it was quoted at $1,800 before airfare. This doesnt factor in meals, spending money, etc. DH and I dont make much yearly (about $60,000 a year) and we cant even imagine spending that kind of money on a vacation, unless we come into some major money!

Anyone have any ideas?

I would say it has to do with priorities. On that salary DH and I would easily be able to save for a Disney vacation. Do you budget? Do you know where all of your money is going? I bet if you looked at all of the "slippage" in your budget (impulse buys, things you don't really need, convenience items that eat away slowly at your ability to save) you could come up with the money. Maybe not in one year, but over a 2-3 year period.

Have you tried paying yourself first? Taking out all of your savings as soon as your paycheck hits and then living off the rest? I can be surprising how fast it adds up.

Now maybe you have other areas where you enjoy spending your money and it doesn't leave extra for vacation --- that's perfectly fine!!!! Money is just a tool. Everyone has different goals for their money. The key is making sure your money (budget) reflects your priorities. If it doesn't, then maybe it's time to track every penny you spend each month and see where you can make adjustments.

 

[mrsltg]

We have a daycare flex spending account that we don't touch. We give the max to it - $5000. Instead of submitting receipts continually and reimbursing ourselves, we use it as a savings account. We're going back in November and the trip will be completely paid for.

 

[PrincessTrisha]

I spend money on nothing (except Disney) unless I have to.

I always shop clearance sales and goodwill (on and when I am in the states, Kmart - they have a good selection of plus size clothes, cheap).

I bring my lunch to work and I shop frugally (basically I buy to the sale flyer). My only real treat (that I insist on) is my daily coffee at $1.58 (extra large tim hortons)

I make due with "seconds" or off brands (I don't own crocs - I own air walks which I bought when the store had the buy one get one half off sale - so it was 2 pairs for $22.50). Yes, I want a pair of Disney crocs but at $35 cdn, it is not in the cards right now.

I plan ahead for Christmas and birthdays for family and friends. (for instance, the DS had really cute large mugs 2 for $15 so I bought a set of 3 for my best friend and 1 for my mom for mothers day - for my niece, again the DS had tshirts and hats on clearance - $5 and $2 respectively. Even though her birthday is not until August, she is bought for - last year I got her a princess dress for $12.50 again on clearance).

I don't go to the movies or rent them (I wait for them to come on tv); dinner out means Swiss Chalet or at the high end Red Lobster. I have dial up internet access at home (yes, I am lucky that at work I have high speed except of course for the firewall).

I look for deals when it comes to Disney as well (I have never paid full price for my trips).

I do all this so I can afford deluxe hotels.

Everyone makes choices about what they want in life - vacations don't just happen, you have to make them happen.

 

[NMAmy]

DH and I both work and live well below our means. Since we both work hard, a couple of vacations per year are important to us. No credit card debt and no car payments help a lot.

We save, save, save and use some of those savings for our vacations.

 

[SnowWtch]

Luckily, we live only a few hours away from WDW so we can drive for a weekend. We made around $41,000 last year. We rent an apartment, have no big credit card bills or car payments. I only have a student loan. We save as much as we can every payday to be able to go when we want. We have a special savings just for Disney trips and to pay for our AP's to Disney and Universal. It's hard sometimes but if we don't eat out and cut back on "stuff" we do ok and can stay at a Value or Mod. Most of the time we settle for Off-Property to keep the cost down. Some of the hotels right outside of the DTD area are pretty cheap and can get a AAA discount too.

Any way we can get there we try to even if it isn't Deluxe all the way. This will be our first year ever staying in a Deluxe hotel and we booked it in Oct for Dec so we would have time to pay for the room. I usually book a room 4-6 months ahead of time so I can budget for it out of our Disney "Savings" account.

 

[beachblanket]

Three word answer:

Disney Vacation Club.

Yes, it required putting in a big single lump sum investment, but the return on that investment (in terms of the per day expense of staying in top of the line resorts at Disney and elsewhere) is incredible. Being members has allowed us to enjoy accomodations we would have otherwise never been able to afford.

 

[addicted_to_WDW]

My mom always put off vacations thinking that she would be able to travel once her kids were grown. She died at 42 never having done a thing. I know that life is short and that I could go tomorrow so I pack as much of our loves in as we can afford.

Our tax refund pays for a good chunk of our 2 trips a year. I know that I'm giving Uncle Sam a loan, but it works for us. Otherwise I put $300 - $400 a month into the vacation fund. I treat it just like I would any other bill. I end up spending about $3500 a year at WDW so there's always extra money to do other things. I'm not one who can justify the deluxe resorts because for my family that money can be far better spent elsewhere. Everyone is different, and that is cool.

My house is not showroom quality beautiful, but who cares? When I'm on my deathbed I won't regret that, but I will cherish every memory my family has made.