How do you afford Disney - Single Parents and One Income families?

[Aidensmom]

Not a single mom, but we do not have a very high combined income. I was able to pay for a week at Disney in a Moderate Resort for myself, my husband, my son, and my mother-in-law by doing the following:
1. Put $10 a week into a Disney fund.
2. Put any non-paycheck money into the fund (tax returns, medical account reimbursements, yard sale profits).
3. Put all your change at the end of every day into a jar.
4. Use Mousesavers.com to find when the best hotel rates are and to get discount codes. (I found it much cheaper to get tickets and room separately instead of a package.)
5. Sign up with the various sites on the internet to do surveys.....many of the surveys you take will qualify you for additional surveys which pay cash, sometimes as much as $20 for a survey. NFO will give you points for every survey taken which can be exchanged for cash.
6. Sign up for My Points. Cash in your points for Walmart cards and use for groceries. Put the cash you would have used into your Disney fund.
7. If you are going to have a car available, purchase and Entertainment book for Orlando for coupons for 2-for-1 meals at many restaurants and fast food places.
8. Take all your breakfast food with you such as granola bars or small boxes of cereal (milk can be purchased at a very reasonable price at all the onsite hotels). A coffee maker was also provided in our room.
9. Share meals in the parks with your son if he is not a real big eater. I split all my meals with my 3 year old. At Downtown Disney, you can get a pizza at Wolfgang Puck Express which will feed 2 or 3 people for about $7 or $8.
10. Take your own bottled water into the park with you.

 

[Aidensmom]

One more thing - don't buy souveniers until the last day (except maybe Mouse Ears!). Almost anything found in one park can be found in another or at Downtown Disney.

 

[MEM]

One more thing - don't buy souveniers until the last day (except maybe Mouse Ears!). Almost anything found in one park can be found in another or at Downtown Disney.

Interesting, because I had the opposite experience. AK, in particular, had some souvenirs found nowhere else.

My family follows the "if you see it, you like it, you buy it" philosophy. We stay on budget because the kids have a fixed amount to spend and when its gone, its gone.

 

[DisneyAddict_M]

I'm a single mom. Took dd4 to WDW last year and hopefully again this year. How I afford it: I have a friend who's a CM, so I get a discount on the hotel room. Also, I get paid bi-weekly, so I get an extra paycheck 2 months per year. The majority of those paychecks goes into my disney fund (that almost pays for the trip right there). I also use some of my tax refund. I won't be able to do that this year, because I paid off my cc with it. So at least I have no cc debt now.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

One more thing we did, we cut out all the extras at Christmas this year. With a big family, even getting small gifts for everyone gets very expensive. In truth, I think we enjoyed it more with fewer gifts. There was a lot less pressure on everyone to match each others' spending. I used to think Christmas shopping was kinda fun, but I discovered it was far less stressful NOT having to buy all those gifts. There's always that one person who is difficult to shop for....We did get some things for the kids, and some things for each other (MY DH and I tend to buy 'gifts' like new socks anyhow and wrap them up as a joke). WE all said it was great to focus on the holiday instead.

 

[JodyTG]

Here's something that I don't think was mentioned. At Kroger, if you spend $100.00 for groceries, you get 10 cents off per gallon of gas at the Kroger gas pump. This may not sound like much, but it definitely adds up.

When I was a single mom, my daughter and I went to WDW 5 years in a row by ourselves. She was 4 the first time. We just booked in a value resort and used codes when they came out...only 1-2 sit down meals a trip. We had just as much fun that if we'd had the money to go all out.

DD is now 13 and has such great memories of our vacations together. THAT is priceless.

 

[mowsluver]

I have 6 months to come up with as much money as possible! I have sold on ebay in the past but this year I am getting almost NOTHING for the same kind of items I got decent money for last year I am going to try a few more things in the near future....We pretty much have our money for the essntials--renting a condo, tickets, renting a van--but now we need spending money, food, ride photos (this will be our last trip with oldest daughter, so we HAVE to get those pics!!) and the worst part---GAS!!!!! At the price it is now, it would cost quite a bit! And we will be driving 1900 miles one way!

Right now, both hubby and I are out of work. At least he is able to collect unemployment, and hopes to get a job soon.

Anyway,I am interested in knowing how anyone is doing on ebay. I need some encouragement!!! It seems like it will never work out....