How do you afford DVC?

[Simba's Mom]

I was a high school teacher, who'd gone back to work because our two sons were in college-but they only had a little time left. DH was an engineer whose idea of vacation was to"So how many days of vacation are you NOT using this year?", and at his company, at the end of the year, you couldn't carry over vacation. It was shortly after 9/11-my non-financial motivation of "No one's guaranteed a future" So for those 3 reasons (actually the first was the financial reason), we could afford.

 

[Disney Spaz]

DH and I do okay but do live in a HCOL area so for us it was a choice to sacrifice in other areas to have DVC and create the memories for our family. Our DS34 is also a small DVC points owner and we are at 600 points with the push of our DD19. She has been going to VGF since she was 7 and it is her home away from home. She already talks about when the points are hers. DH works for our local county goverment and I work in a nearby school district. We make good money but again the HCOL are hits hard. We are in our 50's and 60's so we hope to use it well into retirement. We have zero regrets and if we had to sell we could but hope to never be in that situation.

 

[Lumpy1106]

We are a family of 5 and we didn't really fit in a studio as the kids got older.
Since we bought resale;
We have not really "lost" money on the purchase. Price per point has gone up and down, but if we were to sell our DVC contract we would get back most of the money we spent on points. That in mind, our annual cost is the amount we spend on MFs. That gets us a 1br suite for around $225-$250/night. Yeah, we could stay in a hotel room off-property cheaper, but there is no way we would spend the kind of money Disney demands on a suite in a DVC resort. Renting points is better but still pretty pricey.

One other benefit you don't see mentioned often; owning DVC commits you to going on vacation. The MFs are paid, you are going. You would be surprised how many trips we passed up on prior to owning DVC. Just too costly, too much of a pain to plan - forget it.

Thinking of it that way, how could we not own DVC?

 

[atthebeachclub]

I had some cash. I also paid myself out some PTO and I also used some receipts and cashed out some medical bills from my HSA piggybank/investment account. Decided going on vacation was good medicine, so it was ok to spend a little bit (even though that HSA is triple tax advantaged....).

 

[tgropp]

We afford DVC because we got tired of wasting money.

We don’t have an RV or boat. Double-income household and we drive older model reliable cars.

We got tired of spending thousands of dollars on Disney hotel rates. Money thrown away, we realized.

We knew that we wanted to visit WDW at least every two to three years.

Doing the math, we were stunned how much DVC could save us over time. (Which made us even more upset that we had been paying Disney rack rates for too many years!)

So we used some of our excess funds to buy DVC points. We don’t regret one dollar spent on DVC.

We had to buy more DVC with Riviera (the RIV has our heart).

If we had been smarter years ago, we would have bought DVC sooner. But we live and learn.

Other than you buying Riviera, this is exactly how I would have replied on my DVC ownership

 

[DisneyGal24]

DH and I are both teachers. We actually started looking at DVC in 2005. They were building Saratoga at the time and we came home from our very first WDW trip together with a fancy hardback book telling us all about DVC. Financially, we just couldn’t do it. Fast forward to 2012, two kids, a couple of college degrees and job moves, we were able to make it happen! We purchased Saratoga direct. Then in 2015 we purchased AKL resale. We own a little over 300 points total. Everything is now paid off and we’re considering adding on again to accommodate our need for more space since the kids are older. We have used our points every year since 2012. Our children have grown up with Disney and we have enjoyed making memories with them year after year. DVC was an excellent decision for our family!

 

[Tumnus]

I'm an actuary, my partner is an accountant. We make about 215k combined. We are both 36 and live in the suburbs of STL.

We were able to to use a couple credit cards that had 0% apr for a year and sign up bonuses to purchase a resale contract at SSR for about 17k.

We then made a payment plan and paid it off over the year and very excited to use our points at the Grand Californian in a 2 bedroom for 2 nights next month.

I am also an actuary! That makes three of us DVC on this board I know of now!

For my answer - I'm an actuary in consulting and have done pretty well, on the high ends of the salary/bonus charts you can get. My company was also acquired so I had a nice retention bonus last year that went directly into DVC. Bought our house in 2018 when costs were low, refinanced to 2.5% post COVID, maxing out all retirement avenues plus a good amount extra a month, cars paid off, college funds on auto-draft. Big lump sum bonuses twice a year with all of that taken care of means I've bought four DVC contracts in less than a year!

 

[Adopted By Disney]

Wondering whether we’re the exception or the norm, We bought 125 points at 147 pp for Poly and am going to buy 150 points this incentive period for Riv. I am 33 and luckily have the means to afford this but also am thinking in terms that we have been to Disney multiple times in the last 4 years as we have two kids (expecting a third) and I started to wonder how it could become more affordable than spending what we were. Which brought me to an insurmountable abundance of research including disboards which is now my number one source of all things dvc and realized yes this makes sense. So after countless nights of running numbers through my head I eventually realized DVC over time would save us money . Noticed a lot of posts mention HCOL or LCOL . Wonder how many are of the FIRE mindset on this board. I feel like a lot understand this motive which is why I am significantly drawn to these forums.

 

[tom1944]

We are a family of 5 and we didn't really fit in a studio as the kids got older.
Since we bought resale;
We have not really "lost" money on the purchase. Price per point has gone up and down, but if we were to sell our DVC contract we would get back most of the money we spent on points. That in mind, our annual cost is the amount we spend on MFs. That gets us a 1br suite for around $225-$250/night. Yeah, we could stay in a hotel room off-property cheaper, but there is no way we would spend the kind of money Disney demands on a suite in a DVC resort. Renting points is better but still pretty pricey.

One other benefit you don't see mentioned often; owning DVC commits you to going on vacation. The MFs are paid, you are going. You would be surprised how many trips we passed up on prior to owning DVC. Just too costly, too much of a pain to plan - forget it.

Thinking of it that way, how could we not own DVC?

This was really the sole factor for me. I was retiring we had not been on vacation for years. I wanted a commitment, so this worked. Our resale purchase has given us 3 trips in a row. The next decision is going forward is do we do a Disney trip every year or do we start going on other vacations and Disney becomes alternate years.

 

[ML_LovesDisney]

Fun thread! DH and I both own businesses in different fields, although we didn't really make that much or have these businesses when we first bought in in 2010. That was the height of financial crisis and BLT was selling pretty cheap so we were able to get 160 points for a reasonable price. We also live in a fairly LCOL area I suppose. We had kids young and made money later AKA the last few years so we've been able to grow our businesses and DVC points. We also mainly spend disposable income outside of bills and investments on trips only. We don't shop, go to sporting events, concerts, etc.

I guess I get bored easily so we have bought and sold many contracts and home resorts over the years including BLT, BCV, AKV, CCV and now own all at RIV. We are in the most expensive time of our life with our kids ages and college, or I'd definitely want more points and more trips. Trying to be financially responsible and fully fund college and weddings before any more purchases

 

[808blessing]

Very high cost of living area but I was frugal and blessed since being financially responsible at 18. I decided during the first year of the COVID pandemic, along with a pay raise, to not focus on accumulating and start spending. Call it a mid-life crisis or a practical opportunity. We were going to Disney annually every year (like an addiction) and I just discovered my love of Aulani. I used my stimulus on a $5000 dvc contract. Then another direct. That led to add on itis and so I used my "next car" savings ( no debt except a small low interest mortgage and saved for used cars ahead of purchase) to purchase about 150 more points in various contracts. I took a pay cut with less hours again so it took awhile and I just saved up again and bought that new used car a few months ago! We love our DVC but plan to sell more than half our contracts one day after we have had our fill. We'll see.

 

[mrandmrsthomas0618]

I am also an actuary! That makes three of us DVC on this board I know of now!

For my answer - I'm an actuary in consulting and have done pretty well, on the high ends of the salary/bonus charts you can get. My company was also acquired so I had a nice retention bonus last year that went directly into DVC. Bought our house in 2018 when costs were low, refinanced to 2.5% post COVID, maxing out all retirement avenues plus a good amount extra a month, cars paid off, college funds on auto-draft. Big lump sum bonuses twice a year with all of that taken care of means I've bought four DVC contracts in less than a year!

Happy to come across another Disney Math Nerd

 

[kes601]

For us, it is simple. We have no children .

It also helps to have no credit card debt or student loans.

 

[tidefan]

I am also an actuary! That makes three of us DVC on this board I know of now!

For my answer - I'm an actuary in consulting and have done pretty well, on the high ends of the salary/bonus charts you can get. My company was also acquired so I had a nice retention bonus last year that went directly into DVC. Bought our house in 2018 when costs were low, refinanced to 2.5% post COVID, maxing out all retirement avenues plus a good amount extra a month, cars paid off, college funds on auto-draft. Big lump sum bonuses twice a year with all of that taken care of means I've bought four DVC contracts in less than a year!

I am a Statistician, is that close enough

 

[VGCgroupie]

Wondering whether we’re the exception or the norm, We bought 125 points at 147 pp for Poly and am going to buy 150 points this incentive period for Riv. I am 33 and luckily have the means to afford this but also am thinking in terms that we have been to Disney multiple times in the last 4 years as we have two kids (expecting a third) and I started to wonder how it could become more affordable than spending what we were. Which brought me to an insurmountable abundance of research including disboards which is now my number one source of all things dvc and realized yes this makes sense. So after countless nights of running numbers through my head I eventually realized DVC over time would save us money . Noticed a lot of posts mention HCOL or LCOL . Wonder how many are of the FIRE mindset on this board. I feel like a lot understand this motive which is why I am significantly drawn to these forums.

We are not in the FIRE mindset, hence the numerous trips to Disney. While DVC saves us money on lodging we tend to spend quite a bit on our trips on everything else so overall we are spending alot more than we normally would.

We used to live somewhere that was somewhat LCOL and allowed us to save some. 2 years ago we moved somewhere that everyday items are less cost but housing is expensive, but the pay here is better.

 

[Brian Noble]

My story is too long to type out. But, the short version is: About 20 years ago, I put together a timeshare portfolio that has allowed me to have many DVC stays at a very modest cost through timeshare exchange. I did that during a time when money was not exactly scarce, but we were definitely on a budget. Later in life, after the kids were launched and I was ready to downsize my housing situation, I had the cash to buy something that has given me more control over (and options for) my WDW vacations.

 

[Suger Mag]

we bought in at AKV in 2009 when it was under $90 a point. At that time our kids were 6 and 12. We bought direct and financed through Disney. It ended with the financing of course costing more than the original cost... closer to $100 a point, but we are very happy with our purchase. We would likely not be interested purchasing nowadays as the price per point are too much for us to justify. Someday I hope to have grand kids to be able to bring.

 

[VGCgroupie]

I'm an actuary, my partner is an accountant. We make about 215k combined. We are both 36 and live in the suburbs of STL.

We were able to to use a couple credit cards that had 0% apr for a year and sign up bonuses to purchase a resale contract at SSR for about 17k.

We then made a payment plan and paid it off over the year and very excited to use our points at the Grand Californian in a 2 bedroom for 2 nights next month.

I love that you said a dollar figure, thank you. It really out into perspective the financial aspect of it. Id love others to share their figures but I know most aren't comfortable with that.

I purchased a resale contract when I retired. Luckily, I had paid off our mortgage and I received pay for my accrued vacation days. It was 50 days of compensation.

For actually now paying for the vacations I have a position with a trade union as the Financial Secretary which is part time, and I make about $2,000 a month. I also have a small bookkeeping business I started but that only brings in $5,000 a year. I like doing both because I do them from home besides attending 3 or 4 meetings a few nights a month.

I use 100% of that for vacations.

#goals.

 

[GGGT]

As a 12 year old in 1971 my family stayed at the POLY the first week it was open. I/we have visited annually since then, always staying onsite. (5-8 times annually)

Knowing that we would no doubt continue this behavior and, in an effort, to supplant the need for cash rates, my wife and I bought OKW day one and now own 5 resorts with 1000s of points.

We’re now retired after successful careers and enjoy our multiple visits with our family of 12 usually in GV’s, me and my wife with groups of our grandchildren in 2BRs, providing our daughters and their families trips, and my wife and me in 1 BRs. We purchased our contracts outright so there was no need to finance and incur that additional expense.

It’s been a great experience.

 

[mrandmrsthomas0618]

I am a Statistician, is that close enough

Oh, that definitely qualifies for the Disney Math Nerd club