BedKnobbery2
<font color=blue>Saucy Pants!<br><font color=red>W
- Joined
- Mar 3, 2002
The very first time I took my kids (3 years ago), it was all on credit card, I have to admit. When my kids were little-little, I decided we would take our first family trip when my youngest was 5 years old. Well, dad and I got divorced when he was 4 years old, and I was still finding my financial feet when DS2 turned 5. It had at that point been 8 years since I'd been to WDW, it had been a rough year with the divorce, and I really wanted to do this. We did it very cheaply--stayed offsite in a place with cooking facilities--and it was a marvelous trip.
One of the wonderful things is during that couple years of financial hardship, I learned a lot about how to save money. As someone else here mentioned, The Tightwad Gazette is an amazingly helpful guide to saving money. Here are just a few things I do (or don't do) to save for our vacations:
*Like others, I set aside a percentage of my income for vacations. I also divide any unexpected income between savings and vacation fund.
*We rarely eat out (except when on vaca).
*We find cheap entertainment at home.
*I drive an older model car (1994) and found a cheaper mechanic than the dealer.
*I shop sales, and stock up on regularly used items when they are a great deal.
*I buy meats in bulk, and freeze them in family sized portions.
This is just a handful of things we do to make our vacations affordable. Another thing we have done is alternation 'BIG' trips with 'BUDGET' trips. Last year, we stayed at our timeshare (not DVC), and used the 2 days and 2 Plus options left on our hopper passes from the year before. We ate many meals in our condo, and alternated 'disney' days with 'hotel pool' days. This trip is going to be bigger (and more expensive); and next year, we'll plan another 'budget' trip.
One of the wonderful things is during that couple years of financial hardship, I learned a lot about how to save money. As someone else here mentioned, The Tightwad Gazette is an amazingly helpful guide to saving money. Here are just a few things I do (or don't do) to save for our vacations:
*Like others, I set aside a percentage of my income for vacations. I also divide any unexpected income between savings and vacation fund.
*We rarely eat out (except when on vaca).
*We find cheap entertainment at home.
*I drive an older model car (1994) and found a cheaper mechanic than the dealer.
*I shop sales, and stock up on regularly used items when they are a great deal.
*I buy meats in bulk, and freeze them in family sized portions.
This is just a handful of things we do to make our vacations affordable. Another thing we have done is alternation 'BIG' trips with 'BUDGET' trips. Last year, we stayed at our timeshare (not DVC), and used the 2 days and 2 Plus options left on our hopper passes from the year before. We ate many meals in our condo, and alternated 'disney' days with 'hotel pool' days. This trip is going to be bigger (and more expensive); and next year, we'll plan another 'budget' trip.