How do you afford to go

[ducklite]

We go 2-4 times a year, with three being the average.

We joined Disney Vacation Club in 1997 which is a HUGE savings. I work two jobs, one full-time, one part-time, and the money from the p-t job gets direct deposited into a svings account which is ONLY vacation money.

While I know that a lot of mom's want to be SAHM's, there are ways to work and still have a parent home with the kids all the time. My sister is a p-t college professor, she teaches one class a week, and it's on Saturday morning, so my BIL can take care of the kids while she's at school. What she makes doing that two semesters a year would pay for two WDW trips every year! I work my p-t job with a girl who does in home day care for two kids, plus she has two of her own. She also works evenings 1-3 nights a week/weekend while her DH is home to take care of the kids.

I agree with the others. While a WDW trip is a nice thing, bills come first. Don't carry revolving debt, and shop for the best rate for things like car loans and mortgages. Create a reasonbable budget...write down monthly expenses for EVERYTHING--don't forget things like haircuts, car maintenance, birthday gifts, etc. and stick to it. Write down every penny you spend for three months, and then go back and look at things you didn't have to spend money on.

It sounds like you have to get your entire financial picture in order first, and budgeting will help with that. If you're constantly taking money from savings to pay a bill, then you don't have a budget that you can work with, which is your first step.

And the best advice is to remember that WDW isn't going anywhere. In all honesty I would NEVER take a trip where I had to watch every penny and worry about every cent over budget that I was going--it's just too stressful, and IMHO you're better waiting and saving one more year until you can beter afford it.

Anne

 

[worm761]

i am a SAHM too. my trips arent that expensive. kevin cant take more than a day or two off work at time so disney is just DS and I. i also work 1 day a week. i work at the laundymat as an attendant. most weeks DS actually goes to work with me. i have a great boss and kevin works 7 days most weeks! have you ever thought of doing that? one day a week for just few hours, put the money in a jar and dont touch it for the world. it isnt much but it does add up over time. i actually stopped using a jar because i found i was dipping into it for this and that. instead i bought a small safe with a key. i am the only one that has the key! so no one can touch my disney money.

 

[house_of_princesses]

Worm, Poor Kevin! Works 7 days a week, gets no more than two days off at a time. ARGH! Give that man a hug!

 

[BedKnobbery2]

I believe what you are asking is not how to save money ON a trip to WDW, but how to save money FOR a trip to WDW.

My first recommendation would be to echo what others have said here: wait until your kids are older. With your youngest 2 at ages 1 & 4, it is unlikely they'll remember much of the trip. I'd wait at least until the baby is 3--she likely won't remember much of the trip, but at 5 & 12, your two oldest will probably enjoy the trip more. So, that means you have 2.5-3 years to save $ for the trip. Let's assume you'll need $3,000 for the trip(You can probably do it for less, but that factors in unexpected expenses etc). That's $1,000 per year you'll need to save, or $19.23 per week.

Without knowing your current lifestyle, it is difficult to know where you can trim costs to find that extra money. A good place for anyone to start is with the Tightwad Gazette books, which you should be able to find at your library with no problem. It'll give you tips whether you are brand-new to economizing or if you consider yourself a full-blown tightwad already.

One of the places most people can really trim their budget is food. If you eat out often, cut back. If you buy pre-packaged goodies, try home-made. If your child or husband buys lunch at school/work, try packing a lunch. Drink tap water instead of soda or kool-aid, or buy mixes and make it at home instead of buying pre-mixed. Buy in bulk and freeze for future use.

Another place most people can save money is in regards to clothing, and this is especially true with kids. Instead of brand-new outfits, search second-hand shops and thrift stores. Better yet, yard sales are a great source for inexpensive and good quality clothing for kids. Anticipate future needs--winter coats are a great buy at a summer yard sale, and with 3 kids, you could easily save $50 right there.

Hope these tips help, and good luck!!

BK

 

[rachael95]

My DH and I are trying to get out of debt. We've been married almost 8 years and have had two vacations (neither to Disney, we couldn't afford it). He's been to Disney once, I've been to DTD while visiting my sis, but couldn't afford tickets to the "real" disney.

We've decided that our reward to ourselves when we're out of debt is going to be an all out bash at Disney. We originally planned on having a short disney vacation next year, but we decided we'd rather pay off debt and put off Disney until we're done. That will be about 4.5 years from now.

We're following Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace plan. Pretty much, it's pay cash for everything, never use a credit card and make a budget. One thing I like about Ramsey though is he insists that one thing in your budget is "blow money." Each person in the family gets a little money each month they can blow on anything they want. It means the budget isn't a straight jacket and you can stick to your budget better because you're not feeling deprived. It's like a diet, it doesn't work unless you have a cheat day. I tend to not buy a lot of stuff, so my "blow money" is being saved up for our vacation. I figure, the more I save now, the sooner after we get out of debt we can go.

We don't have kids yet, but by the time we go to Disney we probably will. We figure, little one will be too young to remember, so that will be a great time to ask grandma and grandpa if they'd like to babysit for a couple weeks. We'll bring the kids when they can remember.

 

[sheila rose]

I had no idea that I would get such a huge response to my question!!!!!!! You ALL have been very helpful with your thoughts and ideas. I am going to print this thread out and read it over and over till it sinks in and start saving here & there no matter what it takes. My 3 yr old is really excited about going. He tells everyone that his daddy is going to take him to disneyworld! I believe that this thread will help others who are pondering the same question. Keep the ideas flowing. Thank you all sooo much!!!!!! I feel better now knowing that I will make our dream come true!
Sheila

 

[littlestar]

When our kids were little, we had to carefully plan vacations. But they are so worth it! To save money I would definitely drive, not fly.

One thing to remember about Disneyworld, the hotels can be a vacation in themselves (if you stayed at All Stars on a great code). Of course, you might possibly get in on the great discount at Courtyard Marriott for $20.00 a night. You could do just one day at the Magic Kingdom, spend a day visiting Downtown Disney (the Legoland store is so cool - there's a lego man sleeping on a bench, martians working on their spaceship, etc. - ALL FREE TO SEE). Then spend a day swimming at your hotel pool.

Then for FREE take a tour of the lobbies of some of Disney's flagship hotels. The Wilderness Lodge and Grand Floridian lobbies could charge admission - they are stunning! Also, if you don't stay all the All Stars, take the kids over to see it. The Movies area is so fun. The Disney hotel lobbies have small seating areas just for kids showing Disney cartoons (with little chairs just for them!).

Pack peanut butter, snacks, drinks, breakfast items (donuts, bagels, etc.) from home. You can bring a cooler from home and use it like a mini frig (ice is free at your hotel). When you get to Disney, go to the store for lunch meat, bread, milk, etc. for your cooler.

You could have a really fun trip to Disneyworld by just going to the Magic Kingdom. Here's an idea for a five day trip:

Courtyard by Marriott (at Downtown Disney) $22.00 x 5 = $110
Magic Kingdom Day = 3 admissions (two children free) = $159?
Gas for Car = $150? (maybe lower)
Food (packed from home for trip) = $75.00
Grocery Store Visit when you get there = $75.00
Souvineers (some gatherd from garage sales before you go
and maybe one $5.00 or $6.00 treat from Downtown Disney)
for the three kids = $20.00

Total = $589

Note: In the parks we carry a couple of water bottles attached to fanny packs. They have drinking fountains all over. I also pack snacks (PBJ sandwiches if you don't want to buy food for lunch).

I think you could do it cheap by just doing the main park - Magic Kingdom - and still have a fun budget trip!

Good luck.

 

[heart4dis]

We have four children and my husband is in ministry. We have planned for years that we would get ONE trip to WDW and we would do it big. Some people would rather take several trips (I would too, but it's just not affordable for a family of 6). So we planned on the best year to go based on our children's ages then saved for years. That way it's a little at a time. I also teach aerobics, so I've been putting my mad money away to save for Disney. I don't teach a lot, but every little bit I put away helps.

Also, my husband uses a credit card for business expenses which gives us air mileage. He pays off the balance with reimbursements. Since we've saved the points for a while, we have enough for ALL of us to fly!!

Because of planning so far ahead we have been able to book in advance for things and get better discounts. Since we're only doing this once, things like DVC don't work as well for us. Who knows? Maybe someday we WILL be able go back, but with the mentality of saving for the right trip at the right time, I think we're able to make it work. Otherwise, we'd give up!

 

[NotUrsula]

There will always be situations where money is so scarce in a household that only the very bottom-line necessities can be purchased: rent, utilities, food, basic transportation to work. When that is the case, then you have to suck it up and deal with it for the time being. I've been there, and I hope that I am never there again. (Knock wood!)

However, when you get solvent enough to afford *some* extras, you have to think hard about what extras are the most important to you. I have relatives who complain constantly about not being able to afford travel, yet this same family subscribes to premium cable channels, drive loaded large vehicles, and have unlimited-minutes cell phone plans that are locked in at over $70/month. I can go to Europe for 2 weeks or Disney for one week on what they spend on cable and telepone service each year. We don't have cable TV or cell phones (or call-waiting or caller ID on our landline phone), and our cars are the small and basic. We also have made a conscious decision not to buy spectator sports tickets, drink alcohol anywhere but home, gamble, or smoke cigarettes; all of those things would burn money that we would prefer to use for travel.

If travel is important to you, you MUST budget for it, just the same as you would budget for any other expenditure category.
If you don't make that much money, there are certain things you are going to have to do without at other times in order to put money into your travel fund. You also must learn to travel as cheaply as possible, while still getting to do and see the things that are important to you.

As long as you are somewhere above the necessities-only level, it is possible, but you have to really want to do it, and be willing to make the sacrifices that make it possible.

 

[nicknamy1996]

How much are you expecting it to cost?

It looks like you are new to the boards and maybe are expecting to be extremely expensive(It can be, but it doesn't have to be). I used to think the same thing.

When I first stumbled on to these boards a couple of years ago I was actually looking for information for a trip almost 5 years down the line. We were thinking JUNE 2006!( It was perfect...Our 10th anniversary, and our boys would be around 5 and 7 years old and we would have time to save up the money.) And my wife an I were both OK with that. After all we were scared into thinking it would cost several thousand dollars by other people.

In a short amount of time I learned...
1) There were different "Seasons" at WDW
2) Kids 2 and under are basically free for everything.
3) There are discounts out there for the hotels.
and lots of other tips to save money.

And just 4 months later we were in WDW and my 2 y/o was
having a blast (the 10 month old was just along for the ride)
Total cost for the trip Including gas, meals, hotel, souvenirs and all four parks was less that $1400. (I'm not saying that's not a lot of money, but it was much cheaper than I was expecting.)

We went back the following year, and will be returning next year as well (in fact we bought APs to save even more money, but that will be covered in ADVANCED DISNEY SAVING 101)

After that it will be getting more expensive (can only go when the kids are out of school (peak seasons) and they will be charged for tickets and meals etc... So the trips will have to be more spaced out. But as it stands we will have made 3 trips for about (or even a little less) than I expected 1 trip to cost.

People at work give me trouble "Didn't you JUST go to disneyworld?" and I try to tell them it's cheaper than you think. But until the see it for themselves they'll just keep thinking I'm rich or crazy or both.

Good Luck

P.S. It's about priorities and budgeting. My phone bill is $19/ mo, my Cell phone is about $15. That's about $400/year. My sister (who's always complaining about money) has call waiting and all that other stuff on her phone and lots of minutes on her cell package pays about $40/ month on each of them. That alone is over $500/year or 1/3 of a Dis trip.


P.S.S. IMHO The whole "the kids won't remember" line is way off base. If that's true, then why wait in line at the mall for an hour to see Santa, after all he wont remember it. Or why let him open presents on his birthdays until he's 6 or 7 years old, maybe by then he can store some foggy memories of it.
They had fun, There faces light up when the finally see Mickey Mouse(When the get a little older they will not do that any more). The had a blast and we've got videos and pictures to prove it. And even at 2 and 3 my son recalls most of the trip. "...hey, that was just like the one in disney world" and other things like that are constantly coming out of his mouth.

 

[nicknamy1996]

Wow NotUrsula,

We must have been on the same brainwave for a minute there. We had to be typing about the same thing at the same time.

We too are a basic cable family, and we drive a 95 saturn thats been paid off for years, and a 98 Minivan. Don't smoke, don't go bar hopping and haven't been to a casino in over 2 years.

I like your style, although I do take in a Hockey game or two a year.

 

[disneyvoice]

Here are the things we do to afford a yearly WDW trip.

First, we only go during the low attendance times. This helps in two ways. One, the resort rates are much lower during these times. Two, you are able to see and do much more because you don't have to wait in line.

Second, we have always stayed at the All Star Movies resort. It's one of the cheapest. During the slow times we pay about $70 a night for the room (with special codes you can get a room even cheaper).

Third, we bring breakfast foods with us so we can eat breakfast in our room. Over the course of a week this saves a fortune. We also eat our big meal of the day at lunch at a sit down restaurant. Usually we are still full by dinner time so we end up with a very light dinner or snack - that also saves a fortune.

Because we have decided to go to WDW every year, this year we are buying an annual pass. If you go every year you can buy an AP and then go a week earlier next year - that way you only have to pay for your park passes every other year. It will save you a fortune.

We also have a special "Disney Fund" piggy bank. At the end of each week we all put our loose change in the piggy bank. By the time our trip rolls around we usually have enough for our meals.

We also budget a year in advance for our trip. That way each month we can set a small amount aside so that by the time our trip rolls around, we have all the money we need.

Hope these ideas help!

 

[beansmom]

I am addicted to this board and my family can only afford to go once every two or three years...after all, there *is* life outside Disney. (Did I hear something hit the floor--like a body??) I will say that I 'plan' a trip every year but the last (and only, so far) was in November 2000. We are planning November 2003 but if something more pressing comes up, then it does.

Next year, no Disney because I want to visit my s and family in New York. There are only so many dollars I have access to.

I love Disney and would like to go every year but I'm not sacrificing everything to get there.

 

[dturner]

I'm a single income (mid-range income, I'm a Paralegal) househould with DH being the stay at home mother. My DS is 7 and last year I wanted to finally take him to DisneyWorld for his first time, I wanted to wait until he was old enough to remember and really enjoy it since it costs so much. Back in the '80's I would loved there to have been well, first the Internet and second these types of boards because back in the mid-80's I was one of those people going to WDW at least three times a year but that was also before I had any kids.

So anyway, last summer I started planning the trip for just the two of us - left DH at home for his vacation (which is what he wanted anyway), I managed to do the entire trip for a little under $2,000, since I hadn't been there in 10 years I decided to stay on property (all stars) and I also purchased the Fall Fantasy package which gave us out tickets but booked my airfare myself and got a really great deal on Delta for $300.00/roundtrip for both of us.

Since I too am addicted to these boards and read other people's planning, etc. I booked the Courtyard by Marriott at the $20.03 rate for this September without knowing how I would come up with the rest of the money but couldn't pass up that rate. By the way, all my income goes to bills and everyday living, there is hardly anything left over to save. I started doing the Ebay thing last week and I'll tell you this in less than a week I have over $130.00 in bids on 7 items. The items that I'm selling that are really doing good are old Fisher Price toys (which you may not want to get rid of yet since your kids are still young enough for them), especially the Rescue Heroes, books and just stuff that I thought was junk is really selling on Ebay. So, here I am with hotel reservations and no airfare or tickets or anything but by the looks of it, slowly but surely Ebay is going to finance the rest of my September trip to WDW. Right now I'm looking at $100.00/hotel already paid, $350.00/tickets, $350.00 "hoping" for airfare and spending money, which is a pretty cheap trip to WDW, probably going to spend about $1,200.00 for the two of us for a six day trip, not bad in my book.

Like others have said on this board, it's better to go "off season" the rates are lower and the crowds are manageable, the parks do close early but with the lighter crowds it really doesn't matter and that leaves the nights for Downtown Disney or just relaxing at the hotel.

Hope some of this helps.

 

[PatriciaH]

DH and I have no children so of course this is a BIG reason why we can afford so many trips a year. We will probably start a family at some point, but we are just not ready right now. We travel a LOT and want to save a ton before we have children. Of course this is making his parents a bit nervous since we are both 32 My parents figure whatever makes you both happy. My mother had my sister when she was 38 and her mother had 6 children starting with her first at 30 so she understands. We are just taking life as it comes.

We have NO debt. No credit card bills, no school loans, no mortgage. Our car is 9 years old but has low mileage and runs A-ok. Only one owner before us-an older lady that kept it in great shape! We may get a newer one next year because of all the awsome 0% financing for 60 months deals right now. We do not go out to bars or sporting events. We see shows (Broadway, Cirque) every now and then when traveling. We have VERY basic cable-$8.50 a month. We do go out to eat about twice a week and love the movies, but have not seen any for about 2 months. Next month there are a few we REALLY are looking forward to (Matrix, X Men, Finding Nemo.) We go to the $4.00 morining/afternoon movies. Cheap entertainment

Travel is a MAJOR priority for both of us. I think it is VERY important to experience different places and cultures. I am a travel agent and get great travel perks. DH covers most of the major bills and I cover trips and savings. We have saved and invested a lot after paying off all of our debt. We opened a pet-sitting business to make extra money and because we love animals. We also sell on E-bay regularly. We make about an extra $1,000-$2,000 a year on E-bay and or garage sales. Hey-instant trip!

Our friends all complain how they could never afford to go on a trip or get away from work. I think that is really sad-sorry. They have very expensive homes and cars for what they are making though. Some of them had HUGE weddings that cost a fortune. A lot have MAJOR credit card debt and bad credit so they are paying higher rates on everything. Scary.

 

[dynamite]

Well, we have been to WDW 3 out of the last 5 years. I guess it is a little easier to do so living in South Carolina, but still traveling can be expensive. I am an extreme tightwad when it comes to money and I look for the best deals possible. While I would love to stay on site, I just don't think the cost is justified. One night on site can cost you the same as a week off site!

My major suggestions are:
1) Go during the off season. Everything is cheaper that way, and it is less crowed. We went this past September and paid less than $30 a night for a really nice hotel room off site.

2) Limit eating in the parks. This can add up very fast. What we normally do is eat breakfast somewhere before we go. We typically eat lunch in the park at one of the counter services, or even take our own food. Since everyone is usually pretty tired, we normally grab some dinner outside the park. We do reserve one "special" dinner inside the park in which we go all out. One way to save, even doing this is to eat at one of the places that has a buffet. We highly suggest Boma at the Animal Kingdom Lodge!

3) Don't spend unnecessarily. While the kids are going to want everything they see, you are just going to have to resist the temptation. If you are going to buy anything from Disney, we suggest going to the Disney Store at Downtown Disney. They greatly inflate the prices inside the parks, so you can save some by going here.

4) Don't do everything. While this may be a once in a lifetime trip, you don't have to do everything. Trust me, you and the kids will be in as much awe if you were to do just one park as you would be doing all the parks. If you can only afford to do one or two, just do one or two... you will still have a great time!

5) Go by credit card. While I would suggest this as a last resort, we have paid for things by credit card. This does give you a little more time to pay for things!

We'll I hope this helps a little!

 

[crisi]

We are a two income household - and both of them are professional incomes. We have no debt other than our mortgage - and we live in a house that is about a third of what the bank claims we could afford! Other than mortgage, our other big expense is daycare.

Sometimes, some of our less well off friends ask the same questions - how can you afford __________? But we delayed our kids until our 30s. We have two incomes. We live below our means. Our friends who ask the question often have a single income that isn't even what I make (my husband makes more money), they are in a house where the mortgage payments are a struggle, they have consumer debt they haven't paid off and make monthly car payments.

 

[rachael95]

Originally posted by crisi
We live below our means.

That's exactly what most people don't do and why most people will always be struggling.

To tell the truth, it frightens me sometimes reading these boards and seeing everyone who charges their vacations or charges this and that for the miles. It would make so much more sense to delay the vacation until things were paid off and then just pay cash.

Thank You!

 

[crisi]

It is, however, much easier to live below your means when you have significant means. I have no idea how some of my friends manage on one small income - but most of them manage.

 

[bobcat]

I am a single mom on a teachers salary and we have managed to go once a year for the last four years. I will repeat what others have said but it works for me. I make travel a priority. This is my prefered form of entertainment so the money I would spend on going out to eat, to the movies, etc. I save for vacation.

I have $50 from each paycheck go into a savings account at my credit union and I do my primary banking at another bank so it is a little harder to use this money. If I need it for an emergency then I will use it but since it is inconvienient I don't use it for splurges. I also add any other unexpected money to this account.

I do rewards programs and this usually pays for at least my gas and sometimes a small souvineer for myself. The kids earn spending money through extra chores and they can only spend what they have. This has been as little as $20.

I stay where I can afford to stay. This usually means the All Stars, which we really enjoy, but we have also camped at Fort Wilderness and stayed off site. If I can't afford it we stay less nights.

Passes are our big expense and again we buy what we can afford. I pay cash for the entire trip and if I can't afford it we don't do it.