How do you afford to go

[house_of_princesses]

Rachael95, I use a credit card for EVERYTHING, including our vacations. Because someone says they put everything on their card, doesn't mean they don't pay it off. Our cards our paid in full every month. And they pay me 1 % to do this! Some choose miles, some gas, and now some earn Disney Dream Rewards. And all without paying an annual fee or a finance charge! It's a good thing in my book.

 

[Janell Ebert]

A person can charge things and then pay the bill in full each month. You can even keep track of what you charge and keep a running total. I don't think ideally that you should charge for a vacation but it can and is done. We have done it both ways depending on the year. I just think you have to look at the total picture for your family and your budget. We drive old cars, and bought our house when prices weren't as high. Refinanced for a better interest rate last year. My husband makes a good income. We feel vacations are very important as family time and de-stress time. Your children will only be young once. My husband promised my children that one day we'd go to Disney World. We did and now Mickey has us hooked. We're going on our fifth trip in December. I'am saving for it now. Less trips out to dinner, fewer clothes etc. Is it really something I need or is it something I want is the question I'am always asking. I have a brother in law who has terminal cancer. Both he and his wife worked hard to save to travel when he and she retired. Well he had to retire for health reasons and so did she. They are fitting in as many trips now as they can. A trip to Italy next month, the Grand Canyon after that and hopefully some more. So the bottem line is enjoy life now. Just use some common sense when it comes to credit. Scrape, Scrape, drag. I'am off my soap box now.

 

[Blondiex46]

pure and simPle "INCOME TAX REFUND !!!!!


b

 

[merryweather's twin]

We go alot and I am a SAHM with 4 kids and one due in July and we use our tax return for big trip and AP's each year. We are going in May for 7 more nights but are paying very little for it!
$300. gas
$253. two bedroom at orange lakes for all 7 nights with full kitchen and W/D on Skyauction Payed for !
$ Ap's payed for last May trip!
$600. food in the parks ( one nicer meal a day and most days one counter service)
$140. food in condo ( bkfast and snacks and 2-3 dinners)
$200. for suv. for the kids (about $8. a day apeace)
I have allready payed for the hotel with the left overs from the Feb trip!
$1240. is the total for a full week for 6 people!

How do I plan to pay for this you ask?
$640. state tax return
DH's Co. pays for internet and he has not turned it for 6-7 mo! $300.
$300. a week for food and gas around home.
The grand total is $1240.!!!!! I have C.Cards if I need them for extras but I will try to stick to this! We also drive at night to cut out hotel stays and potty breaks ! I will have snacks and pop( I pick up at sale prices just for trips and home all year long) in the van and we have a tv/vcr to keep the kiddos busy! All I am saying is it can be done and you can have alot of fun and it can be a cheap trip also!
Heck WDW is no more pricy than anywhere else... and you may even save over most places... Example we went to Grand Rapids for a family event about 2 weeks ago and spent this much for 4 days!
Good luck!

 

[zurgswife]

I on the other hand am totally opposite of most of the above posters....We Charge everything...try to pay most of it off but because of some unplanned expenses we have a bit of lingering debt on Credit cards...but I am the Queen of 0% interest...I can't tell you how often I will switch during the year to make sure the CC that gives me points but doesn't give me 0% interest.....And almost every transfer is without any fee....So, I figure....If I can pay my bills pretty much every month, save a little for each vacation we have then it is worth every cent to me to enjoy a family vacation when my family is able to actually enjoy it together....

But that is a Personal Choice I have made.....My memories and experiences with my family on our 11 odd trips to WDW in the past 6 years are worth carrying a bit of CC debt (especially if I don't pay any interest....free money is the way I look at it). Being in debt doesn't bother me, I don't worry about it. I enjoy my famlies vacations and I deal with the debt.

But I have found that any choice of vacation I would go on would be expensive for a family of 6 so I choose WDW. It is the Cheapest family vacation for us....and we don't go anywhere else for vacation. But I watch what I spend my money on for my vacations....I usually get great airfare(or use points), we are DVC so hotel costs are paid throughout the year, we have a kitchen so 90% of meals are eaten in the room, we have season passes( we do 2 vacations on 1 pass), we give the kids Disney Dollars through out the year so they can purchase there own souveniors. I can do a 7 day trip for 6 for about $3200...and I stay at the Boardwalk not All Stars....

So, weather you choose no CC debt , save and pay cash or you go for it and choose CC debt...It is still what you are personally comfortable with....

I choose enjoying my family while they are young...My youngest DD's first trip was 3 months...does she remember it no but DO I???YES....and it was worth every penny.......I can vividly remember her seeing many of the shows and watching with the intensity that only a 3 month old can...

 

[Grog]

My job helps me in a way. Once a year we can cash in our PTO (sick time, vac time, hol time all rolled into one). Since I'm fortunate enough that I only call in sick maybe one day a year I usually have a lot to cash in (I've been with the company long enough that I get about seven weeks worth). Our last trip to DLR (earlier this month) was paid for by 160 hours of PTO and my SOs income tax refund provided the spending money. We were sitting here the other day and realized that her car will be paid off next month and a payment plan I have been on to pay down a large electric bill (I'm not a deadbeat. We were underbilled for about six months along with 30,000 other Houstonians last year due to a computer error) will be finished next month as well. That will give us about an extra $550 a month so we decided to see DL lit up for the Holidays We then might still do the PTO thing to do WDW in 2004.

Also, have you given any thought to going to DLR instead of WDW? It can end up being a lot cheaper due to a number of factors such as cheaper Park Hoppers and using offsite hotels that are actually within walking distance of the parks. You would have just as much fun for less $$$. Just something for you to think about. I prefer DLR to WDW, but then I'm a bit of a rebel

 

[MrsPete]

You and I seem to have made many of the same choices! When we were married (13 years ago) we had two professional jobs, one car, a brand-new mortgage, and $50 to our names. We made a decision to live well below our means, and we've stuck to it. We have friends who own two homes, have swimming pools, and go on 2-3 big vacations every year. We, on the other hand, live in a large older home, rarely eat out, drive used cars, and buy yard-sale clothes. We have never had a credit card bill (a revolving balance I mean -- we do use them for convenience, but we pay them off every month), and we won't have to worry about our kids' college expenses. We always planned to scrimp while our kids were small (when it's easier to stay home with them anyway) so we could do lots of exciting travel when they're older and will enjoy it more.

The funny thing is that it hasn't even been difficult. We never became accustomed to "living it up" so we never had to adjust downward. Within months we should be completely debt-free, which is great considering that neither of us is 40 yet. I think that if we could all go back in time, many of our "living large" friends would choose to start out the way we did! It's so much easier in the long run.

 

[ducklite]

Originally posted by rachael95
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!

We "charge" everything--gas, groceries, trips, I'd charge the cable bill if I could--all to get the points/miles. The difference is I also have the CASH in the bank to PAY those charges when I make them, so I never pay a finance charge. The day I get the bill in the mail I send the check off to pay for it--regardless of what it is--credit card, insurance, you name it. The only bills I pay off over time are larger doctor bills (anything over about $300--under that I just pay it). Why not? No interest accrues, and I get to keep my money in the bank earning interest for a little bit longer.

I think many times when you read about people "charging" things, they are doing the same thing I am--and that's actually being a very smart consumer--truly getting "something for nothing".

Anne

 

[disneybud]

All,

Some great thoughts here. Thought I might put a somewhat different spin to all this.. An emotional spin some might believe, but one I feel quite strongly about. I live in the NYC metro area and used to work on Wall Street in Govt Bonds. 9/11 saw me lose many friends and I know of many families who lost their Dads on that day. Its just so sad. It made me realize you never know when your time might be up. I am not advocating throwing yourself into complete financial ruin by taking a trip and staying at the GF for 12 nights 3 times a year.. However, if you want to go and haven't gone in a long time and have a child who is longing to go like the OP stated then I say go. I say forget delaying because you'll end up never going and you never know what life might bring. I feel bad for my friends families who won't get the chance to go to Disney with their Dads anymore. We are a single income family with my wife being a SAHM right now. We have a daughter who is 2 1/2 and a son who is 7 months. Our money is tight because of this. However, what happened on 9/11 has made me take a whole different approach. I insist on making these vacations happen. I don't care if they won't remember the trip. I don't care if I may end up carrying some debt because I took the trip. We love Disney. The 2 1/2 yr old loves Disney. We will go as cheaply as we can while still staying on Disney Property. We will have a great time. It will get paid for at some time or another.

 

[Mic]

Everyone has a differnt opinion of the "ideal" age to take children to WDW. We took our children for the first time when they were 9, 8, 6, and 5, and I wished I had done it sooner! We waited because everyone said "wait till baby will remember the trip", and we were poor. I think we could have met the napping/diapering/eating needs of the younger 2 just as easily at WDW as we did at home, and the older 2 would have had more Disney memories, but that is just my opinion. If the original poster waits until her baby will remember the trip, the oldest will be a teen. As far as affording the trip(which seems to be the advice you are seeking)there are as many ways as there are people on this board. Since you did ask for advice, I'll give mine. If I were you, I would start saving $15 a week right NOW. Be creative...there has to be a way to save/earn(steal ) $15 a week. Also, save change, even if you only save pennies,nickels, and dimes, this will add up over time.Put your oldest in charge of keeping track of all money saved(this will help you avoid using it for bills). Set a tentative date for Sept.,2004, for 2 reasons: your husband is the new employee on the block, so will not get first choice of vacation weeks. Sept. is usually easy to get. And Courtyard in downtown Disney has offered a $20 rate for a few years for that time, so it is likely that rate will be available next Sept. The hotel has a toll-free number, so start calling periodically next April to get the rate for a Sun-Thur night stay(weekends are higher). With 2 young kids, a DD hotel would be the logical 2nd choice to on-site accomodations, since their busses run more frequently than off-site hotel busses, and you could take 2 younger kids back to the room for "down" time while husband and older child stay in the parks. And 5 nights for a total of $115 can't be beat! Tickets will be your single biggest expense, at a little less than $600 for 3 adults and 1 child for the 3 day/1 park per day tickets sold only at the gate. The ability to hop between parks was not very important to us with a stroller in tow, so just pick the 1 park you can give up on this trip and visit your 3 favorites. If you are able to save more than $15 a week, you could splurge on a 4-day hopper, but that will cost @$200 more. If you decide to go the 4-day hopper route, purchase these from the Disney store or an on-line broker before you get to WDW, as they are not discounted at the gate. You will definitely have to drive to WDW, which will save $ over flying as well as allow you to take a few things with you to save money. My philosophy has always been"a dollar spent now will save $3 later at WDW" . Take a cooler stocked for the drive down as well sandwich fixings, fruit, etc. for the room, and definitely bring bottled water/sodas/juice boxes for the parks. Bring your own stroller(it gets expensive renting one at the parks)and a diaper bag with snacks and drinks with you to the parks each day(they do check bags, but I have never witnessed a castmember saying anything negative about snacks/drinks being brought in). Plan on all breakfasts and 1 other meal a day in the room or off-site fast food(Taco Bell, McDonald's, etc. are all close to DD). With a budget of $50 a day, you could have breakfast in the room, lunch at a counter service in the parks($25-30), and dinner at McDonald's or pizza in the room($20). If you eat sandwiches in the room 1 evening, (or your kids get 10 disney dollars each from Grandma), you could do a late Breakfast at Chef Mickey's after a morning at Lego-land(free), followed by an afternoon in the pool on a non-park day, of course. Your kids will like this as much as going to the parks. I don't know how long your drive is, so I am not budgeting for a hotel room for the trip down, only $150 for gas. All of this can be done for less than $1100(or $15 a week for 73 weeks). Souvenirs and "extras" can be purchased with anything you can save over $15(like loose change), and you can give the 2 older children a set amount of $ out of this. And don't forget the best souvenir of all...the pictures you will develop when you get home...it will be like being there all over again!

 

[house_of_princesses]

Disneybud, I really don't know what to say! You said it so well. I, too, feel strongly about building those memories. (Without burying the family.) I want no regrets when my time comes. I don't want my DH or DD's wishing they had done something with me, said something to me, heard me say something to them. If you have a dream, pursue it! And that includes WDW on a budget!

 

[sm4987]

I too am a SAHM. My husband and I really just watch what we spend on other things and we look for every available discount that Disney has to offer. That being said, our very first trip was last summer. We went for 10 days and spent $3000. We drove, stayed at the CBR, ate and brought very few things to bring home with us. This year we are only going for 8 days to use the rest of our AP's. I'm not sure how many more times we are going to go as I want to move. It took us 9 years of marriage and our children being 6 and 3 before we set foot on our first vacation ever. And like another poster said, the wait was well worth it.

 

[MrsPete]

I understand your point, Disneybud, but I feel differently. Yes, what you say is true: any of us could find tomorrow that "our time is up." I agree that we should live so that we'd have no regrets if that happens -- and that includes building memories with our children. However, those memories can be built anywhere -- they doesn't just occur on vacation (which is the impression I get from many posters here). For example, tonight my girls and I worked in the yard together for about an hour, then we laid on the trampoline and talked until after dark. Cost: free. Value of time with my girls: priceless.

I know, however, that if both my husband and I died tomorrow, my girls would be fine financially, and they could both go to college without a penny of debt. That's much more important to me than vacation memories.

 

[crazelion]

My thoughts is go when you can afford it. Stay out of credit card debt. It took years to get out credit card debt. I only charge when I have to. I have credit card bill that will be pay off this month. Is paying for my one college class in cash so I won't have to charge.


I am all for not having credit card debt. It's safer to charge hotel room, park hoppers, and gas without carry larger amounts of cash on vacation.

Ways to saving money get a part time seasonal job in the summer. There is excellent part time jobs in the tourist industry. I work at a baseball park in the summer time and makes good money as a concessions stand manger. Get a Christmas job in the winter a retail store when they did winter help for the hoildays.

Learn how to free entertainment in your city. I know in our city that we have free Friday night concerts in Milliar Park in the summer. Take your kids to the library for story time that's usually is free. Check out musams, parks, movie places to see if offer kids get in free.

If can't get to Disney get a local season pass at Amusemnt Park in your city. Go for day trips.

Keep in open mind. Our trip is on again off again this summer to Disney. If have the money to then we is going. If not we going to Pigion Forge for the weekend. We will be happy either way.

Takes a advantage of free stuff to do in your city. You will be amaze what's free to do. A local radio station in our city sponser free movie night in our city and it's all the latest movies that just came out for free. I go every Monday when I not working. I am saving at least a 100.00 every two months.

Do what makes your family happy.

 

[supergoofy]

for us wife works, i work and my 4 year old girl we where planning on seeing the wifes family in georgia and disney world was a side trip we use our tax return money and use the spurge save mentality not big on breakfast so we have booked one character breakfast and the rest we will eat in room. lunches will be at the resort, one dinner will be out the rest off site or at resort staying at the all star keeping a log with our budget in it. paid for everything ahead so the cost has be broke up over 2-3 months. first trip hope this works. next trip we will be using our rewards from our disney visa card.

 

[Morgan'smom]

I have a different perspective on this question. I was a SAHM when we went to WDW for the first time. I decided to start an at home business that benefitted my daughter with products to use and I worked only a few nights a month. All of the money went to savings for vacations. When I had two thousand dollars saved up I was seven months pregnant and decided I was not waiting any longer to go and my DH and DD (three at the time) went for five days. It was too short and I was a bit too pregnant but we had an absolute ball. My daughter has not stopped talking about it since and that is why we are going again. During the last two years I have changed my very part time job to tutoring two hours a week and seling a different product from home - this time I benefit with free product by selling scrapbooking supplies. Again this takes only a few hours a week and the profit goes right in the vacation fund - it is actually a seperate account in a seperate bank from our bill paying money - that way I am less tempted to use it for that. It also feels pretty good to be able to take my family on vacation with money that I earned. As a stay at home mom I often felt I was spending my husband's hard earned money (even though I an well aware of that being ridiculous!) I truly believe that vacations are important no matter what your financial situation may be. Of course Disney is pretty costly but do your research, stay in a cheap hotel, whatever you have to do and it really is Ok to save for a few years, ask for help if you have family, pack your lunches, etc. You will still have a wonderful time in this magical place. Unfortunately, I have since had to go back to work full time because my husband was laid off and now he stays home with the kids and works part time. Now I save all of my mileage reimbursment money and that is how we saved for this trip. It may be a mind game by having a seperare account and special "vacation money" but I say whatever gets us on vacation is good with me.
As for the right ages and "wasting money on young children that won't remember"- Your children will remember the fun, the love, the happiness etc of every day of their lives and that includes those days spent in Disney. Take some pictures and make an album to help keep the memories and the smiles fresh in their monds. My DD was three and remembers more that I ever imagined that she would. I had always thought we should wait until the kids were old enough to remember and boy am I glad we didn't because then some of the amazement would have been lost. She did not look at the characters as people in costumes- they were really Mickey, Pluto, etc. to her.
good luck to you and sorry so long, but I hope it helps.

 

[Morgan'smom]

Originally posted by MrsPete
However, those memories can be built anywhere -- they doesn't just occur on vacation

I totally agree! I want my kids to remember the everyday activities, love, and fun that they feel in our family as much as the vacations and "special events". I believe my daughter has just as much fun planning a birthday party for her stuffed cats as she does anticipating a vacation, however I still want to go to WDW more than I want to attend another "kitty birthday" ! I am very honest about wanting to go to WDW as much as my kids do!
I think that if everyone remembers your quote than lots of kids will be as happy as they should be every day of their "way too short" childhood.

Thanks for sharing it. I know that some of us can get a bit Disney Crazed. I for one don't want to go to Disney for every vacation that we take. I think it would loose a bit of the magic if we went too often.

 

[NotUrsula]

about even with the college fund, and way more important than 1000 anytime minutes on the cell phone account.

Of *course* you have to set priorities, and of *course* avoiding consumer debt is a top priority, but that does not mean that travel in general should always come at the bottom of the family budget priority list. Done right, travel in general teaches a whole lot of valuable lessons that are very hard to match at home.

The importance of travel (yes, even theme park travel) is that it teaches you to function well in an unfamiliar environment that is not strictly under your control. That is one of the toughest skill sets any person ever has to master, and I guarantee that it comes much easier when you start learning to deal with it in childhood. For that reason, I think it is worth it to make travel (of some kind) a family priority. My kid sees me navigate unfamiliar territory all the time, and sometimes he sees me make stupid travel mistakes. We learn from them together. (Yes, we only have one child, and yes, that was a choice.)

Granted, we're not strapped for money anymore. We are both professionals in our 40's, with steady, but not especially lucrative careers. (Our jt. gross income just breaks 6 figures.) Our student loans are gone now, as is our mortgage, we have no CC debt. One car is paid for, and the other is on a no-interest loan. DS goes to private school, his college fund is quite healthy, and we are well-insured. Our retirement fund is on track to keep us solvent. However, in the 14 yrs. we have been married, we have taken a minimum of 5 out of state trips per year (at least 2 by air) and gone abroad at least once every 3 years. We have ALWAYS traveled.

My DH really likes WDW, and Florida in general, so we tend to go twice a year. I just like to travel, period; so I make sure that we don't spend so much on WDW that we can't afford to go anywhere else. Our domestic trips are usually 5 days long, counting the weekend. We fly out late on Thursday night, then return late on Tuesday; not by coincidence, these are the cheapest fare days. We use Priceline all over the place. I read travel literature in every free moment I get, and if I see a good fare, I jump on it. I do use credit cards to float airfares, but I don't pay interest, and I always use reward cards; most importantly, I do this for the consumer protection that the use of a CC gives, protection you don't get in cash transactions.

We usually pay something under $1600 for 5 days onsite at WDW, including airfare, for 3. We have never stayed at the AS, and we generally do not eat in food courts. The key? We very seldom do more than 3.5 days in major parks; it is imperative to that budget that each set of hoppers cover two trips. We pick our dates AFTER we find a good fare. We eat fewer meals while vacationing, and we make it a point never to buy souvenirs unless they a) have a useful purpose, and b) are not full-price. We keep an ice-chest in our room, we eat breakfast in, and we don't buy beverages in parks. I'm a master of the cheap rental car, and in Florida, the cost is made up in food savings by the freedom to buy offsite. We also pack light, and you don't need much horsepower in flatland Florida.

We don't feel deprived when we travel, because when we travel, we are still living rather high compared to our usual spending patterns. We are just frugal people by nature, and traveling is the ONLY entertainment spending we do, aside from buying DVD's of our favorite movies. According to govt. figures I've seen, our annual expenses are about 54% less than average for a family our size, with our income, living where we live. In the end, THAT is how we manage to travel as much as we do.

 

[Frozenfingers]

"The important thing is the family. If you can keep the family together...and that's the backbone of our whole business. Catering to families...that's what we hope to do." Walt Disney

I have read some wonderful stories here, as well as some great strategies for saving and working towards one's goals. Thank you all for sharing, it makes the world a much smaller place.

I would like to add my DW had pictures of the MK posted all over the kitchen and bedroom for YEARS and I was resistive due to the debt load we were carrying already. I too planned out a budget to get things under control and came up with a date of 2001 (three years out)

We were fortunate to make our goal, and have had good fortune since, but we still keep a picture of Cindy's castle on the inside of the cupboard where I see it every morning when I get my mickey coffee cup. Cuz, even tho we just got back, it is time to think about the next trip!

Our first trip was just incredibley "magical" there isn't another word to describe it. Course, we had saved what my brother thought we needed (type a and extravigant, but can afford to be) so we had all the "wishes" and such, doing it up right! I am still using the leftover travelers checks! Through this board and others, I too have learned that Disney doesn't have to be expensive, but does require planning... a bit of fanaticism really helps too!

When folks ask if we are afraid to fly or go to "WDW of all places" because of terrorism, my DW replies.. "Jim can't think of a better place to die than in Mickey's arms".. I tell them.."Mickey H***, I'm headed for Cinderella!" (Come on guys.. I KNOW I am not the only middle aged pudger sucking in the gut whenever she is around!)

I hope we meet some of you when we go "home" in Nov.

 

[house_of_princesses]

Frozenfingers, I giggle at your honesty! No, you're probably not the only man (middle aged or not!) who sucks in his gut at the siting of ANY of the princesses! (Just love that commercial!) BTW, I'm still waiting to meet The Prince!